What happened to the water?

When we turn on a water faucet, we expect water to come out of it. Imagine my surprise when I turned on the hot water tap on the kitchen sink in our fifth wheel and that didn’t happen. Flabbergasted, I vocalized my discontent and tried the cold tap. It worked. 

A day before that experience, I had noticed less water pressure from that faucet and mentioned my finding to Bob. I checked our hose connection to city water and verified it was fully open. I racked my brain but couldn’t figure out the issue. 

When no water came out of the kitchen faucet with the temperature set to hot, Bob checked the bathroom hot water tap and barely got anything out there. But the cold water worked in both sinks. Clearly, something was wrong. With no time to address the issue, we set it aside and hoped for the best. 

Worsening problem

A couple of days later, I turned on the bathroom faucet and found significantly reduced water pressure. Liquid dribbled out, even with both taps fully open. What happened to the water? Had it gone off for the entire RV park we were staying at? I went to the kitchen sink to check. The cold water worked properly there. 

I told Bob about the situation, and he didn’t seem too concerned. He did some research anyway and told me to use the clubhouse shower in the meantime. 

According to Bob’s research, our symptoms reflected a common problem in RVs: a check valve malfunction. The check valve prevents heated water from going back into the water heater. It’s designed to block winterizing fluid from mixing with water and contaminating the RV’s water supply. 

Since we live in our rig full time, we’ve never winterized it, so this seemed like an odd problem. Regardless, the valve wasn’t letting water out of the water heater. 

Replacing the check valve

We went to Camping World and picked up a replacement check valve for about $11. 

Bob turned off all water to the rig and shut off the water heater. He opened the faucets to let any trapped water escape from the lines. 

Then he removed the contents of our basement and unscrewed some wall panels to get to the back of the water heater. He detached the water line, used channel locks to remove the old plastic check valve, added Teflon tape around the threads of the new brass valve, and installed it. Replacing the valve was easier than getting to its location. 

While Bob was at it, he upgraded the pressure relief valve as well. 

Finding the source

Bob turned the water and water heater back on and verified both were working properly. With that confirmation, he put the basement back together and showed me the culprit: delamination of the inside of the valve, perhaps caused by Arizona’s hard water. Essentially, the valve had started eating itself, causing blockage.

Depending on the source of information, check valves can last anywhere from five to 20 years. Ours had survived eight years before giving up the ghost. One of the biggest factors contributing to a shorter lifespan is high temperatures, according to John Valves. 

We bought our rig in Arizona in June 2019, and it’s lived five to six months every year (usually October to March time frame) in the Phoenix area ever since, most often with the water heater facing south, the sunny side. Maybe we should have another check valve on hand for the next time it fails. Then again, we should be good for at least five years. 

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