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Jholler View Drop Down
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Posts: 99 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: Water heater on LP??
    Posted: 03 Jun 2019 at 12:07pm
Day three of my monthlong vacation, and the gas water heater has decided to quit! DSI fault light doesn't even flicker when I flip the water heater switch. Stove and fridge are burning just fine. No ticking from the igniter, and no gas flowing at the water heater. All breakers are good, all fuses are good (continuity check w DMM).
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Posts: 328 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 9:59am
If you are hooked up to electric, make sure you have water in the water heater tank and go outside and open the trap door to the heater and look for the switch to turn it on.  This will most likely work as it is not uncommon for the propane end of the heater to break. Then when you get back you can look into fixing the heater
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Jholler View Drop Down
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Posts: 99 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 9:41pm
All good now. Seems the propane is locked out unless you throw the breaker for the electric water heater.
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Posts: 592 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 10:44pm
Glad to hear all is A-Okay now for you Jholler. Yet unless I'm dead wrong if you go outside and open the water heater panel and throw the little switch to on the heater its for only turning on the electric element in the heater and not the propane. If I am some how wrong then I hope some one tells me otherwise. 
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Posts: 1446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 7:29am
Originally posted by Jholler

All good now. Seems the propane is locked out unless you throw the breaker for the electric water heater.

The LP and electric heating elements are totally separate.  If the LP is working since you flipped a breaker it's a coincidence.  Are you sure you have LP hot water and not electric hot water?

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Posts: 99 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 9:04am
I have both, I've used both. IIRC, I had the internal breaker on, external rocker switch off, and the LP wouldn't come on. No gas flow, no clicking. I turned off the internal breaker, and now all is well, burning fine.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 9:29am
TT is correct, there should not be any connection at all between the LP and AC electrical heating systems. If there is then something strange is going on, which would be a problem in itself. Unless of course the outside rocker was on and the water was already hot from running the AC element, then there would be no need for the LP to come on when you turned on the LP heater switch. 

So, I suggest you try again to run the gas with the AC element on to be sure that what you think was happening was indeed the case. Shut both systems off and let everything cool off first or run some hot water out so that both systems will be calling for heat, then turn on the AC and then the propane. 
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Posts: 99 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 10:40am
Gonna have to wait, I'm boondocking now, running on LP and solar! Is the thermostat on the water heater set, or adjustable?
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Posts: 99 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 10:41am
Good point though, the thermostat may have been preventing ignition.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 12:40pm
There are two thermostats, one for LP and one for 120Vac, and they're both preset. They are little poppet tstats,  not adjustable, and they're set HOT. 

 I have a mod you can search for if you want to add an adjustable tstat on the propane side to  bring the temperature down to something comfortable. Saves water while boondocking because you don't have to waste water while you're adjusting the temp. 
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