Thor Forums

[bevedfelker]

Depends on what the real question is. If the question is how many valves must be operated to winterize, then the answer is 3 (Cold water intake valve to water heater, hot water output valve from water heater, and the water heater bypass valve.

If the question is how many water heater bypass valves are there then the answer is 1 -- the water heater bypass valve.

It is just that the water heater tank is NOT bypassed simply by opening the water heater bypass valve. To bypass the water heater tank the cold water input and hot water output valves must be closed and the water heater bypass valve opened.

When de-winterizing the three valves must be reversed -- water heater bypass closed, cold water input and hot water output opened. And when using for the first time after de-winterizing be sure water has filled the hot water heater tank before turning on the hot water heater or you'll damage the heater element.