Bypassing water heater

[Joan]

Anyone installed a bypass on the water heater, that could give me the type and instructions? Our RV has a bypass and so you just have to turn a copy of handles so the pink stuff bypasses the water heater when you want to winterize. Would be convenient to have this on the boat too. Find the fitting difficult to get off every season to winterize.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Me too!

Sunday I used a knife and cut the hose off. The clamp was off and the hose would turn but not come off. I was afraid I was going to break the weld.Two plastic 'T' valves, one on the inlet and one on the outlet should fix our problem. Input to 'T', a hose between the 'T's, and outlet hose on the other 'T'. I have a bronze 'T' ball-valve but I think the heavy bronze would be overkill.

 

[Hugh McCully]

Bypass Kit

Last year I found a water heater bypass kit at a local RV dealer. It wasn't a big deal to install it. It worked fine last year and sometime next week it will get a chance to do it again! :-(

 

[Steve O.]

double bypass

I bought the kit at West Marine and installed it this Fall. It comes with instructions and took about 1/2 hr to do.

 

[John K Kudera]

Don't Forget

Don't forget to drain the H W heater!A real cheap way to do this is just simply remove both hoses, then connect them together with a short piece of tubing, or on hard plastic piping just use a connector to join the pipes, run the anti freeze and re plumb in spring after you flush the pink stuff out.Best of luck!

 

[Paul Akers]

Here's the URL...

...to the Bypass kit at WM.http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=201

 

[Mark]

Drain?? then bypass

I've always had a problem in the fall winterizing my water heater. I plan to bypass but the biggest problem is getting the water out. I assume that is critical, but what if I did not worry about draining the water. Would any freeze expansion likely vent through the unhooked outlets/inlets. Or would it crack or worse the inside of the water heater. The drain plug is just so low that it is very, very difficult to drain. I am considering draining one last time and then permanently bypassing, but of course no more hot water.