Thor Chateau 24F Winterization

[Jim Handyman]

Does anybody know where the water heater bypass valve is located in the Thor 2023 Chateau 24F?

[DavidEM]

They are typically on the hot water inlet and outlet piping. Often you can get to the water heater by removing the furnace return air grill.

David

[Chateau_Nomad]

Remove the drawer under the front dinette bench. But it's easier if you remove the bench seat plywood... a #2 square head screw in each corner... then just leave the screws out.

You'll see the water heater and associated pex plumbing. There are three valves... the bypass valve (middle) has red pex in one side and blue into the other.

For winterization the bypass valve should be parallel with the pex (open), and the other two should be perpendicular (closed) to keep antifreeze out of the hot water tank.

Set the valves exactly opposite to that for normal operation.

You can do whatever you feel is proper, but I leave the screws out of the bench platform...

[Jim Handyman]

I was able to locate my bypass valves and they were on the back side of the water heater which is under the dinette bench. I discovered that there are only two bypass valves in my rig. I understand that other rigs will have 3 valves. The difference is the type of valve used. Mine are the multi-port (also called 3-way) valves, which only require 2 to achieve the bypass configuration. The standard 2 port stop valve will require 3 valves to achieve the bypass configuration.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Glad you found it! I actually think the 3-way valves you have are less confusing. The key takeaway, regardless of valve type is understanding the bypass concept and how setting the valve positions prevent antifreeze from flowing into the hot water tank.

[t1bone]

I forgot to close my bypass valve when I winterized, and I got some antifreeze in the hot water tank. Is that going to cause any problems when I dewinterize?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by t1bone

I forgot to close my bypass valve when I winterized, and I got some antifreeze in the hot water tank. Is that going to cause any problems when I dewinterize?

You actually OPEN the bypass valve when winterizing, you CLOSE the isolation valves.

[t1bone]

OK, I got anti-freeze in the hot water tank. Is that going to cause a problem when I dewinterize?

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by t1bone

OK, I got anti-freeze in the hot water tank. Is that going to cause a problem when I dewinterize?

Not if you flush it before you let it heat water.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by t1bone

OK, I got anti-freeze in the hot water tank. Is that going to cause a problem when I dewinterize?

Won't hurt anything as far as damage to the heater tank. You'll just need to flush VERY WELL in spring... as in full and burp the tank at least twice. This is in addition to your sanitizing procedure.

[t1bone]

Thank you, so I just need to turn the bypass off. remove the drain plug, turn on the water pump, and let drain until clear water comes out.

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by t1bone

Thank you, so I just need to turn the bypass off. remove the drain plug, turn on the water pump, and let drain until clear water comes out.

You need to SHUT the bypass.
You need to OPEN the cold water inlet

No need to run the water pump unless you are using the FW tank as the source of flushing water instead of city water.

[Chateau_Nomad]

I would actually replace the plug and fill the hot water tank... just flushing with the plug out could leave residue. Fill... drain. Rinse and repeat. The antifreeze is non-toxic, so it won't hurt you... but I certainly wouldn't want to shower with it!

[ghnl]

On most RV water heaters the drain is not at the lowest part of the tank. I use a water tank rinsing tool to flush out the sediment that tends to collect in the bottom of the tank. It would probably also work well to flush out any antifreeze from the water heater.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[EddieRome]

Did you every locate bypass valve for water heater ?

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by EddieRome

Did you every locate bypass valve for water heater ?

See post #4

[Albertina]

The main thing is to open your drain on bottom of tank from outside you can not leave water in tank