Hot water tank...sometimes has flow...sometimes doesn't

[louiskathy]

We have a 2000 Winnebago Adventurer with a 10 Gallon Atwood water heater, Model #GCH10A-3E. It's been acting up for over a year.
Somedays water flows like it should. Other days, nothing but a trickle or nothing at all. Hubby will alternate what he does to fix it... putting air and/or water into it in various places. He has always been able to get it to work but every morning we get up and wonder if we'll be able to take a hot shower.

Wednesday morning it was working until hubby changed the filter on the incoming water line. We have a sediment screen and a corded white filter set-up to filter all the water coming into the rig. We've done this for years. What did changing the filter had to do with the hot water ceasing to flow?

Thursday hubby worked all day on the stupid thing. I downloaded manuals off the internet. I'm not sure how much he read them because this morning he was musing out loud, wondering,
What kind of a gadget or valve would be on the input of the water heater around the back that should be replaced?

Anyway, Thursday he worked all day on it. Deemed it dead. We could have all the cold water we wanted flowing out of the faucets but when you turned on any hot water valve you got nothing. I turned off all the LP/electric to it and we checked prices for a new one online.

Friday morning When I was explaining to a friend how we didn't have hot water because water would not flow out of the faucet when I turned on the hot water... and then flipped on the kitchen faucet to show her we had cold water flowing but no hot water flow out of the tank... water flowed with good pressure no matter which way I turned the faucet. I turned on the electric and LP to heat the water and in a couple of hours I had all the hot water I wanted. It worked fine all day then for the rest of the day.

Got up this morning and no flow from the hot water. Cold water flows fine but nothing from the bathroom or kitchen or tub hot water faucets. Everything was fine when we went to bed last night.

I've got single handle faucets in the kitchen and bathroom sink but the tub has a hot water knob and a cold water knob. We have cleaned the screens on them.

If anyone knows which valve or gadget needs to be replaced on that tank... or if we are just better off replacing the whole thing... please tell us.

[Old-Biscuit]

YES....they are junk!!

Cheap plastic plunger.spring and o-ring
Same thing is in your city water inlet connection and black tank flush connection.

Best to just get rid of it and do the shutoff valve. Then no more cheap junk to fall apart again. I get rid of them every time.

Glad you have HOT water flowing. It is one of life's little pleasures

[louiskathy]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Check valve in hot water outlet nipple.....it is junk
Nipple screws into WH tank. Check valve is internal part of nipple

Either replace with a new check valve

OR better yet get rid of it completely

Install a shut off valve in hot outlet then check valve is not needed.
Check valve is used to stop any flow back into WH tank when winterizing

With a hot shut off valve you just close it (and cold inlet...then open bypass) when winterizing.
No more check valves.no more issues with no hot water due to a failed check valve

Atwood w/o hot outlet valve....just check valve


Atwood with hot outlet valve....no check valve



Go to Home Depot pick up 1/2" Sharkbite valve and install

Lowes has Gatorbites
ACE..probably Flairit

Any 1/2" snap in valve and just remove internals of nipple and reuse it

Hubby told me to tell you "Thank you" for posting that photo. He took one look at that and knew what he had suspected for awhile was possible. He had purchased a check valve but really did not want to put it into the line.

When he had it all apart he brought the old check valve in and showed it to me. The inside parts had all broken and were moving around causing the problem. Sometimes they'd block the flow. Sometimes they would get out of the way.

Everything is working this morning very well.

[Old-Biscuit]

louiskathy wrote:
I'm a happy camper... looking forward to a nice hot shower in about two hours...
5:04pm... Tank is in... filling with water... LP is on... tested with a match ( no leaks)

:B:B:B

[louiskathy]

Keep a sense of humor .. always keep a sense of humor...

[louiskathy]

I'm a happy camper... looking forward to a nice hot shower in about two hours...
5:04pm... Tank is in... filling with water... LP is on... tested with a match ( no leaks)

[Old-Biscuit]

Open bypass would give you warm or cool water thru hot water plumbing.

No flow thru hot plumbing is check valve on WH tank

[louiskathy]

Thank you for that info,Old-Biscuit. Hubby understood exactly what you explained verbally with photo's. He's out the door to go do it right now.

and as he went out, I scrolled down and yelled "CHECK TO MAKE SURE THE BY-PASS VALVE IS CLOSED". I think he heard me.

Water has always been our adversary. I don't care if we were in the stix & bricks (hot water base board heat) or camping in a tent (at the edge of a lake during a sudden summer storm) ... It's a problem. Yesterday was no different.
He was wet from his belt to his toes and from his belly button to his nose... but it didn't happen at the same time...and it didn't happen just once either.

We've been full timing since 2005. Construction/Maintenance volunteers with Hard Hats for Christ (RV'rs for Christ) for over 10 years. Hubby is going to be 76 in a few weeks. We're heading toward our 30th wedding anniversary in 2017. Between God, our friends and this forum... we're never alone or without help.

[wing_zealot]

Check to make sure the by-pass valve is closed.

[Old-Biscuit]

Check valve in hot water outlet nipple.....it is junk
Nipple screws into WH tank. Check valve is internal part of nipple

Either replace with a new check valve

OR better yet get rid of it completely

Install a shut off valve in hot outlet then check valve is not needed.
Check valve is used to stop any flow back into WH tank when winterizing

With a hot shut off valve you just close it (and cold inlet...then open bypass) when winterizing.
No more check valves.no more issues with no hot water due to a failed check valve

Atwood w/o hot outlet valve....just check valve


Atwood with hot outlet valve....no check valve



Go to Home Depot pick up 1/2" Sharkbite valve and install

Lowes has Gatorbites
ACE..probably Flairit

Any 1/2" snap in valve and just remove internals of nipple and reuse it