Water heater element
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2601
Printed Date: 21 May 2024 at 12:09am
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Topic: Water heater element
Posted By: Gerald
Subject: Water heater element
Date Posted: 25 May 2012 at 1:14pm
 Fried my electric water heater element on our first trip this year. Stupid me forgot to fill the hot water tank before flipping on the electric switch on the heater. Has anyone replaced the element themselves?------------- 2010 R-Pod 177 / 2009 GMC Canyon 4X4 Gerald, Lydia and The Boys (2 Shelties)......Canuck Podders |
Replies:
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 25 May 2012 at 4:40pm
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Happens.. This is without having done it before: just a WAG.. Should be no big deal, looks like you disconnect from shore power, throw breaker, remove the black cover right next to the switch, disconnect wires, unscrew the element, screw in the new, hook up wires, replace cover, fill with water, reset breaker, reconnect shore power, heat. Don't forget a little teflon tape on the threads. OR maybe not.. it appears on some RV water heaters the element is in the BACK of the unit.. Now I gotta go look.. EDIT:.. works just like I thought. ASSUMING you have the same suburban SW6DE I have.. the part number appears to be: 232767 The manual: http://manuals.adventurerv.net/SW6D-SW6DE-SW6DM-SW6DEM-Installation.pdf Did you try the "reset" buttons..? ------------- |
Posted By: greynomad
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 10:01am
 I believe I am right behind you on the fried elements for the hot water system.When I picked up the RPOD I had so much information thrown at me in a very short period of time I missed getting more details on the hot water system. Not a great way to learn the system......... |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 9:25pm
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Do all the pods have an electric element? I have never found a switch in the water heater bay. Do we have a picture posted somewhere here that shows where it is>
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 9:32pm
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Just make sure at the beginning of the season that you hook up your hose at home, and leave one of the hot water valves open until the air stops sputtering out. Then you can leave it filled until you winterize in the fall.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 10:17pm
AFTER you set the 3 valves to non-bypass... else.. well... you know.. ------------- |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 10:18pm
Yes, I believe this to be true. The brocure said they all had 2 way water heaters.. ------------- |
Posted By: ToddsPod
Date Posted: 27 May 2012 at 10:46pm
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http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2220&KW=water+heater+switch+pic&PID=20649&title=location-of-gas-switch-for-hot-water-heater#20649 -
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2220&KW=water+heater+switch+pic&PID=20649&title=location-of-gas-switch-for-hot-water-heater#20649
There's a picture at the above link (second picture), but the switch is hidden, I'm sure if you get in there you can find it yourself with a little searching. It does help on the hot water recovery if you have both the gas and electric on, but of course you'd have to be at a site with electric. -------------  
'07 Dodge RAM 1500 ST Longbed QuadCab 4.7L V8 --- '10 Forest River R-Pod 172 |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 28 May 2012 at 7:34am
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Thanks. I will look again today.
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 28 May 2012 at 12:22pm
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Found it!
------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: kmcmurph
Date Posted: 28 May 2012 at 2:53pm
| I think the element is a pretty easy item to replace. They cost about $15 and should be a pretty quick fix. |
Posted By: Tilly
Date Posted: 31 May 2012 at 2:06pm
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Ok I got everything except where it is . Next to what switch? ------------- traveling with the girls |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 31 May 2012 at 2:48pm
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Welcome, Tilly. I've never replaced it myself so I'll defer to others for your question. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 31 May 2012 at 3:41pm
Are you asking about the electric on/off switch for the water heater? If so, then it is the outside water heater box, down low, left side, little black on/off rocker slightly hidden.
The electric element is under the black cover, right and up, from the switch in the heater compartment, 2 screws hold that cover on.
The gas heat on/off switch is inside the camper, on a 177, on the left wall as you enter the camper.
------------- |
Posted By: Footslogger03
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2012 at 10:00am
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Excellent topic ...since we are just about to get our 177 ready for its first "shake down" trip next weekend.
So ...sounds like the first thing to do is set the water valves to the proper position (non bypass) Then hook up to city water supply, open the faucets on the sink and start water flowing through the system get the anti-freeze and air out of the lines. Then I should be ready to go ? MJ ------------- Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2012 at 12:43pm
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Flushing the system by using the city water connection won't clear out the water pump, you also don't want to send any antifreeze or bleach into the water heater. First change into clothes that you don't care about, then: 1. Fill the fresh water tank, adding 1/2 cup of bleach during the fill process.
2. Open 1 of the low-point drains, turn on the pump until it runs clear, turn the pump off, close the drain (turn the pump off first or you will spray yourself with bleach water trying to get the cap on).
3. Open the other low-point drain, pump on, run clear, pump off, close the drain.
4. Pump on. All the remaining steps assume you keep the valves open until they run clear.
5. Hold the toilet flush valve open.
6. Open the shower cold valve, close, then do the hot water side. Don't do both at the same time, you won't know if one has run clear and the other hasn't. If your pod has the mini-sink in the shower, do the same with it.
7. Do the same with the kitchen sink.
8. If you've added any other water connection (I added an outside shower), do the same with it.
9. Turn off the pump.
10. Top off the fresh water tank.
11. Wait at least 3 hours, preferrably overnight. You now have bleach in every possible nook which will sanitize the system.
After 3 hours or the next day:
1. Drain the fresh water tank using the drain hole on the bottom.
2. Refill the tank.
3. Repeat steps 4-9 from the last checklist (I would skip the low-point drains, but you may not want to), waiting about the same time on each valve that you did when you were waiting for the pink to disappear.
4. You may want to repeat steps 1-3 once or twice more, I don't. I let the remaining bleach odor just work its way out during the first trip of the season.
5. Now change the valves on the water heater - hot and cold lines parallel to the water pipe, the valve in the middle perpendicular.
6. Open the hot water valve on the kitchen sink. Wait for the air sputtering to stop. Your water heater is now full. I would let it run another minute to flush it out.
7. Either top off or drain the remaining water in the fresh water tank as desired.
Seems like a lot of steps, but the "day 1" checklist only takes 10-15 minutes. "Day 2" is maybe 15-20 depending on how many times you rinse the system.
All that said, I plan on cheating this year. The RV antifreeze is in the alcohol family (which is why it doesn't freeze), so everything but the fresh water tank should be sanitized already. I drain my fresh water tank and the feed line to the pump just as much as possible in the fall so I'll probably just fill it, clear out all the antifreeze in the pump and water lines using that water, and then drain it. There's little opportunity for something to grow in the tank and certainly no way for it to grow in the water lines. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2012 at 12:48pm
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I just updated the "instruction and maintenance manual" thread with this info. This post has info on other areas of the pod that should be checked:
http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723&PID=14734&title=creating-an-instruction-maintanence-manual#14734 - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723&PID=14734&title=creating-an-instruction-maintanence-manual#14734 ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: greynomad
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 6:55am
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Can we get back to the basic's here on the hot water system before we cook another element? Before you do anything you fill the water tank, which I didn't.........Before I get to far ahead of myself, I am hooked up to a 30 amp system. You then walk inside the POD and there is a switch which say's," Water Heater", now is this sucker for gas or electric? Some where in the forum I am reading that the switch for Electric heater is outside in the heater control panel? aloha from Hawaii |
Posted By: ToddsPod
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 7:11am
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Yup, that's the gas switch, the electric switch is outside on the bottom right of the water heater panel, just behind the brass tubing. -------------
'07 Dodge RAM 1500 ST Longbed QuadCab 4.7L V8 --- '10 Forest River R-Pod 172 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 5:26pm
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Bottom left.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
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Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 5:39pm
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As a suggestion, in the instruction manual how to maintenance manual, what about a step by step on how to replace the water heater element with pictures. Seems that quite a few folks have "smoked/cooked" their electric water heater element over a period of time. If its already done, I doff my hat to you. Safe Travels. ------------- Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder |
Posted By: Footslogger03
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 6:14pm
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[QUOTE=greynomad] Can we get back to the basic's here on the hot water system before we cook another element?Before you do anything you fill the water tank, which I didn't.........Before I get to far ahead of myself, I am hooked up to a 30 amp system. You then walk inside the POD and there is a switch which say's," Water Heater", now is this sucker for gas or electric? Some where in the forum I am reading that the switch for Electric heater is outside in the heater control panel?aloha from Hawaii
================================ So did you ever get your question answered - - in other words, is it a GAS or ELECTRIC hot water heater - - and/or do both the inside (gas) switch AND the outside (electric) switch need to be turned on in order for the hot water heater to work. Thanks ...just a newbie with dumb questions :-) MJ ------------- Livin' the Dream ...'Slogger |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 7:00pm
The water heater is both electric and gas. It can be used as either, or both, as your needs and hook ups allow. To run it in electric mode, you must be hooked up to a 30amp supply. Open the outside water heater cover, and in the lower left corner area, BEHIND the gas burner plumbing, you will see a small black on/off rocker. Switch to ON. You should now be heating with the electric element. If 30amp 120v is not available, the switch on the INSIDE needs to be turned on. That turns on the gas burner system. The valve on the propane tank must be turned on, and you have to have 12v available to run the brain. But you need 12v to run the pump also.. so no big deal. Or if you have water, but not power hook ups.. something I have never seen. Electricty and no water, seen that. If you have teenagers or something, (I ain't saying who uses all our hot water..) and they used up all the hot water.. for a faster "recovery" time, you can run both systems at the same time. ------------- |
Posted By: Camper Bob
Date Posted: 05 Jun 2012 at 8:19pm
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In my experience, that is about the finest answer that you will ever get. Covers it all. Way to go furpod. Safe travels. ------------- Camper Bob and Camper Sue Gracie the Wonder Dog (12 LB. Mini Dachshund) 2013 Rpod 171HRE(ORPod) 2016 Lance 1685 2015 Nissan Pathfinder |