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Old 05-06-2011, 04:25 PM   #1
The Weekenders
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Kinda ticked off!

I posted here a month ago about my water heater and furnace not working properly. First the furnace, had trouble with the igniter not kicking in, sprayed the reset switch with contact cleaner and it started to work properly for about 2 weeks. Now the igniter won't kick in and the red light on the circuit board blinks once. Had the same reset switch checked out on a meter and it responds like it should. Problem 2: the on/off switch on my hot water heater won't heat the water. Works fine on the propane end though. Took that switch off and had it tested which works fine on the meter. Any ideas for both issues would be appreciated. Should I be contacting my Montana dealer 75 miles away or should I go to some heating and plumbing experts? Thanks!
 
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Old 05-06-2011, 04:32 PM   #2
bncinwv
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Sounds like the electric heating element needs replaced. Recent threads detailed the procedure. Replacements are available at Lowes, etc.
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Old 05-06-2011, 05:16 PM   #3
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Ah ha, did a search on this forum and some one mentioned to check the breaker panel and sure enough, the water heater breaker was tripped. Flipped it back on and will see what happens in the morning. Search engine is a wonderful thing!
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Old 05-07-2011, 06:52 AM   #4
Art-n-Marge
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It may not be over, yet. When any of the breakers reset, one always gotta wonder why. This can be preventing another problem which might need addressing that is causing the reset. Hopefully it doesn't reset again, and it becomes just one of those things to keep in mind. Good luck to you.

But Bingo is right, if the reset occurs again it still might be a faulty element (not the switch) that needs replacing. Fortunately, this problem occurs frequently enough and replacements can be easily found. Just be aware to know your model number to get a proper replacement.
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Old 05-07-2011, 10:32 AM   #5
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I reset it last nite, checked for hot water this morning and none. After doing a search on here, it may well be my element. I am 75 miles from a hardware store that will have this. As far as my furnace issues, when setting the reset button, the blower will kick on but will go on and off when tapping the circuit board. Pulled off all the wires to that and sprayed with contact cleaner and still same issues. Probably a bad board. Will get that looked at next time I get up to the dealer 75 miles away. When it rains, it poors.
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Old 05-07-2011, 11:06 AM   #6
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Rick, we had a similar problem with the furnace on this Montana when it was still pretty new. I called the tech support folks and they had me pull the cover, then wiggle the wires near the switch on the side of the (I think) blower unit. There are some wire connections there. When I wiggled those wires the blower would go on and off, like yours. I found a bad connection near that switch. Fixed that connection and it's been fine ever since. That was probably 4 years ago. Might not be your problem but an easy and cheap fix if it is.
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Old 05-08-2011, 01:28 PM   #7
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UPDATE: A friend and myself said we are going to figure this furnace issue out once and for all. We inspected the circuit board and no browning (burnt) spots. Fired it up and started wiggling on wires and the burner kicked in and produced heat. OK, which wire is giving us troubles, after 5-10 minutes of wiggling wires we discovered two that would shut the blower off. A wire going through a grommet was pinched and when pulled it was half broken. Cut out the bad spot and respliced and it started up normally. To double check, we continued wiggling on that wire, no issues but moving up and wiggling others, the blower would stop on and off. Traced it to the blue wire on the reset switch. It had a connecter that tapped in the wire it self a half inch above the switch. Opened that connecter and you could see where it had been shorting out from it not being properly "biting" into the wire. Cleaned up the connecter and wire and reattached it very tightly with the plier. Fired up the furnace and everything kicked on normally and pulled that wire and all others with no issues. Hopefully that solves it. Later in the week, we will tackle the water heater and will test the element to see if that is the culprit. Thanks for tuning in
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:21 PM   #8
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I'm glad to hear your furnace problem is fixed. Very similar to what I found on ours. I suspect you have fixed it.

On the water heater problem, I think I understand it works fine on propane, just not on electricity. You mentioned the on/off switch so I assume that's the switch on the water heater itself. First, make sure the breaker is not tripped. It's on the breaker panel inside the rig. On ours, nothing else is on that circuit.

If the breaker is not tripped, then it's very possible you have a bad electric heating element. If you ever had that switch and breaker turned on with no water in the heater then that's it. That element will fry in seconds if not covered with water. Several here have reported buying a replacement at Lowe's and Home Depot for around 10 bucks. They said the element they removed from the heater was 1440 watts and the replacement 1500 watts. I don't know why that wouldn't work just fine. They also said to take the old one with you to make sure you get the right length.

I don't know how to test that element. Maybe you can check for continuity with an ohm meter but I don't know that for sure. Maybe one of our more knowledgeable about electrical items people will help out here.

Good luck with the water heater. I really will be surprised if you have not fixed the furnace problem. Good job of troubleshooting.
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Old 05-08-2011, 02:40 PM   #9
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Thanks Steve! The breaker was tripped on the panel inside. I know for a fact I turned off the heater switch last fall when winterizing cause it was a bearcat to turn on this spring. I had the switch checked and it is working as it should. Put it back in and it does not heat on electric, just propane. Checked breaker again and it did not trip again. Still suspecting the element.
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Old 05-09-2011, 08:05 AM   #10
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3 checks you can make.
1- if you have 115 volts across both screws of the element the circuit is fine. If not it's either the breaker, switch or the thermostat.
2- if the voltage is fine take an amp meter and check the current. If it's about 12.5 amps the element is working ok. If no amperage the element is burned out. If the element is burned out it may be cheaper for someone to mail you a new one Than drive 75 miles.
3- If you don't have an amp meter you can use an ohm meter. With the power off disconnect one wire from the element and check the reading across both screws, it should be about 9 ohms. If not the element is bad.

I hope this helps. Good luck
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Old 05-17-2011, 03:05 PM   #11
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If you have a Home Depot or Lowe's (or maybe Ace or other hardware store?) you can get a new element for around ten bucks or so. Take the old one with you to get the right length. Someone reported the old one is something around 1400 watts and the one they bought at HD is 1500 watts. I'm not positive the numbers but the point is if it's a little bit hotter that's apparently not a problem. I've not replaced ours so am just relaying that info from some other recent posts.
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Old 05-17-2011, 03:59 PM   #12
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A caution about a hotter element - the watts is the current draw. If it's higher (just a few percent), then it may pop the breaker more easily?
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Old 05-17-2011, 04:17 PM   #13
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Don't worry about the new element being 1500 watt it will only pull 1/2amp more that the one in there now.
I cked mine when I changed it for that reason. JMHO
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