Shower - hot water not working

[G-V_Driver]

While filling and purging the air from the water system in preparation preparing for our first '04 trip last week, I found that the shower faucet would not produce any hot water. Cold side worked fine. Hot water to kitchen sink and lav worked fine also. Unscrewed the hose and found that turning the faucet on produced only a slight show of water at the hose connection fitting. Faucet appears to work normally based on feel and handle position. Anybody seen this problem or have any ideas? The logic would seem to indicate an obstruction of some sort, but I don't know how to pursue it.

Other than the hot water, the trip was great. 1,100 miles of incredibly easy towing, three pleasant nights in the TM in hot and humid Mississipi.

Anybody figured out a way to better secure the corner latches? I lost one set completely (probably during some bumps in construction area in Little Rock) and another is pulling loose.

[G-V_Driver]

Thanks, Leon

I guess I'll just dig around until I find the obstruction. Not sure exactly where to start, or if there is an easy way, but now that we have a unit with a shower I'm duty-bound to get it working or hear about it from DW who thinks it is great to escape from the shower houses and loos at the campgrounds. ( I do too, but don't let on about it.)

How did you work backwards on the water line? I can't see an obvious way to attack it. Thought about draining the system and hitting it with a shot of compressed air to see if I could dislodge any obstruction, but don't know enough to fully understand the ramifications of such impudence.

The trip was uneventful. Family reunion in Holly Springs, MS where we stayed at Wall Doxey state park about 6 miles south of town on HW 78. Nice enough camp ground, nothing spectacular. July 4 weekend is not the greatest time to visit northern Mississippi for outdoor activity unless you are partial to bugs and mosquitos. We weren't looking for anything to do, as the family event at a nearby lake cabin was the epicenter of our events.

We hadn't pulled the trailer for any appreciable distance, so I wanted to get one fairly long haul just to see how it worked. No sweat, even without WDH (which I am thinking about but haven't come to any conclusion). My rear bumper (1/2 ton suburban 2WD) drops 3" when I hook up, but trailer pulls fine and no other issues. Keep thinking I'd like to try a WDH to see if there is any difference in handling, but hate to spend the $200 plus just to find out. It sure isn't bad without it, only question is how much better it might be with it.

Now trying to decide about the trav a sack (or whatever they call it) because DW says dealing with the bedcovers is a hassle she could do without. After trying to help with that chore I tend to agree with her. Only downside I see is that they don't make a king-size version and we really enjoy the luxury of some space in the middle. Also notice that the space in the middle seems to shrink with each passing year.

I'm tempted to mount a ~6" aluminum plate to each corner of the shell to distribute the load on the hold-down clip, but not sure if that's the best answer. I'll check the posts again to see what the experts think.

Wayne

[Bill]

If water gets back to the bathroom sink, but doesn't make it to the tub, there isn't much backtracking you can do. I don't know much about your TM's model and year, but lemme ramble a bit.

First, do you have an outside shower? If so, is it right outside the tub? And if it is, do you get hot water there?

Let's start by assuming there is an obstruction as you suggested - a small rock or a clump of something (like sediment as T_C suggested) caught in the valve mechanism. To clear it, you need to get inside the shower's hot water faucet. With the water supply off, do the following. I believe that in the center of the handle, there is a round trim piece. Work a knife blade (not tip) carefully under the edge of the round piece, and it should pop off. Under it you will see a Phillips screw. Remove it, and you can pull off the knob. At this point, you can unscrew and remove the faucet core - the actual valve itself. I don't recall the details, but it should be obvious how to do it.
When it is removed, you are looking straight down the supply pipe. Turn on the water supply JUST A BIT, and water should shoot out all over your shirt - and should carry any obstruction with it.
Assuming you get a gush of water, examine the black rubber faucet washer, and if it is ripped or squashed out of shape, replace it (a ripped washer could actually be the obstruction.) Reverse the disassembly process to reassemble - naturally you kept track of which parts came out in which order when you were taking it apart, right?

If you don't get a good gush of water, then don't reassemble yet. The obstruction must be farther back in the line - perhaps at a right-angle fitting. If you can run a piece of stiff nylon fishing line or grass-trimmer line through the now-open valve body and up the pipe, you might dislodge it. Not too likely, I don't think, but it is easy to try.

If that doesn't work, here is another approach, similar to your compressed-air idea. Reassemble the valve. Then, with the water supply off, turn on the shower valve, and also OPEN ALL FOUR DRAIN VALVES UNDER THE TRAILER. Run a garden hose from your house into the bathroom. Take the shower head off the shower hose, and ram the end of the shower hose into the end of the garden hose. Seal the joint by wrapping your hand tightly around it, and have your wife turn on the garden hose just a bit. This will run water backward through the shower valve, with any luck carrying the obstruction back up through the plumbing and out the drain valves.

Finally, there is one other slim possibility. If I recall correctly (and I may not, it's been a while since I was under there), the plumbing under the tub is done with semi-flexible plastic pipe. If so, it is possible that something pushed on the pipe, and it kinked. Aside from removing the tub, I seem to recall that there are two ways to get access to that area. One is to remove the outside shower enclosure from the outside wall. Remove two screws, cut the caulking, and pull it out of the wall. The second is to remove the wood box-like structure above the head of the tub. Again, remove two screws, cut the caulking, and pull the pieces aside. I have done both, neither is fun, and they provide only limited access - but I bet it is better than removing the tub. Be sure to recaulk when you are done.

Let us know what you find.

Bill

[Bill]

One other thing - do NOT apply compressed air to the faucet unless you have opened all four drain valves under the trailer. The water system contains several one-way valves which are intended to let water flow forward (from the source to the fixtures) but not the other way. If you apply pressure at the fixture, you risk damaging these one-way valves.

And limit the air pressure to 30 psi. If that's not enough, more won't help.

For a sketch of the plumbing system in my 2002 2720SL (should be similar in all units), see
http://www.members.cox.net/wjeffrey/...ingDiagram.gif

Bill

[G-V_Driver]

Thanks for the help. Armed with the diagram, information and admonitions that you provided, I am off to tilt with the windmill. No outside shower on this unit, so few moving parts to deal with. Will advise of progress or lack thereof.

Wayne

[Bill]

Re the screws in the corner latches. T_C is right, they do tend to back out under vibration. I cured it this way. At each corner latch, remove one screw at a time, squirt a small shot of RTV into the hole, and replace the screw.

It is kind of like Loc-Tite (i.e., Thread-Lok), but those don't work well on screws in thin sheet metal. By contrast, the RTV forms a little glob inside the wall, and the glob grips the inside of the wall and the screw.

Bill

[G-V_Driver]

Since my last post approximately 30 minutes ago I have set up the TM, turned on the air so as to be comfortable, found the appropriate tools and, following your directions, found and dislodged an amazing wad of string and grass just behind the faucet--again as you surmised.

It was such an amazing quantity--more than an inch long and the approximate inside diameter of the tubing--that I felt compelled to check the cold water side as well, just to see if it might have some of the same problem. It did not, the hot water is running profusely, and DW has asked that I pass on her thanks as well as my own.

Wayne

With respect to the hold-down latches, I had previously done the RTV trick, but the entire catch had been completely torn out of the screw holes with jagged aluminum left as evidence of the pull-away.

With respect to the hold-down latches, I had previously done the RTV trick, but the entire catch had been completely torn out of the screw holes with jagged aluminum left as evidence of the pull-away.

I had the same problem with my rear corner latches on the shell. I purchased plate aluminum from the local hardware store. It was 4 inches wide & I cut it into 3 1/2 inch lengths. I used 8 pop rivets & Marine silicon adhesive to attach them to the shell, then attached the latch with pop rivets. So far so good.

I used a similar procedure for my front rock guard awning, which has also pulled loose from the skin.

I think the factory setup works ok as long as the force is applied parallel to the shell, but over time the shell & arms get loose & the force is applied at an angle.

One word of advice, perform this with the shells closed. I did mine with the TM opened, & I had to re-mount one latch because I put it over the original holes, & it was misaligned when I closed the TM. I had to redrill & reattach.

This is not the prettiest solution. A neater approach would be to insert an aluminum channel up into the shell. But this would require cutting out a section of the tubing along the bottom of the shell & removing enough foam to insert the channel.

Take care

Dan

[Bill]

[quote author=G-V_Driver link=board=2;threadid=2103;start=msg14703#msg14703 date=1089494465]
Since my last post approximately 30 minutes ago I have set up the TM, turned on the air so as to be comfortable, found the appropriate tools and, following your directions, found and dislodged an amazing wad of string and grass just behind the faucet. [/quote]String and grass????? Good Lord, how did that get in there? Well, if there is any more, and if it blocks any of the other faucets, you know what to do. In the meantime, I think I would consider taking the drain plug out of the water heater to see what is in there. While it is out, connect as garden hose to the TM water inlet and flush the entire system like mad. And as one last step, I think I would go through the water system bleach-sanitizing procedure, as outlined in the owners manual.

Glad it worked out!

Bill

[G-V_Driver]

I wondered the same thing when it appeared. Left the wad to dry to further investigate what all it might contain.

I agree with your sugggestions regarding further draining and cleaning, and have already started the process. Even though we don't normally drink the water it's nice to know there is some acceptable level of purity.

Planning Dallas to Colorado with side trip to Rushmore early August. Anybody else going to be in that neck of the woods?

Wayne