Water Heater Bypass

wkndcruiser · 12-14-2021, 07:52 PM

Hi gang! I gotta say I have not had any luck finding the water heater bypass so I can fully winterize my coach. I have checked many places online, the manual and even called the manufacturer. I will be calling a dealer later today. All I have been able to find so far are schematic sketches of what a water heater bypass is and that you should use it when winterizing. Is there anyone out there that can help me find where in the world the bypass is located on a 2017 Thor ACE 30.1? I'm beginning to think there is none haha.
TIA

Hummelr · 12-14-2021, 08:32 PM

My Outlaw had a tankless water heater. It did not have a bypass.

wkndcruiser · 12-14-2021, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hummelr

My Outlaw had a tankless water heater. It did not have a bypass.

Well how would one find out that information?

Hummelr · 12-14-2021, 10:34 PM

The Thor drawings showed there was a bypass but when I got rid of the tankless and went with a tanked heater, the bypass was not there. The documentation that came with the tankless heater said to just run the antifreeze threw the heater. Also when I bought the RV at General RV, the technician said to run the antifreeze threw the tankless heater.

wkndcruiser · 12-14-2021, 10:44 PM

From what I have read and heard it isn't a good idea to run antifreeze through the water heater. I spoke with a dealer tech and they said that the water heater can be found by locating the heater on the exterior and then going to the corresponding location inside. For the 30.1 it appears that would put it inside the closet and behind the drawers. You have to open the drawers, slide the drawer track black tabs, remove the drawers and use a #2 square screw to remove paneling. Once inside you are supposed to be able to locate the bypass. I will try to remember to update this once I get to my RV over the weekend. Too bad they don't make it easier like on other RVs, but then again its not like we need access to it more than twice a year ideally.

Hummelr · 12-14-2021, 10:48 PM

Mine was inside/behind the closet. Look online fir the water heater documents. It should tell you how to winterize. Tanked water heaterscate winterized different than tankless. There should be an access door on the outside of your RV where you can open it and get the make and model.

JimSpy · 12-15-2021, 12:43 AM

I'm going through winterization right now. I've got everything else done except the water heater. I have a Girard Tankless, GSWH-2. Cannot find any drain valve. Is there one for a tankless? I'm not going to go the anti-freeze route, just want to blow things out. Like the OP, I can't find any instructions or videos specific to this model.

dkoldman · 12-15-2021, 01:02 AM

If you can find the panel to remove to see the hot water heater inside the RV, it will be impossible to NOT see the bypass. Look for Red & Blue Pex hose and you will se the valves. If not there you do not have a bypass valve.

I have a SOB and my RVG has a sticker on the panel you must remove to get to the bypass valve.

yukongrant · 12-15-2021, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimSpy

I'm going through winterization right now. I've got everything else done except the water heater. I have a Girard Tankless, GSWH-2. Cannot find any drain valve. Is there one for a tankless? I'm not going to go the anti-freeze route, just want to blow things out. Like the OP, I can't find any instructions or videos specific to this model.

Your tankless heater won't have a drain. Drains are for tanked heaters - so you can drain the 6 gallons (or more) of water in the tank.

The bypass is used to bypass the tank. If you didn't use the bypass, you would pour 6 gallons of anti freeze into the hot water tank. A complete waste of anti freeze. It's so much better to just store it empty.

Tankless heaters are just pipes wrapped around a heater. As the water goes through the winding pipes, it heats up. Those pipes need to be either blown out or filled with anti freeze. I do both to be on the safe side. But there is no tank to drain.

One small thing to remember with a tankless hot water heater - make sure you turn it off before putting it in storage. There's a switch on the heater - accessible from outside. Apparently, there's a possibility the heater could turn on and "burn off" the benefits of anti freeze.

MJC62 · 12-15-2021, 02:10 AM

Specs for the 2017 Thor ACE models; they have a 6 gallon electric/propane hot water heater. Find the hot heater on the outside of the coach. Now go inside and look for the backside of the heater the bypass valves are located on the backside of the heater. On our ACE 27.2 the valves are accessed under the kitchen sink cabinet. Extra clearance is obtained by removing the kitchen drawers.
Every coach that has a hot water heater will have a bypass, some are harder to access than others but if you locate the heater on the outside the bypass is on the inside behind the heater. Might have to remove drawers or panels but the bypass is there

dkoldman · 12-15-2021, 04:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yukongrant

Your tankless heater won't have a drain. Drains are for tanked heaters - so you can drain the 6 gallons (or more) of water in the tank.

The bypass is used to bypass the tank. If you didn't use the bypass, you would pour 6 gallons of anti freeze into the hot water tank. A complete waste of anti freeze. It's so much better to just store it empty.

Tankless heaters are just pipes wrapped around a heater. As the water goes through the winding pipes, it heats up. Those pipes need to be either blown out or filled with anti freeze. I do both to be on the safe side. But there is no tank to drain.

One small thing to remember with a tankless hot water heater - make sure you turn it off before putting it in storage. There's a switch on the heater - accessible from outside. Apparently, there's a possibility the heater could turn on and "burn off" the benefits of anti freeze.

I agree that a tankless heater will not have a drain, but they can still have a bypass valve. After years of paying a dealer to winterize his Class B Sprinter my brother had me help to winterize his RV this winter. I was looking for a drain valve that the manual said it had, but did NOT. The manual was wrong, but I did find a heater bypass valve. But here is the good part, it was in the perpendicular position meaning the water was set to bypass the heater

Of course that didn't seem right because it would have meant my brother went a whole year with no hot water? So I ask him and he says for as little they use he didn't know. So he turns the hot water on and it is warm and he thinks it is working

I open the bypass valve and few minutes later he has super heated hot water

He is never going to pay to have his RV winterized again. He also was glad to not have the pink stuff anymore, because I just blew it out. His RV design had no p traps just direct to holding tanks.

**16ACE27** · 12-15-2021, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkndcruiser

Hi gang! I gotta say I have not had any luck finding the water heater bypass so I can fully winterize my coach. I have checked many places online, the manual and even called the manufacturer. I will be calling a dealer later today. All I have been able to find so far are schematic sketches of what a water heater bypass is and that you should use it when winterizing. Is there anyone out there that can help me find where in the world the bypass is located on a 2017 Thor ACE 30.1? I'm beginning to think there is none haha.
TIA

In the bedroom, on the passenger side you have drawers below the wardrobe closets and the vanity. Remove the drawers and you should see an access panel that gives yo access to the back of the water heater. That's where the isolation and bypass valves are.

Jimbo56 · 12-15-2021, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkndcruiser

Hi gang! I gotta say I have not had any luck finding the water heater bypass so I can fully winterize my coach. I have checked many places online, the manual and even called the manufacturer. I will be calling a dealer later today. All I have been able to find so far are schematic sketches of what a water heater bypass is and that you should use it when winterizing. Is there anyone out there that can help me find where in the world the bypass is located on a 2017 Thor ACE 30.1? I'm beginning to think there is none haha.
TIA

Mine is similar. Beneath the pantry closet are 2 drawers. Beneath the drawers is a plywood panel that is removed by 4 screws. The tank and bypass lines are then easily accessible.

Coveman2 · 12-15-2021, 12:31 PM

Here is what the back of my water heater looks like. I replaced the Girard with the Suburban.
Coveman2
2018 Compass 23TB

Rhamilton001 · 12-22-2021, 08:33 PM

That is where the bypass was on my 2014 ACE 30.1

JIM SNYDER · 12-22-2021, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkndcruiser

Hi gang! I gotta say I have not had any luck finding the water heater bypass so I can fully winterize my coach. I have checked many places online, the manual and even called the manufacturer. I will be calling a dealer later today. All I have been able to find so far are schematic sketches of what a water heater bypass is and that you should use it when winterizing. Is there anyone out there that can help me find where in the world the bypass is located on a 2017 Thor ACE 30.1? I'm beginning to think there is none haha.
TIA

THOR WINDSPORT 29M

My water heater is under the kitchen sink. The bypass valve was also hidden, i.e. behind the paneling under the sink. The paneling is there to prevent items stored under the sink from getting lost into the empty cavity under/behind the sink. Firstly, the bypass has to be in the immediate area of the water heater, so look there. After locating mine, I removed the small wood panel and cut a hole in it for quick access to the bypass valve, easy to do.