Hot water flows, not cold

[Bobbie54]

I'm hooked up to city water for the first time in awhile. I have water coming out the hot water tank (I assume, it is cold water but comes out when I use the hot faucet or the hot side. No flushing water, no water on the cold side.

It worked in September, no valves should have been touched as I stored inside and didn't really winterize other than draining the lines.

What do I need to do to get cold water? (I have some in the tank and can turn the pump on to get it.).

 

[Bobbie54]

And then the hot water tap sputtered like there was air in it and no more water without turning on the pump. In the morning I'll check water flow again and check the valves on the hot water tank, but nothing is different about them. And I can just fill the water tank and then use it with the pump if I have to.

 

[vermilye]

Check that the check valve at the city water connection isn't stuck closed.

 

[Bobbie54]

Check that the check valve at the city water connection isn't stuck closed.

I had leakage at the connection before I tightened it. Plus I filled the dog's water dish before connecting the hose.

Though I don't know what a check valve is.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

A 'check valve' is a one way valve... There's actually two check valves in the Escape water system...

One check valve is at the city water hose attachment, this one prevents pump pressured water from coming out the city water inlet. This valve is part of the water attachment plate assembly.

The other check valve is in the water pump, this one switches the water system over from pump water to city water when there's pressure on the city side. I need to service mine as my fresh water tank is slowly filling up when I connect city water at 40 PSI.

 

[Bobbie54]

How would you check the check valve at either?

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

well, there's two failure modes I guess.

1) the check valve is leaking backwards. If its the city water connection valve, this causes the fresh water tank to fill then overflow. if its the pump valve, this causes the pump to run in brief spurts when there's no water usage and no water leaks.

2) the valve is stuck and not opening. the city connection valve would block any city water from getting in, and the pump valve would block the pump from working (or wait, maybe it too would block the city water from getting in?)

 

[Bobbie54]

The pump works (there is still water in the tank.). It never runs for no reason.

I had the pump in the on position and the city water still did not flow.

Oh, maybe I didn't put the pressure regulator on! That could cause the city water valve to close if the pressure is high. I'll check that.

 

[Donna D.]

You don't use the water pump when hooked up to city water.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

um, excess city water pressure doesn't shut off anything in the trailer, it just increases the odds of a water leak.

 

[Viajante]

This is a real puzzle. City water, and tank water for that matter, is fed equally to both the hot and cold water circuits through a single incoming line. It sounds like there is an obstruction in the cold water circuit just after it branches from the main line. I've never heard of that. It seems like there must be a different cause.

The check valve in the incoming city water line does not differentiate between hot and cold. The branching of the hot and cold circuits occurs after the check valve.

If you want to check the check valve it is easy. Disconnect city water, turn off the water pump, and open both faucets to bleed the pressure from the system. From the outside of the trailer, use your finger to pry out the little mesh screen located where the city water hose connects. With the screen removed poke your finger into the fitting and you will feel the end of the check valve plunger. Press on the plunger and you should feel it go in, then spring back. A little water may come out.

If the plunger does not press in then the valve is stuck (again, make sure the water pump is off and faucets open to depressurize the system). A stuck valve will block all water, not just cold. The common failure is that the valve let's water in, but does not properly close to keep water from being pushed out by the water pump.

Follow the water lines as much as you can. Is there a shutoff valve somewhere on the cold circuit? For instance did someone try to install a toilet shut off valve but mistakenly put it on the main cold line rather that the branch to the toilet?

I hope the solution turns out to be something simple.

 

[vermilye]

I could be totally off base, but my guess is the hot water ran for a bit then sputtered because there was air pressure in the hot water tank. Once that was bled off, it stopped working.

As to checking the city water check valve, there is a small "post" in the center of the opening of the connector (it may be behind a washer with a screen, in which case remove the washer. In my 2017 the post is white plastic. Use a blunt tool such as the handle of a small screwdriver that fits inside the threads to GENTLY press on the post. Do not push beyond the 1/8" it takes to open the seat.

If you still have water pressure in the system from the water pump you may (will) get splashed when it opens. You can prevent this and make it easier to push the valve open by turning off the pump and running the water until it stops. Again, don't push it more than a fraction of an inch. Replacing the check valve is a PIA.

 

[Bobbie54]

You don't use the water pump when hooked up to city water.

You do if city water isn't working!

Th pressure regulator was there but when I was turning it off and back on to fill the tank I am not sure it was on all the way, there was an "on" and then turn more and it hit resistance, then turn more and more water. So it might not have been all the way on. But the tank is full now so I didn't hook it back up as I don't want to travel home with a full tank so might as well use it.

 

[Bobbie54]

I think Jon is right about pressure in the hot tank as it stopped running after a bit.

I'll check the check valve.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

...the tank is full now so I didn't hook it back up as I don't want to travel home with a full tank so might as well use it.

I dunno. Quite often I have to travel with a full tank to get to somewhere where there is no water. One thing, I won't refill my water tank unless I can also dump my grey water tank, I don't want to be travelling with two full tanks.

 

[John in Santa Cruz]

my 2014, there's two tee valves behind the water heater. If both are switched the alternate way, the water heater tank is bypassed. I wonder what happens when the valves aren't in sync ?

 

[Viajante]

my 2014, there's two tee valves behind the water heater. If both are switched the alternate way, the water heater tank is bypassed. I wonder what happens when the valves aren't in sync ?

No water flow through the hot water circuit. Both the water heater loop and the bypass loop would be “plugged” at one end or the other. The hot water side would not flow at all. No effect to the cold water side.

 

[Bobbie54]

my 2014, there's two tee valves behind the water heater. If both are switched the alternate way, the water heater tank is bypassed. I wonder what happens when the valves aren't in sync ?

No valves have been touched since I used it in September with. hookups.

No problem dumping the tanks here, I'm at a State Park. (No sewer hookup but nice dump station.) I'm going to check the check valve and retest the city water connection before I leave just to know though I won't use it again until September. Next stop I need water but just two days worth but by then I won't have a full tank.

 

[Jim Bennett]

This is definitely puzzling. The water system in our trailers is actually very simple in how it works.

When connected to city water the cold should work fine as there are no valves on the cold water main line unless one was installed by an owner for some reason. I have nothing at all on my cold main line.

When using city water, Donna is correct that the pump should, nor need not, be used. If needed, disconnect city water.

Even if there was a wrong flow setting on the water heater valves it would not affect the cold as mentioned above. If water is flowing through the water heater and hot water coming out of the taps the valves are set correctly.

If any water is working when connected to city water and the pump turned off then there is no issue with the check valve at the external connection.

If all is working as written then the issue has to be with the cold water line. I am at a loss to what it could be as even a wee bit of debris will not totally block a line, and I really doubt it is that if it worked before. If there is a kink in the main line it is almost impossible that it would stop all flow as not only would that be hard to achieve.

Once you have proven hot water to all taps, have you checked all the taps for cold supply, the kitchen and bath sinks, toilet and outside taps? Leave them open for a short while and if there is air it should clear quickly and you will get water. Where I am going with this is thinking that maybe one tap/valve on the cold water circuit has failed.

I really wish I was there to evaluate, that would make things much simpler in my wee mind.

 

[Bobbie54]

Agreed, Jim. I haven't gotten back to it yet as no urgency, but I think it is one of two things. One, the faucet itself is a little weird. When I went to fill the tank I thought it was on, but nothing ran, (it had before I opened it what I thought was all the way) but then I turned it further and it came on again. Something odd there but it is possible the friend turning it on when I was trying to figure it out did not have it on all the way. It had worked fine when I filled the dog dish (through the unconnected hose) but I wasn't the one who turned it on after I hooked up the water.

Second possibility is that check valve.

I think the hot ran because that tank was filled at a colder temperature so now it had warmed up a bit there was pressure- for a bit. It did stop running pretty quickly, (It wasn't heated.) Cold did not run without the pump because it was coming from the tank, not the city water line.

I'll try hooking it up again today and see what happens.