Hot Water bypass?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
F

Fotis

Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Posts
5
Hi guys!  New to the forum and am I glad I found you!  I just bought a 2018 Coleman Lantern 274BH.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnfIlhwrnpY&list=WL&index=42 I have not even used it yet.  I have figured out most of the stuff on it but one thing escapes me!

It is outfitted with an Atwood g6a-8e water heater and for the life of me I can not find where the bypass switch is.  I always winterized my old Jayco with camper antifreeze and it had a bypass switch that when engaged did not allow the stuff to make it in the hot water heater. All my google and reading all the manual efforts are thus far in vain.  Any help would be appreciated!
 
Welcome to the forum.
Contact the dealer and either the salesman or a service tech will be able to tell you over the phone.
 
Bypass valves are normally located at the back of the water heater, so looking for access to that area should find them. Sometimes there's a "secret" removable panel, and other times removing a drawer allows access. Where the heater is located may give you a clue. That assumes it does have a bypass installed to begin with of course. Not all do as original equipment...
 
If your previous rig had a "switch", you may be looking for the wrong thing. Most RVs have a manual valve that has to be turned to bypass the heater. It's usually located close to and behind the heater, where the plumbing enters the tank. A few Rvs provide remote control switches, especially if the heater is inaccessible, but it's not very common.
 
Find your water heater and look for the 2 or 3 valves that should be on the supply/intake/outtake.

I would not be surprised if it didn't have a bypass installed. I've had to do it for 2 of my 3 TT's (not a big job and you can buy everything you need at a hardware store).
 
I could  get to the back of the heater in my previous rig it was under the bunk beds but this one has an electric switch for the hot water heater and I can't get to the back of it
 
I can across a video of the G6A-8E showing an electric switch to turn the heater on  that was located on the heater itself and accessed from outside by removing the steel door covering the heater.

Any bypass arrangement (1,2,or 3 valves) would have been added by the trailer manufacturer and would likely be very close to the input-output piping. Your best bet would be to contact the dealer and ask how to find them. If necessary, he can contact the manufacturer himself.
 
The remote control switch I referred to previously is for the winterizing bypass, not the heater on/off switch for either LP or electric heating. Two different things and not related to each other except that both pertain to the water heater..
 
Thank you Gary and the rest of the fellas.    Just to give you a visual the yellow below is my heater.  You can see that it is inaccessible from the bunks and the bathroom.


Called the dealer and no answer back from the messages I left


Also for an interior view see video below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnfIlhwrnpY&index=38&t=11s&list=WL
 

Attachments

  • 2016_Dutchmen_ColemanLantern_274BH.jpg
    2016_Dutchmen_ColemanLantern_274BH.jpg
    60.8 KB · Views: 21
What's under the bottom bunk?  Looking at your picture, there should be a access panel to get to the heater. The heater will be at floor level. If there is no removable door, I would make one just in case sometime in the future, you have a water leak from the backside of the heater.
Have you checked real good inside your outside kitchen? That would be the logical place to gain entry.
 
OK that is a strange place for the water heater. Mine have been (according to your floor plan) under the stove, the sofa, and the dinette...all places you can get to.
 
Rene T said:
It could also be 1 valve.
Click to expand...

Wouldn't that be a cut-off not a bypass? How would you get the anti-freeze into the hot water pipes?

Just curious if there is some simpler arrangement. I always installed 2 valve bypasses but my current TT came with a 3 valve which I haven't seen the benefits of the extra valve.
 
massspike said:
Wouldn't that be a cut-off not a bypass? How would you get the anti-freeze into the hot water pipes?

Just curious if there is some simpler arrangement. I always installed 2 valve bypasses but my current TT came with a 3 valve which I haven't seen the benefits of the extra valve.
Click to expand...

A "one valve" bypass uses a check valve at the hot exit to prevent anti-freeze from back filling into the tank. The single operable valve has three ports, and diverts the cold water flow from the cold inlet to the bypass pipe that 'T's' into the hot pipe.

A "two valve" bypass can by one of two types. The first one also uses a check valve at the hot outlet, but has separate inline valves to shut off the cold feed and open the bypass. The second type uses the same three port diverter valve as the one valve, but uses an operable inline valve at the hot outlet instead of a check valve.

A "three valve" bypass simply has separate operable inline valves to shut off the cold feed, the hot outlet, and open the bypass.

On edit: Oops... I forgot there's a third "two valve" bypass type. This one uses two diverter valves and no check valve. The advantage is that no 'T' is needed to connect the bypass pipe to the hot and cold pipes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,296 (members: 33, guests: 1,263)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,974
Posts
1,388,511
Members
137,723
Latest member
CarlSpackler
Back
Top Bottom