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Old 12-08-2012, 06:41 PM   #1
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Winterization problem

Went to winterize the coach today & ran into a problem. When I selected the water heater bypass valve the water heater was filling with the pink stuff. The pink stuff is pulling from the syphon tube ok. After wasting 4 gallons of the pink stuff I filled the jugs with water to experiment. No matter what position I put the bypass valve in the water was pumped from the jugs to the hot water tank. I took the bypass valve apart I it works as it is supposed to. It winterized just fine last year. I'm just stumped. Any suggestions? Thanks.
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Old 12-08-2012, 06:58 PM   #2
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Hi,

There are 2 valves to flip in order to bypass water heater. Did you flip both of them? If you did then it is possible that the valve in the rear of the heater may have gone bad.

Hope this helps. I winterize mine by flipping both valves and attaching the pink stuff to the hose supllied and then open a faucet until pink stuff comes out. doing all the faucets the same way including the toilet.

Good Luck!!!!!
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Old 12-08-2012, 08:06 PM   #3
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I only have 2 valves. A hot water bypass valve & a valve to allow the syphon tube to pull the pink stuff.
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Old 12-08-2012, 08:22 PM   #4
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You have to close the valve before it goes in the tank and open the "bypass" valve before it so it can go to the out flo line and back to the faucet.
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Old 12-08-2012, 11:03 PM   #5
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I'm not sure how your coach is plumbed, but it sounds similar to my previous coach (2003 Journey DL). On that coach there were 2 check valves associated with the water heater. The one on the inlet kept hot water from backing up into the system and causing a "hot flush" among other things.

The check valve on the outlet prevents the pink stuff from entering the heater when "bypass" is selected. It sound like that one might have failed open.

I know that yours might be different, but the inlet check valve was near the back of the tank. The outlet check valve was located in the "wet bay" near the bypass and winterizing valves.
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Old 12-08-2012, 11:11 PM   #6
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A failed check valve on the water heater will cause exactly what you experience. I now try to remember to check for that before winterizing by bypassing and draining the water heater and then turning on the water pump to make sure I don't get any more water out of the water heater drain--if I do get more water that means it's time to replace the check valve.
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Old 12-09-2012, 08:58 AM   #7
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A failed check valve on the water heater will cause exactly what you experience. I now try to remember to check for that before winterizing by bypassing and draining the water heater and then turning on the water pump to make sure I don't get any more water out of the water heater drain--if I do get more water that means it's time to replace the check valve.
I don't see any check valves in the equipment bay. I suspect Winney put it in some inaccessible place. Will go hunt for it soon, supposted to go down into the teens tomorrow night.
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Old 12-09-2012, 09:22 AM   #8
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Check Valves are on the cold water inlet and hot water outlet. They are the last piece of plumbing before the tank. They look like a bushing. They can be difficult to remove be careful.
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Old 12-09-2012, 09:39 AM   #9
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I'm assuming that you have a 32H. If you take a look at page 8 of the 2011 Suncruiser 32H Plumbing Diagram you can see the plumbing at the back of the water heater. I believe that the check valves are labelled V-6 and V-7 in the diagrams (although it looks like the V-6 arrow may be a bit off).
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Old 12-09-2012, 10:29 AM   #10
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I went through this earlier this year and the good folks on this forum set me strait. I made the mistake of draining the hot water tank before I pumped the pink stuff into the system and like you, I had pink stuff running out of the HW tank. I was told I had to have the HW bypass on with the tank full of water when pumping antifreeze into the system and then drain the tank. There is a valve at the tank that prevents liquid from entering the tank when the tank is full. When I read the winterizing instructions, the step to drain the tank was after the step to pump antifreeze into the system, but who reads the instructions first? After I filled the tank with water and turned the valve to bypass, pumped the system with antifreeze it work as it should. Then I drained the tank.
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Old 12-09-2012, 05:16 PM   #11
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I went through this earlier this year and the good folks on this forum set me strait. I made the mistake of draining the hot water tank before I pumped the pink stuff into the system and like you, I had pink stuff running out of the HW tank. I was told I had to have the HW bypass on with the tank full of water when pumping antifreeze into the system and then drain the tank. There is a valve at the tank that prevents liquid from entering the tank when the tank is full. When I read the winterizing instructions, the step to drain the tank was after the step to pump antifreeze into the system, but who reads the instructions first? After I filled the tank with water and turned the valve to bypass, pumped the system with antifreeze it work as it should. Then I drained the tank.
Yup, step 10 is to drain hot water heater. Now makes sense as the bypass valve sends the pink stuff to the out line of the water heater. If the heater is full that forces the push of pink stuff to the faucets. I mistakenly thought there was a check valve on the out line preventing back flow into the heater. Will redo tomorrow PER THE INSTRUCTIONS!
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Old 12-10-2012, 11:36 AM   #12
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Quote:
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Yup, step 10 is to drain hot water heater. Now makes sense as the bypass valve sends the pink stuff to the out line of the water heater. If the heater is full that forces the push of pink stuff to the faucets. I mistakenly thought there was a check valve on the out line preventing back flow into the heater. Will redo tomorrow PER THE INSTRUCTIONS!
According to the plumbing diagrams on this site, all Suncruisers of your vintage have 2 check valves. I think that the procedure is just that, with no particular reason for the order. That being said, draining the tank last would cover up a failed check valve.

Personally, I blow out my system before adding any pink stuff.
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Old 12-10-2012, 04:11 PM   #13
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Finished winterization. A full hot water heater was necessary. Thanks tomk52 for your post. You saved me on this one!!!!!!!!!
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Old 12-10-2012, 10:41 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by cbeierl View Post
A failed check valve on the water heater will cause exactly what you experience. I now try to remember to check for that before winterizing by bypassing and draining the water heater and then turning on the water pump to make sure I don't get any more water out of the water heater drain--if I do get more water that means it's time to replace the check valve.
Chris, I always do the same thing if I can remember to drain the WH the very first thing. If a by-pass valve fails it still looks like you'd be pumping pink into the WH and a mixture out at every hot water faucet even if the WH was full of water when the winterization was started. I ran into this on a previous coach ('97 Southwind) and wasted a gallon or so of pink before realizing what was happening. Hard to visualize how a full WH helps with the by-pass.
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Old 12-11-2012, 05:33 AM   #15
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Always drain HWH first before I even start the process you don't need the HWH full that the reason for the bypass to cut out the heater and not fill it hope you did not put water in it 6 gal of pink stuff you will have to flush that HWH good in the spring to get it out.
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Old 12-11-2012, 10:31 AM   #16
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Always drain HWH first before I even start the process you don't need the HWH full that the reason for the bypass to cut out the heater and not fill it hope you did not put water in it 6 gal of pink stuff you will have to flush that HWH good in the spring to get it out.
HWH must be full on mine to winterize. If the HWH is empty, the pink stuff will backfill into it.
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Old 12-11-2012, 08:31 PM   #17
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Quote:
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HWH must be full on mine to winterize. If the HWH is empty, the pink stuff will backfill into it.
Not correct! You have a failed check valve. Your full HWH is masking the problem.
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Old 12-12-2012, 05:55 AM   #18
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Agree X10 you do not need HWH full

your going to have

one valve
Just turn handle to by-pass

two valves
This way has a check valve in the hot outlet and the valve turns off the cold to the heater and ties the hot and cold together check valve stops fluid from going in to heater

or three valves
Top and bottom valves open and middle closed for regular operation
For winterizing close top and bottom and open middle
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Old 12-12-2012, 09:12 AM   #19
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There are 3 bypass systems.

1 Valve
2 Valve
3 Valve

There 3 valve system you have a valve in the hot line, one in the cold line (To bypass these are closed cutting off the water heater) and a valve in the bypass line (Open to bypass) this is the best system by far

In the one valve system it is a "3 way valve" open to either the cold water inlet or to the bypass but not both

The two valve uses two vlaves to simulate the 3 way valve To bypass one is open one is closed.

In the one and two valve systems the 3rd valve is a check valve in the hot water outlet line.

Yours is defective

Remove it, or gut it and put in a 3rd quarter turn valve.


Suggestion: Stop pouring nasty chemicals in your drinking water lines and just blow them out with compressed air, You open all valves, then open, wait, blow, wait, blow wait (All includes low point drains, faucets and such) keep up this blow wait (like 2-5 minutes betwene blows) pattern for like 10 cycles or till you get no more water.

Then use the nasty chemicals in drains and toilets

Using your method you got to flush all that nasty tasting pink stuff out of the lines come spring.

Using my method .. Well you still flush it out, but .. Let's just say flushing the toilet is not as hard as flushing the fresh water lines.
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Old 12-12-2012, 03:45 PM   #20
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Not correct! You have a failed check valve. Your full HWH is masking the problem.
You are correct but the check valve is so hard to get to I will continue with the full HWH unless the check valve un-checks itself.
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