Atwood water heater won't stay on.

[Paul1944]

Just bought a barely used 2017 Shasta Oasis camper, hope I didn't buy somebody else's problems. Anyway, the Atwood water heater will not keep running after it kicks on, it stays on for only about a minute or so then it shuts off for 10-15 minutes before it kicks back on again. When I look in from outside there is nothing that I can see that would cause this such as spider webs or wasps nests. I did notice that when I first turn on the switch inside the camper the "DCI-FLT" light comes on. Any ideas or suggestions?

[Gjac]

Attwood has a good troubleshooting guide on line and tell you how to test the board. If it is not a potted board I would just remove it and look at the backside and see if there are any burned areas on the solder tracks or any burned components. 2017 is fairly new, but boards do fail howeverI would remove and clean all connections first.

[JimK-NY]

I would first check all the connectors. Atwood uses spade connectors that often do not work well. Secondly I would replace the detector assembly. They are inexpensive and often fail after a few years of use.

[Old-Biscuit]

G6A-8E is a GAS Only Atwood

2 things can cause Red Fault Light
* Flame failure
*ECO tripping OR bad connections on terminals/spade connections

Check continuity thru ECO
Check IF RED wire has 12VDC on it FROM circuit Breaker when switch is on
Could very well be bad circuit board 'Valve Track' circuit

[BFL13]

I have had lots of WH problems, solved by help here. Nevertheless, I am having trouble following this thread to be able to suggest anything useful.

1. Is the red light, the red light inside the RV that always comes on as soon as you turn on the WH (with gas) and then goes out when the flame starts?

2. When it runs for a few minutes, does that red light go out at first as it should, but comes back on when the furnace quits?

3. After the 10 minutes or so when it comes back on, does the red light go out again?

4. After that, how long does it run?

5. If it has water in it, then the real question is whether that water is already hot from being on electric mode prior. That would perhaps explain why it goes out for 10-15 minutes, giving it time to cool again before it cycles. Not sure about that---the water will stay hot a long time unless it gets used and replaced with cold water refill

Just very confusing (but I am easily confused so no worries 🙂 )

[enblethen]

Look at your furnace. Many use the same circuit board. If yours is the same, swap it with the water heater. If it works, you know it is the circuit board.
Recommend Dinosaur Electronics version. available on Amazon

[Paul1944]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
"Model is GC6A-8E
Flame is more orange than blue.
There is a wire with what looks like a resistor in it, what is that for?"

8E has separate controls for electric & gas
ELECTRIC:
120VAC comes from a Circuit Breaker to on/off switch (backside of WH Tank) then thru set of T-stats to element (also backside of WH Tank)

GAS:
12VDC comes from Fused source to 'thermal cut out' (fuse in clear tubing----it blows at 190*F if flame blowback occurs and stops ALL DC to water heater. One shot device --replace if bad)
From thermal fuse DC goes to/thru TT-stat then to circuit board
Circuit Board then sends DC to ECO/Gas Valve AND spark electrode


Posted earlier
When flame lights off......is flame BLUE and quiet (very slight roar)?
IF NO (YOU stated more ORANGE then Blue)
Might need to adjust air shutter ---typically only needs to be roughly 1/4 open
Might need to clean orifice (soak in alcohol/air dry), clean burner tube (small bottle brush)

On second check I find that model # is G6A-8E, no C. I tried everything suggested and still no luck keeping it running, since the red "DCI-FLT" comes on immediately when I turn on the switch I'm beginning to suspect I have a bad circuit board. What do you think?

[Old-Biscuit]

"Model is GC6A-8E
Flame is more orange than blue.
There is a wire with what looks like a resistor in it, what is that for?"

8E has separate controls for electric & gas
ELECTRIC:
120VAC comes from a Circuit Breaker to on/off switch (backside of WH Tank) then thru set of T-stats to element (also backside of WH Tank)

GAS:
12VDC comes from Fused source to 'thermal cut out' (fuse in clear tubing----it blows at 190*F if flame blowback occurs and stops ALL DC to water heater. One shot device --replace if bad)
From thermal fuse DC goes to/thru TT-stat then to circuit board
Circuit Board then sends DC to ECO/Gas Valve AND spark electrode


Posted earlier
When flame lights off......is flame BLUE and quiet (very slight roar)?
IF NO (YOU stated more ORANGE then Blue)
Might need to adjust air shutter ---typically only needs to be roughly 1/4 open
Might need to clean orifice (soak in alcohol/air dry), clean burner tube (small bottle brush)

[Paul1944]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
RED Fault Light is triggered when flame fails to light and PROVE it lit
Flame Rectification ---milliamp signal generated

Spark electrode provides high voltage spark for ignition AND is return path for that milliamp signal
*Electrode must be CLEAN---soot/carbon removed using emery cloth
*High Voltage wire connection at transformer on circuit board clean/tight
*High Voltage wire not loose in the ceramic insulator
*Ceramic Insulator --no cracks--milliamp signal will go to ground and circuit board won't receive it
*electrode must be engulfed in flame
*spark gap 1/8" - 3/16"

Model is GC6A-8E
Flame is more orange than blue.
There is a wire with what looks like a resistor in it, what is that for?


Model is GC6A-8E
Flame is more orange than blue.
There is a little wire with what looks like a resistor in it, what is that for?


When flame lights off......is flame BLUE and quiet (very slight roar)?
IF NO
Might need to adjust air shutter ---typically only needs to be roughly 1/4 open
Might need to clean orifice (soak in alcohol/air dry), clean burner tube (small bottle brush)


Is this a GAS Only Water Heater OR GAS/Electric Combo?
Gas only vs Combo use different wiring systems
So what is MODEL?

[Paul1944]

trailrider wrote:
The obvious question is: "Is the water heater full of water?"

Yes.

[Paul1944]

How can I reply to a specific response? I would like to answer Old-Biscuit questions directly.

[Paul1944]

Model is GC6A-8E
I found a mud dobbers nest in the flame tube, cleaned it out as best I could, thought my problem was solved but WH only ran 5 minutes before shutting back down.

[jmerritt]

Could be something as simple as corroded connections turn off water heater and remove and reinstall each connection after putting some dielectric compound on each one.

[trailrider]

The obvious question is: "Is the water heater full of water?"

[Old-Biscuit]

RED Fault Light is triggered when flame fails to light and PROVE it lit
Flame Rectification ---milliamp signal generated

Spark electrode provides high voltage spark for ignition AND is return path for that milliamp signal
*Electrode must be CLEAN---soot/carbon removed using emery cloth
*High Voltage wire connection at transformer on circuit board clean/tight
*High Voltage wire not loose in the ceramic insulator
*Ceramic Insulator --no cracks--milliamp signal will go to ground and circuit board won't receive it
*electrode must be engulfed in flame
*spark gap 1/8" - 3/16"

When flame lights off......is flame BLUE and quiet (very slight roar)?
IF NO
Might need to adjust air shutter ---typically only needs to be roughly 1/4 open
Might need to clean orifice (soak in alcohol/air dry), clean burner tube (small bottle brush)


Is this a GAS Only Water Heater OR GAS/Electric Combo?
Gas only vs Combo use different wiring systems
So what is MODEL?

[enblethen]

Could be thermostat or ECO going open. Use an Ohm meter immediately after shut down check for continuity.
Could be the probe for the ignitor/flame sensor is not in the flame. It should be red hot.
Possible that the flame tube has restrictions. Remove and clean good.