Newbie needs help with hot water heater

[cojammer]

Hello all....been a lurker the last few months and have gained great knowledge so THANK YOU....

I have a 1992 Fleetwood Jamboree, and we finally hooked up water yesterday. Its been too cold in denver. I have figured out most things including finding 3 leaks near the connectors on the water fittings. Now I am confused on how to get hot water heater hooked up see attached pics. This is a new to me rv so I know very little.

The hot water tank isnt filling with water btw. Please help me understand this mess

[Luckiest Dreamer]

Yep, it's a mess and impossible to figure from your picture. However, when winterizing a fresh water system it is normal to bypass the water heater and not pump antifreeze into it. If this was done the water will become foul and be quite unpleasant. Chances are there may be valves that was turned rerouting the water to bypass the heater during the winterizing process. After flushing out the antofreeze from the cold water side of the system the valves can be returned to the normal position. However, Rv makers did not put in the valves during the building process in eariler models as they do in many of those built today. Many owners installed their own or they unhooked lines without using valves and rerouted them for winter storage. You need to determine the routing on you own, or find a plumbing guide for your RV. That may be in you paperwork or it may be online. Hoping for an answer from someone that owns a model and year exactly like yours may be your best hope.
Going back to the owner that winterized it may be the easiest. Good luck.

[Skip426]

OH BOY ; you do have a mess.
I guess the easiest way to deal with this is to pick out the non-original parts.
Some one has gone to a hardware store and set up their own by-pass kit, and getting back to square one would be the best way to deal with this.
The steel braided lines and the tap are non-original, and buying a RV hot water heater, by-pass kit may be the best way to set thing right.
The lower fitting on the tank is cold , in , top , hot out. the brass fitting attached to the hot out on the tank, is a one way check valve and has to stay in place.
The white hose , is a total mystery and will have to be traced to it's source.
Third picture, so much reflection from flash I can't tell what's there. Can you re-take that picture with the braided lines covered so they don't reflect?
The original , grey , rigid plastic lines, are only long enough to hook up in one place so that ; at least; is straight forward.
Unfortunately looking at what has been done , I think you will find that when you get water into the tank, you will find that it leaks.

[Skip426]

Hi, again, just pulled up the pictures on my DW's high deff monitor. The yellow plastic part , by the lower tank edge in the first photo , is part of the original fittings, it's a seal ring , you need that and possibly new ones like it to seal the original fittings. The galvanized pipe nipple attached to the original fitting may have damaged that fitting, when you hook that fitting back up properly, you will really have to watch it for leaks.
Could you remove the steel braided lines and hold the grey lines out of the way , when you re-take the picture #3., if I can get a better look at the fittings at the floor , maybe I can be of more help.

[BFlinn181]

I agree with Skip426, it looks like someone bypassed the water heater with braided faucet supply hose. In the third photo it looks like a T handle pull for a low point drain or shut off valve. I'd take a wrench to the braided line, disconnect one end and see which way the water flows. I't going to take some exploring to figure that custom job out.

[Skip426]

Sorry to keep re-posting on this . More magnification and a different pair of glasses. I'm ok now , no more picture required.
The white line runs from the hot to cold fittings as does the braided hose from the tap. There is no water being supplied to the tank. All flow to the hot taps in the RV is cold and running through the braided line with the galvanized pipe nipple.
Picture #3, is of two through floor drain taps , low point water drains , one for hot , closest to camera, cold back by the tank. These taps should turn 90 degrees and appear to be in the open possision. The taps are for winterizing and need to be closed to use the RV.
Is there a shut off valve in the white hose ? Can't tell from the picture.
If there is a shut off in that line it would be possible to get water through the tank by moving the existing lines around.

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I agree with Skip426, it looks like someone bypassed the water heater with braided faucet supply hose. In the third photo it looks like a T handle pull for a low point drain or shut off valve. I'd take a wrench to the braided line, disconnect one end and see which way the water flows. I't going to take some exploring to figure that custom job out.

Thanks for the reminder Bob, I'd forgotten about the pull up style of water drain . Been a long time since I saw one.

[Skip426]

OK , 27th time is a charm. Again sorry for all the posts , swapping computors and having to go in and out of the reply screen to view the pictures has de-railed my train of thought.
You can supply water to the tank by changing two line ends , remove the braided line end from the tap; top of picture #1, and swap it with the braided line end with the taped label around it attached to the 90 degree brass fitting, this will allow water flow into the tank. If there is a shut off in the white line it needs to be off , or cold water will always be able to by-pass the tank, and you will only get luke warm water at the hot taps.
This will allow you to fill and pressure test the tank.
JMHO. Consider buying a proper by-pass kit, and be ready for an unpleasant surprise when you get water into the tank.

[monkey]

Originally Posted by Skip426

Thanks for the reminder Bob, I'd forgotten about the pull up style of water drain . Been a long time since I saw one.

Sorry to butt in,, but we have those valves near the water tank, but I never could get them to drain... So you pull up on them ?? Thanks !
Monkey

[cojammer]

You guys are fantastic, thank you so much for your help thus far. Based on your guidance, I was able to switch the braided lines and now they seem to make a lot more sense. Here is another question - that white line that can be seen in the first couple pictures is attached to the hot water outlet and leads directly back to the cold water inlet. The silver braided line that takes the heated water and distributes it to the rig is just beyond where the white line T's in. The white line doesn't have any kind of valve to turn to bypass it. My question is if this diversion of water is going to make a significant difference to the hot water supply? I would be happy to just leave it there if it doesn't harm the unit or cause any crazy issues. If it does need to be capped off somehow, do I just cap the line or should I install some kind of a valve and leave the line in place. I don't understand the water heater enough to get what the purpose of this white line is, so I don't know what to do about it. My water heater manual gives plenty of info on how to electrically install the thing, but nothing about how to install the plumbing.

[BFlinn181]

That line is part of the water heater by-pass I imagine. You could install a valve in the line to shut if off until you next winterize the RV or just cap it off then reconnect for winterizing.

[Skip426]

The white line,without a shut off valve, is improperly installed, and will always allow cold water to by-pass the heater and blend into the hot side , cooling any hot water before it gets to the tap.

[cojammer]

is it ok to just remove the white line completely? just make sure i have cold going straight into water heater and hot coming out...maybe buy the camco hot water heater bypass kit and install when i winterize?

[Skip426]

If you need to buy any fittings to get rid of the white hose , you should just get the winterize kit now , it is a permanent fix.