Water heater issues.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
OK......

If the Cold Inlet/Bypass Valve is the ONLY valve on your WH Tank----NO Valve on Upper HOT Out connection then your LACK of Hot water is due to failed check valve in the HOT Out connection (nipple screwed into WH TANK has an internal check vlve that are common to failure/Clogging etc

You were right, I pulled the check valve and sure enough, it was frozen shut. I will replace it tomorrow. Thank you and everyone who replied to help me.

OK......

1st Photo
Bottom Valve is Cold Inlet/Bypass Vlave.
In current position (parallel with cold line) water goes IN to WH Tank via lower cold inlet connection

2nd Photo
Manual diagram generic cause it is NOT specific to your valving
(Owners Note is correct....Winter/Valve straight Up/Bypass Mode & Summer/Valve parallel to Cold water line)

If the Cold Inlet/Bypass Valve is the ONLY valve on your WH Tank----NO Valve on Upper HOT Out connection then your LACK of Hot water is due to failed check valve in the HOT Out connection (nipple screwed into WH TANK has an internal check vlve that are common to failure/Clogging etc

If there is a valve on the vertical pipe, turn it off (sideways). Your diagram is different than the actual plumbing.

The first photo shows my single bypass valve. The second photo shows what the previous owner wrote in my manual. I do not get any water out of the "hot" side if I place the bypass to the left as he drew it. https://s569.photobucket.com/user/kelpike/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20200730_175249_zpstsf2u8ua.jpg.html
https://s569.photobucket.com/user/kelpike/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20200730_180723_zpstvl8b0vy.jpg.html

My bypass can be placed in three positions, to the left stops all water from the "hot" handles but allows water from the cold handles. Straight up or to the right allows water to flow through both handles.

This camper is new to me so I can't say it had hot but the connections feel like it should be very hot. I am heating with propane. The outside shower is a whole other problem that I need to address next. The button on the shower head is broken so the whole head is removed and the cold water handle leaks so I plugged the line temporarily. I don't think the shower is my issue because I'm not getting warm water for a length of time, its roughly a minute or two, definitely not 6 gallons worth. I don't think the hot water is coming out of the tank.

You need to shut off the water heater bypass valve as your allowing cold water to mix with hot.

If you have an outside shower go check it and make sure that it is shut off at the hot and cold valves because if these are on and only the showerhead is shut off you will only get warm water.

Usally the water is pretty hot? Are you heating it on propane or electric? Electric can take a longer time.