Water heater repair Did not have power

[Ozz]

The power wire from the fuse box down was ???

https://picasaweb.google.com/Jimsue13/WaterHeaterRepairForANoPowerProblem?authuser=0&aut hkey=Gv1sRgCKLo05SagvDTOw&feat=directlink

[Art-n-Marge]

This sure reminded me of the Greek & Latin I tried to learn way back when. I think I need to go over this a few more times. I did pretty good for the first dozen slides then ya lost me.

This looks like you are overriding the existing wires just to get power to the water heating element. You are much smarter and therefore braver than I am, since I wouldn't know what wires I'd be allowed to tap. I'm not sure how you determined that the power from the propane detector is enough to power whatever is needed for the water heater.

I'll say, "great job" but I'm shaking my head in a confused manner. I'm only a few hundred miles from where you are and I better find a way to get out there for a real good visit and some real good learnin' before the Wizard of Ozz goes home.

[Ozz]

Ha, sorry for the circuitous route.
The wires supplying power to any 12 volt load are all the same size for the most part. I think all the fuses are 15 amp. The Propane detector and the water heater ignition and gas valve draw very little amps, so the load is fine.
The fuse markers are in some code, can't read most of them, so I will have to run down the fuse location some time.
Bottom line, the wire is broke somewhere between the fuse and the water heater, so I abandoned it.

[Tom S.]

Don't feel bad Art, I got lost too. The on/off switch referred to is for the electric heat, which I thought was 120V AC. When I saw Ozz hooking up a 12V DC from another source, I though he had lost it - or at least lost me!

[Art-n-Marge]

I feel better now. I knew the 110v heater was different from the 12v control wires. That I could follow. I couldn't figure out how Ozz knew which wires to use from that rats nest so that the 12v control board could tell the 110v heater switch to start working.

Ozz's explanation on the amperage draw makes sense, but I have NO CLUE how he could figure out which wires. I guess I'd have to be there. Kinda reminds me when I take the TV's dash apart and see every color combination of wiring used behind the dash. But somehow that makes sense (cuz I have a book telling me what color does what). In the rig it seems all the wires look alike even though I only remember seeing black, white, red, blue and yellow.

[Tom S.]

Art the 120V wiring in our trailers is the same type wire used for residential homes and is quite distinctive from the 12 volt wires. Still, it would certainly confuse a person not used to dealing with electricity.

[Ozz]

Yep, I screwed up on the switch, I was boondocking when I checked it and I had the breaker turned off to the water heater, so naturally, there would have not been power to it.
BUT, there was no power to the 12 volt supply. Is now and we have the propane working.