Chinook RV

Hi everyone.
My wife and I just bought a Chinook Glacier 04. We love it and everything seems great except the hot water heater doesn’t seem to be working. I’m not sure if it can do both electric or propane but it doesn’t seem to work either way. The is a switch up on the panel by the solar controller that says water heater. I turn on the generator and turn on that switch. I also turn on the other switch that after reading this forum seems to be for the propane. I can’t hear anything happening inside the tank. Maybe it isn’t even filling? When I turn the faucet for hot there doesn’t seem to be any water pressure. It comes out at a trickle. Also my hot water seems to be plumed different from what’s in the book. Can anyone help?

Thanks
-Paul

Generally, you want those valves pointed in the direction you want water flow. In this case I think the blue valve is pointed for bypassing the water heater, while the red valve is pointed for the heater. If you change the blue valve to point to the left, into the heater, I think things will work.

Also, for the future, turning on the heater when it is empty can ruin it pretty darn fast. It is not a case of the heater's tank filling up when it starts up, but a case of water should be in it already and just get heated inside.

The valve on your blue line is set wrong. It should point to the left to allow cold water to enter the bottom of the water heater. The red one is ok, it allows hot water from the top of the water heater to enter the plumbing. The other positions are used when winterizing and you want to bypass the water heater. in the picture, your hot water (red) valve is set for normal operation and your cold water (blue) set for bypass.

Fixing this should get the water flowing through the water heater. Normally, the water heater runs on propane, the generator and 110V is not used. Some people added a 110V feature, but that is not common.

For normal operation, first fix your valve setting. Make sure the propane is turned on (valve open at tank). Pressing the water heater switch should light the red light next to the switch, indicating the starter is activated. if all is well, the red light will go out within 30 seconds, indicating the flame is lit, and the hot water will be available in 20-30 minutes.

Congratulations on your purchase and good luck,
Clay

Just wanted to update everyone. I turned the dial as suggested and tried again. At first nothing happened, then I realized I needed the generator to be on and/or plugged into power, but as I am boondocking I don't have that ability. So with the generator on it worked out great. It was super hot and made for a great shower. Thanks everyone for the help.

Also I will be replacing the anode rod very soon. It doesn't look like it has ever been done but hard to tell. I ordered the new one and will fix that soon. Better safe than sorry.
-Paul

If I remember correctly, the water heater should also work if you turn on the DC. It does not need 110V AC for it to work, since it runs on propane. But there are some with electric heater, and those still can work with DC and propane too.

For the anode, if you remove the old one, you can definitely tell if it needs to be replaced. A new one is smooth and ones that need replacement will be pitted and badly corrode. Mine still looks brand new after 4 yrs since we usually use the camp site shower, since there are a lot more room, so we rarely use the hot water.