Is it a Western thing that.....

[Johnny's Journey]

Is it a Western (edition) thing that my water heater does not have the typical 3 valve set up for winterizing? Or did the manufacture get conservative by only installing 1 three way valve on the cold water feed to the tank and bypass tube? Or is it a safety of sorts so the tank can not go or stay dry due to human error that could occur with a 3 valve set up?

[chuckster57]

Most likely a money thing. Keystone isn’t the only that does it this way too.

[Javi]

Easy to re-plumb, took me about an hour, 1 lime and 3 Dos XX.

Javi

[rhagfo]

Easy to re-plumb, took me about an hour, 1 lime and 3 Dos XX.

Javi

Why, the single valve works just fine. We FT and I wanted to check the WH anode, switched to bypass and opened the relief valve then removed anode. All was good so reinstalled and closed relief valve, and opened a hot faucet and moved the one valve back to normal.
I turned off the breaker for electric before starting.

[Javi]

Why, the single valve works just fine. We FT and I wanted to check the WH anode, switched to bypass and opened the relief valve then removed anode. All was good so reinstalled and closed relief valve, and opened a hot faucet and moved the one valve back to normal.
I turned off the breaker for electric before starting.Yep it works but I prefer not to get that cold blast of unheated water every time.

Javi

[rhagfo]

Yep it works but I prefer not to get that cold blast of unheated water every time.

Javi

????
Don't see how it changes that, I don't even get that in the shower.

[Javi]

????
Don't see how it changes that, I don't even get that in the shower.Okay

Javi

[Javi]

Go look at the system... see where the valve is... Now look at where the bypass is... see the cold water getting mixed with the hot. Why, would you want that..

Javi

[rhagfo]

Go look at the system... see where the valve is... Now look at where the bypass is... see the cold water getting mixed with the hot. Why, would you want that..

Javi

No I don't.
Valve on cold water inlet is either in bypass or feeding the HW tank. There is a one way check valve on the Hot outlet hot comes out, no backfeed into the tank. This is what isolates the tank when the cold water valve is in bypass.
The only way to mix cold is if the bypass isn't fully in the feed the HW tank position, the same can happen with the three valve arrangement.

[earlzach]

Rhagfo is absolutely correct.
A one way check valve on the exit side of the hot water heater. This keeps anti freeze from going back into the heater. The three way valve is all you need.

[Johnny's Journey]

Easy to re-plumb, took me about an hour, 1 lime and 3 Dos XX.I'm not allowed to talk about stuff like that. It's kind of like the professor you mentioned on another thread not allowing you to us a calculator. It's called control.

[Javi]

The single valve on my last two trailers was an on or off valve and was located between the tank and the bypass pipe from the cold line to the hot line. And yes there is a one way valve on the hot side in the tank... however there was no valve in the by pass and nothing to prevent siphoning of cold to hot.

If yours is configured differently then I can't tell you how much I envy you..

Javi

[Johnny's Journey]

Why, the single valve works just fine.Not at all. It can not do what a 3 valve set is suppose to do. How does one keep extra winterizing fluid from entering via the by pass so a truly empty tank can be achieved? Granted it will stop once thing come to a pressured state in the tank and fluid will no longer enter.

[Johnny's Journey]

And yes there is a one way valve on the hot side in the tank... JaviLucky you. They didn't spare the extra dime to but that on mine.

[Javi]

Lucky you. They didn't spare the extra dime to but that on mine.I left it there but installed an on/off in the bypass and in the hot side between the tank and bypass..

Javi

[rhagfo]

Not at all. It can not do what a 3 valve set is suppose to do. How does one keep extra winterizing fluid from entering via the by pass so a truly empty tank can be achieved? Granted it will stop once thing come to a pressured state in the tank and fluid will no longer enter.

There is a one way fitting/valve on the hot outlet to stop backflow into the tank.
I actually just checked the anode in my Hot Water tank by moving the single bypass valve to the bypass position and opening the relief valve on the HW tank then removing the anode rod and draining the tank. There was no flow out of the tank once drained. This was while actively connected to city water!

[SteveC7010]

Here are the three standard HW bypass systems.

14276

14277

14278

None of them need a third valve to completely isolate the tank so that it can be drained dry. Before you reply otherwise, I suggest you trace and retrace the water flow in each of them when in the winterize position.

[earlzach]

Lucky you. They didn't spare the extra dime to but that on mine.

look closely at the "Hot line" right where it exits the heater tank. There is a 1" fitting if you look close at it you might see an arrow pointing away from the tank. it is in line and has no physical features like a valve handle or anything you need to do. This is a check valve. No human interaction required. All you need to do is move the three way switch to "bypass" and that's it. Put in your winterizer.

[Javi]

My question has to be.... Why does it bother y'all so much... there is no empirical evidence to support an argument that having three valves is a bad thing... unless they are installed incorrectly, which would be pretty obvious.

Javi

[earlzach]

I would bet the biggest concern isn't how many valves at all but to be sure anti-freeze stays out of the HWH.

[rhagfo]

I would bet the biggest concern isn't how many valves at all but to be sure anti-freeze stays out of the HWH.

Never had that issue as I blow the lines!
We live in the PNW, there were years I would winterize three or four times as we camped year round. DW has very sensitive taste and smell, she asked that I not use the pink stuff. It was that reason and the fact most of the parks we would go to were not full hook up,
So flushing once at campsite was not a good plan.

[Johnny's Journey]

There is a one way fitting/valve on the hot outlet to stop backflow into the tank.Good call. That is a 4th option I did not think of. Looking back at my other W/H which was a Suburban (steel tank) and the check valve was at the bottom (cold water feed) and it clearly was notice able as compared to the steel nipple at the top. With my now Atwood (aluminum tank) I miss took both brass fittings as being just brass nipples. This clearly has not turned out to not be a way of cheeping out and is more user friendly.

[Johnny's Journey]

Before you reply otherwise, I suggestSuch tone :nonono:

[Javi]

Here is the valve I removed... I replaced the entire thing with clamped sharkbite brass...https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171007/8ff3fc33bdc71d39031f6d3e812267db.jpg

Javi

[Bama Hammer]

This is a bit off the specific topic, but Can a tankless air compressor be used to purge the water system for winterizing?

[Javi]

This is a bit off the specific topic, but Can a tankless air compressor be used to purge the water system for winterizing?That would depend on the volume of air available from the compressor... You will need to keep up enough pressure to push the water out an open faucet... I use a 2.5 gallon pancake compressor and turn the pressure down to <45 lbs..

Javi

[earlzach]

That would depend on the volume of air available from the compressor... You will need to keep up enough pressure to push the water out an open faucet... I use a 2.5 gallon pancake compressor and turn the pressure down to <45 lbs..

JaviIf water pressure isn't recommended over 40 psi, then set the air to no more than 40 psi.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

[SteveC7010]

This is a bit off the specific topic, but Can a tankless air compressor be used to purge the water system for winterizing?
If you can keep the pressure down as recommended above, sure, the tankless will be fine.

I've used some very small, inexpensive compressors at the time. If they can fill an auto tire to 35# or so, they'll do your trailer just fine. Just open one faucet at a time and let it go until there's almost no spray coming from it. Then close it up and move to the next one. It's not essential to get every last drop of water out, especially if you're going to pump in RV antifreeze after blowing out.

Even if you don't use antifreeze after blowing out the system, a little bit of residual water in the pipes is not an issue. Remember that for the water to expand enough to break something, it needs to already fill an enclosed space. That's why a bit of water on the floor of your FW or HW tanks doesn't matter. It has more than enough space to expand without breaking anything. Remove 95% or more of the water, and you're OK. But I prefer the antifreezee because it gets into the pump and toilet valve and other places that the air may not clean out.

I currently have a 3 gallon Craftsman compressor that pretty much lives in one of the compartments of the basement. The truck needs 75# or so, and the RideRites can take up to 50#. Like Javi, I have to turn it way down to start the winterizing.

And, for those that might ask, if you have one of those little air tanks that you fill up and take it where needed, that will work too. Just remember that if it's a long trip back to where ever you filled it, you'll have to be watchful of how much you use.

I use my ShopVac to blow out the drain traps and then pour some RV antifreeze into them. Needs less antifreeze because you're not diluting it with whatever is already in the trap.

Come to think of it, one year I used the ShopVac to blow out the water system. I just grabbed a roll of electrical tape and fastened a piece of garden hose to the ShopVac hose, set it to blow, and had at it. Worked fine.