Hot water slows to a trickle problem

[royt911]

1996 Winnebago Adventurer
34 RQ with Ford Motor.

Had this issue while camping last year. You get in the shower and turn the hot water on then it goes down to a trickle. Wait about 10 minutes then the hot water is back. Not just the shower but sinks too. Talked to a tech at Coach.net and they said it might be a check valve in the hot water since cold water works normal.

Did anyone ever have this problem? Is the check valve on the hot water heater which is hard to reach? if so, is there a better solution?

[Edd505]

Are all the winter bypass valves fully open? If they are are you on city water or internal tank?

[emiddleb]

If it is as you say, the same hot water pressure issue at all faucets but cold is fine, then I'd say you are starting at the right place... the water heater.

You didn't list your specific make/model of water heater, but yes, there is almost always one (and sometimes two like mine) check valves which are on the back of the water heater. Sometimes easy to get to for service, sometimes not.

First, I'd check all my bypass valves, any exterior showers and such to make sure all the valves are set properly as Edd505 stated.

Then, here's what I'd do to start narrowing down the issue... 1) turn off all gas/electric to your water heater, turn off the water supply and allow heater to cool down. 2) Remove the drain plug on the heater and let it empty. 3) Turn on the water supply and see how much water comes out the drain plug. If it's a trickle, then there is a problem with the water supply to the heater. If there is a solid stream, then the heater is getting water and the problem is either the check valve on the output side of the heater or further downstream in your plumbing.

[grtharris]

royt911, looking at the plumbing drawings for your coach, looks like there is access to the back of the tank from inside the coach. The check valve is right below the bypass valve on the back of the tank.
http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/1996/G34RQ.pdf

[Clay L]

I don't know about in 1996 but in the early 2000s until now if you have a single valve winterizing system Winnebago has used two check valves. One on the input and one on the output. If you have two or three valve system there should only be one check valve on the input.

[DAN L]

Royt911,
The check valves are replaceable.
I dissembled both of mine and removed the spring and piston.
The new camco check valves that I bought were about a half inch too long for the plumbing to hook up.
The purpose of the check valves is to keep the pink antifreeze out of the water heater during winterization. You can do the same thing manually.

[Wbago97]

Check valves for sure. In my case it was the check valve into the water heater that was the problem. I could fill the water heater, but once full, I guess the back pressure kept the valve stuck shut. I went ahead and replaced both of them, inlet and outlet.

What added to the fun of my repair is that on the 1997 37ft Adventurer, the water heater access is under the fridge and behind the electrical circuit breaker...

[royt911]

When operating it last year the bypass valves were shut and I was only using city water because I had an air leak in the tank pump. It didn't matter if the water was hot or cold. Had the same issue with the pressure out of the hot water side in showers and sinks at the same time. Not sure of the model number of the hot water heater but can see it from the cover under my fridge. Not a lot of room to get my hands in there. I haven't de-winterized it yet but hopefully this weekend. I see a brass connector at the top and bottom. I am guessing that is the check valve. Does anyone know if they come out easily since I can't give it a lot of torque due to limited access? I'm thinking of putting inline valves in place of the one's connected to the tank to make it easier next time.

[Wbago97]

Originally Posted by royt911

When operating it last year the bypass valves were shut and I was only using city water because I had an air leak in the tank pump. It didn't matter if the water was hot or cold. Had the same issue with the pressure out of the hot water side in showers and sinks at the same time. Not sure of the model number of the hot water heater but can see it from the cover under my fridge. Not a lot of room to get my hands in there. I haven't de-winterized it yet but hopefully this weekend. I see a brass connector at the top and bottom. I am guessing that is the check valve. Does anyone know if they come out easily since I can't give it a lot of torque due to limited access? I'm thinking of putting inline valves in place of the one's connected to the tank to make it easier next time.

I had to use a crows foot wrench for the outlet check valve that was attached directly to the water heater.
You should probably replace both of them while you are at it.