AUGIEP

I had a similar problem with my 2006 Fleetwood Bounder. The mixing valve is located on the back of the tank and made it nearly impossible to reach. I removed the valve and positioned a Strahman Adjustable Mixing valve in a convenient location which is easily accessible. Not only do I have plenty of hot water, but I can easily adjust the temperature by simply turning the knob on the valve. PROBLEM SOLVED>>>

I used Fresh Cab this winter and I am happy to say there were no signs of varmints in any part of my motorhome. The big plus is it has a pleasant scent but mice hate it. I bought it online.

I finally solved my problem. I replaced the mixing valve located in the outlet of the water heater with a remotely located Strahman mixing valve. The new valve has a dial which allows me to easily adjust the water temperature. I located it under the washing/dryer to the left of the drawer. Problem solved. We now have plenty of hot water for four adult showers.. What's even nicer is this new valve shouldn't get clogged with debris like the OEM valve.

I had the same problem with my Fleetwood Bounder. It turned out that the mixing valve located on the back of the heater was plugged with calcium buildup. I removed the valve completely and installed a remote Strahman mixing valve that allows you to adjust the mix of hot water and cold water. (the stock valve cannot be easily adjusted). The Strahman Valve has been working flawlessly and I have had ample hot water ever since. What's even better is that with the remote location, I can adjust the valve easily to raise or lower the water temperature with a simple turn of the dial.

By the way, the bypass valve has a yellow handle and is located at the bottom in the rear of the heater. There is also a "T" which directs a stream of cold water to the mixing valve at the top of the tank that mixes some cold water with the heated water.

The ongoing saga.... I have made several calls to Fleetwood to understand why we have no water. After flushing the hot water heater, I found a lot of debris coming out. It looked like grey sludge. Refilling the water heater and firing it up once again gave us some improvement but not much. I noticed some grey water and some debris coming out of the faucets. After speaking to some experts, I believe the problem is particles collecting in the mixing valve ( the valve on the top of the rear of the water heater. I also found out this valve has a knob that is supposed to regulate the amount of cold water being mixed with the hot water. Why do they do that?? good question.. Fleetwood said the tank is really a 6 gallon tank that mixes with 4 gallons of cold water to produce the 10 gallon rating. There is a screen in the mixing valve. If these particles obstruct the flow of hot water, it will limit the amount of hot water being mixed with the cold water. The biggest problem I see is the accessibility to these valves. My solution: I will install a new thermostatically controlled mixing valve on the inside wall of the closet so I can "dial in" a comfortable temperature. The reason you can't turn the installed mixing valve is because Watts puts glue in the center to prevent it being adjusted and causing possible scalding. (See RV Doctor). I will also put a mixing valve that has a purge on it fitted with a ball valve that will allow me to flush the mixing valve periodically in the comfort of the "closet" without having to remove the floor to gain access. I'll let you know how this works.

I have had a similar problem with the water heater on our 2006 Bounder Diesel. The hot water would come on in the shower for about 30 seconds and then turn cold. I was told by Fleetwood that the heater is actually a six gallon heater and the mixing unit "cools" the scalding hot water to achieve the 10 gallon hot water rating. The RV repair shop told me the mixing valve is most likely the culprit. Finding it is another thing. It is poorly located and hard to reach. I'm thinking we will have it removed and see if it solves the problem of GI showers!!