Valve stuck down on water heater

[SOS]

Help we don't seem to be able to pull up the valve on our heating system to be able to fill with water. It is stuck down! Therefore daren't run the water throug as it will just dump it everywhere! Any ideas anybody?

 

[Tootles]

Is this the 'dump' valve that automatically drops all the water if the temperature falls below 2 Centigrade? If so, what's the temp in the van??

 

[golly]

The dump valve wont stay up until the temp is about 8 degrees I think, You may have to keep it up with a clothes peg or similar. Dont forget about it and I would keep the hot water on a low heat if liklyhood of freezing.

 

[Jaws]

Of course, if you have not got an auto valve ( or indeed even if you have ) the thing may have just frozen.. Could just try warming it up with a hair drier ?

 

[Techno]

Deleted duplicate

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[Scattycat]

Just crank up the heating for a half hour or so and it should be fine
We used to have the problem on a regular basis in our other van

 

[SOS]

Right all sorted now thanks. We warmed it with a hair dryer and eventually it pulled up. Now got the clothes peg in and hot water and heating now on. Thanks to everyone including Rex and Ladylea who turned up to help. At one point I was ready to book into the Thistle hotel lol!

 

[hilldweller]

Could just try warming it up with a hair drier ?

OH NO, he's mentioned the "H" word.

Until your gross error here we have managed to instil sense by saying "use a towel" but now !!

 

[pegleg]

Or in stead of hair dryer we use a small electric fan blower heater to get the van temperature up ( I only use the heater while in van just to be careful)

 

[SOS]

Wasn't my hair dryer had to borrow one!

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[Tootles]

OH NO, he's mentioned the "H" word.

Until your gross error here we have managed to instil sense by saying "use a towel" but now !!

What, 'Hotel', one of those places your too tight wadded to take your lovely and charming wife??

 

[Peter & Elaine]

Just crank up the heating for a half hour or so and it should be fine
We used to have the problem on a regular basis in our other van

Same as he said

 

[Scattycat]

Right all sorted now thanks. We warmed it with a hair dryer and eventually it pulled up. Now got the clothes peg in and hot water and heating now on. Thanks to everyone including Rex and Ladylea who turned up to help. At one point I was ready to book into the Thistle hotel lol!

I was under the impression that the idea of the dump valve was to protect things like the hot water tank from being damaged by the water inside freezing. Using a device like a peg long term preventing it doing its job in that case is probably not a good idea

 

[GJH]

Right all sorted now thanks. We warmed it with a hair dryer and eventually it pulled up. Now got the clothes peg in and hot water and heating now on. Thanks to everyone including Rex and Ladylea who turned up to help. At one point I was ready to book into the Thistle hotel lol!

Once the heating/hot water is on the valve shouldn't drop. Indeed, I think I recall reading in a recent thread that the valve is electrically prevented from dropping when the hot water is on.

As regards the hair dryer, we proper ruffty tuffties use a hot air wallpaper stripper