Check your Hot Water Heater for this Problem! - Montana Owners Club

BillyRay · 07-05-2004, 02:18 AM

in our new 2004 3685 the hot water heater was leaking. it was leaking from several spots.out of the pressure relief valve, and also on the outside of the unit below the trim (leaking out of the silicone caulk) the other thing is when the electric heat was on, it worked fine...but when the gas switch was on, the wall above the heater (outside) was SO HOT you couldn't hold your hand on it. (I have owned several units before including montanas and never have they been this hot!)I wouldn't use it do to being afraid of it starting a fire. they repaired it and put two thermostats and a new pressure relief valve in it.

SO CHECK YOUR UNIT WITH THE GAS SWITCH ON TO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!!! it may not be a big deal, but I'm a fireman and didn't feel comfortable using it. It was probably an isolated incident on my part, but well worth the time to check it.I know I didn't sleep at night with it on.

prariepoodle · 07-05-2004, 02:37 AM

Thanks Billyray for this information I will be checking mine today,Have not seen any leaks but the hot thing is scary.

vickster · 07-05-2004, 03:44 AM

BillyRay - Thanks for the heads up. Will check ours out today also. We have only used the heater under the electric mode - will do the gas thing today. If we have an issue, dealer can take care of it when we have our slide leak addressed.

sreigle · 07-05-2004, 05:39 AM

Thanks for the headsup, Billy Ray. By any chance did you use the hot water when it was on gas and was overheating the heater? I wonder if the water was noticeably way hotter than it should have been. If so, that might be a clue that all is not well with the water heater and is something I could watch for.

Thanks and glad to hear you caught it and got it fixed before it started a fire.

BillyRay · 07-05-2004, 08:48 AM

yes, we did use it with the gas on...and it seemed like it was getting too hot. glad no one got burned. I think the problem was it wasn't regulating the tempeture right.you could actually hear the water making a sizzling sound like it was dripping (maybe boiling over) into the burner.

hopefully this was a fluke thing with mine, but I wanted to pass it along for other people to check just in case.

BillyRay · 07-07-2004, 03:12 AM

just an update...still leaking even after the new parts....stayed tuned!

Montana_1798 · 07-12-2004, 08:28 AM

I haven't found the electrical switch for mine yet? I run mine strictly on gas because of this. I just bought this unit in April, the first fifth wheel ever owned. I've been around trailers most of my life though, and never saw one that didn't have an elec. switch, usually inside near the door. Any ideas where it might be?

sreigle · 07-12-2004, 10:41 AM

Glfrench, if you open the cover for the water heater, the vented cover on the outside of the coach, you should see the electrical on/off switch. It's kinda hidden behind some other things sometime. If you're looking for an inside switch for the electric element, there isn't one although many of us think there should be. On our model, the water heater is on its own breaker and our breaker panel is easy to get to so we leave the switch on all the time and use the breaker for on and off. We leave the breaker on pretty much all the time until ready to break down and hit the road. Vicki will turn it off when running the dryer, the AC, and she needs to use the microwave, coffee pot, or toaster. On our unit that much will pop the coach's main breaker.

NJ Hillbilly · 07-13-2004, 02:57 AM

The sizzle probably was the t/p valve weeping and dropping onto the burner assembly.

John

tweir · 07-13-2004, 02:57 AM

The electrical switch is on the lower left hand corner of the unit kinda behind a small LP line. There should be a retainer clip that goes through the switch when in the "off" position. Remove the clip and move the rocker switch to the "up" position. We always replace the retaining clip/pin after we turn off the water heater when we get ready to leave a site.

sreigle · 07-13-2004, 05:20 AM

Thomas, I wasn't aware of the clip. Must be just on the newer models. Our '03 doesn't have a clip. Sounds like a good idea, though.

Flastro · 07-13-2004, 06:51 AM

Mine does not have a clip over the switch either, just requires a little finess to get behind that line to flip the switch.
Thanks for the heads up Billy Ray , I have not used the gas part yet, the elec with the 10 gallon set up has been way better than the littlle 6 gallon in the previous two units. But I will be out all next week in ours so this will be a good time to check this.

Montana_907 · 07-15-2004, 09:24 AM

BillyRay,

I also have the 3685. Where did you find water to indicate you had a leak from the water heater?

I noticed water along the edge of cabinets a while back. I looked under the sink and the water was running along the edge on the inside as well. I pulled the bottom drawer out and I looked around the water pump and noticed water there as well. I was hooked up to city water and my fresh tank is empty so I didn't think I should be getting water from the pump. I dried it up and did not get any more water. I didn't change anything or tighten anything but the leak seemed to go away. I still haven't noticed where the water came from, but I haven't noticed a leak since.

Bob & Lee · 07-15-2004, 10:59 AM

I also have the 3685 and havent noticed any leaks outside and I have been runing on gas and elec (after I found out what all the switches were for) I have been expecting a leak under the Kitchen sink I put in a new faucet W/sprayer and a water filter and had to re-do the drain lines to make room, but so far no leak so Ill keep my eye on it. Thanks

BillyRay · 07-15-2004, 01:15 PM

well...I'm hoping it was just an isolated problem from just my unit. I had a leak comming out of the pressure relief valve and also water was comming out from the silicone seal around the outdoor cover.

William H. Collier · 07-15-2004, 04:30 PM

Steve, I believe that the clip is just a shipping clip so it could not be accidently turned on. Mine is in a drawer somewhere.
Bill

tweir · 07-16-2004, 04:12 AM

Bill,
I think you are correct. The reason we still use ours is so that when we do our unit "shut down" after a trip, it forces ME to check the water heater for any visable leaks. Kinda like having the 'ol string tied around your finger so you don't forget...!

D and M On The Road · 07-16-2004, 05:05 AM

We had a recent leak from our hot water heater. We ended up replacing the pressure relief valve and the anode rod (spelling?). Everything is working fine for now..

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