old Atwood water heater help

Looks like the same one as in our old Zinger—very manual. Don’t try to light without water in the heater—the tube will scorch and can affect the taste of the water. The knob turned all the way counter clockwise is off. Turn all the way clock wise into a spring back position while holding a long butane lighter in the tube. If the pilot lights it should be a small blue flame. Hold the knob against the spring 15 seconds longer, then release. If the pilot stays lit, you’re good to go. Turn the knob back to where the indicator on the knob and on the base of the gas valve line up, about ½ half way back. The main flame should light in this position. If the pilot won’t stay lit you most likely need a new thermocouple. If that happens, PM me, and I’ll see if I’ve got an old one that I no longer need, and I’ll send it to you. The thing that I liked about this heater that we don’t get with our current spark start one is adjustable temperature. That’s the lever on the back of the gas valve and it looks like it is set to most cold. As I recall, hotter is to the left. You may have to move it to the left to get the main flame to come on.