Water heater on LP??
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Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12899
Printed Date: 10 May 2024 at 11:06am
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Topic: Water heater on LP??
Posted By: Jholler
Subject: Water heater on LP??
Date Posted: 03 Jun 2019 at 12:07pm
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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). ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG"> 
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Replies:
Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 9:59am
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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 ------------- OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel |
Posted By: Jholler
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 9:41pm
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All good now. Seems the propane is locked out unless you throw the breaker for the electric water heater. ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG">
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Posted By: DavMar
Date Posted: 04 Jun 2019 at 10:44pm
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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.
------------- Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the wonder dog. 2017 Rpod 180 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4 Lexington, NC |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 7:29am
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? TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Jholler
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 9:04am
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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. ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG">
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 9:29am
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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. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Jholler
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 10:40am
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Gonna have to wait, I'm boondocking now, running on LP and solar! Is the thermostat on the water heater set, or adjustable? ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG">
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Posted By: Jholler
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 10:41am
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Good point though, the thermostat may have been preventing ignition. ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG">
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 12:40pm
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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. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Jholler
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2019 at 1:49pm
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Lol, I was wanting hotter. ------------- 2015 rpod 179 2014 Ram ecoDiesel HFE 2009-ish Chihuahua https://ibb.co/S3qvZKG">
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Posted By: crankster78
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2019 at 8:40am
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Greetings: If you look in the packet that came with the pod, you will find a book on the Suburban Water heater. It has the wiring diagram for both the 120 and 12 volt systems. The current flow for both go though the high limit shut off and the thermostats separate for each. The 12 volt has a control module which contains the circuit for the ignitor and is wired back to the fault light, plus to the gas valve. With a multimeter, you should be able to determine what part is at fault. Be sure and shut off the 120 breaker at the panel in the camper before doing any trouble shooting. I would think that most RV dealers would have the parts and there is always Amazon. Crankster78 R-179 2015 ------------- Crankster 78 R-179 2015 |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2019 at 9:10am
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Incase there is still confusion, I believe he means that if the circuit breaker inside the converter box is shut off for the water heater, It won't allow the w/h to run on propane either. Thats how I read this. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 08 Jun 2019 at 9:30am
To further clarify, the cb for the 120Vac water heater element has no connection at all to the 12V circuit for the propane water heater system. You can be disconnected from 120Vac and/or have that cb off and it won't effect the water heater operation on propane. Except that if the 120Vac has already heated the water the propane heater won't need to run, or vice versa. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |