Suburban water heater intermittent fault

Question

Hi Everyone,My Suburban water heater on my 2019 Montana High Country has developed a problem. It runs on electricity fine. When I flip the switch to run it on propane, it initially fires up and runs and heats the tank of water well. However after a day or two  (sometime after just a few hours) I always find the fault light on and the tank cold. If i again flip the switch to turn it off then back on, it fires up fine again and keeps water hot for a few hours to a few days, then turns off again with the fault light on and lets the Tank of water get cold. Things I’ve noticed:1. Other gas appliances work perfectly, including furnace, stove, etc. 2. It lights on the first try when I’m out watching it. 3. The water is always hot when it works. When it faults the water is stone cold, and not like barely warm or anything. What does it sound like to you? Any suggestions?Thanks!Randy

prichardson · Answer

Check that all connections to the circuit board are tight and clean.  Also check that the electrode is positioned correctly.  Since it fires well initially it is likely the former.

old-biscuit · Answer

Fault Light....cold waterSpark Electrode

pomology · Answer

Thanks so much! I'll check the circuit board and electrode.

Just curious: how could the electrode be the problem if when I turn the switch off/on, it always lights immediately? I mean like I never hear the electrode sparking away and the unit not lighting - whenever I've been out there watching it, if there's a spark, it fires up the first time.

Randy

pomology · Answer

Thanks everyone for your feedback!

The problem has gotten much worse. Now when I'm monitoring it, the water heater usually no longer lights on the first try. Usually it lights on the 2nd try. Sometimes the 3rd. And if it doesn't light the 3rd try, it goes to fault.

I usually get a water heater fault once every day now. Flipping the switch off and on generally makes the unit relight successfully and it works for 24 hours or so, until the next fault.

I checked the connections to the board and all seem tight.

I also checked the electrode, and it seems to be positioned correctly as well.

Any other suggestions?

opnspaces · Answer

You have a post for a 6 month old 2019 with a rusty failing furnace, and now a failing water heater. I sure hope this thing wasn't in a flood and got cleaned up and dumped on you. You might want to look into finding a mobil RV tech that can do warranty work and see if you can get this fixed for free. Also have them look it over for water intrusion.

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Suburban water heater intermittent fault

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