Hot water not pumping from hot water tank

[DC Willis]

Second trip out on our 2020 Reflection 260RD.
I can get cold water out of the faucets but I don’t get any hot water to pump thru. I can’t even hear the pump turn on. When filling the storage tank I opened the faucets to minimize air in the lines. I made sure the valves were set correctly when filling so it did NOT bypass the HW heater.
Cold pumps through fine but no hot.
How do I check to see if there is water in the HW tank? Why does the pump not come on when the hot water is turned on?
I turned off the HW tank as I’m afraid it will damage it if there is not sufficient water in it.

Thanks for any assistance.

[Country Campers]

DC Willis

If you have access to the back of the water heater see if there is a long plastic fitting on the top , this would be a check valve , and it may be faulty or plugged. To check to see if there is water in the tank remove the drain plug.
You could also try and remove the low point drain plug to see if water is coming out of the red line , hot water line.

Brian

[TedS]

You could remove the water heater drain plug to see if there is water in it.

[ncitro]

DC Willis Yeah as Ted suggested, easiest is to pull the drain plug or the pressure relief valve.

As to your question about the pump, if you're on city water the pump will not run. I think you've got pressure (from city or the pump) since you're getting cold water at the faucets. I'd bet your water heater is full but not turning on. Are you trying to run it on electric or gas? Which model water heater do you have?

[RJAPCOK]

Second trip out on our 2020 Reflection 260RD.
I can get cold water out of the faucets but I don’t get any hot water to pump thru. I can’t even hear the pump turn on. When filling the storage tank I opened the faucets to minimize air in the lines. I made sure the valves were set correctly when filling so it did NOT bypass the HW heater.
Cold pumps through fine but no hot.
How do I check to see if there is water in the HW tank? Why does the pump not come on when the hot water is turned on?
I turned off the HW tank as I’m afraid it will damage it if there is not sufficient water in it.

Thanks for any assistance.

Easiest way to see if there is water in the water heater is to turn on the pump or open to "city water" so the inlet to the water heater is pressurized. Then lift the lever on the pressure relief valve. If water comes out, the tank is full. This is the process I go through every time I fill my water heater.

If no water comes out of the relief valve, then the problem is in the inlet, check to make sure the bypass valves are in the correct position. If water will come out of the relief valve and no water comes out of any of the faucets, the problem is in the outlet line. Check to make sure the bypass valves are in the correct position. If water comes out of some of the hot faucets but not all, the problem is with that particular line or faucet.

If all bypass valves have been verified to be in the correct position, and the tank is full, and no water comes out, then it would have to be something like a bad or incorrectly installed check valve as mentioned above.

I hope this helps.

Bob

[DC Willis]

This is our second trip in our Reflections. The first time out ALL worked fine. We are currently dry camping so I may have to rough it and wait till I get home to try and fix the issue.
I have turned the pump on and I get cold water to pump thru no problem at all. The hot water just trickles thru some times or I get nothing. I have checked the bypass valve and per my nautilus system, all gages are set correctly for dry camping. They were set correctly for filling the holding tank as well. I did check the pressure relief valve and some water did come out. So I assume water is in it but not sure how much.
I will run through it all again when we get home, meanwhile we can pretend we are tent camping with better beds and a fridge!

[ncitro]

This is our second trip in our Reflections. The first time out ALL worked fine. We are currently dry camping so I may have to rough it and wait till I get home to try and fix the issue.
I have turned the pump on and I get cold water to pump thru no problem at all. The hot water just trickles thru some times or I get nothing. I have checked the bypass valve and per my nautilus system, all gages are set correctly for dry camping. They were set correctly for filling the holding tank as well. I did check the pressure relief valve and some water did come out. So I assume water is in it but not sure how much.
I will run through it all again when we get home, meanwhile we can pretend we are tent camping with better beds and a fridge!

If you've got water in it (verified by the overflow valve), then as suggested I'd pull the check valve and see if it's obstructed.

[howson]

DC Willis -- I agree with ncitro . But just go ahead and change the valve. I put in a brass version in place of the plastic. (To those who may have a concern--I've pulled the brass valve after ~8 months of it being installed and checked for galvanic corrosion. There was none.)

[colan]

I highly encourage everyone to replace the plastic check valve with brass as soon as possible.

Why? The plastic valves are prone to cracking or breaking. Good way to flood the RV.

When the plastic check valve breaks off, in addition to flooding getting the broken piece of plastic out of the hot water tank can be a real chore. I’ve had good success using a tool for removing broken underground sprinkler heads. These are available at hardware and big box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot, usually around $10.

[DC Willis]

Where/how do I access the hot water heater tank?
no idea where it is on this rig.

[Country Campers]

Where/how do I access the hot water heater tank?
no idea where it is on this rig.

On the door side of the RV there will be a black cover with a small spring clip that holds it shut. This will be under the window in the kitchen, on the outside. On the inside under the sink or in the corner cupboard you should have access to the back of the water heater.

Brian

[racerx1699]

DC Willis -- I agree with ncitro . But just go ahead and change the valve. I put in a brass version in place of the plastic. (To those who may have a concern--I've pulled the brass valve after ~8 months of it being installed and checked for galvanic corrosion. There was none.)

howson Howard, dumb question is the brass check valve something I can get at the hardware store?

[howson]

howson Howard, dumb question is the brass check valve something I can get at the hardware store?

I got mine off of Amazon.