Water heater bypass valves??

[LarryD]

Thinking about a new Cougar High Country 299RKS and hoping someone can tell me where the bypass valves are located? Probably any Keystone model and floorplan with the water heater below the corner shower has the same setup. I didn't see any valves under the vanity sink. Are the valves behind the basement access panel behind the docking station?? If so, is it inconvenient to get to the valves to winterize the rig? Or maybe I've missed something.

Also, what is the black valve (or whatever it is) under the vanity with two water lines connected to it?

[Jim W]

On my Cougar 318SAB, the bypass valve is located behind the basement access panel by the water heater. I am in that area already when winterizing, so to me this is not inconvenient at all. I need to access the water pump bypass valve in-order to pass the RV antifreeze fluid through the water lines and faucets and not into the fresh water tank.
Jim

[Ruffus]

Hi Larry
I have a Copper Canyon and my by pass valve is located at the rear of the water heater. There is a small square plastic panel on the basement bulkhead that has four screws in it. I remove the panel to get access to the by pass valve.

[LarryD]

Thanks for the responses. I guess this is not a big deal, I don't winterize the rig anyway since I typically use it even in Jan. and Feb. So, I just dump the tanks, empty the water heater and open the low point drains. Any remaining liquid may freeze, but it doesn't do any damage.

My other concern is the lack of valves on the low point drains. My existing rig has them in a corner of the basement. No need to crawl under the rig to remove the caps. I hope I can add valves that will be accessible on the Cougar.

[miller8179]

Ours is accessible by removing a drawer in the back bedroom of our Copper Canyon.

No low point valves, just the caps but they are easy to access and remove.

They all freeze up below 30 though... even with the extreme thermal package and the heat running full time. Apparently heat doesn't make its way around our underbelly too well.

[LarryD]

Originally Posted by miller8179

Ours is accessible by removing a drawer in the back bedroom of our Copper Canyon.

No low point valves, just the caps but they are easy to access and remove.

They all freeze up below 30 though... even with the extreme thermal package and the heat running full time. Apparently heat doesn't make its way around our underbelly too well.

WOW, do you know where the system actually becomes frozen? I assume you are using the 12V pump when temps drop below freezing. If so, the most vunerable part of the system should be the pick-up tube. If the tank is full, it will take quite some time for it to freeze. And the pump should stay warmer than the pick-up tube. If the tank is at the rear of the trailer and the pump is located further forward, then the long water line may be too exposed.

On my existing brand, I have camped at temps below 20 degrees for several days and never had anything in the trailer freeze. And that is with the furnace shut off, just using portable electric heaters to keep the unit warm.

[rjsurfer]

Originally Posted by LarryD

Thinking about a new Cougar High Country 299RKS and hoping someone can tell me where the bypass valves are located? Probably any Keystone model and floorplan with the water heater below the corner shower has the same setup. I didn't see any valves under the vanity sink. Are the valves behind the basement access panel behind the docking station?? If so, is it inconvenient to get to the valves to winterize the rig? Or maybe I've missed something.

Also, what is the black valve (or whatever it is) under the vanity with two water lines connected to it?

That "black valve" is just a vent for the water lines....

Ron W.

[LarryD]

Originally Posted by rjsurfer

That "black valve" is just a vent for the water lines....

Ron W.

Ron,

Thanks for the answer. I kind of thought it was some sort of check valve or vent, but rather than guess, it really is a benefit to gain from other owner's knowledge.