Winnebago water valve question

[carson]

    Just under my fridge there is an access grill (2 screws) with plumbing pipes and a valve inside.

I am assuming it is the water heater bypass but would like some expert opinion before I fiddle with it.  Picture below:

The valve is shown in the normal position and everything works. What will happen if I turn it 90 deg. clockwise?  I haven't tried it yet. When would it be required to use that function?

Probably an RV plumbing 101 lesson.

carson FL

 

[Woody]

I could not get your image to come up, it said it was "not a valid image file". If the valve opens up with just a quarter turn it sounds like it may be a gas valve instead of water. The location makes sense too since it would be to shut the gas off to the fridge.
Your water valves, if they are anything like mine, should look like the valve below your toilet or the drain valve on your hot water heater.

Woody

 

[carson]

Hi Woody, too bad you can't see the pix. The piping and valve are all plastic and must be water. If you could see the image it would be apparent.

carson

 

[caltex]

That looks just like the plumbing and bypass valve in my Winnebago, but the location is different.

 

[Ned]

Carson, yes, it appears to be a water heater bypass valve.  It looks like in the pictured position, the bypass is on.  Turning 90 to the right will enable the water heater.  I'm assuming the two pipes to the right go to the water heater.

 

[carson]

Ned,  It's hard for me to tell where the pipes are going. The water heater is located some distance away and up a few feet. There are also some hoses with hot water from the engine in the area, so we must be on the right track.

The valve position shown must be in the right position as I get good operation from the water heater. So the 90 deg turn must then be the bypass position. I'll do an actual check next time I'm at the RV.

Why would one want to by-pass the heater unless it was leaking?

 

[Ned]

The engine coolant hoses are probably for the water heater too (Motor Aid).  We had that on our previous water heater.  If the water heater is working, then the other position is the bypass position.  Without knowing where the pipes lead, it's impossible to tell.

You would bypass the water heater when winterizing, or when draining the heater to remove the mineral deposits and/or replace an anode rod.  Or when it's leaking which is what we did when ours leaked last year.

 

[carson]

Ok, I understand. Makes sense for winterizing to have an empty tank.

  As far as just draining the tank for service, which I have done in the past, I just made sure I was not connected to city water and the RV pump was not turned on. Don't understand then why the by-pass is required.

Thanks for the help.
carson

 

[Ned]

With the bypass on, you don't drain the water lines in the rest of the RV.  You can leave the city water connected and just drain the water heater.  All you lose is hot water until you're done and it's turned on again.

 

[Weewun]

When you winterize your rig and are using that foul smelling/tasting RV antifreeze you bypass the Water Heater.  Be sure to remove the Drain Plug in the Water Heater and empty its water  When you dewinterize be sure to flush you water system completely before you change the Bypass back to the normal Water Heater position or the antifreeze will remain in the bypass section of the plumbing and leach its way back into the Coach plumbing

The easiest way to winterize is to do as I do and go to I95 and turn right 

 

[Woody]

Just to further clarify what some of the others have said you have to close off the hot water heater when you pump the antifreeze into your water lines. Otherwise you would have to fill the whole 6 gal. water tank with a/f before it would pump into your hot water lines.
I don't even use antifreeze in my lines. I hook the compressor air hose up to the connection for shore water, open all faucets, and blow the lines out til  no water comes out of the various faucets. It takes a while to do this to get any water that resettles into low spots in the line but I have never had a problem for the last four winters. Make absolutely sure to get the valve that controls water to the toilet blown out well, it will be the first thing to freeze if there is any water that settles into it.

Woody

 

[carson]

Thanks Ned, Weewun and Woody,

Now I fully understand the whole picture; it all makes a lot of sense.

  I only need to winterize when hell freezes over; I live in Florida    and love it.

But one never knows when one gets stuck in the North some time in the future.
Even in my past home in Washington State on the coast it rarely gets dangerously low in temp. A little bit inland is another story.

carson FL

 

[John From Detroit]

Well, Hell, Michigan, freezes over most every year... And I've seen sub freezing temps in Northern Florida more than once, and I've only been there once

Lovely state Michigan... I've Praised God in Paradise, I've danced in Hell, and I never left Michigan.

 

[Woody]

Well, Hell, Michigan, freezes over most every year... And I've seen sub freezing temps in Northern Florida more than once, and I've only been there once

Lovely state Michigan... I've Praised God in Paradise, I've danced in Hell, and I never left Michigan.

Hi John,

You must have praised God in the UP and danced in the city of your name. (g)
Although I do love the Renaissance Center.

Woody

 

[Shayne]

John  The Devil  stays in Michigan cause He can't get it warm enough to leave.