Revolution By-Pass Valve????

[fansill]

Good Evening All,

I started out today trying to winterize my 2005 Fleetwood Revolution LE and after putting pink stuff into the holding tank, I realized that I did not know where the hot water by-pass valve was. This is our first year with this RV and I spent 2 hours looking for it with no success.

I went through the owners manual binder and I see that I have a Swan Industries heater by-pass valve installed, but nowhere in the paperwork does it tell me where it is located.

It is not located in the water compartment where all of the other water valves are including a Sani-Flush system also manufactured by Swan Industries.

I hope that you can help me out with this mystery. I hate to fill up my Hot Water heater with the pick stuff...., but I will if I need to...

Thanks in advance.

Faith

[cutrell01]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fansill Good Evening All, I started out today trying to winterize my 2005 Fleetwood Revolution LE and after putting pink stuff into the holding tank, I realized that I did not know where the hot water by-pass valve was. This is our first year with this RV and I spent 2 hours looking for it with no success. I went through the owners manual binder and I see that I have a Swan Industries heater by-pass valve installed, but nowhere in the paperwork does it tell me where it is located. It is not located in the water compartment where all of the other water valves are including a Sani-Flush system also manufactured by Swan Industries. I hope that you can help me out with this mystery. I hate to fill up my Hot Water heater with the pick stuff...., but I will if I need to... Thanks in advance. Faith

Most water heater by-pass valves are located very near the water heater. Many have three valves-line into the heater, line out of the heater, and a crossover line with a valve. To winterize-open the crossover valve and close the other two. Don't know what your set up is for this.

[HeapBigEngin]

Faith....on our 2003 Revolution, the hot water tank is in the lower corner, passenger side of the bedroom behind a decorative panel. Pull off the panel....the instructions for the bypass valve should be there and are pretty clear and obvious. You should put the valve in the "bypass" position. You should also notice another valve to the left. That is the drain valve that will empty the tank...the tank will drain out the rear and bottom of the coach and onto the ground. You should drain the tank before you change the bypass valve.

One other thing...just the way I do it. Your call. I first blow out the water with my compressor via the city water inlet. This requires a couple of fittigs...and of course a compressor. And I do not dump a bunch of AFreeze into the fresh water tank. Inside the water compartment, I remove the small metal panel to gain access to the water pump. I then remove the fresh water tank hose from the pump (that is the hose that runs between the fresh water tank and the water pump). It is very easy to remove this hose from the pump inlet nipple and should be obvious when you look at it. I then attach an appropriate sized and length of rubber hose to the now-exposed water pump inlet with a small hose clamp...then running the open end of the rubber hose directly into a bottle of afreeze. Turning on the water pump will then draw afreeze from the bottle and into your coach's water system....thus not using so much a/freeze and not putting the stuff directly in the fresh water tank (a very small amount will get in, and that is fine). When you open a faucet, of course, the water pump will move coolant from the bottle through the lines. Your helper outside the coach can transfer the hose to each new bottle as the afreeze does its thing. It works, and it's easy. I use 4 bottles....but then I overdue it 'cause the afreeze is much cheaper than replacing lines, elbows and faucets. Do all of your faucets and allow afreeze to get down into all of the drains and traps. And don't forget the toilet and the outside faucets and sprayer in that water compartment.

When you're done, just reconnect the fresh water tank hose to the pump, and you're done. And give the whole sytem a good flushing in the Spring....hope that helps.

[Gary RVRoamer]

It depends on the floor plan but it will be very close to the heater, either immediately adjacent or below it. In my '04 Tradition with the heater in the left rear corner under the washer, I have to pull out an adjacent drawer to get access to the valve. There is a transparent sticker on the drawer that says something like "Remove drawer to access bypass valve".

You can always call American Coach Customer Service and ask them. Just have your FIN handy so they can identify what you have.

[lyledavid]

Faith
We have an 2005 Revolution 39B which is very much like yours even the color. I have to move the bedroom slide out to the left side and under the right corner TV there are three or four drawers and below the lowest drawer there is a panel that swings out and all of the hot water plumbing will be exposed. I hope this helps.
Lyledavid

[Tha_Rooster]

Look on the inside under water heater there's got to be a access panel. Mine has 2 one of which I have to lay on floor and reach as far as I can to get to. You can find out if you have 2 by pressure rising with air and see if the air comes out the drain hole in water heater.

[fansill]

Thanks to all of you... I found the bypass valve behind a false panel in the bedroom and winterizing was as easy as pie...!!! I still must finish up by winterizing the Spendide washer/dryer but I will tackle that job tomorrow after I read the owner's manual tonight.

Thanks again.

Faith