I am not getting any hot water even though the water heater is hot. There is a mixing valve coming out of the heater. How do you adjust it? I tried turning it by hand and it will not budge.
No hot water
- Thread starter Broke sailor SV Marcell
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I had a similar experience a year or two ago. My problem was at the spigot at the sink in the galley. I had hot at the sink in the head and at the shower, but none in the galley. I pulled the faucet assembly down and found serious calcium deposits built up on the hot water side. A little bit of soaking in some vinegar and a good flushing and cleaning and reassembly and all was back to normal. You may look for some deposits somewhere in the delivery system, especially if the water you use is slightly basic or on the hard side.
good luck
good luck
Go ahead and put a wrench on it cuz if it is stuck it is probably no good anyway. It might just pop loose with that little bit more you get from a wrench. Otherwise take the whole assy. off and put it on the bench and try to free it up with oil or heat.
Just a guess but you may have deposits built up inside the heater. Try flushing the hot water heater out. There should be valve on the back side of the heater that you can attach a garden hose to. You may want to cut an old hose down to size. Place the one end in the bilge to prevent the water from running all over the place. Turn the heater off, open the valve on the backside of it (the one you attached the hose to), turn your water pump on and let it run until what's coming out of the hose is good and clear. It only takes a liitle while and you may find that it solves your problem. For greater build up of deposits you can run a mixture of water and vinegar through it.
Good luck
Mike
Good luck
Mike
Sorry Jorge, I missed that. If it is stuck then I would say it would probably not have caused your issue.
I would guess that you have seditment blocking the hot water outlet before it gets to the mixing valve thus only pulling from the cold water side. Let the tank cool, disconnect and back flush.
It would help if we had some history
of the valve. Did it work last year? Did you put it in? What kind of valve is it: ball valve, gate valve? It's hard to tell from the picture (but thanx for it).
You're right, you have water flow from your faucets, the heater is hot because of??? a) engine running hot water through the HX in the heater or b) electrical heater
So the issue is the valve. Either wrench it or remove it - those are the ONLY two choices YOU have.
of the valve. Did it work last year? Did you put it in? What kind of valve is it: ball valve, gate valve? It's hard to tell from the picture (but thanx for it).
You're right, you have water flow from your faucets, the heater is hot because of??? a) engine running hot water through the HX in the heater or b) electrical heater
So the issue is the valve. Either wrench it or remove it - those are the ONLY two choices YOU have.
Yes it worked last year. No I didn't put it in. I do not know what kind of valve it is. I know the heater is working because when I touch it it is .........Hot?
Many valves have a packing nut under the handle on the shaft. These are intended to be adjusted to stop leaks around the stem. Loosen that nut about a half turn and try the handle again. If it is still a no go then you have no choice but to change it.
Good idea from Ross
The valve's packing nut is under the white knob in your photograph, between the white knob and the body of the valve. I agree that you should "loosen that nut about a half turn and try the [knob] again." Then re-tighten it to avoid leakage. In fact, you could take it completely apart and see what's underneath. Turn the pressure water off first and drain the pressure by opening the faucets.
Also, that particular knob is a very poor choice for a "handle" because it's hard to get a grip on it (you already know this!), but given the limited space there, you may have no choice.
Another option is to remove it. How do you use it? Fully open or partially closed? What do you think it does for you? Reason I ask is that C36s used to come from the Catalina factory with a similar arrangement (the only Catalinas I know of that had this [silly] "feature") and most skippers deep-sixed it because of your kind of problem. Most (99%) of us do NOT have this type of mixing valve and the hot water system works just fine without it.
Someone recently noted regarding these most likely unnecessary mixing valves on the domestic water side: "That's what faucets are for!"
Unless you have an abnormally high hot water temperature output from your hot water heater, the mixing valve is not necessary for safety from the hot water if you're careful.
I've also noted that if you have a high hot water temperature, the hot water will simply last longer if you mix higher hot water with the cold water: the hot water will last longer because you use less of it. Remember, you've only got six gallons of hot water to work with once the engine is off (unless you're plugged in).
Also remember to turn the electrical off when the water is heated: no need to run the electrical all the time. When, or if, it cools off, run the electrical for about 20 minutes and you'll have hot water again.
The valve's packing nut is under the white knob in your photograph, between the white knob and the body of the valve. I agree that you should "loosen that nut about a half turn and try the [knob] again." Then re-tighten it to avoid leakage. In fact, you could take it completely apart and see what's underneath. Turn the pressure water off first and drain the pressure by opening the faucets.
Also, that particular knob is a very poor choice for a "handle" because it's hard to get a grip on it (you already know this!), but given the limited space there, you may have no choice.
Another option is to remove it. How do you use it? Fully open or partially closed? What do you think it does for you? Reason I ask is that C36s used to come from the Catalina factory with a similar arrangement (the only Catalinas I know of that had this [silly] "feature") and most skippers deep-sixed it because of your kind of problem. Most (99%) of us do NOT have this type of mixing valve and the hot water system works just fine without it.
Someone recently noted regarding these most likely unnecessary mixing valves on the domestic water side: "That's what faucets are for!"
Unless you have an abnormally high hot water temperature output from your hot water heater, the mixing valve is not necessary for safety from the hot water if you're careful.
I've also noted that if you have a high hot water temperature, the hot water will simply last longer if you mix higher hot water with the cold water: the hot water will last longer because you use less of it. Remember, you've only got six gallons of hot water to work with once the engine is off (unless you're plugged in).
Also remember to turn the electrical off when the water is heated: no need to run the electrical all the time. When, or if, it cools off, run the electrical for about 20 minutes and you'll have hot water again.
Probably way off base but my installation will do this exactly if I have forgotten to turn off the bypass I use in the winter to winterize the system????? mine operates by turning a "mixing" valve exactly 90 degrees to switch from bypass mode to normal mode.....
Winterize
That might be it when it was winterized,you should have hot water with the engine or electrical switch but if you bypassed the heater and forgot to switch it back the heater will kick off and just cold water is coming out.
Nick
That might be it when it was winterized,you should have hot water with the engine or electrical switch but if you bypassed the heater and forgot to switch it back the heater will kick off and just cold water is coming out.
Nick
Before you try to diagnose any blockages you need to be able to open and close that valve. Remove the plastic knob. Tap the valve shaft and valve body with a hammer as the impact force and vibration may help free it. Grab the shaft with a pair of pressure plyers and turn slowly first counter clockwise and then clockwise. It should start turning in either or both directions way before its breaking point. Chances are that once you are able to open and close the valve you will break any sediments blockage that it may have. After you are able to free the valve check for leaks around it in case the water seal has lost its flexibility.
For future reference I figured out how to operate the thermostatic valve pictured above. You need to loosen the allen screw on top of the knob and then you can adjust the valve to the desired temperature.
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