Forum Discussion

tractorboy924's avatar
May 15, 2013

TT Appliances-operating ?/verification on use

Ok. new to me sierra cobra TT. Propane and AC fridge ( norcold) and water heater Suburban I think. NO paperwork from PO.

From reading here I think I have an idea on operation:

Fridge: A/C runs on shore power, move to propane, auto lights a pilot light? seems from reading I dont need to do anything but ensure I have propane and its open. Done, I hear may take a while to cool down. 24hr. Does that seem right ( from my reading other posts and looking at FAQ)

Now the water heater a little trickier, light the pilot get hot water ok I get that but! what determines if it heats or not? say I Dont have water in it ( and if its electric too, I have to check) is there a temp sensor for in to go on and off. Afraid of burning it up if I dont get the new anode rod and keep in bypass for soon to happen boondock trip. I may not use not water but will have a genny and dont want to burn up hot water tank. Or are they propane only. many people mention a switch to turn on and off. I dont see on on this anywhere? how to check if A/C water tank or just propane. need a little more on the water tank part.

also will fridge have any issues with air in the line??

Thank you.

7 Replies

  • UPDATE:

    Got it! The fridge did auto start on LP. the check light came on for a bit but kept trying it a couple of times this am and finally lit. after lighting stove but have been still some air in the line but finally POOF...I could here it.

    Hoping to find it semi cool when I get home as you guys said it can take up to 24hrs! Thanks again!!!
  • There is an ac switch for the suburban heating element that you can see when you take the outside cover off. You will find the switch in the lower left corner behind and under some propane piping.
  • Ah think I got it.
    SW6P = Suburban water heater / 6 gal / propane (vs PE with is Propane/Electric

    Perfect. Thanks a bunch Guys.

    family excited for first trip and me. just happy no pop up anymore. old pop up never had all this? heater, wh, fridge/ almost like not camping unless your cheese and hotdogs take a dip in cooler water!!!
  • ok. fridge as I thought, so I can purge most air via the burners. Got it.
    Ice to kick start the cool cycle - Got it. I seen it run on shore power but have not tried Propane.

    Water heater I had my daughter give me Model # atleast so I will look it up from there. maybe its NOT A/C as there are NO switches that I see for the HW tank.
    Model SW6P so going to look up now and see if I can get manual or more info on it.

    with the S presuming its a suburban. Thank you all. I may be only propane on the Hot water. Thanks.
    UPDATE:
    I do see its suburban got the manual right here. Looks like it DOES have electric but...I see NO switch inside the camper anywhere. i will have to do more digging. Its 20 years old the camper and I remember seeing the 12 or 14 gauge wire for the 120/AC maybe switch in burner compartment? show a light and switch in the wiring diagram.

    hmmm Could this switch be on the battery/tank control panel??
  • Actually your refer requires 12 volts and either gas or 120 volts to operate. The 12 volts is control voltage supplied by the battery. Depending on model you have there should be an auto position. In that mode it will automatically choose the most economical fuel source. Leave it there and go happy. If the peopane has bee off when you turn it on, open the valves, light the stove top burners to purge the air fro. The system. Then your good to go.
    As for the water heater, there should be two switches. One breaker inside and a small switch outside on the heater itself. Mine has a small clip that locks it off. As a precaution mine is also off at the breaker. Connect water and run a how faucet until no more air comes out. Tank should be full. T test, pull the safety pressure reliev valve for a second ot two. Water should come out.
  • Bobbo's avatar
    Bobbo
    Explorer III
    When you first open the valve on the propane, light the stove eyes. That purges the air out of the line.

    You have the right idea about the refrigerator, it will auto switch over, you don't have to do anything. And, yes, it takes a while to cool down. We always turn it on 24 hours before a trip and put in about 6 of the frozen blue paks to get it cool to start. And making sure the food you put in it is already cold helps a LOT.

    Most water heaters have both propane and electric burners to heat the water. Each will have a switch in the RV so you can turn them off. NEVER TURN ON EITHER HEATER UNLESS WATER IS IN THE WATER HEATER. When plugged into shore power, I leave the electric element on (as long as water is in the tank), then turn on the gas element also while showering. While not on shore power, I leave both elements off until about 15 minutes before I need hot water, then turn on the propane element. There IS a temp sensor in the water tank, but it doesn't help unless the tank is full of water.

    If you can post the make and model number of the water heater, someone here can probably tell you whether it has an electric element. While most tanks do, there are a few that don't.

    We can't help you with the placement of the on/off switches. They can be anywhere.