ScandentTrek
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Re: Girard Tankless Water Heater III - Error E7
Update on my repair attempts. According to the Service Manual, the E7 code indicates a problem with the gas valve. I purchased a new gas valve for $110 and used the service manual to replace the part. It wasn't complicated, but some rusted screws made it more difficult than it should have been. Once I had everything put together again, we ran the water heater and got the E7 code again. We turned it off and on again and fiddled with the wires and double-checked everything and still, it continued to throw E7 with the new part in it. I went off and kicked a few things and swore and complained, and then I called Lippert Customer Service for technical assistance. The tech had me use a multimeter on the continuity setting to test the continuity of the wires leading from the part to the control board. My multimeter gave me a reading of 80ohms and the tech said that meant the control board was bad and needed to be replaced. Now I'm kicking myself, thinking I should have tested that first and saved myself the money and trouble of replacing the wrong part. A new control board is $150, and if this doesn't work then the tech says the only thing to do is buy a new water heater for $450. I will say that I was very pleasantly surprised by how knowledgeable and helpful the techs from Lippert Customer Service were. I should have called sooner.1.9KViews0likes0CommentsGirard Tankless Water Heater III - Error E7
Hey folks. TLDR: Getting an E7 error code on our tankless water heater, except sometimes it's an E1 code and sometimes it's an E2 code. What's the problem and how do we fix it? We've been using our water heater with no problem as full-timers for almost 4 years. Finally, we moved out of the trailer and winterized it for the first time. We used an air compressor to blow it out as recommended and left for a few months. Now we're back in the trailer for a month and suddenly, for the first time, it's not working. We got the water hooked up and ran everything through the lines but when we switched on the water heater, it threw us E7. We tried turning it off and back on again, cleared the propane lines by running the stove and the furnace, and everything else is working great. The water heater kept throwing E7, except a few times that it would start working and get hot, and then suddenly throw an E7 again. Sometimes it throws an E1 or E2 instead of an E7, but it seems random. We've been testing it periodically by turning on the hot water and getting these different codes every time. Obviously, something is going on with the propane connection or flow that is preventing or stalling ignition, but since the error codes are vague, I don't know how to fix it, aside from ordering a new part (some kind of valve?) and taking it all apart, which I really don't want to do. Has anyone else had a similar problem? Any troubleshooting or fix suggestions? Thanks in advance.2.2KViews2likes2CommentsRe: Furnace Troubleshooting
Hey folks, final update. I ordered a new igniter, new solenoids for the gas valve, and a new control board (dinosaur brand). I decided to just replace all 3 parts rather than keep putting it together and taking it apart again 3 times. Unfortunately, I broke the igniter getting it in place. The parts people only sent 1 solenoid instead of 2 and they were out of stock. So I polished up the old igniter, replaced only one out of 2 solenoids, and went on to the control board. When I took out the old control board (which was very easy), I saw that one of the components was melted, with a bare wire sticking out the side of the melted plastic. This seems like a very Obvious sign of trouble, so I'm really glad I ordered the new one. Once I got everything in place, I put it all back together and turned it on. It worked perfectly on the first try and has continued to work perfectly all week. Perfect timing because we just got the 1st snowfall of the season in North Idaho and my trailer is cozy and warm all night thanks to the furnace. Thanks for your advice and help!1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Furnace Troubleshooting
S Davis wrote: Have the electrical connections been checked/cleaned, a grounding issue could cause those symptoms. Also when you replaced the burner did you make sure the igniter gap was set correctly? If too far you can get intermittent or no spark on some equipment. We just replaced our converter after I spent a month troubleshooting and hunting down weird electrical issues we were having. We tried a bunch of things before going for full replacement. We went to clean the ground nut where it attached to the frame and it was so rusted it just broke off. Typical. So we have a clean and shiny new ground post attached to the frame and we followed everything back to check that it was all good. So, I'm pretty sure that is not it. The new converter is amazing, btw. It's so much quieter, runs a lot cooler, and it won't keep burning out our LED lights every year. The replacement was easy and well worth it. But it looks like furnace replacement is a Lot more expensive and a bigger hassle, and I don't want to do that. I'll go after the ignitor and hope that does the trick, then do the control board next. Still beats the $700 they want for a new furnace.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Furnace Troubleshooting
I'm going to go ahead and replace the igniter, since it's only a $30 part and fairly easy to get to. I will hold off on replacing the control board for now, but it's going to be my next step. We just replaced our old converter and the new one is just So much better, it's really shown me what 30 years of advancement in electrical engineering can do. I know that it shouldn't keep blowing without ignition and that it should have a set number of ignition attempts, and it's clearly not doing that, which shows me there's something wrong with the brain. You all are pretty convincing about replacing it. We're looking to get our first snow next week, and while our electric space heater will keep us from freezing, I think a furnace is going to be Really nice to have in the North Idaho winter.1.1KViews0likes0CommentsFurnace Troubleshooting
Hello, all you helpful people out there. My furnace is once again having another issue. We've been living full-time in our trailer for almost 4 years and we had 3 good years with the furnace working flawlessly. Last spring we started having trouble with it failing to ignite, and since it was almost summer I just left it. Now I'm here again because winter is coming and I need to fix it. The furnace is a 1997 Atwood 8531-III, it's very old and they mostly don't make the parts anymore, but I've already done a replacement of the burner assembly (which was rotted to pieces) and while that fixed it for a few weeks, it's acting up again. Here's the sequence: I set the thermostat. Furnace starts blowing cold air. We smell gas. We hear the click of the igniter - but it does not light. Sometimes it tries multiple times, multiple clicks, sometimes it only clicks once, sometimes no click at all, but it continues to blow cold air forever without stopping. Yes, we have woken up with the air inside the same temp as outside after hours of it blowing nonstop through the night while not igniting. When I replaced the rusted burner I was hopeful this would solve it, but alas, it has not. I'm hesitant to jump into replacing the control board because of the price, and when I did the burner replacement I visually inspected the igniter and it appeared to be fine. However, if I understand the troubleshooting right, it seems like the igniter is at least part of the problem. Does anyone have any experience with this furnace or a similar, older model? Thanks in advance!1.8KViews0likes9CommentsRe: Electrical Issue: Converter, Battery, Something Else?
Update! I ordered and installed a new converter and it seems to have completely solved our problem. Also, it's much quieter and doesn't run nearly as hot, with much less fan noise. Overall, the installation was simple, with most of the difficulty coming from wrangling the wires back into the spaces and getting the new breaker board on. Thank you all for your advice and help, it's a relief to have a functioning electrical system that's humming along as it should.1.5KViews0likes0CommentsSources for a new/used Jack-knife couch
So my current couch is original to the trailer... meaning it's almost 30 years old. My couch cover hides the insane 90s pattern, but even adding cushioning underneath hasn't been able to make it comfortable. I've been dying to replace it for the last few years, but the $600-$800 price tag on a new one has kept me from doing it. Does anyone have advice on how to source a used (but still in good condition) jack-knife couch? I thought about checking the salvage yards, but are there other options? Thanks!1.1KViews0likes4CommentsRe: Electrical Issue: Converter, Battery, Something Else?
enblethen wrote: The converter that I link at Best Converter is only $219 Don't go cheap! If you like that website, that's a great price and I'll take your advice. The swap looks simple, so that's a relief. Thank you for your help, even just typing things out helped me get my mind around the troubleshooting and narrow down the possibilities, but your advice was simple and helpful and I appreciate it!1.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Electrical Issue: Converter, Battery, Something Else?
enblethen wrote: I hope you mean "17-volts" not amps! 120-volt 15 amp should not have any effect as long it is good solid 120-volts. Did you read voltage output with battery disconnected? Did you call Best Converter for their input? Yep, I just read 16.8v from the converter (blue wire) with the battery disconnected. With the battery disconnected, the battery recharge wire (red) is reading 10v. I Know it's not supposed to be that high and that indicates a problem. Also, when I tested the converter just now I could feel the heat coming off it and realized the fan wasn't running, which is weird because previously it seemed like it was Always running. The metal is Hot to touch and the fan won't come on. That might be the last nail in the coffin of this troubleshooting series. Folks, I think I'm gonna need to do that $300 converter replacement after all. We got 3.5 good fulltime years out of the original 1997 model, I guess that's the best we could hope for. I contacted BestConverter but haven't heard back yet, thanks for the recommendation!1.5KViews0likes0Comments
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