HoT water

[Fox hunt]

ok my trailer hasn't been really used since last fall. It was winterized and un winterized but i didn't do it. If water comes out when the hot waters spicket is turn on does that mean I have water in the hot water tank? Afraid to turn on the hot water heater because I don't want to burn it out

[gbaglo]

I suspect you do have water in your heater tank, but to confirm, connect a water hose to the city inlet, turn on the water and then open the pressure relief valve. When water spews out of it, you can be assured that the water heater is full. I let is run for a couple minutes.
The relief valve is a lever just left of top centre. Second pic shows it open, with water flowing.

[Fox hunt]

Ok will do that in the am not sure where that door is but looks like it's next to the water thing will look in the am. This stuff is hard for me not really in my wheel house but I am really trying to learn it I

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

ok my trailer hasn't been really used since last fall. It was winterized and un winterized but i didn't do it. If water comes out when the hot waters spicket is turn on does that mean I have water in the hot water tank? Afraid to turn on the hot water heater because I don't want to burn it out

I'm not a fan of using the relief valve as a test to see if the tank's full. It does do that but if the valve seat gets contaminated with sediment then it can end up dripping.

It is, however, a sure way of seeing if the tank's full. The only problem with having some water come out of the hot water tap is that it doesn't mean absolutely that the tank's full unless you get a steady stream for a minute or so. It's possible for some water to come out because it's in the lines and air pressure forces it out.

Ron

[gbaglo]

Opening the relief valve is what ETI told me to do. I can see that there might be a problem with sediment and the seal, but what is an alternative?

[Vermilye]

I also suggest testing using the pressure relief valve. Since most Escape trailers have a water heater bypass built in, if the valves are in the bypass position, water will flow out the hot water faucet even with the tank empty. A new user may not realize the need to position the valves so they fill the tank...

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

ok my trailer hasn't been really used since last fall. It was winterized and un winterized but i didn't do it. If water comes out when the hot waters spicket is turn on does that mean I have water in the hot water tank? Afraid to turn on the hot water heater because I don't want to burn it out

Like Jon said, whether the water heater is bypassed or not, water will still come out of the hot tap. I am not keen on using the pressure relief valve either, and all one needs to do is to check to see if the valves are in bypass mode or not. If the handles on the two bypass valves are in line with the lines to the hot water heater, then water is flowing through, and opening any hot water tap will ensure the tank fills. If the valve handles are in line with themselves, then the water heater is bypassed.

In the following image, the water heater is bypassed. (note the valve handles pointing to one another)

[Fox hunt]

Where is the biases thing in the picture?

[Fox hunt]

I looked in the water heater box by the water connected area but I don't see anything that looks like the picture above with shut off valve.

[GerriJ]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

I looked in the water heater box by the water connected area but I don't see anything that looks like the picture above with shut off valve.

To see what Jim has posted in the image you need to look inside the trailer. On my trailer it is under the dinette seat on the drivers side. It may not look exactly like the image Jim posted but it will be very similar.

Mark

[Mob2014]

If I've attached the photo correctly, this is how it looks in my 17B. You can clearly see the value on the blue hose and the red hose valve is above. In this position, the hot water tank is filled.

[Fox hunt]

Under the small frount dinette? Or the back one

[OneOleMan]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

Under the small frount dinette? Or the back one

Back one

[rbryan4]

Foxhunt, I would suggest reading the owners manual and reviewing the orientation video on Escape's website. There are also a ton of how-to videos for various systems on YouTube. Once you understand how a particular system works, troubleshooting is much easier. For example, you don't have to figure out where the hot water heater tank is located once you understand that the outside access panel is connected to it.

[Fox hunt]

thank you for all your help. I just decided to take a chance and turn it on and see what happens- hot water ! but by reading all the advice I'm learning more about my trailer.
thanks again for all your help