Hot Water Only Warm On Electric

I actually have no hot water on electric. Atwood GCH 10A-3E.......LP is nice and hot. It's ina Winn. Ultimate Advantage and it has to be completely removed just to use the on/off switch. When I flip the switch inside to turn it on, the wall voltage meter doesn't twitch. Bad wall switch? Thanks

Ok, I will accept your correction. .IF that is the case then the electric T-Stat could also be suspect.

wa8yxm wrote:


First: Atwood, unlike their primary competitor, uses a single set of thermostats for both Gas and Electric, SO, if it gets hot enough on gas we know they are working and have eliminated them as the suspect.

This leaves only the electric side of the heater.. This consists of the following.

The Control board (Common to both sides) might have an issue.. There is a relay, the heat element, the wires and the circuit breaker.

Suspects include:
Bad connection(s)

One of the circuit breakers in my RV, back when it was new, Well I had power issues (A/C's working when they felt like it... I found one of the breakers had a screw that took over TWO FULL TURNS before I felt resistance to farther tightening, Several in that area took additional tightening... This was causing an intermittent connection.

The wire then runs to the RELAY box.. Again we have connections, and the relay itself Always a suspect

Incorrect.......Atwood didn't go to one set of t-stats until 2004.
Prior to that electric has it's own 110V set of t-stats and propane has it's own 12V DC set of t-stats.

Electric is direct 110V AC from circuit breaker to switch to t-stats to element.

The Relay didn't happen until 2004 when DC was used for both electric & propane functions. The relay triggered the 110V to element.
No circuit board either for electric.

OP has a 1999 year model......not 2004 plus. SO it isn't the same.

I second the 1st suggestion and amplify the 2nd and add a 3rd

First: Atwood, unlike their primary competitor, uses a single set of thermostats for both Gas and Electric, SO, if it gets hot enough on gas we know they are working and have eliminated them as the suspect.

This leaves only the electric side of the heater.. This consists of the following.

The Control board (Common to both sides) might have an issue.. There is a relay, the heat element, the wires and the circuit breaker.

Suspects include:
Bad connection(s)

One of the circuit breakers in my RV, back when it was new, Well I had power issues (A/C's working when they felt like it... I found one of the breakers had a screw that took over TWO FULL TURNS before I felt resistance to farther tightening, Several in that area took additional tightening... This was causing an intermittent connection.

The wire then runs to the RELAY box.. Again we have connections, and the relay itself Always a suspect.

And then there is another connection and the HEAT ELEMENT.

That is all folks.

On my water heater the electric worked fine, Gas side quit. (I mean non-op 100%) turned out to be bad control board.

IF, that is your problem, Recommend Dinosaur boards, Alas I could not for logistic reasons, but they make the best ones.

If it is the heat element, Lowes or Home Depot may be less expensive, just take the old one in with you and match it.

If it is a bad connection.> Re-dress it and it should be good.

That year of Atwood uses separate t-stats for electric and propane.
Electric set are on backside of WH tank where electric element is located.
They are 110V AC t-stats (normal and an ECO/high temp)

110V AC power comes from circuit breaker to/thru electric on/off switch to & thru the set of t-stats to electric element.

Normal t-stat opening early, faulty element or poor connections.

IF model is GC10A-XX it uses a bolt on element
IF model is GC10AA-XX it uses a screw in element

It does sound like the heating element is bad. Could just be getting tired after all these years. :) Like everything else they do go bad over time.