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Old 04-25-2011, 04:10 AM   #1
mopar1
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Oops with the hot water heater.

Long story short I was not able to be at the camper when DW got there so she opened everything up like normal and started the heater and turned on the electric portion of the hot water heater. Unfortunately I did not have it filled up with water so looks like it's time for a new element. I think it's a standard element just like the ones in the house so I am going to get it taken out and will let everybody know what I find.
I reinstalled the drain plug which was still in the bottom beside the on switch (I never told DW about the drain plug) filled it up with water and heated with propane. I had never used propane before. It lasted a day and quit working. The gas valve opens but the propane does not light. I can't hear any sparks either. I tried to manually light it. It will light for maybe 5 seconds and then goes out. I took the thermocouple out and cleaned it. Still did not help. Maybe it's bad already??
 
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Old 04-25-2011, 04:19 AM   #2
bncinwv
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Standard replacement element can be had at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. Is there propane available inside?? Stove, etc.?? Obvious, but worth checking. Sounds like the gas supply needs cleaned?? There have been notable problems previously discussed on the forum, with spiders and other insects clogging the supply.
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Old 04-25-2011, 04:29 AM   #3
awaywego
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If it won't try to spark try hitting the reset inside the water heater compartment.
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Old 04-25-2011, 04:55 AM   #4
mopar1
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by bncinwv

Standard replacement element can be had at Lowes, Home Depot, etc. Is there propane available inside?? Stove, etc.?? Obvious, but worth checking. Sounds like the gas supply needs cleaned?? There have been notable problems previously discussed on the forum, with spiders and other insects clogging the supply.
Bingo
Yes, the other propane powered appliances work. It will only stay lit momentarily. is that a symptom of a plugged gas supply line? Guess I should have searched more on this subject. Thanks for the info on where to buy the elements.

awaywego, I pushed the resets inside but nothing seemed to move. The spark box is mounted outside the heater on the wall. I did not find any resets there. I would shut off the switch and retry it. It did not spark. If I used a spark lighter it would light for a couple of seconds.
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Old 04-25-2011, 05:55 AM   #5
bw2
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Look for two round rubber plugs above the gas line on the water heater, those are the reset buttons. I had a problem one time, I had to fill the tank with cold water/cooler water and then hit the reset buttons. Then the gas and ignited and remaoined ignited. Good luck
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Old 04-25-2011, 07:00 AM   #6
kingdaddy
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Just so I make I am understanding this...when you are hooked up to city water supply, the water heater will fill with water, correct?
In other words, you only have to "fill" the water heater if you are using your fresh water tank with the pump? I.E. dry camping?
Also, seems like I heard you can use both electric AND propane to heat the water for faster recovery time...is that true?
I think I remember that you have to hold a button for like 30 seconds or so when lighting the pilot (like water heaters at home) not sure if this applies here tho...
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Old 04-25-2011, 12:36 PM   #7
awaywego
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Mike,
You only need to fill the water heater if you have emptied it. If you drain it , as in the winter then you need to make sure the water heater bypass valve is off and then when you hook to city water it will fill your water heater also. You can use gas and electric at the same time but I never need the gas since the electric keep plenty of hot water.
When you use the on board water tank it will also keep the water heater full just as the city water does.
Hope this helps.
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Old 04-25-2011, 01:13 PM   #8
sreigle
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by kingdaddy

Just so I make I am understanding this...when you are hooked up to city water supply, the water heater will fill with water, correct?
In other words, you only have to "fill" the water heater if you are using your fresh water tank with the pump? I.E. dry camping?
Also, seems like I heard you can use both electric AND propane to heat the water for faster recovery time...is that true?
I think I remember that you have to hold a button for like 30 seconds or so when lighting the pilot (like water heaters at home) not sure if this applies here tho...
Just a comment, for what it's worth... when we were seasonal campers I'd fill the tank at the beginning of the season and not drain it until the end of the season, even if we weren't going to use it for a couple of weeks or so. Never had any water quality problems.

Mopar1, It sounds like your gas valve may be working ok since it runs for awhile. But, just in case, about a month ago I had to replace the gas valve on ours. It would click and I could feel the click, just like it was working. And I could hear and see the igniter sparking. But no propane would flow. I loosened the outlet connection and could not detect any propane. I then loosened the input connection and could smell propane, so then I knew it was the valve. If you have to order one, CW and most other places want $125 or so. I found a place online who sent me a brand new one for $89.39 including sales tax (I was in the same state, California) and shipping and I had it in two days. Just checked. It's americanrvcompany.com It was the same brand, etc, as the original.
161109 is the model number for ours. I got that from the manual. You need the model number when you contact them.
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Old 04-25-2011, 02:25 PM   #9
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I had similar problem two camping trips ago, could not get hot water, and the fire would not light. Long story short, I had the Water Heater Pass still on. The water in the tank was hot, so it wouldn't light, or draw any AMPs on electric.

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Old 04-25-2011, 04:06 PM   #10
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A couple of other things to check. The control board might be loose. Mine was stuck to the top of the tank with double sided tape. There's a cable that goes to it via and edge connector, and that's where it gets loose and sometimes corroded.

In order for the burner to ignite there has to be enough voltage coming from the thermocouple within a few seconds of igniting. If the flame is not strong enough what you describes is what happens.

The proper guage of guitar string makes a great orifice cleaner....
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Old 04-25-2011, 04:24 PM   #11
sreigle
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The symptoms sure sound like a problem with the thermocouple to me. It lights and burns for a few seconds and then shuts off the gas. You might check the connection on the wire from the thermocouple. The thermocouple should be sitting close to the burner near the flame.
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Old 04-26-2011, 02:58 AM   #12
7.3Ford
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by 7.3Ford

I had similar problem two camping trips ago, could not get hot water, and the fire would not light. Long story short, I had the Water Heater By Pass still on. The water in the tank was hot, so it wouldn't light, or draw any AMPs on electric.

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Old 04-26-2011, 04:41 AM   #13
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I removed the heating element today. It was burned completely through on one side. It's a 120V 1440W heating element. The local hardware store has an element that is 1600W. I wonder if 160W will make a difference with the wiring or fuse size? I know faster heat would make a welcome addition due to the wait time between four showers being taken.
Just a FYI...it takes a 1 1/2 socket to remove it. I did not have that size but the owner of the campground did.
I removed the cover over the reset push buttons to see if maybe it was not put on correctly because when I pushed them in I could not feel anything move or reset. I found the reset buttons are just two light duty little rods that make contact on the limit switches. They do not move much. Maybe an 16th of an inch. Thats why I did not feel anything. They are not a reset that like pushes in and holds. Just a momentary contactor. So I guess I did try to reset them.
With any luck the electric heater side will be working again after I buy another element but the gas side is still a mystery.
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Old 04-26-2011, 02:14 PM   #14
scductman
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Mopar1 the new ones that I have seen local are all 1500w a 1600w should be fine only .8amps more. I burned one out this pass winter and when I got a new one I bought 2 app 4.00$ each and a WH element socket APP 3.00$ [a pc of pipe stamped into a socket with a hole] to store in the basement. Just in case!
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Old 04-27-2011, 03:30 AM   #15
mopar1
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Stopped at the hardware store today to pick up the element. The 1650W element was very long. Seemed like it was probably too long to fit in there. It was about 1 foot or so long. They do stock a 1440W element but they were out of stock.
scductman,I guess I need to shop elsewhere because their 1650W element was $16.00 and the 1440W was $10.60. The socket was $8.40. Sounds like a trip to Lowes is in order.
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Old 04-27-2011, 03:41 AM   #16
bncinwv
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Our replacement was a 1500 watt element from Lowes. I had to take the old one with me to make sure the length was right.
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Old 04-27-2011, 03:26 PM   #17
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What Bingo said.
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