pcirla52 Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Hello All, Having a issue with my hot water. We have a 2004 Fleetwood Bounder 38 Deisel with a propane/ electric wh. Getting cold water out of all taps but no water out of any hot water tap. Temp got to 3* F last night. Had 75 W bulb in water compartment and one storage are where white water tank is. Suspect a frozen line somewhere. Moved 1 bulb to storage are for a total of 150 W in white water storage area and added a 1500 W heater to water compartment. Temp is not expected to warm up to above freezing in TN until weekend. Any ideas? Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Check valve on back of water heater could be clogged/defective. Barb Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted January 8, 2015 Report Share Posted January 8, 2015 Paul, where in Tn are u. I am just N.of Memphis at Millington in a 30'TT so am experiencing the same issues you are. Something froze last evening but has partially thawed just about an hour ago. I didn't have the cabnets open enough or it could even be somewhere else. The bath sink started flowing but the kitchen hasn't yet. I have had this problem in this area once or twice before but luckily the pex piping has been forgiving. Hopefully that will be the case this time. Last year here I didn't have an issue but I sometimes filled the fresh tank and diconnected the hose. Or I have dripped the faucets neither of which is very feasable this time for reasons a little complicated. I am using 2 of the small ceramic heaters plus when I am awake and auxilary vent free gas heater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 To Barbaraok ... All access to tank is sealed off in a Bounder. This is what I did , opened all cabinets, brought interior up to 75*, added 1100 W heater to water compartment, put 2 - 75 W bulbs into white water compartment, started deisel engine and brought it up to temp ( the HWH is above and to the side of the engine) and then turned it off. All this was to add heat to the compartments with water and and the tunnel. After 3 hours I checked operation and had HOT water again! Will look into some kind of access to back tomorrow in the daylight. Maybe from the engin compartment? Thanks. Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 You can't get to the back of the water heater from the basement or one of the cabinets (ours is underneath the kitchen sink in the corner of the slide) - that's to bad - - that means there is no way to easily get heat to that area. Maybe just keep the hot water faucet cracked open - - yes you will use a lot of fuel/power to keep the incoming water heated but better than having the line freeze because no water is moving through it while it goes through an uninsulated area. If it goes through a slide area that is extended, maybe pulling the slide in will help. We did that one night with ours (it is on the kitchen slide) when it was really cold so that no line would be over open air below the slide. Barb Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 To BigJim ... We are in Paris, TN just off 641. Is a 30TT a 30 ft towable trailer? See the previous post to see what I did about the problem I had. I'm also using a small electric heater inside besides the one in the water compartment. Was trying to keep temp inside down to 68 - 70* deg inside to keep the propane use down may have to rethink that in the rear area where some of the water lines are. Thanks, Paul. Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 You can't get to the back of the water heater from the basement or one of the cabinets (ours is underneath the kitchen sink in the corner of the slide) - that's to bad - - that means there is no way to easily get heat to that area. Maybe just keep the hot water faucet cracked open - - yes you will use a lot of fuel/power to keep the incoming water heated but better than having the line freeze because no water is moving through it while it goes through an uninsulated area. If it goes through a slide area that is extended, maybe pulling the slide in will help. We did that one night with ours (it is on the kitchen slide) when it was really cold so that no line would be over open air below the slide. Barb No ... Heater is on rear starboard corner. Water lines run thought tunnel which should be heated by furnaces but obviously not quit good enough. Gonna crawl under unit to see if I can add some heat back there to avoid the problem again. Can't figure out what the people who travel to Alaska do. When we were traveling down here this weekend I we saw bout a half dozen Class A's traveling back up north. What the heck are they gonna do? Thanks, Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 I have almost no doubt that you had a freeze up. My kitchen faucet broke free a little after 6. I don't appear to have any leaks as a result and I hope you don't. Plumbing is probably routed some what different in mine which I forget to clear up by saying it is a travel trailer not a 5thW. (wheel) or motor home. I think I was a little too conservative in trying to save propane yesterday myself. Of course in my case it is fairly easy to refill since I have the propane cylinders. In fact I ran out 1 cylinder this AM and got it refilled after lunch. I'm just happy that being too frugal on the gas didn't cause damage and more expense. That might be something for you to consider also. My TT is a 30amp so I am limit on my electrical use. You probably have a larger space to heat than me but if you could use two electric heaters it might help you. If you are new to RVing are you aware of a set up for motorhomes that I believe is called "extend a stay" where you can use a refillable cylinder. There are severall motorhomes in the park where I am that are using that system. I am not sure but I believe you do have get specific valve added to your mounted tank. Some of the others here will have done that. Kirk might be one with experience in that others, too, but he comes to mind. In fact I can't get him out of my mind. Sorry Kirk when you show up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 I have almost no doubt that you had a freeze up. My kitchen faucet broke free a little after 6. I don't appear to have any leaks as a result and I hope you don't. Plumbing is probably routed some what different in mine which I forget to clear up by saying it is a travel trailer not a 5thW. (wheel) or motor home. I think I was a little too conservative in trying to save propane yesterday myself. Of course in my case it is fairly easy to refill since I have the propane cylinders. In fact I ran out 1 cylinder this AM and got it refilled after lunch. I'm just happy that being too frugal on the gas didn't cause damage and more expense. That might be something for you to consider also. My TT is a 30amp so I am limit on my electrical use. You probably have a larger space to heat than me but if you could use two electric heaters it might help you. If you are new to RVing are you aware of a set up for motorhomes that I believe is called "extend a stay" where you can use a refillable cylinder. There are severall motorhomes in the park where I am that are using that system. I am not sure but I believe you do have get specific valve added to your mounted tank. Some of the others here will have done that. Kirk might be one with experience in that others, too, but he comes to mind. In fact I can't get him out of my mind. Sorry Kirk when you show up. Just bought the hardware to add the refillable cylinder to my system but it got to wet and cold to go crawling around under there. Rats ... Should have done it anyway. Prior to this week my propane would last 10 - 14 days and than we would drive down to a Tractor Supply just 2 miles away fill up and return. We are running on a 20 amp circuit right now but for the last 24 hours I started my generator so I could run extra heaters. We are in my in-laws drive while my wife helps take care of her Mom who is I'll. We are looking forward to actually being able stay in a park and network with some other full timers. Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Man, 20 amp really doesn't give you much leaway. Tractor supply in Millington is where I filled my 30lb today. $2.19 gal. plus tax. best I ever got in TN if I remember correctly. Be careful and get it right. Gas is dangerous. Back about late 70's I was delivering propane to homes and business in a local delivery truck (not a simi-tanker) and had the thing catch fire. It nearly ruined my day. edit because I can't spell and not good at proof reading either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 First of all, welcome to the Escapee forums! We will do our best to help you and hope that you will stay with us once your problem has been solved. Reading though the thread thus far I have no doubt that you did have a water line which froze up. I don't know how they are now but I have known several other Bounder owners who have had water line freeze problems when temperatures fall very low. The fact that it was only the hot side effected does narrow the problem area quite a bit and my suspicion would be that the problem area is in that tunnel. A friend of ours who owned an 2005 Bounder and wintered in Kansas found that he had to add additional heat to the tunnel area in order to prevent the very problem you are having. In his RV the tunnel contained a cold water supply to the water heater and then hot supply to all faucets from the water heater so either line freezing could cause the problem. What he eventually did to permanently solve the issue was to install a small round vent into the tunnel at the forward end of it and then put a computer fan into a vent cut into the tunnel at the rear. As I remember, the tunnel ended under a closet at the back of his Bounder and the fan was actually inside of the base to the closet. Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Man, 20 amp really doesn't give you much leaway. Tractor supply in Millington is where I filled my 30lb today. $2.19 gal. plus tax. best I ever got in TN if I remember correctly. Be careful and get it right. Gas is dangerous. Back about late 70's I was delivering propane to homes and business in a local delivery truck (not a simi-tanker) and had the thing catch fire. It nearly ruined my day. edit because I can't spell and not good at proof reading either. Hey BigJim, Nope ... 20 A gives us no slack at all. Always checking the power meters for power draw. We turn one thing on and another ( usually the space heater ) off. The last 30 hrs. I have been running my gen set to have extra power for the two heaters. Things will get better this weekend an then I'll have to fill the propane soon. Down to a half tank right now. I have learned that the gauge is not real accurate so when it shows empty I still have several gallons left, enough for 24 to 48 hrs operation. the best price in Paris has been $2.59/gal. Lately it's been $2.89. Would you belive I had to pay $4.99/gal in MI while we were there over the holidays. That hurt! I hear what your saying about installing that tank adaptor in my system. I have to do some research as to where to install it as it came with no instructions. If anyone have any input or have done this before I would sure like them to chime in. Thanks, Paul. Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 First of all, welcome to the Escapee forums! We will do our best to help you and hope that you will stay with us once your problem has been solved. Reading though the thread thus far I have no doubt that you did have a water line which froze up. I don't know how they are now but I have known several other Bounder owners who have had water line freeze problems when temperatures fall very low. The fact that it was only the hot side effected does narrow the problem area quite a bit and my suspicion would be that the problem area is in that tunnel. A friend of ours who owned an 2005 Bounder and wintered in Kansas found that he had to add additional heat to the tunnel area in order to prevent the very problem you are having. In his RV the tunnel contained a cold water supply to the water heater and then hot supply to all faucets from the water heater so either line freezing could cause the problem. What he eventually did to permanently solve the issue was to install a small round vent into the tunnel at the forward end of it and then put a computer fan into a vent cut into the tunnel at the rear. As I remember, the tunnel ended under a closet at the back of his Bounder and the fan was actually inside of the base to the closet. Hi Kirk ... Nice to meet ya. At this moment water is heating and running just fine. Temp outside is 36* and forecasted to drop to 12* but I don't think it will drop that far again because it is 10* above the forecast for today's high. I crawled under the unit today and there is no access from below in that area but it looks as if I may be able to get in there from the engine compartment if I take off some flexible covers. Justdon't want to damage them if they are stiff from the cold. I'm gonna wait until after Sunday because the temp is going to start rising. By the 18th it is projected to be above 50* daytime and 40* overnight. ) The idea for the vent and fan is a great one! What I plan to do is use a standard floor register (that can be closed down) and install it into the base of the bed near one of the furnace exhausts for the bedroom. Then I'll pop a hole down to the tunnel area and install a computer vent fan to direct the warm air. I'm not sure if that will help because when I was crawling around back there I noticed that the tunnel ends just above the transmission. From there to the HWH is about 5' left open to outside temperatures. Also conserned about exhaust gasses. This is going to be and engineering project on the fly I suspect. I'm also thinking about putting some of that tube foam insulation people use on pipes over the water lines if I can get to them. More crawling arround. LOL. I'm finding full timing to be a exercise in out of the box thinking and a challange to my engineering skills. Thanks, Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 More help needed. Does anyone know where I can get construction plans for a Fleetwood Bounder Deisel 38n with 1 slide. All the manuals and info I got with the unit ( stack 12" tall) does not have the level of detail I want before I start any big project like we were discussing previously. Thanks, Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 I found earlier today that I have a new water issue. Not sure but I believe I have an iceblock in my 3" outside drain hose due to sagging. It caused a minor back up into the shower. First time since I started rv'ing in '96 that I have had a problem with the drain hose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbaraok Posted January 9, 2015 Report Share Posted January 9, 2015 Hair dryer? Barb & Dave O'Keeffe 2002 Alpine 36 MDDS (Figment II), 2018 Ford C-Max HYBRID Blog: http://www.barbanddave.net SPK# 90761 FMCA #F337834 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjim Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 A little complicated to explain but am in unusual circumstance this year at this location so the heat gun is out. I would have to lay in water to do it. The hose is routed under the rig out of necessity. If it doesn't thaw in the next few days I have an idea that may involve at the least a new hose which won't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tex Bigfoot Posted January 10, 2015 Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 I know this does not help , but the best advice I can think of is move south. Sorry but I just could not help myself. The temps there make the 18 deg I saw here look like a heat wave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 I found earlier today that I have a new water issue. Not sure but I believe I have an iceblock in my 3" outside drain hose due to sagging. It caused a minor back up into the shower. First time since I started rv'ing in '96 that I have had a problem with the drain hose. Had the same issue but I lost one 10' section of my drain hose. My fault as I should have pulled it in Wednesday As soon as I moved it the red plastic just split. Froze solid! Luckly I keep two sections. Right now the gray water is closed off and I'm keeping that section heated with a light bulb. Can you get a heating pad around the low area? Paul Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcirla52 Posted January 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2015 I know this does not help , but the best advice I can think of is move south. Sorry but I just could not help myself. The temps there make the 18 deg I saw here look like a heat wave. Oh I would like 18* ... I can survive 18* To make ya all realy feel bad ... Right now it's 71* in Miami and 68* in Key West! Don't stop moving or they will throw dirt on your face ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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