Hi allJust recently purchased my first camper, a 2013 Palomino 6601 from a private party. I have it on a 2019 F250 w/ 8 ft bed. Trouble is, the camper didn't come with any documentation and the previous owner isn't responding to my questions, which has me a little worried. The camper is a nice size and seems to be in pretty good shape, but I can't get the Suburban furnace or the Atwood water heater to work. The previous owner had winterized the camper when I bought it, so not sure if there's something special I need to do, like fill the water heater (I put water in the fresh tank). The gas stove works so I know that propane is flowing. The water heater gets warm on the outside vent and I can hear the unit working and see a flame when I look from outside the camper, but it doesn't heat the water. The furnace doesn't do much of anything.Appreciate any advice or suggestions.

Welcome.I wouldn’t worry too much about the previous owner. All campers share the same couple of brands of appliances and they aren’t too complicated.The water heater is likely drained and bypassed. First make sure the drain plug is installed. Look under the outside cover. Then you need to make sure it’s not bypassed. Do a Google image search for rv water heater bypass diagram” to see how to do it. There are a couple slightly different setups. After it’s in normal mode, run a hot water faucet until all of the air comes out.The first thing the furnace should do is run the fan when the thermostat calls for heat. If it doesn’t even do that, start looking for blown 12v fuses.

find some body close that will show you how things work. you can learn the hard way but can cause damage just poking around. don,t turn the hot water tank on electric with no water in it,it,ll burn out the heat coil.

Also, with the model numbers, you can likely ask specific questions here one of the general forums or find the manual with troubleshooting steps online.

find some body close that will show you how things workx2It is not rocket science once someone has shown you how it works.

The water heater is probably by passed and dry which is why you have no hot water. If the furnace is lit and the fans are blowing, I would start by looking at the ducting.

New Member with Used Camper | Good Sam Community

Bert_the_Welder
Explorer II
Jul 05, 2020
Congrats on the self fixing!
As a suggestion, based on my own self-awareness, I drew a diagram of my winterize valves. What they look like in both in-use mode and winterize mode. I'm really dyslexic and once mildly frustrated, it's down hill form there. I did a web search when I got our TC and collected all the info/manuals I could find on all the 'stuff" in our TC. Printed it all out and it lives in a drawer in the TC, with my valve drawing and a list of procedures for start-up and storing. Just makes life easier. Lists are good.
AND..... when draining the HW tank for winter, remember to open the bleed off valve BEFORE unscrewing the tank drain plug/anode rod.....Trust me.... If you don't, you'd best wear a diaper and goalie equipment and ear plugs......
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 24, 2020
Good work!
It's very satisfying when you not only repair something, but when it ends up not being costly!
Coastalflyer
Explorer
Jun 24, 2020
Actually, all that fixed was to enable the blower; the furnace wasn't putting out any heat, which probably explains why the previous owner disconnected the thermostat. But after doing some Internet searching, I discovered a fix for that; repositioning the igniter to make it a little closer to the gas inlets. Now it's working.
specta
Explorer
May 21, 2020
Coastalflyer wrote:
Got the furnace working. Turns out one of the wires to the thermostat was disconnected.

I love it when it ends up being a simple fix.
Coastalflyer
Explorer
May 20, 2020
Got the furnace working. Turns out one of the wires to the thermostat was disconnected.
Coastalflyer
Explorer
May 09, 2020
Yes, I have shore power. I'll try to diagnose the electrical circuits if I can.
Thanks for the responses.
joerg68
Nomad III
May 08, 2020
Electric switch not heating the water. May have killed the heating element. How hard is that to replace?

You are plugged into shore power, right?
The element should be easy to replace. As far as I know it is accessible from the outside. But as others have said - don't start replacing things unless you are reasonably sure they are broken.
Kayteg1
Explorer II
May 08, 2020
Coastalflyer wrote:
Electric switch not heating the water. May have killed the heating element. How hard is that to replace?

Before you replace - inspect.
HF was giving multi-meters for free (I collected 5 of them) and even with no coupon, they are about $5, so no excuse to not own 1.
Sounds like you burned the element running it with no water, but still you have switches, thermostat worth testing.
Than check what element you have. They are not that cheap and in case add-on element, you will have to buy whole system to get new heater.
jimh406
Explorer III
May 08, 2020
My water heater has a push button breaker as well. You might want to look for that and make sure there is water in it and the bypass is off so water can go into the water heater.
Coastalflyer
Explorer
May 08, 2020
Electric switch not heating the water. May have killed the heating element. How hard is that to replace?