Troubleshooting a water heater issue
I have been battling a water heater issue and figured it was time to have the forum take a crack at it. My water heater is made by a company that no longer exists. Apparently it was bought out by ...
Forum Discussion
I have been working on many different projects, but have a successful RV repair update. If this thread should move the general section, I don't have a problem with that.
I have continued to work on my water heater issue by pulling the anode rod (there was no rod left-it, was just a plug) and looking inside the tank. The inside was in darned good shape, so I decided it was worth some effort and money to see if I could get this guy up and running again.
The first thing I did was put in an anode rod and convert to electric with a Camco "Hybrid Heat" kit. It's only a 450 watt element, but it certainly gets the water over 125 degrees. The hardest part of the install was getting 120V over to the area by the water heater. The instructions in the Hybrid Heat kit are very clear and it worked like a charm by the time I was done.
Now that I had a functional water heater, I turned my attention to the LPG function. I found a 12V solenoid coil that allowed me to repair/test my existing valve/reg. setup. I also tried a new flame sensor ($20), but it would still turn on, then die almost immediately. After some more testing, I decided that the real problem was in the board. My water heater was made by a company that no longer exists and I couldn't find an OEM replacement. A call to Dinosaur electronics confirmed that my water heater could use their UIBL model board ($80). I installed the solenoid coil and new board today.
The combination of the new board and solenoid body worked!!!! I was able to get my water nice and hot and the heater turned off on its own. I drained down the hot water and the burner turned on to reheat. So now I have a functional, hybrid (LPG/120V) water heater and it cost me $150 (not $600 -$700. I am VERY satisfied with the function and quality of the Dinosaur board in combination with the electric conversion. Now we can use electric to heat/maintain the water temp. and save gas. Or we can also give it both electric and propane to heat quickly.
Jose
I have continued to work on my water heater issue by pulling the anode rod (there was no rod left-it, was just a plug) and looking inside the tank. The inside was in darned good shape, so I decided it was worth some effort and money to see if I could get this guy up and running again.
The first thing I did was put in an anode rod and convert to electric with a Camco "Hybrid Heat" kit. It's only a 450 watt element, but it certainly gets the water over 125 degrees. The hardest part of the install was getting 120V over to the area by the water heater. The instructions in the Hybrid Heat kit are very clear and it worked like a charm by the time I was done.
Now that I had a functional water heater, I turned my attention to the LPG function. I found a 12V solenoid coil that allowed me to repair/test my existing valve/reg. setup. I also tried a new flame sensor ($20), but it would still turn on, then die almost immediately. After some more testing, I decided that the real problem was in the board. My water heater was made by a company that no longer exists and I couldn't find an OEM replacement. A call to Dinosaur electronics confirmed that my water heater could use their UIBL model board ($80). I installed the solenoid coil and new board today.
The combination of the new board and solenoid body worked!!!! I was able to get my water nice and hot and the heater turned off on its own. I drained down the hot water and the burner turned on to reheat. So now I have a functional, hybrid (LPG/120V) water heater and it cost me $150 (not $600 -$700. I am VERY satisfied with the function and quality of the Dinosaur board in combination with the electric conversion. Now we can use electric to heat/maintain the water temp. and save gas. Or we can also give it both electric and propane to heat quickly.
Jose
