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Old 11-14-2020, 10:34 AM   #1
seymour presents
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Water heater leaking

Hi,

We have a 2020 Keystone 3560RL. Bought it new, drove it from dealer to current place so its been stationary. For the most part its been trouble free but a couple of times now when I have gone out to drain the grey/black water tanks, it looked like the sewer hose was leaking due to a bit of water on the ground, Well it turns out its coming from the spigot on the hot water heater which is directly above the sewer line. And the spigot looks like it has a pressure release setup on it.
Anyone have any idea why its doing this? We've always had REALLY hot water in both the shower and sinks. Sinks are still immediately hot but the shower we have to twist the handle almost all the way open. But not always.


Oh, another thing....any idea what the on/off switch is thats on the outside of the heater? Its been off the entire time we've been in it (3months)


Thanks
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Old 11-14-2020, 10:40 AM   #2
flybouy
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Originally Posted by seymour presents View Post
Hi,

We have a 2020 Keystone 3560RL. Bought it new, drove it from dealer to current place so its been stationary. For the most part its been trouble free but a couple of times now when I have gone out to drain the grey/black water tanks, it looked like the sewer hose was leaking due to a bit of water on the ground, Well it turns out its coming from the spigot on the hot water heater which is directly above the sewer line. And the spigot looks like it has a pressure release setup on it.
Anyone have any idea why its doing this? We've always had REALLY hot water in both the shower and sinks. Sinks are still immediately hot but the shower we have to twist the handle almost all the way open. But not always.


Oh, another thing....any idea what the on/off switch is thats on the outside of the heater? Its been off the entire time we've been in it (3months)


Thanks
That "spigot" is a pressure relief valve. It opens if the pressure get's to great to prevent the water tank from bursting. Turn off the wh, let it cool down, then move the lever on it a fer times. That will typically fix the leaking issue.

The switch is to turn on the electric heating element. You can use the electric and the gas at the same time for faster recovery. Just don't leave the electrioc on if the tank is empty as that will burn out the heating element.
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Old 11-14-2020, 09:39 PM   #3
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Those switches are installed up side down, so where you would expect it to be off when depressed on the down position, it is really on and depressed at the top of the switch, it is off.
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Old 11-15-2020, 09:51 AM   #4
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Another issue that might be causing it to leak is if you are not using a pressure regulator in your water supply. Not all water pressures are the same and some vary depending on how many are pulling water at a given time.
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Old 11-15-2020, 10:30 AM   #5
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Another issue that might be causing it to leak is if you are not using a pressure regulator in your water supply. Not all water pressures are the same and some vary depending on how many are pulling water at a given time.

Thanks, I'll look into this. When we first got here I installed one that I bought but it really restricted the supply. The resort manager came to our site and looked at it and said it already had one. It did look similar, just old. Haven't had any issues other than the leaking.



But it deserves another look. Now if I can only figure out why our furnace is giving us trouble, but thats for another thread
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Old 11-15-2020, 12:16 PM   #6
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The reason the pressure builds up and causes the pressure relief valve to leak or really bleed off excess pressure is because RV's have a check valve built into the city water connection which keeps water from backflowing out of the plumbing when not connected to city water and you are using the pump. You use hot water which causes the water heater to turn on, either electric or gas or both, and water will expand when heated which causes the pressure increase in the closed system and then the water is bled from the valve on the water heater. The way to keep this from happening is to keep an air pocket at the top of the water heater tank so the air pocket absorbs the expansion. This can be done by draining water from the tank by turning off your city water and opening the valve with the lever until the water stops coming out. You will have to do this occasionally because the air will dissolve in the water over time.
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Old 12-22-2020, 06:38 PM   #7
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That "spigot" is a pressure relief valve. It opens if the pressure get's to great to prevent the water tank from bursting. Turn off the wh, let it cool down, then move the lever on it a fer times. That will typically fix the leaking issue.
Marshall,
We have begun to see the same issue. I've opened the valve and allowed some water to flush out between this trip and the last trip during Thanksgiving. I get a seeping of water while it's heating. Seems to stop and dry up between heating cycles. I'll try and open the valve again once I can get the WH to cool off (either before we leave, or upon arriving home Saturday). My question is can these be replaced if it just doesn't seem to want to stop seeping? Thanks in advance.
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Old 12-22-2020, 06:48 PM   #8
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Marshall,
We have begun to see the same issue. I've opened the valve and allowed some water to flush out between this trip and the last trip during Thanksgiving. I get a seeping of water while it's heating. Seems to stop and dry up between heating cycles. I'll try and open the valve again once I can get the WH to cool off (either before we leave, or upon arriving home Saturday). My question is can these be replaced if it just doesn't seem to want to stop seeping? Thanks in advance.
Had the same issue with my pressure relief valve.. started to seep while heating up.. I cycled the valve lever a few times and it stopped.. so was thinking maybe something go into the seat/seal... As it's now winterized, I'll have to check it again come spring...
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Old 12-22-2020, 06:49 PM   #9
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You also need to keep the “air gap” at the top of the W/H tank.
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Old 12-22-2020, 06:52 PM   #10
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You also need to keep the “air gap” at the top of the W/H tank.
Ok... how do you do that? Don't mean to sound dumb, are talking inside the tank or around the tank?
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Old 12-22-2020, 07:18 PM   #11
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Inside the tank. You’ll need to drain some water out by removing the anode rod or drain plug. Then simply put it back in. Open a hot faucet, and turn on the water. It will spit air for a bit. When it’s flowing just water your done.
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Old 12-22-2020, 07:20 PM   #12
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Makes perfect sense... Thanks
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Old 12-22-2020, 07:44 PM   #13
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As Chuck stated you have to have that air gap. If you don't, then when the water heats it has nowhere to expand, forcing the relief valve to open a bit.
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Old 12-23-2020, 02:15 AM   #14
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Marshall,
We have begun to see the same issue. I've opened the valve and allowed some water to flush out between this trip and the last trip during Thanksgiving. I get a seeping of water while it's heating. Seems to stop and dry up between heating cycles. I'll try and open the valve again once I can get the WH to cool off (either before we leave, or upon arriving home Saturday). My question is can these be replaced if it just doesn't seem to want to stop seeping? Thanks in advance.
I have two trailers that do that. 2 old time RV techs have told me not to worry about that so I don't.
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Old 12-23-2020, 05:39 AM   #15
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Couldn't find my saved link last night when I replied. Here's 5 videos from the manufacturer. Video #2 explains the temperature and pressure relief valve.
https://www.airxcel.com/rv/suburban/...tenance-videos
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Old 12-23-2020, 07:13 AM   #16
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Couldn't find my saved link last night when I replied. Here's 5 videos from the manufacturer. Video #2 explains the temperature and pressure relief valve.
https://www.airxcel.com/rv/suburban/...tenance-videos
Good morning, gentlemen. Thanks for that info. I’ll double check to make sure the air gap is present and watch the video.
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Old 12-23-2020, 11:57 AM   #17
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It's really great to have so much experience and knowledge on the site that even the smallest of things someone has experienced it and either has a fix or knows what causes it... I for one, appreciate it... So THANK YOU TO ALL THE EXPERIENCED TT AND 5ER'S OWNERS FOR SHARING IT AMONG THE NOT SO EXPERIENCED...
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Old 12-23-2020, 06:42 PM   #18
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It's really great to have so much experience and knowledge on the site that even the smallest of things someone has experienced it and either has a fix or knows what causes it... I for one, appreciate it... So THANK YOU TO ALL THE EXPERIENCED TT AND 5ER'S OWNERS FOR SHARING IT AMONG THE NOT SO EXPERIENCED...
I agree. I tend to get very OCD in some instances (it comes from my career). Like this seeping, it's driving me almost nuts! I also tend to pick things apart and get too detailed on what is really just simple (like this new F250, and comparing it to my Tundra, ). These guys bring me back down to reality with simple and straight forward info, uncomplicated.
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