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Old 05-08-2021, 03:06 PM   #1
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Hot water tank Question

Does it only fill on city water? I was under the impression it would fill on either but when I filled the fresh tank the hot did not fill.
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:14 PM   #2
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Does it only fill on city water? I was under the impression it would fill on either but when I filled the fresh tank the hot did not fill.
Is the water heater in by-pass mode? Did you put in by-pass when winterizing? IF so, time to change the valves on the Pex so it will fill.
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:27 PM   #3
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Does it only fill on city water? I was under the impression it would fill on either but when I filled the fresh tank the hot did not fill.

I fill using the city water inlet, and I open the pressure relief valve until I see water gushing out ( as suggested by Reace ).
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:29 PM   #4
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No, not on bypass.
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:30 PM   #5
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Are you trying to fill the water heater from the water tank? Is the pump on?
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:31 PM   #6
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I did fill on city pressure with the valve open after it did not fill when filling the fresh tank. But I was under the impression that it should - and I think it did last time- so don't know why it didn't. Water backed out the gravity fill valve as soon as the fresh tank showed full. I don't know if the hot tank was empty but it was not full and with the pump on no water came out.Filled with city pressure and it works fine.
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Old 05-08-2021, 03:56 PM   #7
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I did fill on city pressure with the valve open after it did not fill when filling the fresh tank. But I was under the impression that it should - and I think it did last time- so don't know why it didn't. Water backed out the gravity fill valve as soon as the fresh tank showed full. I don't know if the hot tank was empty but it was not full and with the pump on no water came out.Filled with city pressure and it works fine.
Bobbie, it takes water pressure to fill the hot water tank. The pressure comes either from the water pump or from city water pressure.

Filling the main water tank doesn't also fill the hot water tank since the main water tank is never pressurized. It has an open vent to let air escape when filling and to let air back in as the water level drops.

When there's enough water in the main water tank, the water pump will provide enough pressure to fill the hot water tank (assuming the bypass valves are correctly set) and push water to your faucets.

When you use city water, the incoming water provides the pressure to fill the hot water tank (again assuming you've set the hot water bypass valves correctly) and push water to your faucets.

The piping from the city water inlet connects to your water piping after the water pump. There's no need to use the pump with city water because the city water pressure replaces the water pressure normally provided by the pump. That's also why connecting to city water doesn't fill your main water tank; the city water would have to run backward through the pump to get to that main water tank - which it can't. You wouldn't want it to, anyway, because the main water tank would overflow through the vent.

Hope that helps and also helps explain why there are separate inlets to fill the main water tank and connect city water.

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Old 05-08-2021, 06:33 PM   #8
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Bobbie, it takes water pressure to fill the hot water tank. The pressure comes either from the water pump or from city water pressure.

Filling the main water tank doesn't also fill the hot water tank since the main water tank is never pressurized. It has an open vent to let air escape when filling and to let air back in as the water level drops.

When there's enough water in the main water tank, the water pump will provide enough pressure to fill the hot water tank (assuming the bypass valves are correctly set) and push water to your faucets.

When you use city water, the incoming water provides the pressure to fill the hot water tank (again assuming you've set the hot water bypass valves correctly) and push water to your faucets.

The piping from the city water inlet connects to your water piping after the water pump. There's no need to use the pump with city water because the city water pressure replaces the water pressure normally provided by the pump. That's also why connecting to city water doesn't fill your main water tank; the city water would have to run backward through the pump to get to that main water tank - which it can't. You wouldn't want it to, anyway, because the main water tank would overflow through the vent.

Hope that helps and also helps explain why there are separate inlets to fill the main water tank and connect city water.

Ed
Thanks Ed. Good explanation of hot water tank fill. To clarify, when fresh is filled by hose before a trip, does the hot water tank fill as well? Or does it only fill when pump is on & hot water tap open? In this case, 6 gallons goes to hot water tank thus fresh tank is not completely full? I have.never understood the whole concept.
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Old 05-08-2021, 06:52 PM   #9
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Thanks Ed. Good explanation of hot water tank fill. To clarify, when fresh is filled by hose before a trip, does the hot water tank fill as well? Or does it only fill when pump is on & hot water tap open? In this case, 6 gallons goes to hot water tank thus fresh tank is not completely full? I have.never understood the whole concept.
The hot water tank is filled only two ways: by water pressure produced by the water pump with water from the main fresh water tank or by water pressure and water from the city water supply.

Yes, if the hot water tank is empty and you're filling the main water tank with a hose stuck down the outside inlet, it's a good idea to turn on the pump at the same time to fill the hot water tank while you're filling the main tank. (You also need to open the hot water tank's pressure release valve or open a hot water faucet when filling the hot water tank so the air in the tank has somewhere to go when being replaced by water fill.)

Otherwise, if you wait to fill the hot water tank until you're boondocking, you'll use the first 6 gallons in the main tank to fill the hot water tank.

Good question

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Old 05-08-2021, 07:54 PM   #10
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Name:	RV water system.jpg
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Size:	236.8 KB
ID:	55363

Here’s a simple diagram of a typical RV hot water system that I found online. It should explain some of the things we’ve talked about in this thread. The diagram was designed to help people understand how to winterize their water system using that pink antifreeze stuff but you can ignore that for our purpose.

Note the different parts: fresh water fill, fresh water tank, water pump, city water hookup, water heater (and bypass), sink & shower, toilet, and grey/black water tanks.

Getting Ready To Go Camping. Let’s say you’re getting ready to set out on a camping trip where you’re going to be boondocking and want to bring along as much water as possible. That means you’ll want to have both your fresh water tank and your water heater full. How do you do that? Well, you stick a garden hose in the fresh water fill and fill up the tank until water starts spurting back out the inlet around your hose and maybe out the little air vent right next to the fill inlet. (The fresh water tank vent hose isn’t shown in the picture for simplicity; it runs from the top of the tank to the RV outside so air can escape from the tank when filling and, more importantly, air can flow back into the fresh water tank to fill the space left when you use water and the water level drops.)

But wait! What about the water heater? It holds 6 or so gallons of water and you want it full too, don’t you, before you head out? OK. Note that filling the fresh water tank doesn’t automatically fill the water heater because the pump’s in the way. (One problem with the diagram is that it shows the water heater lower that the fresh water tank so you might think it would fill by gravity. But you know, don’t you, that the fresh water tank in your Escape is below the floor and the water heater is above the floor so gravity isn’t going to help, even if the pump wasn’t in the way.)

So how do your fill the water heater at the same time you’re filling the fresh water tank? Simple, you turn on the pump and let it fill the hot water tank before you finish filling the fresh water tank. Sounds simple but there are a couple of things you need to take care of to be sure you can fill the hot water tank.

First, notice that by-pass hose running between the water heater inlet and outlet in the diagram? It’s there to bypass the water heater when you’re filling all the hot and cold water lines with that pink antifreeze stuff in the fall. If you didn’t bypass the water heater, you’d use several gallons more of antifreeze because you’d have to fill up the water heater before the pink stuff would start flowing into and protecting the hot water lines. So, to fill the water heater with water, be sure the two valves on the ends of the bypass hose are turned so incoming water fills the water heater, rather than bypassing it before you begin.

Second, the water heater isn’t vented like the fresh water tank. So if you want to fill it with water, the air inside the tank needs somewhere to go. One sure way is to open a hot water faucet when filling the water heater; the air from the heater’s tank will spurt out the faucet until the hot water tank fills all the way up and you notice a steady stream of water coming out of the faucet. Alternately, some people let the air out of the water heater by opening the pressure release valve accessed through the water heater’s outside access cover.

That pretty much covers filling the fresh water tank and the water heater from a hose stuck into the fresh water inlet.

City Water Hookup While Camping. Let’s say you’re camping in a camp site that has a water spigot and you decide to use that instead of water in your fresh water tank. Maybe you like not hearing the water pump run. Maybe you like not worrying about how much water’s in the fresh water tank. Maybe you need to fill the fresh water tank or the water heater. Whatever. So you get out your fresh water hose, your pressure reducer and your water filter. You hook them up to the faucet and to the city water fill on the side of your camper, making sure everything is tight with no leaks. Good so far.

Take a look at the diagram again. Notice how the water piping from the city water inlet connects to your RV’s water system after the pump, not before. It’s connected there for two reasons. The pump’s not needed since water pressure is now coming from the city water. And you don’t want city water running into the fresh water tank. Since the fresh water tank is vented, the water would run out the vent and your camper would be in the middle of a big puddle in no time.

Enough for now.

Hope that's helpful.

Ed
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Old 05-08-2021, 08:19 PM   #11
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The hot water tank is filled only two ways: by water pressure produced by the water pump with water from the main fresh water tank or by water pressure and water from the city water supply.

Yes, if the hot water tank is empty and you're filling the main water tank with a hose stuck down the outside inlet, it's a good idea to turn on the pump at the same time to fill the hot water tank while you're filling the main tank. (You also need to open the hot water tank's pressure release valve or open a hot water faucet when filling the hot water tank so the air in the tank has somewhere to go when being replaced by water fill.)

Otherwise, if you wait to fill the hot water tank until you're boondocking, you'll use the first 6 gallons in the main tank to fill the hot water tank.

Good question

Ed
OK, that makes sense. I don't remember doing that last time but maybe I did and maybe that's why I ran out of water so much faster than I expected to! So since I didn't really want a full fresh tank I could have filled the hot water first then stopped the fresh fill when I had enough.
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Old 05-08-2021, 08:22 PM   #12
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But another question comes up: I did not use the antifreeze method to winterize; I closed the bypass, drained the tanks, and blew the lines out. Then antifreeze in the drains, Could I have skipped the bypass? and just drained both tanks?
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Old 05-08-2021, 08:43 PM   #13
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But another question comes up: I did not use the antifreeze method to winterize; I closed the bypass, drained the tanks, and blew the lines out. Then antifreeze in the drains, Could I have skipped the bypass? and just drained both tanks?
Still good to bypass the hot water tank when blowing out the lines with compressed air. This way you aren’t asking your compressor to fill the tank volume with air before it can clear the hot water lines. Also even if you drained the hot water tank first the air will push water from the cold water lines into the tank. I would always bypass the hot water tank.
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Old 05-10-2021, 07:49 PM   #14
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Attachment 55363

Here’s a simple diagram of a typical RV hot water system that I found online. It should explain some of the things we’ve talked about in this thread. The diagram was designed to help people understand how to winterize their water system using that pink antifreeze stuff but you can ignore that for our purpose.

Note the different parts: fresh water fill, fresh water tank, water pump, city water hookup, water heater (and bypass), sink & shower, toilet, and grey/black water tanks.

Getting Ready To Go Camping. Let’s say you’re getting ready to set out on a camping trip where you’re going to be boondocking and want to bring along as much water as possible. That means you’ll want to have both your fresh water tank and your water heater full. How do you do that? Well, you stick a garden hose in the fresh water fill and fill up the tank until water starts spurting back out the inlet around your hose and maybe out the little air vent right next to the fill inlet. (The fresh water tank vent hose isn’t shown in the picture for simplicity; it runs from the top of the tank to the RV outside so air can escape from the tank when filling and, more importantly, air can flow back into the fresh water tank to fill the space left when you use water and the water level drops.)

But wait! What about the water heater? It holds 6 or so gallons of water and you want it full too, don’t you, before you head out? OK. Note that filling the fresh water tank doesn’t automatically fill the water heater because the pump’s in the way. (One problem with the diagram is that it shows the water heater lower that the fresh water tank so you might think it would fill by gravity. But you know, don’t you, that the fresh water tank in your Escape is below the floor and the water heater is above the floor so gravity isn’t going to help, even if the pump wasn’t in the way.)

So how do your fill the water heater at the same time you’re filling the fresh water tank? Simple, you turn on the pump and let it fill the hot water tank before you finish filling the fresh water tank. Sounds simple but there are a couple of things you need to take care of to be sure you can fill the hot water tank.

First, notice that by-pass hose running between the water heater inlet and outlet in the diagram? It’s there to bypass the water heater when you’re filling all the hot and cold water lines with that pink antifreeze stuff in the fall. If you didn’t bypass the water heater, you’d use several gallons more of antifreeze because you’d have to fill up the water heater before the pink stuff would start flowing into and protecting the hot water lines. So, to fill the water heater with water, be sure the two valves on the ends of the bypass hose are turned so incoming water fills the water heater, rather than bypassing it before you begin.

Second, the water heater isn’t vented like the fresh water tank. So if you want to fill it with water, the air inside the tank needs somewhere to go. One sure way is to open a hot water faucet when filling the water heater; the air from the heater’s tank will spurt out the faucet until the hot water tank fills all the way up and you notice a steady stream of water coming out of the faucet. Alternately, some people let the air out of the water heater by opening the pressure release valve accessed through the water heater’s outside access cover.

That pretty much covers filling the fresh water tank and the water heater from a hose stuck into the fresh water inlet.

City Water Hookup While Camping. Let’s say you’re camping in a camp site that has a water spigot and you decide to use that instead of water in your fresh water tank. Maybe you like not hearing the water pump run. Maybe you like not worrying about how much water’s in the fresh water tank. Maybe you need to fill the fresh water tank or the water heater. Whatever. So you get out your fresh water hose, your pressure reducer and your water filter. You hook them up to the faucet and to the city water fill on the side of your camper, making sure everything is tight with no leaks. Good so far.

Take a look at the diagram again. Notice how the water piping from the city water inlet connects to your RV’s water system after the pump, not before. It’s connected there for two reasons. The pump’s not needed since water pressure is now coming from the city water. And you don’t want city water running into the fresh water tank. Since the fresh water tank is vented, the water would run out the vent and your camper would be in the middle of a big puddle in no time.

Enough for now.

Hope that's helpful.

Ed
Again thank you for a well written explanation. I am assuming that the pump & either the valve outlet or hot water faucet should be open with each fill to get full hot/cold tanks.
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Old 05-10-2021, 07:51 PM   #15
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Again thank you for a well written explanation. I am assuming that the pump & either the valve outlet or hot water faucet should be open with each fill to get full hot/cold tanks.

If you open the pressure relief valve and see water gushing out, you know it is full.
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Old 05-10-2021, 08:04 PM   #16
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Again thank you for a well written explanation. I am assuming that the pump & either the valve outlet or hot water faucet should be open with each fill to get full hot/cold tanks.
As gbaglo says, to make sure the hot water heater tank is full when you're filling it with the pump or filling the it with city water, open the hot water tank's pressure relief valve until water gushes out. Alternately, you can open a hot water faucet and wait until only water and no more air is coming out to show the hot water tank's full.

As for the fresh water tank, it has a tank vent. So when you're filling it with your garden hose stuck down the fresh water fill, water will spurt out of the vent and around your filling hose to signify the fresh water tank's full.
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Old 05-10-2021, 09:54 PM   #17
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If you open the pressure relief valve and see water gushing out, you know it is full.
Yep, and it's simple.
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Old 05-11-2021, 11:04 AM   #18
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We have water ! Turned both electric and propane for water heater. Can I turn inside switch off and run on garage power. ? Thx!
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Old 05-11-2021, 11:20 AM   #19
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We have water ! Turned both electric and propane for water heater. Can I turn inside switch off and run on garage power. ? Thx!
If you mean turning off the inside hot water heater switch (propane) and leaving on the outside switch inside Suburban door (electric) then YES. Depending on your power service you don’t want to run high draw appliances simultaneously though. For example if you are on a 15A circuit don’t combine HWH on electric, A/C or microwave.
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Old 05-11-2021, 11:24 AM   #20
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Ok, got it thx. Appreciate your help. They tell me this info is in book. Not seeing it.
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