I thought I had it all worked out. The water pump wasn’t pumping, so I replaced it. Then the water was escaping through the city inlet valve, which it is not supposed to do, so I replaced that. Then the water was leaking out of the water heater. There is an anode rod that goes in the water tank to collect debris and corrosion. I put that it in, and the tank started to fill up. And yet, we still had no water.
I went outside, and water is streaming out of the pressure release valve. But not from the valve itself, but instead from somewhere behind it where I assume the release valve junctions with the tank. And then the sun set and the sky went dark.
I’m at a loss. I think we might have to replace the water heater, but I’m not 100% certain. Tomorrow we go to a new RV park, so I am hoping we have nice neighbors who can help us. I don’t want to take it in to a service center since that would cost a lot of money I don’t want to pay. I want to do this myself as much as possible. I’ve gotten close, I can feel it, but not quite there yet.
When I turned on the water pump, I could hear water flowing into the water heater tank. I let it run for awhile because I knew it would have to fill the ten gallon tank. I waited. And waited. And water was not coming out of the faucets. I went outside to see water coming down the side of our RV and puddling on the ground. The heater cover was still open, so I could see where the water was coming from. Its the release valve, but not out the release valve opening but instead from around the base of the release valve. I tried turning it, thinking maybe it was loose for some reason. It was not fruitful.
I had Tiffany shut off the water pump and the water stopped leaking. At the moment, we have no water at all, let alone hot water. I posted on Facebook because there is always someone there with answers. We chatted, I checked inside the RV for water leaks and closed valves, I ran through the suggestions given, but it was the same result. Nothing.
I think we might have to replace the water heater. From what I’ve read, its an easy job to replace one. And if we are going to replace it, why not go tankless for improved performance and less waste. Well, they are a little expensive. Not exorbitant, but more than we have in our RV fund right now. It can wait until next month when we have more money to spend, but I’m still not sure that is the problem. I am hoping I can wake up tomorrow with a fresh perspective and get it working.
We have plans tomorrow, things we need to get done, so it won’t likely be fixed right away. We are driving about forty miles to a new park where I think we have water and sewer hookups, so we can set it all up and be ready to go on Tuesday. Maybe if I stand outside the RV looking helpless and dumbfounded, someone will notice and come over and help. That’s my only hope right now. I’ve run out of ideas on what we can do to make the water work. Maybe we need a new water heater, but I’m holding out that it is more simple than that. Just a valve not turned the right way somewhere.
Update on Tuesday, I’ll let you know how it went. And if I took a shower in the RV instead of public showers.
