Hot water heater propane not igniting and staying kit

SW6DE is the model

donn0128 wrote:
Suburban did have a bad batch of igniter boards a couple of years ago. But to effectively trouble shoot the OP must give is make and model number.

We've had this unit since March '17

Suburban did have a bad batch of igniter boards a couple of years ago. But to effectively trouble shoot the OP must give us make and model number of his equipment.

Old-Biscuit wrote:
So which BRAND/MODEL is IT :H

Suburban I believe it's a D.E model

I tried posting earlier, but the page kept asking if I were a bot.

So which BRAND/MODEL is IT :H

D.E.Bishop wrote:
I think there are only two possible problems, the igniter itself is bad or the igniter board is bad. The metal tip of the igniter should be about 1/8" from the burner and you should be able to see and hear it when the gas starts flowing. Excessive space and the spark won't jump the gap or maybe a loose connection from the board to the igniter.

The board itself could be bad. There is a tester for the board and seeing as how it is under warranty, I'd take it to the dealer.

Testing is a 30 second thing with replacement of BO parts a little longer.

The procedure the heater will follow and trouble shooting instruction are probably in the manual.

Shutting down after a few seconds of no ignition is a built in safety feature, same as the FAU heater.

I've been reading the manual, there is no troubleshooting section.

What Brand/Model?

If it is DSI (Direct Spark Ignition) then gas valve solenoid and Spark electrode are energized at same time.
Spark electrode fires (Click, click, click) while gas flows to burner ---spark ignites flame and then 'flame proving' signal is sensed by circuit board and holds dc on gas valve/stops it to spark electrode.

No spark....
Wrong gap ----should be 1/8"--3/16"
Bad wire connection from board to electrode...loose/dirty
Bad wire thru ceramic...replace electrode
Bad ground connection....electrode mounting screw provides ground....clean/tight
Bad circuit board....spark circuit/high voltage transformer etc

Water temp has to be down below 100*F/110*F (Brand/Model) in order for t-stat to close and call for heating. Otherwise no reason to heat.

I think there are only two possible problems, the igniter itself is bad or the igniter board is bad. The metal tip of the igniter should be about 1/8" from the burner and you should be able to see and hear it when the gas starts flowing. Excessive space and the spark won't jump the gap or maybe a loose connection from the board to the igniter.

The board itself could be bad. There is a tester for the board and seeing as how it is under warranty, I'd take it to the dealer.

Testing is a 30 second thing with replacement of BO parts a little longer.

The procedure the heater will follow and trouble shooting instruction are probably in the manual.

Shutting down after a few seconds of no ignition is a built in safety feature, same as the FAU heater.

nayther wrote:
Do you hear the igniter clicking and see a spark? Can you light it with a match? The pilot lights first, then once it senses the heat from the pilot via the thermocouple the main burner opens and fires the heater.

I can hear the igniter click and smell propane. I was able to light with a bic lighter. It shuts off after a few seconds. I only get it to flow the propane after I run water a few seconds, almost sensing low water to reheat again.

Do you hear the igniter clicking and see a spark? Can you light it with a match? The pilot lights first, then once it senses the heat from the pilot via the thermocouple the main burner opens and fires the heater.