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Iceman31's avatar
Iceman31
Explorer
Oct 06, 2013

Suburban 12gal Hot Water Heater 120vac Thermostat

I had turned on my hot water heater on electric Wednesday morning. I did this because it was going to drop well below freezing during the next few nights before my winterization which took place yesterday. The wife and I went out yesterday and I told her she would have hot water to clean things up with as it had been on since Wednesday. We got there and there was no hot water. Upon further investigation the thermostat had blown. We have had our Sabre for a little over a year and have never had this happen with any of our units. What causes this and is it something I should approach my dealer on for warranty, or is it a general maintenance item?

2 Replies

  • Carl_n_Susan's avatar
    Carl_n_Susan
    Nomad II
    Oct 06, 2013
    Suburban had a rash of problems in the 2012-2013 era with their 120V Tstats. They switched suppliers (to China of course) and the Tstats fail frequently. The substandard Tsats have a red plastic tube on the reset button. The new replacements have a grey plastic tube. Call Suburban and they will send you a new one. If you buy one in a RV store be sure to get the 120V AC version. The one for the 12V side looks similar (at a quick glance) but isn't.
  • dougrainer's avatar
    dougrainer
    Nomad
    Oct 06, 2013
    Iceman31 wrote:
    I had turned on my hot water heater on electric Wednesday morning. I did this because it was going to drop well below freezing during the next few nights before my winterization which took place yesterday. The wife and I went out yesterday and I told her she would have hot water to clean things up with as it had been on since Wednesday. We got there and there was no hot water. Upon further investigation the thermostat had blown. We have had our Sabre for a little over a year and have never had this happen with any of our units. What causes this and is it something I should approach my dealer on for warranty, or is it a general maintenance item?


    It is a warranty item from Suburban during the warranty period. That is a Tstat AND a ECO for the 120 side. Usually what causes it to blow(melt) is either a direct short or loose connection at the 120 element or at that tstat. Loose connection causes a higher draw and causes excess heat and the tstat assbly is the weakest point. Doug

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