2016 Dutchman Denali 5th Wheel.I blow out all water lines to winterize my RV. So first trip out electric hot water not working at all and gas only getting warm not hot.When I attached water to the rig, I started bleeding the air out of the lines and then remembered that I hadn't flipped the valve to fill the hot water tank. I did that, then turned on the hot water control on the kitchen and bathroom sink.I am getting no hot water at all on the electric side and just warm water on the gas side.The circuit breaker on the service panel is on. I did a search for hot water issues and saw some talk about perhaps air being in the tank. Also, I haven't run the bathtub faucet yet. When we get to our next destination, I may pull the plug in the tank, let it drain and refill it.Will update in about 400 miles

You may have winterizing valve(s) in the wrong positionPossible there is no water in tank.What valve did you not flip? If you are talking the pressure relief valve, you need to start over. Drain water heater. Close relief valve, open hot water faucet fill system using city water connection or pump via fresh water tank.There must be air in the top of water heater tank.You may have destroyed the 120 colt element if water heater tank was empty.

Concur that you may have burned out your 120 volt heating element if it was turned on while you were still bypassing the water heater. As far as gas goes, I've read many posts about lukewarm water being solved by closing outside taps/faucets. For future reference on water heater problems, it doesn't really matter your RV make/model. You have either a Suburban or Atwood water heater. A model number on that will really help troubleshooting.

First, even if you burnt out your electric element, your gas would still heat the water. This points either to an open valve or incorrectly positioned valve on the bypass or a dead battery. The water heater is controlled by 12 volt. If the battery is low it will not work. Now, assuming your battery is good, start here.Check your outside shower valves and make sure they are closed. Same with the inside shower. Next hook up a water supply and fill the water heater tank with the pressure relief valve in the open position. When water starts coming out of it, snap it closed. Now you know you have water in the tank. Next turn on the electric to the water heater. You should be able to stand outside next to it and hear noises as it heats up. I'm sure you know it will take over an hour to get the water hot. If you are not getting any noises outside and no warmth after half an hour or so your element may be burnt out. Next try the gas. Again if you are outside you will be able to hear it fire up and burn. It either is or it isn't.

If the burner lights, 12V is good and control board is good. If the water is noticeably warmer than the cold water along, then the tank is full and heating. Being that only warm water is felt, it can be caused by the bypass valve being left open or the valves on the outside shower (if equipped) being open. Each of these conditions allows cold water to mix with the hot before getting to the shower.

Now that we have a few hundred more miles under our belt, I first opened the pressure relief valve and water came out. Then I went ahead and pulled the drain plug out and let it completely drain. I then turned water on at the source and got water coming out of the drain hole, which told me that the valve that controls water going into the hot water tank was in the proper position. So, with the pressure relief valve still open and plug replaced in the drain hole, I filled the tank until water came out of the pressure relief valve. Then I closed the pressure relief valve, turned on the hot water faucet in the kitchen and let it run until there was no air in the line. The gas side of the hot water heater has been heating now for at least 30-45 minutes and I am still waiting for it to shut off.The water coming out of the faucet is warm to hot, but not scalding. I will probably not test the electric side until we get to our destination.P.S. we are driving down I-5 in a heavy rain hail storm in heavy traffic. It got to the point where I had to turn on the wipers in their fastest mode. All the sudden the passenger side wiper comes off the arm and flies over the cab of the truck.So, I pull over the to shoulder. No way can I try to exit the drivers side of the truck. So, wife crawls over the center console into the back seat. (she is recovering from knee surgery). I then scoot over get out the passenger side door and as fast as I could pull the arm up so it doesn't scratch the windshield. Took forever to get back on the road. I call a Chev dealer and he has a replacement in stock. 33 bucks. So I head towards the dealership. Once I got off the highway I pulled over and checked if by chance the wiper made its way to the bed of the truck. Viola there it was.

water heater issue | Good Sam Community

19 Replies

fourthclassC
Explorer
Apr 29, 2021
Howdy, while I have used Dinosaur boards in the past (they are excellent with excellent support from my experience) I suggest you check the gas assembly completely for any spider web blockage or clogged jet. Also check the thermocouple for location and function. The thermocouple must be hot (in the flame) to keep the gas valve open. Try to rule out all before changing any circuit boards.
AllegroD
Nomad
Apr 29, 2021
I would drain the WH and close the pressure valve before refilling.
rockcandymounta
Explorer
Apr 27, 2021
I did not try to light the tank with n o water in it. I do not use the water pump. I always hook up to shore water. One less thing to winterize. I always have the hot water faucet open. Otherwise there is no other way to know when the tank has filled.

I have pulled off each terminal connection and checked them for corrosion. I will try to replace the ignitor and see if that helps.

I tend to think its the module based on the fact that at one point, when turning on the gas switch inside the rig, I would hear the gas valve open, I would hear the ignitor clicking away.

Like I had mentioned at one point, I was able to manually light the flame using a long reach ignitor.

Thanks for the input.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Apr 27, 2021
My Atwood manual and the instructions on the cover door for the heater both say do not replace the electronic module! Lots of people waste money on this without doing the proper troubleshooting.

The worst is trying to light the heater when the tank is empty. Sounds like that was already an issue. I tape off both the switches for electric and propane heating when the tank has been winterized and drained. When it is plugged and the valves are in the correct positions it should be easy to tell the tank is filling. The pump should run for several minutes while it fills the tank. You do so with a HW faucet opened! Leave the pressure relief valve shut! The tank should have air in the top to help with expansion.

Next step is to check the electrical connections. You can pull off the snap connectors and reattach. The next step is to replace the ignitor. While waiting for a new part you can clean the ignitor and check the gap. That sometimes works at least until you can replace the unit.

In your case, the next step would be to find someone who knows what they are doing and how to further troubleshoot the unit. 90% of the time the unit should already be working after replacing the ignitor.
enblethen
Nomad
Apr 27, 2021
Compare yours to this one.
U1B 64
rockcandymounta
Explorer
Apr 27, 2021
Thank you for the Link to Dinosaur. I have sent them an e-mail with my module part number and my hot water heater model number. I was unable to find the needed part using their cross referencing tables.

The HWH is Atwood GC10A-4e and the module is 91346
enblethen
Nomad
Apr 27, 2021
I would suggest Dinosaur Electronics version.
Dinosaur Electronics
Amazon
Call Dinosaur to get exact part number.
rockcandymounta
Explorer
Apr 27, 2021
After going back and reading what I have said in various posts, I think Im confusing a lot of people. We have hot water. Because the electrical side is working properly. However, even though a few weeks ago the gas valve sounded ok and the ignitor sounded ok.

Previous tests I could hear the valve and the ignitor clicking. But todays test, neither sound was heard.

Now I want to replace the module on the gas side. I am pretty sure its the module. I have read about the Barracuda brand replacement module but googling it hasn't helped. The module I need to replace has part number of 91346. Goggling that part number brings up a lot of modules similar to the one I have but not an exact match. Does anyone know where I can cross-reference a replacement for my module? Hopefully a Barracuda.

Thank You
fyrflie
Explorer III
Mar 29, 2021
I don’t know if you have this document, but it may help with your troubleshooting .

http://techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Atwood-Master-Water-Heater-Manual.pdf
rockcandymounta
Explorer
Mar 28, 2021
So, just now I went out and did a manual lighting of the gas side. So, the valve is good. What's weird is that when it is going through its 'trying to light cycle', it sounds like the ignitor is clicking. So, should I lean towards a module replacement of just an ignitor replacement?