H2O heater -Dry Camping

[RobertS377]

Hi folks ,

When filling the fresh water tank, does the hot water heater fill first?

I ask because if I only partially fill the fresh holding tank (I usually fill it 2/3) will the hot water tank remain empty. If so, I assume it will get damaged if I turn it on,

We don’t boondock or dry camp, but we do a lot of overnights at Cracker Barrel en -route to our destination, and a hot shower would be nice once in a while .

[FT4NOW]

Filling FW tank doesnt fill water heater. Water heater fills when cold water portion of system is pressurized and then the air comes out of the water heater when a hot water faucet is opened. This assumes filling the first time after it was drained. For normal use the water heater stays full either by city water or the pump when using the tank.

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[RobertS377]

Filling FW tank doesnt fill water heater. Water heater fills when cold water portion of system is pressurized and then the air comes out of the water heater when a hot water faucet is opened. This assumes filling the first time after it was drained. For normal use the water heater stays full either by city water or the pump when using the tank.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

Ok I think. So I fill the tank, run the 12 volt pump and the cold tank water feeds into the hot water heater, filling it. After that I can turn on the hot water heater and have hot water. Correct?

[Rudy35]

Ok I think. So I fill the tank, run the 12 volt pump and the cold tank water feeds into the hot water heater, filling it. After that I can turn on the hot water heater and have hot water. Correct?

Yes, make sure you open your hot water facets and have water flowing from them, indicating the hot water tank is full. Then you can turn on the heater.

[RobertS377]

Perfect. Thanks very much Rudy. Safe travels

[GeoffnCheri]

Ok I think. So I fill the tank, run the 12 volt pump and the cold tank water feeds into the hot water heater, filling it. After that I can turn on the hot water heater and have hot water. Correct?

Correct. I usually give it a few minutes after I turn on the pump and then run a hot water faucet. Once I have steady flow I shut it off and, THEN I turn on the hot water heater. It gives me peace of mind that my HW heater is full before I give it the juice and my settings are in dry camping mode. YMMV

[CoChris]

Perfect. Thanks very much Rudy. Safe travels

Before running the "hot water" to get air out of the system and turning on the water heater (tank), make sure the "water heater bypass valve" used for winterizing is turned off (NOT bypassed). If you have a Nautilus P! water control panel, this is the red valve. If you have a different set up, it should be clearly label in your instruction menu under "de-winterizing".

One way to confirm the water heater tank is full is, with the water system pressurized, go outside your trailer, remove the access panel over the water heater and open the safety valve (brass fitting at the top). Stand back when you do that. You should get a spray of water out if the tank is full. If you get air blowing out, you have not purged all the air out of the tank. If you get nothing (air or water) out, the water heater is in bypass mode.

Chris

[RobertS377]

Before running the "hot water" to get air out of the system and turning on the water heater (tank), make sure the "water heater bypass valve" used for winterizing is turned off (NOT bypassed). If you have a Nautilus P! water control panel, this is the red valve. If you have a different set up, it should be clearly label in your instruction menu under "de-winterizing".

One way to confirm the water heater tank is full is, with the water system pressurized, go outside your trailer, remove the access panel over the water heater and open the safety valve (brass fitting at the top). Stand back when you do that. You should get a spray of water out if the tank is full. If you get air blowing out, you have not purged all the air out of the tank. If you get nothing (air or water) out, the water heater is in bypass mode.

Chris

Thanks Chris. I completely forgot about the pressure release valve as a check point. Yep, I’ve gotten spayed once or twice