Cutting out the WH
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1998
Printed Date: 14 May 2025 at 5:54am
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Topic: Cutting out the WH
Posted By: Sistahs
Subject: Cutting out the WH
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 11:36am
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Please help! Am heading northwest in Sept. and would like to isolate and drain the water heater but still be able to have cold water available. I figure I can easily drain the cold water when a cold night is imminent, but do not want to have to fool with the WH also. Have searched tons of posts and am still not sure which valves to turn which way. Since lifting the mattress and accessing the WH is a major task, I would like to do it just once, so have not experimented. Can anyone help me? How can I take the water heater out of the loop entirely is the basic question. ------------- F150/R-pod171 |
Replies:
Posted By: rpodcamper.com
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 11:48am
| ok on my 2009 171 there are three handles you will notice that 2 are going the same with the water pipe and then the third is opposite of the pipe. You want to reverse them around. If the handle is even with the pipe water will flow through it. If the handle is 90 degrees from the pipe the handle water will be blocked. |
Posted By: photog
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 11:56am
It is easy enough to bypass the WH but that alone does not solve your problem. Just draining the water from the system in anticipation of a cold night will not protect the system from frost damage. There are always pockets of water in low pipes and connectors and that is the reason one pumps antifreeze through the whole system or blows the water out of the system with compressed air. If you only go for the month of September you should have no problem with frost, much past the middle of October it becomes a different story. If we camp that late we do winterize the system and use water jugs inside the camper. You can keep using the toilet by putting antifreeze in the black tank. Take care, ------------- Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab 2010 Prime Time Tracer 205M |
Posted By: Sistahs
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 12:56pm
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Will be near Yellowstone 9/19-9/24 then on to Portland for two weeks, then south thru CA and back home via I 40, Santa Fe etc. It is the days in Idaho that concern me most. Have "09 171 also. So, if currently on the H pipe set up the valves are: open(parallel) on the sides of the H and closed(perpendicular)on the cross pipe of the H, then I should open the crosspipe valve and close the two valves on the sides of the H and the WH will then be bypassed, but I can pull water to the toilet and sink. I will carry antifreeze and use water jugs. I am trying to keep it simple. ------------- F150/R-pod171 |
Posted By: rpodcamper.com
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 2:32pm
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WE have done more winter camping then summer camping (for all kinds of reasons and my wife hates cold weather) and what we do is winterize the camper once we know we are going to get freezing. then we carry water with us in 5 gallon jugs. for the bathroom we will put antifreeze in the tank and dump water into the toilet as needed. if we are going to be gone for a while we will also dump antifreeze in the toilet with the water so that does not freeze. for cooking or hand washing we use a basin and normally have a place close by to dump it but if needed we will use the sink and then dump antifreeze down after it. Yes we go through alot of it. |
Posted By: Sistahs
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 4:08pm
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THanks rpodcamper! If I may just double check, is my description of opening the center and closing the sides of the H piping correct for cutting out the WH? I appreciate your patience. I have done the jug deal and it is really no problem. The pod was winterized by the dealer so I was not sure exactly how it was cofigured for that trip. ------------- F150/R-pod171 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 28 Jul 2011 at 4:31pm
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Sistahs, I think you will be fine. The water heater and most of the pipes are within the 'pod where you'll be keeping everything warm. During late Sept to early Oct its unlikely you'll encounter a hard freeze. It would need to be below freezing for more than a few hours before you even had to start to worry, even just a few degrees isn't a big deal with the warmth radiating outward from the interior of the 'pod. You would need to be in temps well below freezing for more than half a day. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: Sistahs
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2011 at 11:12am
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Thanks so much! Can't say enough how comforting it is to know the podding community is there to help. Jan ------------- F150/R-pod171 |