2025 Valor 36v11 Water Heater Bypass Valve

[Pilot4net]

We have a brand new 36v11 that we brought home this weekend.

If one of you all are winterizing your units using antifreeze soon, could you please tell me which way the 3-way water heater bypass valve is supposed to be for normal operation.

I had to winterize it this week because we have freezes possible over the next couple of weeks.

The 2025+ units no longer have the nautilus panel but instead use a 3-way valve to bypass the water heater while pumping antifreeze thought the unit. When I opened up the access panel in the storage compartment to access the valve, I found that the valve was open halfway between each of the two stops, so I don't know which direction is normal operation and which one is to bypass the heater.

Also the valve drips slowly (1 drop every 1-2 seconds) in one direction but not in the other.

Thanks in advance for the help!

*See valve in question in attached pics....

 

[BryanValRox]

We have a brand new 36v11 that we brought home this weekend.

If one of you all are winterizing your units using antifreeze soon, could you please tell me which way the 3-way water heater bypass valve is supposed to be for normal operation.

I had to winterize it this week because we have freezes possible over the next couple of weeks.

The 2025+ units no longer have the nautilus panel but instead use a 3-way valve to bypass the water heater while pumping antifreeze thought the unit. When I opened up the access panel in the storage compartment to access the valve, I found that the valve was open halfway between each of the two stops, so I don't know which direction is normal operation and which one is to bypass the heater.

Also the valve drips slowly (1 drop every 1-2 seconds) in one direction but not in the other.

Thanks in advance for the help!

*See valve in question in attached pics....

Hi folks, while I do not have the direct answer your looking for, I can off a method of determining the different positions.

If your water heater has a drain port or an anode plug that can be removed you could use compressed air on the city inlet connection and move your bypass valve from one position to the other. If air can be heard or felt exiting the water heater plug, that would be the normal position. Air should not be heard or felt at the plug when in bypass.

If I had to guess, if the handle is in-line with the blue lines I would think that would be bypass, BUT that is only a guess that could be proven out by the method described above.

 

[RoadJunkie]

There are three valves behind the manifold style water distribution. The lower valve selects between the syphon hose and the fresh water tank for the pump. Moving up, the middle valve controls the bypass for the water heater. The valve handle "points" to the direction of flow. It is not marked, so you have to visually identify the plumbing to either include or exclude the water heater. It really is obvious. The top valve chooses between filling the fresh water tank or feeding the rig with city water. Again, it's not marked and following the plumping will guide you. If you hear water running into the fresh tank, and you don't want to fill the tank, you've gone the wrong direction. The pump/syphon valve is the easiest example of the flow compared to the valve position. Be sure to take the cap off of the suction umbilical line before trying to pump in the antifreeze. Let me add that if you have the Blu filter, it will fill with antifreeze during winterization. Some have said they insert a plastic water/soda bottle in the canister to limit the amount of antifreeze into the canister.

 

[Pilot4net]

There are three valves behind the manifold style water distribution. The lower valve selects between the syphon hose and the fresh water tank for the pump. Moving up, the middle valve controls the bypass for the water heater. The valve handle "points" to the direction of flow. It is not marked, so you have to visually identify the plumbing to either include or exclude the water heater. It really is obvious. The top valve chooses between filling the fresh water tank or feeding the rig with city water. Again, it's not marked and following the plumping will guide you. If you hear water running into the fresh tank, and you don't want to fill the tank, you've gone the wrong direction. The pump/syphon valve is the easiest example of the flow compared to the valve position. Be sure to take the cap off of the suction umbilical line before trying to pump in the antifreeze. Let me add that if you have the Blu filter, it will fill with antifreeze during winterization. Some have said they insert a plastic water/soda bottle in the canister to limit the amount of antifreeze into the canister.

Thanks Road Junkie for the insight! Here's some very crude drawings I have made to describe the orientation of the piping behind the manifold and the possible valve positions....

If I am looking at it and understand it correctly, if the valve handle is pointing straight, up that would be the "normal" operating position of the valve and with it pointed towards "3-oclock" that would be the bypass position because it would not be directing water flow from city water or pump connection to the cold water (inlet) side of the water heater, effectively bypassing it.

Am I thinking about this correctly?

 

[Chaseweston]

Ours is actually labeled on our '24 44V14 but your schematic is correct.


I did get sidetracked taking these pictures just now and cleaned the waterless trap on the shower since I had the panel off, so thank you for nudging me to do that!

 

[Pilot4net]

Thank you SO MUCH! You guys are awesome!