Hot water Bypass not working?

[jgilliam1955]

Am I missing something? On my Casita 2019 when I drain my water heater & leave the plug out water still runs into the water heater. No matter which way I turn the valve. I have removed it & reinstalled it. I have reversed it. Today I replaced it & water still runs into the heater.
I hooked up my water hose to the freshwater fill with an on & off valve. I turn on the hose & water flows out the water heater. Cut off the hose & switch the position of the valve & water still tuns out. Even the same results with the water pump. The last couple of years I poured 5 gallons of RV antifreeze into the water tank & pump it through the lines. I was hoping to avoid this year?
Is my plumbing not done correctly? Any ideas?
( I did reinstall the valve back the way it came from the factory.)

[Darwin Maring]

I do not see a valve on the upper connection. If that is true, Water is back flushing through the top connection.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I do not see a valve on the upper connection. If that is true, Water is back flushing through the top connection.

Thanks I will check it out.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I do not see a valve on the upper connection. If that is true, Water is back flushing through the top connection.

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

Am I missing something? On my Casita 2019 when I drain my water heater & leave the plug out water still runs into the water heater. ..

Looks to me that if you put the plug back in and keep the pressure relief valve closed, then the water heater will be sealed and water will not enter it because of the air pressure. But as soon as you release the air in the water heater, then water can flow back up to the hot outlet of the water heater. With the water heater sealed up (plug in) then water or antifreeze will flow out the rest of the hot water plumbing.

If for some reason you wanted to winterize with the plug out then a second valve would be needed.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I do not see a valve on the upper connection. If that is true, Water is back flushing through the top connection.

Ditto.
And this is an illustration of the bypass valves on my Escape, for example. There are two of them ( bottom one is harder to see ).

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by gordon2

Looks to me that if you put the plug back in and keep the pressure relief valve closed, then the water heater will be sealed and water will not enter it because of the air pressure. But as soon as you release the air in the water heater, then water can flow back up to the hot outlet of the water heater. With the water heater sealed up (plug in) then water or antifreeze will flow out the rest of the hot water plumbing.

If for some reason you wanted to winterize with the plug out then a second valve would be needed.

Ok thanks for the information. I will give it a try.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Glenn Baglo

Ditto.
And this is an illustration of the bypass valves on my Escape, for example. There are two of them ( bottom one is harder to see ).

Thanks. The Casita only has the one. Looking at other Capita plumbing pictures mine seems to be correct.

[jon carpenter]

On my current 2011 and previous 2012 Casita SD the valve is flipped around 180 degrees. Such that you cannot see the actual lever but have to put your hand around the back side of the valve between the valve body and the WH to figure out whether or not it is in bypass mode.



Not sure if your valve is set up like this or not. Try disconnecting the valve and flipping it around left to right to see if that corrects the problem.


Let us know what you did when you finally get it corrected.


jon

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by jon carpenter

On my current 2011 and previous 2012 Casita SD the valve is flipped around 180 degrees. Such that you cannot see the actual lever but have to put your hand around the back side of the valve between the valve body and the WH to figure out whether or not it is in bypass mode.



Not sure if your valve is set up like this or not. Try disconnecting the valve and flipping it around left to right to see if that corrects the problem.


Let us know what you did when you finally get it corrected.


jon

Thanks. It was switched back. Same problem. I gotta rest my brain. I will winterize it in November. Maybe by then, I can figure it out. If I can't, I will continue pouring RV Antifreeze in the water tank & pump it through the system.

[Kevin A]

Just curious… Did you try putting the plug back in and closing the relief valve as suggested?

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

Just curious… Did you try putting the plug back in and closing the relief valve as suggested?

Not yet. We are still using the camper. I will try it when I close up for the winter.

[Borden]

Originally Posted by Darwin Maring

I do not see a valve on the upper connection. If that is true, Water is back flushing through the top connection.

Ours also has two bypass valves both at the hot water tank.

We changed the copper plumbing about 12 years ago and added a larger 4 gallon hot water tank but the layout is the same. The two diverter valves are at the in and out hot water tank locations.
Hope this helps. The T's go to the sink and back to the toilet and shower taps.

[oldsteve]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

Am I missing something? On my Casita 2019 when I drain my water heater & leave the plug out water still runs into the water heater. No matter which way I turn the valve. I have removed it & reinstalled it. I have reversed it. Today I replaced it & water still runs into the heater.
I hooked up my water hose to the freshwater fill with an on & off valve. I turn on the hose & water flows out the water heater. Cut off the hose & switch the position of the valve & water still tuns out. Even the same results with the water pump. The last couple of years I poured 5 gallons of RV antifreeze into the water tank & pump it through the lines. I was hoping to avoid this year?
Is my plumbing not done correctly? Any ideas?
( I did reinstall the valve back the way it came from the factory.)

On my 2014 the valve is hidden and not like I see yours facing front. Some time ago i recall someone saying these will not work if facing front. Mine failed last year . After getting a new one from Casita I wanted to change mine so I could spot it right away. Was told not to.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by oldsteve

On my 2014 the valve is hidden and not like I see yours facing front. Some time ago i recall someone saying these will not work if facing front. Mine failed last year . After getting a new one from Casita I wanted to change mine so I could spot it right away. Was told not to.

Yea I did the same thing last year. Thanks.

[Tim from MD]

I had the same problem with my 2019 SD and called Casita Service. They said the valve is most likely defective. They suggested either replacing the valve or tap on it with a wrench or hard object to get it to close.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Tim from MD

I had the same problem with my 2019 SD and called Casita Service. They said the valve is most likely defective. They suggested either replacing the valve or tap on it with a wrench or hard object to get it to close.

THNKS! A new one will be coming in tomorrow. I am hoping this one works.

[Eddie Longest]

Casita uses one selector valve on the cold side and a check valve on the hot line. Sounds like your check valve is bad. Some times you can you can free it up with a light tap with a wrench but the best bet is to replace the check valve.
Eddie

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by Eddie Longest

Casita uses one selector valve on the cold side and a check valve on the hot line. Sounds like your check valve is bad. Some times you can you can free it up with a light tap with a wrench but the best bet is to replace the check valve.
Eddie

Thanks! You are the first to mention this valve. I got out my Casita A-Z guide & it shows the hot water check valve. They even say it gets stuck & to tap with a hammer.
I will try this & I ordered one from the Casita store already.

[gordon2]

SO there is a check (one way) valve somewhere in the top portion of the photo or at the hot outlet on the tank? Check valves fail a lot. A little corrosion or debris can be a problem. Since you have to reach in and turn one valve anyway, why not just put in a decent ball valve on the outlet pipe? It will last for decades.

[Darwin Maring]

Gordon2 has the answer. Why mess with a check valve to begin with.