I've tried searching through the posts on here, but the problem is likely that the topic is too broad so I thought I'd post a question out to you fine folks.

We purchased our 1988 regal last year, in the fall and although we used it for two weekends, I don't think we used the hot water tank (really bad memory ).

We have filled the water tank and have opened the valve by the hot water tank under the sink. The tank heats up and there's water there. When we try to get hot water in the sink, we get about 20 seconds or so of hot water and then it runs cold again. Also I noticed that we're flushing the toilet with hot water...

Some of my research on line indicated that there could be another valve that needs to be opened to allow the cold water into the hot water tank so the hot water will come out through the top.
We've looked everywhere we can think of on the coach and we can't find any other valves other than the one on the back of the hot water tank.

Do any of you have any plumbing diagrams or does anyone know what might be going on? We're at a loss at this point.

Thanks!

As you have found, the water systems in these coaches are hardly standardized. Different floorplans resulted in various locations for sinks, showers, tanks and heaters.

As a result it is hard to give you a specific answer. Some systems have a bypass around the water heater. This allows intermittent use of the water system without having to fill the water heater each time. Also, when winterizing the lines with antifreeze, the bypass allows the antifreeze to fill all the hot water lines without having to fill the entire tank with antifreeze.

I suspect that you may have a bypass valve somewhere in the system that needs to be closed. It might explain why the hot water is getting to the toilet.

In my 86 Regal, the fresh water tank, pump and several valves were under the bed. The heater was under the kitchen counter. That heater had no bypass, just a shut off valve. In my 98 there are valves near the tanks and pump for heater bypass and antifreeze circulation. There is also a shut off valve at the heater.

Sorry I can't be more specific about location.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve VW:
As you have found, the water systems in these coaches are hardly standardized. Different floorplans resulted in various locations for sinks, showers, tanks and heaters.

As a result it is hard to give you a specific answer. Some systems have a bypass around the water heater. This allows intermittent use of the water system without having to fill the water heater each time. Also, when winterizing the lines with antifreeze, the bypass allows the antifreeze to fill all the hot water lines without having to fill the entire tank with antifreeze.

I suspect that you may have a bypass valve somewhere in the system that needs to be closed. It might explain why the hot water is getting to the toilet.

In my 86 Regal, the fresh water tank, pump and several valves were under the bed. The heater was under the kitchen counter. That heater had no bypass, just a shut off valve. In my 98 there are valves near the tanks and pump for heater bypass and antifreeze circulation. There is also a shut off valve at the heater.

Sorry I can't be more specific about location.

Thanks Steve. In your 86 Regal, was there a bypass valve somewhere? That configuration sounds a lot like ours because we haven't found anything anywhere else except under the sink and the bed.

for my water heater, there are two bypass valves, and both must be used. one is very close to the inlet of the water heater and the other is by the water heater outlet. the two allow the loop to use or bypass the heater. good luck.
kenny

quote:

Originally posted by kenny j:
for my water heater, there are two bypass valves, and both must be used. one is very close to the inlet of the water heater and the other is by the water heater outlet. the two allow the loop to use or bypass the heater. good luck.
kenny

I wonder if something was changed in ours then. I've just been out again trying to trouble shoot (super frustrating when you don't know what you're doing). We have one valve, attached to the inlet at the bottom of the hot water tank. It is a brass valve that only turns 1/4 turn. When it is in the down position, we get hot water out of the cold water side of the taps with no water pressure on the hot side of the taps, but the hot water only runs hot for about 30 seconds. When the valve is turned up, towards the white pipe that looks like the pipes you put on toilets from the water inlet to the tank, then we get water pressure on the hot side of the taps, but the water isn't hot. I wonder if there was a second valve that was removed at one time?
We have a major "discussion" going on between my husband and my father, none of whom have any actual motorhome experience, but it just keeps taking us in circles.

Bob, Have you tried contacting the prior owner?

While all the Barth's of the same model look the same, many are wired and plumbed differently.

Also many Barth owners make improvements by rewiring and re-routing plumbing from the original.

I did on my Regency to simplify a confusing mess of shut off valves.

Jim

I decided to go look at mine again before speaking again, my valves are also 1/4 turn. which (on mine) doesn't shut anything off. the valves are screwed into the heater. a cold water supply line feeds the valve, straight thru into the water heater or turn it 90 degrees and the water comes out at 90 degrees in a different line. this line goes to the valve on the discharge side, makes a 90 degree turn and that's how my heater is bypassed. check for another line off of the inlet valve and follow it to the other end.
good luck
kenny

quote:

Originally posted by Jim & Barb:
Bob, Have you tried contacting the prior owner?

While all the Barth's of the same model look the same, many are wired and plumbed differently.

Also many Barth owners make improvements by rewiring and re-routing plumbing from the original.

I did on my Regency to simplify a confusing mess of shut off valves.

Jim

Hi Jim,

I tried asking the PO a question last year and got a response that led me to believe he didn't appreciate being contacted, so I've avoided that option.

I think someone has made some changes (improvements might have been in the eyes of the beholder) since there is a piece of rubber hose attached to the top of the outlet from the hot water tank and it doesn't look original. My son, who is an auto mechanic, so pretty handy, thinks the valve may not be working properly but we'll have to take the bypass hose off to check it and we don't really want to start something that could be messy before we go away tomorrow for a week in it. Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by kenny j:
I decided to go look at mine again before speaking again, my valves are also 1/4 turn. which (on mine) doesn't shut anything off. the valves are screwed into the heater. a cold water supply line feeds the valve, straight thru into the water heater or turn it 90 degrees and the water comes out at 90 degrees in a different line. this line goes to the valve on the discharge side, makes a 90 degree turn and that's how my heater is bypassed. check for another line off of the inlet valve and follow it to the other end.
good luck
kenny

Following along the water lines in there, a pipe comes from the outside into a T intersection. The T feeds back to the holding tank at the back, and forward to the bottom of the hot water tank, where the 1/4 turn valve is. In the middle of the pipe between the outside entrance and the bottom of the hot water tank there is a T intersection that feeds under the heater hose, to another T intersection that goes up to the cold side of the water tap on the sink.
We tried closing the 1/4 turn valve and turning on the water. With the 1/4 turn valve turned to the bypass (or up), with the water pump turned off, we get only hot water from the hot water tank. As soon as we turn the water pump on, we get cold water again from the holding tank. Clearly something isn't working properly, but we head out for a week of camping tomorrow and I don't really want to start dismantling under the sink today since we live 45 minutes from the closest hardware store. Thanks for taking the time to check your set up and respond. I do believe someone may have removed a shut off valve at some time but it will take some work to figure out where it needs to be.

Many of the hot water heater bypass systems had a valve at the imput and output of the hot water heater. Try to look up some installation pictures and you will see what I mean.

quote:

Originally posted by Gary Carter:
Many of the hot water heater bypass systems had a valve at the imput and output of the hot water heater. Try to look up some installation pictures and you will see what I mean.

Thanks Gary. Will do.

my valves are all under the queen bed in back . you have to remove the drawers to see them all . you may already know this .

quote:

hot water heater bypass systems

check these out---

https://yandex.com/video/searc...r%20bypass%20systems

Thanks everyone for your responses to my question. In the end, we had our local repair guy out (to look at our furnace) and he checked the hot water tank while he was here. He said there is a valve at the top of the tank, but it's automatic (or something like that) and everything looked OK. He emptied the tank, refilled it, lit it..... and presto... we have hot water everywhere we should, but not in the toilet. So I have no idea what was going on, and he didn't really know either, but it's all good and I'll be able to fill my sink to wash dishes, or take a shower next time we go out. Go figure. Nothing like looking stupid....