Sorry Sharon, but I did not see your picture when I replied earlier.
I attached a picture of what you should see when you remove the air vent near the floor in the "hallway" down near the converter. The valve just above the air duct is the bypass valve. Notice at the top of the valve the red (hot water) line is attached and the blue (cold water) line is attached to the bottom of the valve.
Also notice at the top right of the picture on the red line is another valve. That is the hot water supply line that would be coming out of the hot water heater. Also in the lower right corner you'll see another valve on the red line. That is the cold water supply line to the hot water heater.
When winterizing -- you would close the cold water supply line, close the hot water supply line, and OPEN the by-pass valve. This way when you put RV antifreeze in it will by-pass the hot water tank. If you didn't do that it would take an additional 6 gallons of antifreeze because that is what the hot water tank holds. Part of winterizing includes removing the plastic drain fitting on the bottom of the hot water tank (accessed through the door on the outside of the RV).
When getting ready to de-winterize and use the RV -- you need to open the cold and hot supply valves and close the by-pass valve. If you don't, water will by-pass the hot water heater (you'll have NO hot water0, and if the hot water tank is empty and you have the hot water heater set on electric, you run the risk of burning out the electrical coil in the water heater. (In the picture, the valves are set in the normal use configuration)
If you send me an email at
bevedfelker@live.com, I'll forward you a copy of the Owners' Manual I compiled that will provide a reference and teaching tool for learning the ins and outs of the Axis/Vegas.
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