no water heater by-pass?

larrydp · 09-22-2010, 05:44 PM

i have tried to crawl into the very small opening of my 2007 Cherokee Lite trying to locate a by-pass valve on my water heater....with no luck. that having been said, if there is no water heater by-pass (and it would be extremly difficult to install one) what are your suggestions for winterizing our unit? thanks!

Randy the sly old fox · 09-22-2010, 08:31 PM

Without a bypass, it will be necessary to fill the tank with antifreeze in order to get the antifreeze into the hot water system. That was how we did it before the bypass was invented. That said, I have not seen a HWH without one since the 70's. That said I notice that the Wolf Pup models don't mention having one - all the others do. Have you checked your owners manual to see if they put the bypass valves somewhere else?

lostagain · 09-23-2010, 04:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randy the sly old fox

Without a bypass, it will be necessary to fill the tank with antifreeze in order to get the antifreeze into the hot water system. That was how we did it before the bypass was invented. That said, I have not seen a HWH without one since the 70's. That said I notice that the Wolf Pup models don't mention having one - all the others do. Have you checked your owners manual to see if they put the bypass valves somewhere else?

x2... check your manual under winterizing. Even if it doesn't have a bypass, which I doubt, it will tell you how to winterize.

HD4Mark · 09-23-2010, 05:07 AM

If there truly is no bypass what I used to do on a boat we owned was to drain the hot water tank, pull the in and out lines and join them by clamping them together on a piece of pipe. The last year we had it I got sick of standing on my head to do that and just bought enough pink antifreeze to fill it. So I guess it depends on how accessible the hoses are.

larrydp · 09-23-2010, 06:17 AM

thanks y'all!!!! we bought this TT used. i contacted Forrest River and they don't seem to have "unit specific" owner's manuals....only generic ones. the door to the storage area where the WH is located is soooo small that i might have to send my granddaughter into it to try to locate the by-pass valves!!!!! seems to me that the manufacturers would make it more convenient to get to. Thanks again!

MikenAmber · 09-23-2010, 06:58 AM

LarryDP, We had a hard time trying to locate our bypass valve. To get to it you have to raise the bed. There is a small panel located under the closet where the water heater is located, you have to remove the panel to access the bypass valve. Just and idea for you.

Paul R. Haller · 09-23-2010, 04:31 PM

I once had a Jayco designer 5er that you had to crawl into the storage area and around the hot water heater to get to it. Jayco also put the electrical switch for turning on and off the electric heating switch back there too. What a horrible plan that was. I crawled under there once... and ran electrical up to an inside wall to turn on and off the electric hot water heater switch. I can't understand that. Jayco has built trailers for years... Top of the line Jayco for 40,000$. What were they thinking?!? They also put the antenna booster behind the TV. How can you reach it once a TV is placed in the cabinet? No Idea... All that said, after I ironed out those bugs, it sure was a good trailer. Wish I had her back.
-Paul R. Haller-

wa8yxm · 09-23-2010, 04:58 PM

I have seen cases where the heater, and the bypass valves, were quite different places.. Just so you know.

freud · 09-29-2010, 07:44 PM

I had an '05 Cherokee Lite with the front bed. Water heater was also in the front. Under the mattress was a small cut out right over the water heater, held in place by 2 screws. You could just get your hand through it, but could then get to the cutoff. IIRC, it was only one valve in front of the cold water entry.