Tired of cold showers ugh

[oldmanriver809]

Well we're about 1500 miles into our first ever RV adventure which has been great but our propane system isn't working well. We have a 2013 14rb AR-ONE. The problem we are having is that the propane won't continually flow over a longer than 10-15 minute time frame, sometimes less than 30 seconds. I have a full tank of propane(20lbs) and I thought it was the regulator so I bought a new one and installed it. I checked for leaks with soapy water and do not have any. Sometimes the propane will last long enough to make a pot of coffee and once so far it's lasted/flowed long enough for supper and two showers but this morning after successfully making a pot of coffee I tried lighting the hot water tank for a shower and it went out, burner and pilot light, after about 10 minutes. I read that you should turn the propane valve on very slowly to avoid "freezing up" the valve and I have been doing that but with limited success. We would surely like a warm shower and were wondering if you all would have any suggestions that might fix this problem? Thank you in advance!

[SpeakEasy]

I've always said that if EVERYTHING went perfectly on a camping trip, I'd have no stories to tell during family get-togethers. So far, that hasn't been a problem!

-Speak

[jfkmk]

Hey, a day camping without hot water is still better than a day at work!

[oldmanriver809]

Hello everyone! Well unfortunately we just returned home after 2,400 beautiful miles of nothing but the best time of our lives despite the propane issues. I am going to try cleaning the hot water burner system via watching YouTube videos and test it out in the driveway this weekend. Thank you all so much for all of your input! Hopefully this solves the problem. I plan on buying a new pigtail also before trying the system again.

[2oldman]

oldmanriver809 wrote:
So I found the closest grocery store and swapped out the tank

[afidel]

2oldman wrote:
Problem solved.

What was the root cause?

[2oldman]

Problem solved.

[allen8106]

Replace the pigtails that connect to the tank. I had a similar problem and this solved, never have had an issue since.

[bobndot]

westend wrote:

oldmanriver809 wrote:
Good news!! The pilot light is still burning after the main burner shut off!! It made that fluttering/gurgling noise intermittently the whole time it was heating the tank though?

The symptoms you describe with the pilot flame indicate a somewhat clogged or obstructed orifice.

These RV water heaters are fairly simple, mechanically. Most suffer from being dirty or insect intrusion when being stored. That's why a thorough cleaning typically brings good results.

If you feel that disassembling the burner tube and pilot line is beyond your skill sets, hiring a mobile RV repair guy is a good solution. He can disassemble and clean the innards of your water heater and bring it back into good operation. I could try to instruct you on orifice cleaning and such but hiring a mobile RV repair person for the small time it will take is a better solution.

x2, there are some very good youtubes showing how to do the easy cleaning.

[Fordlover]

ppine wrote:
I mostly use a solar shower. Always works.

Except at night or when overcast, or in within the Polar night?

[westend]

oldmanriver809 wrote:
Good news!! The pilot light is still burning after the main burner shut off!! It made that fluttering/gurgling noise intermittently the whole time it was heating the tank though?

The symptoms you describe with the pilot flame indicate a somewhat clogged or obstructed orifice.

These RV water heaters are fairly simple, mechanically. Most suffer from being dirty or insect intrusion when being stored. That's why a thorough cleaning typically brings good results.

If you feel that disassembling the burner tube and pilot line is beyond your skill sets, hiring a mobile RV repair guy is a good solution. He can disassemble and clean the innards of your water heater and bring it back into good operation. I could try to instruct you on orifice cleaning and such but hiring a mobile RV repair person for the small time it will take is a better solution.

[oldmanriver809]

Good news!! The pilot light is still burning after the main burner shut off!! It made that fluttering/gurgling noise intermittently the whole time it was heating the tank though?

[oldmanriver809]

Thanks for the advice westend! Shortly after my last post my wife and I went for dinner and to visit some family. We just returned back to camp and I saw that the pilot light did not stay lit... I just lit it again but it seems to be burning intermittently if that makes any sense. It will kind of sound like its fluttering every now and again then go back to a full solid burn. I have no idea what would cause this to happen but it hasn't completely stopped burning. Since its nighttime here I can easily tell if the pilot stays lit after the burner ***** off so I'm waiting for that to happen and I'll check to see if the pilot went out. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't...

[am1958]

ppine wrote:
I mostly use a solar shower. Always works.

Careful about making blanket statement there...

[westend]

oldmanriver809 wrote:
Hi dodge guy. Well the old tank was still almost full. The guy at the propane exchange picked it up to give me a new and said this one is still full and shook it so I told him I just wasn't to sure about it and that I wanted a new tank anyway lol. Well we got one shower in the books and I'm waiting to see if the burner will kick back on as my wife gets her shower. I'm wonderin if the pilot light went out after the first cycle of the burner shut off. Is there an adjustment for the pilot light? It seemed to have an awfully small flame?

Yes, there is an adjustment for the pilot flame but if you have never done it, don't mess with it. The most important thing is to have the flame either engulfing a thermocouple (if so equipped) or adjacent to the flame sensor (if so equipped). If the pilot flame remains lit, it will typically operate successfully.

It sounds like the valve inside your previous cylinder was stuck. There may have been enough propane passed to pressurize the system but wouldn't allow any more propane to exit the tank. This tip-over or excess flow valve operates with gravity so some users invert the cylinder and strike the top on a hard surface to free a stuck valve. It is better to just exchange the cylinder and use a new one as the valve mechanism may continue to bind and stick.

In the off-season or next Spring it is a good idea to clean the burner tube and orifice. There are internet sources that will show how to accomplish that.
Good luck with your propane system.