Water heater plumbing

[jrclen]

I can't see any reason to tear it all out and a 3-way bypass has no advantage except maybe that manual valves don't get gummed up with mineral salts as quickly as check valves. Converting to a 2-valve bypass by adding a manual valve at the hot outlet eliminate the outlet check valve and is a cheap & easy fix to your problem.

That is exactly what I am going to do. I'm installing a ball valve at the top. I already have a brand new one. Thanks Gary. Shopping now for the two thermostats. Today I redid the wiring to what was in place from the factory. Replaced the breaker and the switch.

 

[Kirk]

Attached is the name tag for the heater.

That makes it an Atwood, model GC6AA-8 which is a 6 gallon water heater. (GC6AA-8 --6 gal. combo w/pilot) You can download a copy of the Atwood Service Manual from this link for future use. As the missing insulation on the tank, I would just use some fiberglass bat type and cover it the best that you can.

 

[jrclen]

Thanks Kirk.