Need help troubleshooting a problem

[albianne]

We just got back from de-winterizing our 35 Seville ck, for the most part it weathered the long hard winter well, we have 2 cracked trim mldgs, one on the casing on the fantastic fan (the moulding or trim that finishes off where the fan and ceiling meets and the other is the shower/ceiling trim on the skylight, disappointing but we can figure something out. The vinyl flooring is also lifting on the landing at the top of the steps, opposite the bathroom door, we can unscrew the trim piece and put some glue under (anyone know what kind to use)?

The worst thing though is something has gone wrong with hot water tank, the water in the tank is hot but when you turn the tap on, it runs hot for maybe 7 or 8 seconds and then stone cold, Hubby thinks it might be the mixer valve, but we are not sure. He has double checked that all the switches and what not are in the right direction. We ended up just turning it off altogether as he says it will explode if he leaves it on like a pressure cooker. Anyone had this happen to them?

Thanks for any advice.

[Dayle1]

The water heater has a pressure relief valve, so it will not explode, but you should open the valve manually just to make sure it is NOT stuck. Regarding the problem you describe, it sounds like one of the bypass valves is in the wrong position.

[FFFord]

Check your shower head & see if the valve is open, which would allow the head to flow. If the shower valves are openand the head isclosed, thewater will mix causing your hot water to get cold, too quickly. Been there done that. If you have any single handle fauctets, they could have a bad "O" ring, causing them them to mix, while the valve is closed also.

[fixit5561]

It could be the anti reverse flow valve on the water heater iteself.



I had this happen to me last summer. There is a 1 way valve on the water heater inlet that only lets the water go into the heater. Mine stopped working and also plugged up the inlet so no water could go into the heater. Maybe there is another one on the outlet side of the heater and it is getting stuck in a position that wont let any water come out? Im just guessing.

[albianne]

Hmm food for thought, the valves etc have all been double checked that everything is in the right position etc, there is definitely hot water there, it is just not making it to the tap, well it does but only for a few seconds. This is not the same problem as some have had in their shower where you are showering and the water temp is fluctuating but for the most part you can still stand under it. We actually have not had a chance to shower in the trailer yet this season, I was just trying to wash dishes in the kitchen sink or wash hands in bathroom sink, the water has a couple of seconds of hot and then BLAM it's ice cold - no fluctuating hot and cold, just stone cold. We are going to go and buy a new mixer valve, hope it's the right thing to do as it is an expensive part to buy. Did I read here somewhere that you can do away with the mixer valve, that they were troublesome the way they were set up, or maybe is was one of the circulating RV techs that work at the campground that mentioned this to us. Is there an email address for the service technicians at Crossroads where I can ask them directly?
Thanks again for any advice.

[Ruck]

; to crossroads home page and click on buyers tools, then to service centers, input your zip and find nearest service center, hope this helps.

[papa2]

Originally Posted by Dayle1

The water heater has a pressure relief valve, so it will not explode, but you should open the valve manually just to make sure it is NOT stuck. Regarding the problem you describe, it sounds like one of the bypass valves is in the wrong position.

Spot on. What you describe is identical to the problem I had last year. Had some warranty work done in the fall with the dealership winterizing the trailer. Opened up in the Spring with a few seconds of hot water then nothing. Was sure of my 3 by pass valves and called the dealership. They did not by pass the hot water heater but I had when I "de-winterized". Corrected that and the hot water has been fine since.

Good luck!

[Dayle1]

Originally Posted by papa2

Spot on. Â*What you describe is identical to the problem I had last year. Â*Had some warranty work done in the fall with the dealership winterizing the trailer. Â*Opened up in the Spring with a few seconds of hot water then nothing. Â*Was sure of my 3 by pass valves and called the dealership. Â*They did not by pass the hot water heater but I had when I "de-winterized". Â*Corrected that and the hot water has been fine since.

Good luck!

EZ mistake, especially if the valve has a knob instead of a lever. If the valve has a lever handle, then 90 degrees to the water line, the valve is closed. When the handle points in the same direction as the water line, it is open.

[lenny]

Your hot water tank will not explode, because the pressure relief valve, and thermostat. It stops heating when it gets to the desired temp. Anyway, I had the same problem when we were in Utah last spring. The problem was the mixing valve.



Seen here it is the silver piece with black cap on the left side of the water heater. Pretty simple to change out, but it took a couple weeks to arrive. To bypass it, you need to cap the white hose that runs from near the yellow valve. Then just put a 90* elbow in the water hear, and hookm it up to the PEX hose at the far left. Be warned that you will be able to get some seriously hot water this way. Ensure the temps have stabalized before you get in the shower, etc. Anyway I keep these simple parts on hand now, just in case. Literally a 10 minute fix. However for safety reasons I would only do that until the parts show up.

[albianne]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Lenny your picture is the exact same set up as ours, in fact you have the identical trailer and year as ours, the only difference is that our mixer valve is not silver with a black cap, ours is brass with a tan color cap. It is odd that we have both had the same problem. When you say you had to wait for a couple of weeks for the part to arrive, did you order it from Crossroads? We bought our trailer 2nd hand, the original owner had bought the extended warranty and was able to transfer that to us (but that is limited in what it covers) but I think the original warranty was only for the original owner. Just a guess but I assume we are not covered for any warranty being the second owners. Hubby is an electrician and can pretty much fix anything. We had thought to just buy a mixer valve from our nearest RV shop, will the mixer valve be hard to find? I hope not, we have such a limited season to enjoy the trailer here in the north and I will be disappointed to have to wait weeks for the part.

[lenny]

Ours was a warranty fix, part ordered through crossroads. It is worth a call to see if it is covered. The picture is of the replacement mixer valve. The original was brass with a tan cap.

Like I said, you can bypass the mixer valve while you wait on parts. Just be careful that you don't jump into the shower before the temp has stabalized.

[Caledonia Jay]

Our mixing valve went bad on our 2008 Kingston also. I have heard of a lot of these valves failing after winterizing. I'm sure Atwood is aware of the problem but have not come forward with a recall. That being said, I did not want to cough up the $208.00 for a new valve only to have it fail next summer so I bypassed it. I put a shut off on the mixing valve line so no cold comes through. However now the water coming out is 160 degrees. I tested it coming out of the pressure relief valve. Way too hot. So I then swapped out the thermostat with an adjustable one for $28.00. http://www.rvplus.com/atwood-electronic-adj-thermostat-93105.htmlIt was a really simple install and I am no kind of mechanic. Now our water comes out at about 110and I can set it higher but we like this temp. I like being able to adjust the temp. Never did like the mixing system.



Here is a RV Today video showing how to install the thermostat. http://blog.rv.net/tag/atwood-thermostat/







Also for a temporary fix when ours went bad I just crimped the white flex line on the mixing valve with a vise grip plier. This stops the cold water from mixing with the hot. Be real careful though because then the water comes out at full 160 degrees. This will get you by till the parts come. Edited by: Caledonia Jay

[albianne]

I found the nearest Crossroads rep and they had the mixer valve in stock, it was 280.00 but they knocked off 20.00 because I also bought 3 Max-Air vent covers which she gave me for 100.00 a piece down from 125.00, all in all a very expensive day, lol. As per usual it sounds like the Canadian pricing is quite a bit more than down south. I left all my warranty info at the trailer which is an hour and a half away so I can't check to see if the valve is covered by warranty yet. It is absolutely pouring here with no sign of the weather clearing until next week, so now I have to wait, sigh, I really want to go camping.