Water Heater ByPass Valves - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Brand RVs > Ultra-Lite
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 01-17-2021, 07:24 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Sequim
Posts: 134
Washington
Water Heater ByPass Valves

2020 Kodiak Ultra Lite 201QB: Does anyone know how to access the bypass valves on the water heater for winterizing. I cannot find them using the outside access to the water heater. These are normally located on the back of the water heater but there is no access to the back without cutting through the paneling next to the toilet or opening up the plastic seal under the trailer; not sure going in from under the trailer would even solve the issue.

Asked customer support, which is a joke; they just said to have the dealer do it. No way am I going to pay $200 plus 4 hour round trip to have $15 worth of antifreeze put into the water system.
__________________

__________________
Open Road Pathfinder
2020 Kodiak Ulta Lite 201QB
2021 Ford F150 Twin Turbo V6
Logging the miles in the USA. Adventure awaits around every corner.
kjlarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2021, 03:44 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Beaver Dam
Posts: 883
Wisconsin
There is probably a panel that is screwed on instead of being stapled on. Find the panel with screws. Otherwise you must pry the panel off.

My Kodiak Cub has access inside the pass through storage compartment. It had a dozen screws holding two panels up. The antifreeze fill hose was under a bedroom cabinet and was held in place by four screws.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead.
__________________

__________________
Paul Bristol
Dutchman Kodiak Cub KD176RD 2018
Nissan Pathfinder 2015
persistent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2021, 05:05 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Sequim
Posts: 134
Washington
Water Heater ByPass Valves

Thanks for the quick reply. My pass through storage is at the opposite end of the TT from the water heater. The only panel is on the left side of the toilet and has trim around it so it cannot be pried off; I may have to use my dremel or plunge saw to open it up. Just hoping for a better solution.
__________________
Open Road Pathfinder
2020 Kodiak Ulta Lite 201QB
2021 Ford F150 Twin Turbo V6
Logging the miles in the USA. Adventure awaits around every corner.
kjlarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2021, 08:11 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Beaver Dam
Posts: 883
Wisconsin
Can you reach it through the drawers?

If you do decide to go through the framed panel, leave a 1 to 2 inch rim. You can cut a new panel and screw it to the rim. Mine works that way. I actually made a door mounted to the rim.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC_1442.jpg
Views:	302
Size:	55.1 KB
ID:	6619   Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC_1610.jpg
Views:	220
Size:	56.9 KB
ID:	6620   Click image for larger version

Name:	DSC_1611.jpg
Views:	250
Size:	50.7 KB
ID:	6621  
__________________
Paul Bristol
Dutchman Kodiak Cub KD176RD 2018
Nissan Pathfinder 2015
persistent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-18-2021, 08:44 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Sequim
Posts: 134
Washington
Quote:
Originally Posted by persistent View Post
Can you reach it through the drawers?

If you do decide to go through the framed panel, leave a 1 to 2 inch rim. You can cut a new panel and screw it to the rim. Mine works that way. I actually made a door mounted to the rim.
Thanks for the idea of putting a "door" in. Little tight for my situation but a lift out panel would work.
__________________
Open Road Pathfinder
2020 Kodiak Ulta Lite 201QB
2021 Ford F150 Twin Turbo V6
Logging the miles in the USA. Adventure awaits around every corner.
kjlarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-19-2021, 02:15 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: oshkosh
Posts: 55
Wisconsin
Have you tried calling the dealer you bought it from, or any dealer that sells and services your brand? They should be able to tell you over the phone where access is located.
wis-redneck is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2021, 08:46 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2020
Location: Sequim
Posts: 134
Washington
The dealer said to bring it to them and they would winterize the trailer for me.
__________________
Open Road Pathfinder
2020 Kodiak Ulta Lite 201QB
2021 Ford F150 Twin Turbo V6
Logging the miles in the USA. Adventure awaits around every corner.
kjlarson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-21-2021, 11:53 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2017
Location: Wesley Chapel
Posts: 3,040
Florida
Quote:
Originally Posted by kjlarson View Post
The dealer said to bring it to them and they would winterize the trailer for me.
They would take shortcuts. Assign it to the newbie in the service department that knows less than anyone.

Best to figure it out and at least be able to do it. I would definitely learn (YouTube) the winterization by air technique so you would only need to utilize antifreeze in the drains. Don’t forget the spray ports.
franktafl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2021, 08:49 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: prophetstown
Posts: 376
Illinois
Find the water heater on the outside then go inside and line up where it was on the outside, should be a panel in that horizontal line and should be behind there. At least that is where every rv I have has is the location
Local150 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-23-2021, 09:28 PM   #10
New Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Oregon
Posts: 8
Oregon
On my trailer, the water heater is on the street side toward the head of the bed, I found my panel under the mattress (street side, on the platform the mattress sits on), unscrewed the panel and had to reach down to feel the bypass valve.
gwj123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2021, 12:57 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
capeharj's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Gregory
Posts: 123
Michigan
Your hot wster heater is probably underneath the drawers next to the toilet. That panel should have either 2 or 4 screws to remove it.
capeharj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2021, 01:08 AM   #12
New Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London
Posts: 8
Ontario
I have a Dutchman Aerolite 195QB and has the same floor plan as your trailer. The panel under the 2 drawers in the bathroom had screws holding the panel. If you remove that, you can reach in to the bypass valves on the water heater. The panel beside the furnace also has screws and the water pump is behind that. I installed bypass there to have antifreeze pumped through the system without putting it into the fresh water tank. Good luck and I hope this helps.
Dutch Girl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2021, 01:43 AM   #13
New Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Granite Falls
Posts: 2
Washington
I have the same exact trailer and am using the dry method of winterizing. In a nutshell, you simply drain your freshwater tank and water heater, open all the drain valves and faucets, attach a blowout adapter to your city water hookup and blow out any leftover water. You can get the adapter for less than $10 on Amazon and use an air compressor. I add RV antifreeze to the sinks, shower, and toilet to prevent freezing in the drain pipes. My favorite part is that when you’re ready to use the trailer, you simply close the faucets/valves and fill the tanks. No cleanup or flushing required. Easy day!
PJ Sully is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2021, 03:14 AM   #14
New Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Snohomish
Posts: 4
Washington
201QB Water Heater Access

Quote:
Originally Posted by kjlarson View Post
2020 Kodiak Ultra Lite 201QB: Does anyone know how to access the bypass valves on the water heater for winterizing. I cannot find them using the outside access to the water heater. These are normally located on the back of the water heater but there is no access to the back without cutting through the paneling next to the toilet or opening up the plastic seal under the trailer; not sure going in from under the trailer would even solve the issue.

Asked customer support, which is a joke; they just said to have the dealer do it. No way am I going to pay $200 plus 4 hour round trip to have $15 worth of antifreeze put into the water system.
I have a 2018 201QB. My water heater is in back driver side corner. Probably like yours. Mine has a panel with screws under the drawers in the bathroom beside the toilet. Remove that and water heater and valves can be reached. I can also reach (barely) by removing both drawers without removing the panel.
bcoady is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-24-2021, 02:57 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: prophetstown
Posts: 376
Illinois
Glad you found it
__________________

Local150 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 08:17 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×