Here is something you might not know about RVs

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
SeilerBird

SeilerBird

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 25, 2012
Posts
18,114
Location
St Cloud Florida USA
I developed the strangest problem yesterday. I went to take a shower and only cold water came out. It had only been three weeks since I filled the propane tank and it usually lasts six weeks so I was not out of propane. I turned on the bathroom sink faucet and got hot water. The bathroom is ten feet from the water heater and the shower and sink are about four feet apart so it made no sense to me that one would get hot water and the other would not get hot water. My first thought was to post a question here but I am friends with Catblaster who lives close by and is a retired plumber so I thought about calling him. But then I decided to search Google and I immediately found the answer.

It turns out showers have an anti-scald valve built in. It is designed so that it limits the hot water flow so there is no chance you will turn on the water and get scalded. I never knew that and I bet even Gary might not know about it. But then again since he seems to know everything he just might. Anyway it turns out the pilot light had blown out and all I had to do was relight the pilot and I was good to go. I replaced the water heater with the wrong model and I no longer have a functioning water heater switch and light in the kitchen. I am going to replace it later on in the year.

https://plumbingtoday.biz/blog/why-am-i-getting-hot-water-everywhere-but-the-shower
 
The anti-scald device is only for showers with a single handle. The second problem on that page can be a real hassle.  When I lived in an apartment my shower would go from scalding to freezing every time someone else in the building turned on a faucet or shower as it made the looseness in the mixing valve flop back and forth.  I have dual handle faucets in the sinks and shower in my rig and they don't have this problem.
 
Lou Schneider said:
The anti-scald device is only for showers with a single handle. The second problem on that page can be a real hassle.  When I lived in an apartment my shower would go from scalding to freezing every time someone else in the building turned on a faucet or shower as it made the looseness in the mixing valve flop back and forth.  I have dual handle faucets in the sinks and shower in my rig and they don't have this problem.
Click to expand...
Good points Lou. I really hate the faucet and will probably replace it this year when I redo the bathroom.
 
Lou Schneider said:
The anti-scald device is only for showers with a single handle. The second problem on that page can be a real hassle.  When I lived in an apartment my shower would go from scalding to freezing every time someone else in the building turned on a faucet or shower as it made the looseness in the mixing valve flop back and forth.  I have dual handle faucets in the sinks and shower in my rig and they don't have this problem.
Click to expand...

In our jurisdiction anti-scald devices are required on all showers regardless of single or double handle. ONLY talking about houses here, I never inspected RV's.  It is harder to do on two handled valves, three piece valve can have the center section replaced with a 3 port device which can work on thermostatic or pressure balance but a one piece two handled valve would only be retrofitted with a thermostatic device on the outlet side.  Most people that try to install the two handled units will take them back and credit for a single handle valve.
 
I have the single valve for my shower at home. I had that problem when we got home last year from being in FL. I called the manufacturer and they sent me a brand new valve assembly. They had issues with the original valves and were replacing them for free.
I think I created a post about it and I'll see if I can find it.

Update:  I found the post. It had to do with not being able to cool the water. I was getting hot water only. Here's the post. It may help others. It was a Delta faucet.
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,104971.msg945443.html#msg945443
 
My brother had one in his class A DP. He took it out, problem solved. No more hot water problems.  We're both plumbers and electricians by trade and work on mobile homes exclusively and deal with these dumb things on a daily basis, however, we can't remove them.
 
Anti-scald gadgets have been required for showers by the plumbing code for decades now, whether installed in houses, mobile homes or RVs. Too many kids and elderly got scalded in showers.  That's also the reason that shower heads no longer turn off 100% and keep on dribbling. That keeps the temperature mix more stable and prevents a build-up that can create a momentary hot blast
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
...That's also the reason that shower heads no longer turn off 100% and keep on dribbling. That keeps the temperature mix more stable and prevents a build-up that can create a momentary hot blast
Click to expand...

Are you talking about home, or RV showers with this?  All (home and rv) of my shower heads turn off fully. No dribbling. I'd never stand for that. Water is too expensive to let dribble all the time.

Maybe it's lucky (?? Brrr) in the shower in our Arctic Fox, we get a brief blast of cold water when turning the shower head back on after soaping up and then wanting to rinse off.
 
Are you talking about home, or RV showers with this?  All (home and rv) of my shower heads turn off fully. No dribbling. I'd never stand for that. Water is too expensive to let dribble all the time.
Click to expand...

That would be RV showers. Not talking about shutting off with the faucet handle, but rather the dribbling that comes when you use the valve on the shower head/hose to stop the water flow. The faucet handle still stops flow completely.
 
Interestingly enough the new sticks and bricks we just moved into had the hot water heater replaced before closing because the burner never went off (factory defect obviously). The water got so hot that it activated the over pressure valve on the water heater and there was water on the basement floor. The water coming out of the faucets upstairs was 165 degrees! Home inspector said don?t accept a repair, just demand a new water heater which we did. So far so good, though we aren?t living in the house yet. Due to this disgusting return of winter weather to the Midwest, the furniture is delayed. Luckily there is a nice campground not too far away where we are staying until we have furniture.
 
If you install a Oxygenics Body Spa in your house or RV the head comes with no valve but they provide an inline valve called a "Smart Pulse" valve (Their name for it.  It's a dribbiler.

I have one but I used my old valve which is a full shut off. I just never fully close it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 1,061 (members: 22, guests: 1,039)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,966
Posts
1,388,407
Members
137,720
Latest member
Asteg1000
Back
Top Bottom