My fix for very low hot water flow.

[vttimwhite]

Our 2008 XT200 was experiencing very low flow from all of the hot water faucets after I de-winterized it this year. I checked and checked to make sure all of the valves and by-pass valves were fully open, and could not find anything wrong. I tried to just live with it, but I couldn't. I'm fussy that way.

Finally, I reasoned that there must be some sort of blockage at or in the water heater itself. I removed the inlet and outlet connections, and found that the check valve in the inlet fitting of the water heater had come apart and was almost completely blocking the inlet port. I wasn't able to properly remove the fitting, so I used my favorite tool, the hammer, and a small punch to simply punch out the blockage.

By the way, there is a check valve on BOTH the inlet and the outlet ports.

So now I have some bits of plastic and brass inside my water tank, which isn't great, but I have full pressure again. Later this summer, I'll likely replace the entire unit, as it's 10 years old and probably ready to leak or fail. If it was a newer unit, I'd likely just remove the tank, replace the check valves, and re-install the tank.

I'm sharing this for anyone that might have a similar problem.

---
vttimwhite
2008 XT-200
2008 Ford F150, 5.4L Triton
1962 wife/partner-in-everything <3

 

[profdant139]

Well done, and thanks for posting!!

 

[M Wilkie]

Good trouble shooting! Glad you figured it out.

 

[PaintyLiz]

Interesting! One more thing to learn!

Liz

 

[twinster2]

Discovered the same thing last year after we bought our FF189FBR. Found out that the check valve leading into the Hot Water tank had broken and was blocking water going into the tank. Replaced the check valve and it has worked great ever since.

 

[PaintyLiz]

Could someone take a picture of exactly what we're talking about? I don't even know what to start looking for. Right now we have really low water flow on hot and cold and I have a 10 year old 189fbr. So maybe that's an issue.

Thanks in advance!

Liz

 

[twinster2]

Liz

Don't have a camera handy, but it is easy to find. They would be the brass fittings screwed directly into the inlet and outlet on the hot water tank.

Don

 

[vttimwhite]

...Right now we have really low water flow on hot and cold...

If you have low flow on both hot and cold, it's not likely the same problem discussed here. I had very good cold water flow, and very poor hot water flow, which suggested a problem around the hot water tank or the bypass valves.

Does the system work better when you're pumping from the fresh water tank? (No shore water at all)

For overall low flow, you should look at everything from the water connection (the one on your house, or the shore connector) up to the faucets in your camper. Concentrate on things outside the camper first.

• Check the screen at the inlet connection where the water hose connects to the camper. Remove any debris you can see.
• Remove everything from the outside connections except the hose itself; that is, connect directly without a pressure regulator, gauge, or water filter. If that improves the situation, replace the other components one at a time until you find the component that's causing the problem.
• Remove the aerators on the inside faucet spouts. They have little tiny holes in them which often fill with debris/minerals.
• Less likely to be a problem, but still worth a check: Turn all of the valves near the water heater bypass off, then on again. These are very of simple construction and very unlikely to clog, but check everything.
• How is the flow at the toilet? If that seems okay, it indicates a problem with the faucets, and it indicates that the water supply itself is okay.
• If all of that fails, unleash your inner contortionist and follow the cold water line (usually blue plastic) all the way from the outside connection to the kitchen sink. Look for kinks or crushed sections. Both are very unlikely, but possible.

If you find nothing, I suppose you could take it to a dealer, or trade it in for another camper, or perhaps burn it to the ground. That would be wrong, though.

 

[M Wilkie]

Great post vttimwhite! Very thorough and humorous at the end!!!

 

[Dakota 1120]

A kinked line is always possible which I experienced a few years after I purchased my unit.

The shower worked great the first couple of years ... then suddenly there was hardly any hot water flow.

I removed the faucet assembly from the wall and found the hot water line behind the wall to the faucet was rather long and developed a kink which restricted the water flow.

A little re-routing solved the issue - all is well since.

 

[PaintyLiz]

Well rats! I had a long involved answer and my tablet crashed LOL. Thank you very much for such a detailed and helpful answer, I will try out your suggestions. Although I don't want to set fire to it, I just got it all remodeled exactly the way I like it! I think it might just be the water pressure regulator.

There is an odd twist. When I take a shower there is a tiny trickle of water until my husband runs water in the kitchen sink. The shower water completely stops, but when he turns off the kitchen sink I have about 3 times as much water in the shower as I did before he turned the water on. so, what in the world is going on? It's almost as if there is an airlock somewhere, but there's​ still not much water in the kitchen sink LOL

I did just install a separate thermostatic mixing valve for the shower. But it was simply tapping into the existing bathroom faucet lines so I don't see how that could have caused any change.

Okay, update - we are camping at this point, so hubby just took the pressure regulator off and we have tons of water. So I guess that's what it was, another easy peasy fix. Is there a pressure regulator that doesn't reduce your water flow as much? I keep buying new ones and then never any better than the last.

Sorry for making you write that long post when it was just the regulator LOL but I will save your information so I have it when I really need it. Still doesn't explain why I got more water after he turned the kitchen sink on though.

Thanks again! I really do appreciate it

Liz

 

[Dakota 1120]

I installed one like this so I didn't have "another loose item" floating around.

https://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-183-...rd_wg=VOWwx&psc=1&refRID=TC3BYC0Q233HPG9YHH58

 

[RipVan]

I'm experiencing a similar problem (now that I've read this thread and I'm thinking more about it). Hot water flow in all sinks (haven't checked the shower) starts out with pretty high flow and then drops off after a few seconds. Flow is still adequate so I didn't do any real investigating. I was reading the water heater's info that came with my TT and it did mention the need for a "bubble" of air in the water heater to ensure proper operation. Again, I didn't take any corrective steps at the time since in involved shutting off the heater and waiting for it to cool down before doing a partial drain using the pressure relief valve. I will be doing that before I fire up the heater on our next camping trip.
I don't really want to pursue checking out the possibility of an obstruction at the WH outflow connection yet as that involves draining the system and a potential "watery" mess in the WH cabinet (and I'm not having a serious issue with the pressure).
I can see how there is potential for that to occur as there was considerable debris (of which I removed as much as possible) in the bottom of the WH last year when I took things apart last season for "Winterization".
Good info on possible remedies. Thanks
RipVan