Hot Water heater not working - Montana Owners Club

Rlates · 01-14-2021, 08:56 PM

All,

My 2021 295RL water heater just quit working. Fuse in the panel is good, it was working just a few hours ago. Just out of the blue stopped working.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Daryles · 01-14-2021, 09:56 PM

Which side is not working? Electric mode or propane mode?
On your outside water heater panel make sure the switch is on. There are also 2 reset buttons under the black rubber covers. Make sure they are pushed in.
Make sure your furnace is working. They are tied together somewhere. I once had the furnace fuse out and the water heater didn't work.
Also, behind your inside electrical control panel there is a 5A inline fuse behind the electric mode switch.

Rlates · 01-14-2021, 10:03 PM

So it’s the electric side. Propane side works. Reset buttons are pushed in. Switch in lower left is on. This thing RV is brand new and it was working this afternoon. Left for a few hours and came home to a non working hot water heater. 10 amp fuse on the breaker box is good.

Where is that 5 amp inline fuse? Inside the rig or outside?

RMcNeal · 01-15-2021, 04:43 AM

The 5 amp fuse in the picture is located behind the switch panel inside the rig. The panel with all your light switches, slide switches, etc. Take off the screws around the panel and pull lightly. You should be able to find the inline fuse behind the switch for the water heater. Just trace the wires from there. Be careful, mine looked like a rat's nest when I first opened it.

psomers · 01-15-2021, 05:22 AM

Check for 120 VAC at heating element. If voltage is good maybe heating element. If not good, trace back. Small switch at bottom of water heater is maybe bad.

Rlates · 01-15-2021, 06:31 AM

How do I check for 120 voltage at the heating element?

Daryles · 01-15-2021, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rlates

How do I check for 120 voltage at the heating element?

You will need a multimeter and you will need to know how to use it. If you are in doubt call a pro. Not worth getting hurt. Electricity can kill.

Basic uses of a multimeter for RVers

BB_TX · 01-15-2021, 08:19 AM

Checking for 120 vac at the heating element is definitely the place to start troubleshooting. But if you are not comfortable troubleshooting live 120 vac power with a voltmeter. you should probably call a mobile RV repairman.

There are a number of things that can cause the electric side (and propane side for that matter) to stop working. Bad heating element, thermostat/hi temp cutout, switch, circuit breaker, fuse, bad/loose wire, all can cause it. And to find the cause requires a step by step approach to finding that cause.

twindman · 01-15-2021, 10:27 AM

Mine was intermittent. Finally got worse. It was the reset button/breaker. A dealer near our site actually had one in stock. I think it was pretty easy to replace.

sourdough · 01-15-2021, 11:37 AM

You may be experiencing what I was, and am, experiencing. Mine quit on the electric side as well. No power to the heating element but good continuity, nothing to the reset switches but good continuity then found a burned up switch (assuming Suburban WH) and replaced. Still had no power to the switch. On another forum I was advised of a relay on the back of the Suburban wh that is prone to burning up. I suspect (am fairly certain) that is where my problem is (no breaker problems and power is leaving the power panel). It requires pulling the WH to get to the relay and I'm still under warranty so advised the dealership and Keystone, killed the AC to the WH and I'm running on LP until I get back to TX for repairs.

You very well may have the same issue - sure sounds like mine. If it were me I'd cut to the chase and check for 120VAC coming into the switch. If it's not there you have a problem back toward the power panel and it eliminates the other components at the WH. You did not say that you had checked the breaker (120vac) in the breaker panel - make sure it is on/good.

Rlates · 01-15-2021, 03:11 PM

Update,

Appreciate everyone’s input. Ding Ding the winner is sourdough! It was the A/C relay in the upper left side. The entire water heater had to be removed. A wire was not crimped properly and it arched and burnt up the relay. I hired an awesome repair guy. If your ever in or around Eglin AFB FL I recommend Lanier RV Repair and Shawn and his family are awesome!

BB_TX · 01-15-2021, 05:53 PM

Poor wiring connections on the relay and junction box has been a problem reported here on a number of units.

FloridaFlockers · 01-16-2021, 05:29 AM

RLates, glad you got your heater fixed and thanks for the RV repairman tip. We are out at Mid Bay Shores in Niceville and always interested in hearing of good mobile repairmen.

Got a follow up question for you or the MOC brain trust...... did you notice if your repairman was able to pull the water heater out to access the relay "without" loosening of removing anything (water lines..) from the rear of the heater? Or was he able to ease it out for access by just removing the exterior mounting screws? Thanks Joe

Daryles · 01-16-2021, 06:57 AM

Thanks for sharing. Glad you got it fixed ��
It seems like the manual doesn't show that in the diagram, but if you study page 11 figure 10 and 11 you can see the relay and how it lets the 120vac through. I don't see the relay listed in the parts illustration.

beeje · 01-16-2021, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rlates

Update,

Appreciate everyone’s input. Ding Ding the winner is sourdough! It was the A/C relay in the upper left side. The entire water heater had to be removed. A wire was not crimped properly and it arched and burnt up the relay. I hired an awesome repair guy. If your ever in or around Eglin AFB FL I recommend Lanier RV Repair and Shawn and his family are awesome!

Had the same exact issue last year, except much worse looking. I eliminated the 12 volt relay and installed a 120 volt switch in the wall of the bathroom to control the heater.

By the way, your title says ("Hot water heater"). A George Carlon original, You don't need to heat hot water. LOL

laverdur · 01-20-2021, 03:50 PM

I read enough of this thread to know it your electric side that is not working. Same thing happened to me when my Monty was fairly new. Al little troubleshooting with a multi-meter revealed the problem was a failed thermostat on the water heater. It was a 5 minute fix after I drove across three states to find a replacement thermostat.

Drdon1057 · 01-25-2021, 04:05 AM

Check propane, a low tank will cause it not to fire up. Happy Trails and Stay Safe

c402c1 · 07-19-2021, 11:23 PM

Both electric and propane quit working. Pulling my hair out. Read this about the furnace fuse. That was the issue. Apparently all or part of the 12v circuit related to HW heater is powered by the furnace circuit. Who would have thought. Thanks. Saved me many more hours of trouble shooting.

432bartman · 07-20-2021, 08:32 AM

Rlates, thank you for posting your photos and what ultimately was the source of the problem.

cait42190 · 09-15-2023, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daryles

Which side is not working? Electric mode or propane mode?
On your outside water heater panel make sure the switch is on. There are also 2 reset buttons under the black rubber covers. Make sure they are pushed in.
Make sure your furnace is working. They are tied together somewhere. I once had the furnace fuse out and the water heater didn't work.
Also, behind your inside electrical control panel there is a 5A inline fuse behind the electric mode switch.

Good morning,

Just got a 2021 3210RL and I am experiencing the same issues with the hot water heater. My switch is turned on but one of my reset buttons feels as though it is not wanting to reset. It feels slightly out. What could I do to correct this?

You may also like: