burton9010 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Its getting down to crunch time on my dolphin and I am trying to figure everything out so I dont go into panic mode at the last min before my trip in three weeks. I would like to make sure the hot water system works in my 85 dolphin. I can turn the water pump on and I get water pressure and the toliet and sinks work but nothing comes out when I try to turn the hot water side on. I just removed my stove so I turned the whole gas system off. I did not try to start the water heater yet and now I cant try it because I have an open gas line. Shouldnt the water still come out the hot side of the sink even though the burner is not on? Also I am confused about the waste tank setup. Is there two tanks one for the toliet and another for the shower and sinks? If so are there two different spots you need to empty them? I have read the dolphin manual but it only talks about draining the toliet's waste tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayoff53 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 I can turn the water pump on and I get water pressure and the toliet and sinks work but nothing comes out when I try to turn the hot water side on. ... Also I am confused about the waste tank setup. Is there two tanks one for the toliet and another for the shower and sinks? If so are there two different spots you need to empty them? I have read the dolphin manual but it only talks about draining the toliet's waste tank. As to the water heater, it may be something very simple. If the hot water tank was drained, you will not get any water out of the hot water faucet until the tank fills again. To do this, just turn on the water pump and open a hot water faucet until water comes out - it may take several minutes. When water comes out, the tank is full. Then, you will want to top off your water tank again, because you will have taken about 6 gallons (depending on the size of the water heater, but that is common) out of the tank. If that is NOT the problem... I dunno. As to the waste tanks, I don't know your particular rig, but most have two tanks - a "black water" tank that holds only waste from the toilet and a "grey water" tank that takes the waste from the sinks and shower. If so, there will be two separate knife valves that go into a single drain under the coach. You drain the black water tank first, then close it and drain the grey water tank. I like to flush the black water tank out with some clear water after I drain it, assuming there is some available. Some rigs have only 1 waste tank. It should be simple to find out whether you have 1 or 2 - just look at the drain pipe under the coach and see if there is only one pipe with a singe knife valve (pull handle) on it or two separate pipes, each with a knife valve. Also, you may have a status panel somewhere with a button you push and lights that indicate the condition of the battery, the fresh water tank and the holding tank(s). If you have such a panel and have separate black and grey water tanks, there should be a separate light for each tank. I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 First, try David's idea of running the pump long enough to fill the water heater tank. If that doesn't work, another possible reason for no water on the hot side could be that your water heater tank has a winterizing by-pass installed on it. When the RV is winterized the hot water side is bypassed so that you don't need to fill the water heater tank with six gallons of antifreeze-just drain it and bypass it. So, find the access panel to the top of the water heater and look for two small (probably brass) handles. Give them a quarter turn (they only go one way) and then when you turn on your water pump, water will flow into the tank. When its full, water will come out of the hot faucet. Be sure and leave the hot water faucet(s)open as you're filling the tank to let the air escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Some 'homes actually drain the 'grey' water from the bathroom into the 'black' water tank. Not efficient, but I think it's because it's just too hard to run the drains all the way to the grey water tank. I've also read of people modifying their plumbing to use 'grey' water to flush the toilet instead of 'precious' fresh water. Like this guy: http://www.modmyrv.com/2009/07/22/rv-grey-water-potty-flush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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