Domestic water heater bypass valve location

[Alexad99]

I'm trying to locate the hot water bypass valve on an Aquahot 450d on a 2006 Beaver Monterey. Thanks in advance.

 

[John From Detroit]

Generally they are "Behind" the water heatere.. One two or 3 valves There will be a panel INSIDE the RV that you can open. it may be a door or a Spring clip or a screwed in place panel.
You will then see them

HOWEVER .. some companies put them.. Somewhere else

 

[Larry N.]

John, Alexad99 is talking about an Aqua Hot, not a water heater.

I'm trying to locate the hot water bypass valve on an Aquahot 450d on a 2006 Beaver Monterey.

Your Monterey is the same vintage as the Beaver Patriot I had, and I was never aware of a "hot water bypass valve" on it. The water manifold, which I believe yours also has, was the main control for water, and when I winterized I always filled the hot side* with the pink antifreeze, as well as the cold water to the washing machine. The rest of the cold water stuff I bled dry with air, that is, I hooked the air compressor to the water inlet (hose connection- there's an adapter for that) and set it to 40 psi, then with the compressor running opened one cold water faucet at a time and let the air blow it out until it was pretty much dry (did the same to my Newmar Ventana), then switched to the next faucet.

I did it that way because the Aqua Hot manual very specifically warned about being sure to get the pink stuff to every nook and cranny in the hot side (that is, in the AH), which came from the Aqua Hot, and they pointed out that blowing out with air would never get the water out of certain tiny, twisty spaces in the AH, and you'd be in for a very expensive repair/replacement.

Actually, I think I did the cold side with air first, then finished by closing off the cold water stuff at the water manifold when I put the pink stuff in.

So I'm not familiar with an actual bypass like you're mentioning. But you might go back to your original thread about this and look at post #18 where a certified AH tech posted to you, along with a lot of the same info you see above.

This probably should stay in that same thread so that confusion is minimized and you and everyone else can see all the info, not just part of it.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

To winterize an Aqua-Hot 450D system, you must purge all potable water from the domestic heating coil by pumping FDA-approved "GRAS" (Generally Recognized As Safe) RV antifreeze through the system. This prevents damage to the internal water coil. The process involves using the RV's demand pump to pull antifreeze through all hot and cold faucets. [1, 2, 3]
Steps to Winterize the Aqua-Hot 450D:

• Prep: Turn off the Aqua-Hot diesel and electric heating elements and allow it to cool.
• Drain Fresh Water: Completely drain the RV's fresh water storage tank.
• Set Up Antifreeze: Disconnect the water pump suction line and connect a hose, placing the other end into a container of RV-approved potable water antifreeze.
• Pump Antifreeze: Turn on the demand water pump.
• Flush Faucets: Go to every faucet (kitchen, bathroom, shower, outside shower) and open the hot side until pink antifreeze flows consistently, then do the same for the cold side.
• Finalize: Once all lines show antifreeze, turn off the pump, remove the suction hose, and reconnect the water pump line. [1, 2, 3]

This video provides a complete guide on how to winterize your Aqua-Hot system:

3m



How to Winterize a Motorhome with Aquahot, Washer ...


Horizon 42Q
YouTube• Oct 15, 2022
Important Notes:

 

[Larry N.]

The process involves using the RV's demand pump to pull antifreeze through all hot and cold faucets.

On both of the DPs I had with hydronic systems, I only put the pink stuff in the hot side, using only air for the cold side, and in both the Aqua Hot (Beaver) and the Oasis (Newmar Ventana) I did this for quite a few winters with no damage to either system. The cold water segments don't go through the hydronic system, else they'd get hot too.

 

[BillyThib]

AquaHot systems don’t use bypass valves unless Beaver did something unique.

I'm trying to locate the hot water bypass valve on an Aquahot 450d on a 2006 Beaver Monterey. Thanks in advance.

 

[Larry N.]

AquaHot systems don’t use bypass valves unless Beaver did something unique.

Nope- Beaver had a water manifold in the wet bay that had valves for each hot water destination on the hot side (from the AH) and for each cold water destination on the cold side. You definitely had to put the pink stuff in the hot side, but air worked on (on my Beaver Patriot) for the cold side. But my manual (huge and detailed) didn't mention or show a bypass valve- I'm sure those are for water heaters, not for hydronic systems.

 

[BillyThib]

Thanks for confirming Larry, most high-end coaches use manifold systems to distribute water from a central location, genius.. In all my years of servicing them never have I seen a bypass on a hydronic heater. Depending on how long the cold spell lasts you could simply leave the unit on electric and diesel as a backup if there is a power failure. Not recommended for units in storage.