Dear gary i own a 36 foot holiday rambler ambassador.
Rv hot water heater bypass valve leaking.
Cold water comes in at the bottom and hot water comes out of the top of the heater.
To do this you need to add some air into the water heater because if there is no air in the water heater to compress when the water gets hot the valve will leak.
This will add an air bubble in the water hose.
The morning we left all was fine.
I didn t see any sign of freezing so away we.
The relief valve is an important safety feature on the water heater.
When the by pass system is used it takes the cold water going.
If your rv has a bypass valve these two pipes will be connected directly to each other using a third pipe.
The bypass valve is used to turn off the hot water when winterizing.
You may or may not already have a hot water heater bypass valve but it is important to make sure if you do or not.
The water heater by pass system is used to separate the water heater from the rv s plumbing system.
That should get the hot water flowing.
This bypass valve helps prevent any freezing of the valves so that your water heater does not freeze during the winter.
Do note that it is advisable for you to stop running your water heater as soon as you discover a possible leak particularly if you are still some distance away from the nearest town or city where you can get in touch with a contractor.
If a leak on your water heater is suspected after doing all the steps above the power and water valve must be switched off.
If you find your rv has one switch it off the water heater bypass setting.
You may have forgotten to turn the bypass valve on.
Go outside and look for a lever or valve labeled water heater bypass.
If the water inside the unit gets too hot usually above 210 degrees or pressure builds up too high above 150 psi the water heater can become damaged or even explore.
Now go into your rv and find the heater from the inside.
The best way to add air it to disconnect the water hose to the the rv and drain some water out of the hose.
You may need to remove a cover to access it.
A good solution to this risk is the relief valve.
Most rv manufactures today install water heater by pass systems on the rvs they sell.
