First Time RV'r Questions

Texasrvman1987 wrote:
Hi guys!

So we have started camping and rving and we are having a wonderful time in our new (to us) camper. I do have some questions about some things that I don't know that much about. My main question is our water heater......I have lit the water heater and waited for hot water. It was on for about 30 minutes doing fine, my wife goes to shower and as she is showering, it apparently goes out. Water then gets cold. I'm stumped as to what the problem could be. Pilot lights just fine, it stays on for roughly 30 minutes and we have hot water during that time, then shuts off. Can anybody shed some light for me? Full tank of propane also. It's a Suburban water heater on a 05 AmeriLite, thanks in advance!
Trent

When the water goes cold, can you hear the heater kicking in? Is the pilot light still lit? Or do you have to relight the pilot light?

If the pilot light stays lit but the heater doesn't kick in, or the pilot light goes out, then you might have a problem with the lines or thermocoupler. You should get it checked out before camping again.

If the pilot light stay lit and the heater kicks in, then you're most likely just using up all the hot water for the shower. In that case, you need to reduce your water usage. Remember, a house hot water tank is usually at least 20-30 gallons. The RV hot water tank is only about 6 gallons. You just can't use as much hot water at one time as you can at home.