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Old 01-11-2017, 07:09 PM   #1
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Need help and advice

I have been on here a couple of times I bought my 2017 2700DS at Lewis RV of Dayton Oh. Been having a few issues with the coach got then fixed at a closer dealer to me .when I bought this RV from Lewis RV 3 months ago they winterize it for me but I was checking out on the coach I'm new to this I thought Inwould make sure they drained the water heater because I Don't remember them showing me that so I open the drain on heater and it was froze been thawing all day and with heater on in coach ,I call Lewis RV for help the Owner got on the phone and said they were tired of me calling for advice actually he got pretty smart with me ,my question shouldn't Lewis RV help me and give me advice since I bought it there I don't know if tank is ruined or not .Im new to RV camping I'm beginning to wonder whether it's worth it or not ,any advice would help.
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:13 PM   #2
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Ruined? no way to know until its thawed out.
As for the dealer? cheap price is not always the best deal. find a friend that knows about RVs and learn what you can from them. maybe indicate your general geographic location and a member onnhere will give you a hand.
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:16 PM   #3
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If they winterized and did not drain the hot water tank then they are at fault. In any case they should treat you with respect.
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Old 01-11-2017, 07:57 PM   #4
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Ok thanks guys for the replies, couldn't believe the dealer acted that way ,just makes me sick haven't even got to go on the road yet ,going to be warm next few days hope it will thaw out
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Old 01-11-2017, 08:09 PM   #5
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I would not panic yet. It is possible they drained the WH but there was still a small amount of water that then froze. Unless there was a lot of water in it you should be fine. You may want to check the faucets etc to insure they were winterized. I would spend some of this winter's down time in the Library section of the forum. You should be able to find a lot of good info there. In addition, don't be afraid to ask questions here. Lots of great people with centuries of experience. You will have a much better chance of a quick helpful answer if your title clearly defines your problem. Good Luck
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Old 01-11-2017, 08:24 PM   #6
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^^^Yes you can easily learn to winterize yourself in about 30 minutes or less for 10 bucks or less.
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Old 01-11-2017, 08:26 PM   #7
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Ok thanks Flybob
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Old 01-11-2017, 10:45 PM   #8
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I would not trust them at this point doing a proper job winterizing it. Can't hurt anything doing it again (no antifreeze in the water heater) and you will know it is right. Lots of info here, and in your manual, and it will cost maybe $10. Wally world carries the antifreeze.

Matter of fact, you can do it now as again nothing goes in the water heater.

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Old 01-12-2017, 07:37 AM   #9
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Ok thanks for the information .
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Old 01-12-2017, 04:24 PM   #10
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You said it froze. How much water was in it? Winterizing a HW tank bypass is switched closed and pink anti-freeze sent through the lines. The HW tank is opened to drain, no pink stuff there. I leave the plus out until starting again, or did I no longer winterize. There is usually a little water left in the bottom of the tank that will freeze/thaw without a problem. Just do not want a lot of water in the tank.
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Old 01-12-2017, 04:25 PM   #11
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When you said, "open the drain" did you remove the Anode Rod from the water heater? that would tell you if the WH was drained for sure. Flybob is right hope is not lost here, you might be OK, read the forum.
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Old 01-12-2017, 04:55 PM   #12
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Howdy Rick, and welcome to the forums. RV'ing does have a little learning curve to it, but we'll get you fixed you up. You are at the right place. A forum like this is where you are going to learn things, much more than from a dealer. An RV dealer would be like a vehicle dealer to a point. Sure they can quickly show you features, but they aren't going to take the time to teach you how to drive. They would expect you to already know.

A few suggestions to get you started. You will need to realize that there are many different types of RV's and Forest River uses different brands/makes/models of components in these different types of RV. You could have one brand/type of water heater in your RV, and I may have something completely different in mine. FR could also change stuff in the same RV from year to year.

The reason I point this out, is when discussing an appliance and/or component, it's best to tell us the brand/model...or better yet show a pic if you can. This saves an awful lot of time in trying to diagnose problems, and saves a lot of frustration since you may know what you have, but the rest of us don't....so it's best to be as clear and precise with many details, and don't assume really anything.

OK, now that being said. let's get you fixed up. If you have a tank type water heater, FR usually uses two brands, an Atwood and a Suburban. These two brands operate similar, but do have some different characteristics, especially in the drain.

Does your water heater look like this Atwood:



or does it perhaps look like this Suburban:



or is it possibly none of the above?
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Old 01-12-2017, 05:59 PM   #13
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Thanks WMtire it's the Atwood model it thaw out pretty good today still thawing don't think there is much water left in tank I just hope there was no damage to the tank. When I open the drain plug it was frozen right to the end got most of that chipped away ,I could put a screw driver in tank and could feel a big chunk of ice in tank I let furnace run for a few hours and the temperature got up to 67 today and that sure help can't feel any ice in it now but like I said earlier I hope tank is ok again thanks guy I agree this forum is sure helpful
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Old 01-12-2017, 07:32 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Rick180 View Post
Thanks WMtire it's the Atwood model it thaw out pretty good today still thawing don't think there is much water left in tank I just hope there was no damage to the tank. When I open the drain plug it was frozen right to the end got most of that chipped away ,I could put a screw driver in tank and could feel a big chunk of ice in tank I let furnace run for a few hours and the temperature got up to 67 today and that sure help can't feel any ice in it now but like I said earlier I hope tank is ok again thanks guy I agree this forum is sure helpful
Good deal on letting us know the brand. An Atwood will have a plastic/nylon short drain plug. Probably look similar to these:



Very Important: Now before we go further (or you attempt to turn on the water heater), do you know what/where the winterization bypass/crossover valves may be that go to your water heater?

We want to see if they properly winterized your water heater or not. This thread will help:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1136233

As stated, DO NOT attempt to turn on your water heater until we know if it's properly winterized.....and it would have to be properly dewinterized before you turn anything on anyway. Mostly you are learning here, where and how the valves should be set for winterizing.....and then how they are set opposite for normal usage/dewinterizing.

You are going to need to know this come springtime, when you go back to camping. We're going to get you all educated up during your camping down time.

DO NOT turn either the propane switch or electric heating element switch on to the water heater.

On a side note. Many RV'ers use a written checklist when setting up and/or breaking down their RV at campsites...as well as for packing. You can find these checklists all over the web, as well as download some apps with such...that you can always modify to fit your particular RV/situation. I would highly recommend this if you haven't already started such. It's too easy to forget something.
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Old 01-12-2017, 07:47 PM   #15
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As stated, DO NOT attempt to turn on your water heater until we know if it's properly winterized.....and it would have to be properly dewinterized before you turn anything on anyway.
DO NOT turn either the propane switch or electric heating element switch on to the water heater.
Too late WMTire...see post above yours. May need a PM!

Quote:
....When I open the drain plug it was frozen right to the end got most of that chipped away ,I could put a screw driver in tank and could feel a big chunk of ice in tank I let furnace run for a few hours and the temperature got up to 67 today and that sure help can't feel any ice in it now
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Old 01-12-2017, 07:47 PM   #16
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Too late WMTire...see post above yours. May need a PM!
I think/hope he is talking about running the furnace to help heat the RV, and not the water heater.
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Old 01-12-2017, 08:10 PM   #17
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I think/hope he is talking about running the furnace to help heat the RV, and not the water heater.
Ahhh...yeah...it could be read that way..hope so!! ...thanks.
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Old 01-12-2017, 08:11 PM   #18
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Yea I turned on furnace and removed the panel by the water heater to help get it thaw out, no I did not turn on the heat switch to the water heater
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Old 01-12-2017, 08:20 PM   #19
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Yea I turned on furnace and removed the panel by the water heater to help get it thaw out, no I did not turn on the heat switch to the water heater
Excellent.

Judging by the thanks comment you sent me (and appreciated), you have read the bypass valve thread, and may know how to verify the water heater valves are currently set for winterizing?

Do you know if the dealer supposedly put the pink RV antifreeze in your water lines...and/or toilet and sink p-traps (if equipped)?

They could have also blowed out the lines with air so there is no water to freeze, but this is unknown.

This thread may help you:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ons-38709.html
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Old 01-12-2017, 08:32 PM   #20
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Yea WMtire I watch them winterize the RV they put the antifreeze in by pumping it through the lines I saw them turn the bypass lines on at the heater , but it dawned on me couple days ago I didn't remember the dealer actually draining the water heater ,that's made me to go out and take the drain plug out and sure enough they hadn't drain it , this info you are giving me is really helpful I really appreciate it
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