No Hot Water

[jentrxm]

https://i.imgur.com/bQulQ6Z.jpg

This is our water heater in our camper. We're not getting any hot water out of it whatsoever. The "Water Heater" switch on the switchboard lights up, so it seems to be getting power. There's plenty of propane and the fridge is working.

I've had no luck trying to figure it out. Everything I found on Google on diagnosing and fixing problems didn't seem to apply to this model, as I can't find the pilot light or any kind of restart button.

If anyone has advice on this model of water heater I would greatly appreciate any help you all can give.

[Old-Biscuit]

ggardne2 laid out cause/effect/resolutions but hey throw parts at it, eventually you will get it to work

[DFord]

jentrxm wrote:

aurcor wrote:
with my limited knowledge If you already checked all the other stuff...
I would check that clear plastic thing in the middle of your picture, above the burner (with the wires going to it). I had to replace ours when I didn’t get the ’click’ burn! I got 2 for about $15-20, connected it and whoosh. started at the easy stuff.

Found it on Amazon. While I wait for that, could a person manually light it with a lighter?

Throwing parts at it is a waste of time and money. You need to figure out what the problem is before you buy anything for it. Letting us know what you've tried and what the results were will help us direct you to the fault.

[Dutch_12078]

That "clear plastic thing" is the thermal cut out, sort of an over temp fuse. It's easy to test just by unhooking the cut out from the thermostat terminal and the quick connect wire at the other end. Connect the wire directly to the thermostat terminal and try the heater. If it works, the cut out is bad. If it still doesn't work, the problem is elsewhere.

[jentrxm]

aurcor wrote:
with my limited knowledge If you already checked all the other stuff...
I would check that clear plastic thing in the middle of your picture, above the burner (with the wires going to it). I had to replace ours when I didn’t get the ’click’ burn! I got 2 for about $15-20, connected it and whoosh. started at the easy stuff.

Found it on Amazon. While I wait for that, could a person manually light it with a lighter?

[DarkSkySeeker]

When mine died (symptoms similar to yours) I hired an RV technician who came out, opened a panel under the oven, reached in, swapped out a control board, and then it worked again.

There was a component on the dead board that looked burned.

It took more time to find the warranty paperwork than swap out the board.

[aurcor]

with my limited knowledge If you already checked all the other stuff...
I would check that clear plastic thing in the middle of your picture, above the burner (with the wires going to it). I had to replace ours when I didn’t get the ’click’ burn! I got 2 for about $15-20, connected it and whoosh. started at the easy stuff.

[ksg5000]

No spark is the key and here's a good YouTube which will help you diagnose/fix the problem.

Hope this helps.

[Dick_B]

Might it be time to get some qualified help?

[sgfrye]

do you have an outside faucet/shower? if so check faucets. even with no hose hooked up the cold valve turned to open position can give you cold water only at inside faucets. happened to me last winter. after winterizing with compressed air i forget to turn outside shower valve to closed position, a month later went camping and thought my hot water heater was malfunctioning.

[MitchF150]

Well, I don't know much about this stuff really... Had an old Atwood on my 2003 Trailer and it looked exactly the same as your pic...

Never touched it and just drained the tank and it always sparked and lit..

I think if you don't have spark, then it isn't going to light?

Do you smell gas while it tries to spark? Does the red light come on the panel when it does not light?

Lots of electronic stuff to this thing working so I'd start there since there ain't no clicks..

Good luck!

Mitch

[Old-Biscuit]

ggardne2 wrote:
Looking at the picture of your hot water tank, it appears that somebody (maybe an RV technician at the dealer) has had hte burner tube out of the tank before and didn't do a very good job of re-installing it. Why do I think this? The self tapping screw that holds the burner tube into the main tube is too long, it should not be resting on the electrode bracket. Also the bracket holding the burner by the gas valve is not straight and the gas shutter appears to have been adjusted more open than what is typically expected. Does this have anything to do with your issue? Maybe ... the igniter has been pushed out of position by the too long screw in the burner tube ... it is also possible that whoever disassembled and reassembled this heater altered the gap on the igniter (should be 1/8" gap between the igniter and the ground rod). The igniter also must be centered in the flame. I would also check that the black wire coming off of the igniter is firmly plugged into the circuit board, if this wire is loose the igniter will not spark. You should hear the igniter sparking when the heater is turned on as it tries to ignite the flame. This is a good troubleshooting book if you want to learn more: Atwood/Dometic Troubleshooting Manual

VERY Observant!!!
And right on point-----
gas valve must direct gas flow thru orifice down center of burner tube so air/fuel ratio is achieved
air shuttle is typically on open 1/4 of the way
sparke electrode should not be pressing against burner tube
spark electrode will not spark if gap to narrow or wide(1/8" - 3/16")

[ggardne2]

Looking at the picture of your hot water tank, it appears that somebody (maybe an RV technician at the dealer) has had hte burner tube out of the tank before and didn't do a very good job of re-installing it. Why do I think this? The self tapping screw that holds the burner tube into the main tube is too long, it should not be resting on the electrode bracket. Also the bracket holding the burner by the gas valve is not straight and the gas shutter appears to have been adjusted more open than what is typically expected. Does this have anything to do with your issue? Maybe ... the igniter has been pushed out of position by the too long screw in the burner tube ... it is also possible that whoever disassembled and reassembled this heater altered the gap on the igniter (should be 1/8" gap between the igniter and the ground rod). The igniter also must be centered in the flame. I would also check that the black wire coming off of the igniter is firmly plugged into the circuit board, if this wire is loose the igniter will not spark. You should hear the igniter sparking when the heater is turned on as it tries to ignite the flame. This is a good troubleshooting book if you want to learn more: Atwood/Dometic Troubleshooting Manual

[Dutch_12078]

As a quick check, try unplugging the 4-wire connector from the control module and reconnecting it 2-3 times. It doesn't take much corrosion on the pins to interrupt the power.

[cavie]

Both sides will be accessible without removal. Back side is behind some sort of panel.