My 5th Wheel Hot Water Heater Fires Up but Then Goes Out and Won t Light Up Again
RVs are like homes – they have a multitude of systems to tend to, such as plumbing and electrical systems. When something isn't working properly, for example when there'due south no hot water in your RV, the troubleshooting process begins. Sometimes we find that some part of the system has failed, simply other times we find that we've only made a mistake.
Particularly when y'all're new to RVing (as nosotros were almost two decades ago), you can accidentally exercise something that yous don't realize tin can cause what appears to be a system failure, when really you've just fabricated a newbie error that caused the issue y'all're now troubleshooting.
That happened to united states of america when nosotros were newbies (and occasionally still does!), and we like to share those experiences for the benefit of newcomers to the RV world who might encounter like situations.
So, today we're looking at how yous get hot water in your RV, what might be happening if the water stops running hot, and (hopefully) how to fix it.
- 1) How Practice You Get Hot Water in Your RV?
- 2) Why Was At that place No Hot Water in Our RV?
- iii) No Hot H2o In Your RV? Watch This Video First!
- four) What Else Could Be Wrong With Your RV's Water Heater?
- 4.1) Refer to Your Water Heater Manual
- 4.2) Cheque the How-do-you-do-Limit/E.C.O. Push
- 4.3) Check Featherbed Valves
- 4.4) Check Your Propane Levels
- 4.5) Check the Electrical Heating Element
- 4.6) Faulty Thermostat
- 4.vii) RV H2o Heater Check Valve Malfunction
- v) Conclusion
How Practise You Get Hot Water in Your RV?
Similar a house, an RV has a water heater. The heater could run on propane or a combination of propane and electricity like ours, information technology can exist a tankless hot water heater, or you could accept a hydronic system that is diesel or propane-fueled and provides both heat and hot h2o.
When your RV's hot water system is working properly, you have all the hot water you desire, inside the limits of the water heater tank size.
There are a number of informative RV h2o heater tips that are important to know nearly, and that volition nearly certainly be helpful to you lot in some fashion. But let'southward take a look at what happened to u.s.a. back when nosotros were newbies, in hopes of sparing you a similar fate!
Why Was There No Hot Water in Our RV?
I 24-hour interval when we were new RVers traveling and living in our 2002 Fleetwood Bounder Diesel, we found that the water running in our kitchen sink wasn't getting hot. It was only lukewarm, which was very unusual.
So, we set about troubleshooting the result of no hot water in our RV by checking all of the obvious possible issues. First, we checked the main power switch on the water heater – and it was on.
Side by side, we checked to see if the water heater circuit breaker was tripped. Nope – not the issue.
Nosotros noticed that when the propane heating was turned on the ignition light didn't illuminate. Hmmm…
We checked to make sure the propane was turned all the fashion on at the tank. Perfect. We checked the propane level as well. Plenty of propane.
Being new to the business of RVing, we had investigated the issue of no hot h2o in our RV every bit thoroughly every bit we could, so we drove our rig to an RV repair person who rapidly diagnosed our result – and the mistake we'd made that caused that issue!
It turns out, it was entirely our own error! 🙈 We had run the exterior shower using both the hot and cold water, and while using it, we had turned the water off using the command on the showerhead, but we'd left the hot and cold faucets turned on.
In our particular arrangement (and from what we've heard from MANY others), leaving both the hot and cold faucets on opens a connection between the hot and cold sides of the water system, allowing the cold and hot water to mix.
The reason the water heater wouldn't fire upwards using propane was unproblematic – the water in the water heater was already hot!
With the outside shower's hot and common cold faucets properly shut off, the temperature of our water was nearly 124 degrees. Simply with both faucets open, the temperature of the water was lukewarm, at effectually 102 degrees. And THAT'S what had made us think the h2o heater wasn't working properly.
No Hot Water In Your RV? Watch This Video Showtime!
If you find that your water is running lukewarm, check to make sure y'all haven't made our newbie error. If y'all've ruled that out, then we accept some additional suggestions for your troubleshooting listing.
What Else Could Be Wrong With Your RV'due south H2o Heater?
Depending on the make, model, and type of water heater you take in your RV, all the post-obit suggestions may or may non use. Only the following RV h2o heater troubleshooting tips offering some great steps to follow when yous're investigating the issue of no hot water in an RV.
Refer to Your Water Heater Manual
Yeah, we know – this one should be obvious, but we had to include it considering it's always the first pace when troubleshooting whatever upshot. Often your possessor'southward manual volition have a list of troubleshooting steps that are detail to your make and model, so this is e'er a great identify to start.
If you don't have the manual for your water heater, it should be bachelor online. Merely Google the make & model like this: "Suburban SW12DE owner'southward transmission"
In that vein, we e'er suggest press/downloading a re-create of possessor'due south manuals that you don't take for any appliances or equipment in your RV and so that if you're in a remote location and tin can't access the internet, you'll take what you demand on manus (and, of course, you'll have trouble and demand the manual when you're in a remote location without access to the internet… late on a Fri… of a holiday weekend 🤦♂️).
Check to see if your howdy-limit/emergency cut-off switch (which is the fail-rubber to shut the h2o heater off if the thermostat fails to keep the temperature beneath a set loftier limit point) needs to be reset. The switch tin trip, and simply pushing the button back in can reset information technology and have you on your way to a prissy hot shower.
Notwithstanding, if the switch trips repeatedly, then your thermostat needs to be replaced. (Nosotros'll touch on on this one later on.)
Propane/electrical RV water heaters will have 2 hi-limit/E.C.O. switches – one for the electric heater and one for the propane heater.
The thermostat(s) and their hi-limit/emergency cut-off switches sit under a comprehend that looks like this ane, located backside the outside cover to the water heater itself.
All you need to exercise is press the round, rubber push(s) on the cover to reset each of your hi-limit/E.C.O. switch(es), merely like that. If you feel the reset button click back into identify, that was your problem. If, yet, you push on each reset push y'all have and they don't motion/click… they hadn't tripped… and that WASN'T your trouble.
FYI, the thermostats themselves look similar this, and that little grayness cylindrical piece you meet at the summit of this thermostat is the actuator for resetting the hi-limit/E.C.O. switch. That'south what you're pressing on when y'all push on the round rubber push.
Check Bypass Valves
If you've sanitized your water organization, or if you've winterized your RV for the season, you've likely closed the h2o heater featherbed valves to allow the h2o heater to be bypassed during the procedure.
Be certain to check these valves to brand sure they're in the correct position(s) to give you hot water! It'southward very easy to forget the featherbed valves, so when troubleshooting an issue of no hot water in your RV, this is one of the commencement things we recommend checking.
Cheque Your Propane Levels
Some other easy troubleshooting step if there'south no hot water in your RV is to bank check your propane levels. If your propane tank is empty, or even if information technology's very low, and y'all're trying to heat your water using propane, you won't get hot water. Fortunately, in that location are like shooting fish in a barrel ways to bank check your propane level.
The first, of course, is to only read your tank's approximate. But even if y'all don't take a gauge, checking the level of propane in your tank is easy. There are a couple of different ways you can practice this.
If you have a propane stove, you can simply light i of the burners to check for a abiding, full flame. If the stove lights and stays lit with a normal flame, you've got propane in your tank. If you utilize this method, however, exist certain not to leave your stove running for too long – just long plenty to perform this check. And as always, never walk away from a stove that'due south lit!
If you lot'd prefer to use another method to bank check on the propane level in your tank without a guess, check out this post where we lead you step-past-step through this very elementary method using aught but some hot tap water. Of course, since you're not getting hot water in your RV, you may need to obtain it from some other source, like the bathroom at the campground!
Check the Electric Heating Chemical element
If you have an electric water heater, bank check the electrical heating chemical element. These can corrode over time and can even cook if the water heater is left on with no h2o in it.
Replacing your electric heating element is not a hard process. Y'all'll likely access the heating element from the outside of your RV, and you'll need a simple heating element wrench like this one:
RV Water Heater Element Wrench 6"，Hex Socket Wrench Removal Tool Tube Spanner ane-i/16" x 1-one/2" x 6" Length
- ✅Product size:One terminate size i-ane/2" hex and Another terminate size 1-ane/16" hex compatible removing all Anode Rod 3/4" NPT.
- ✅Fit Brands:Camco, GE, Rheem, Rudd, Richmond, Montgomery Ward, Sears/ Ken more, State, Norge, Westinghouse, Reliance, Noland, A.O. Smith, Bradford...
And you tin pick up replacement heating elements for your water heater at any local RV parts supply… or online:
Faulty Thermostat
If you've got no hot water in your RV, another possible culprit is a faulty thermostat. If your thermostat needs to be replaced, this is generally something you tin practice yourself, should you feel and then inclined.
You lot can see how to check for a faulty thermostat using a multimeter in this video, and if you find you need to replace your thermostat, it's i of the easiest DIY projects you tin exercise, particularly if y'all watch our step-past-step tutorial video, below .
Over again, you can likely pick up a replacement thermostat for your RV's water heater at a local RV parts supply shop… or you can get them online:
Suburban 120V Thermostat (#232306):
Suburban 12V/Propane Thermostat (#232282):
Atwood ECO Thermostat Assembly (#91447 – for gas/electric water heaters):
ECO Thermostat Assembly Replace for Atwood 91447 Replacement Part for Water Heater Repair Parts Fit For RV, Motor Dwelling Emergency Cutoff Service Kit
- H2o heater repair parts for RV, Motor, Habitation,etc.Easy installation, if follow our installation instructions
- Fits Models:GCH6-4E, GCH6-6E, GCH6-7E, GC6A-7E, GH6-6E, GH6-7E, GH6-8E, G6A-6E, G6A-7E, G6A-8E, GCH6A-7E, GCH6A-8E, GCG6A-9E, GC6AA-7E, GC6AA-8E,...
RV Water Heater Check Valve Malfunction
If you've got low pressure at your hot water sources – if your water is flowing at a trickle, for example – y'all may have a h2o heater check valve malfunction.
The check valve exists to ensure that hot water only flows in one direction (out of the water heater) and prevents the backflow of cold h2o. If you lot take low pressure – or no pressure – flowing from your hot water faucets, that'due south a fair indication that you may have a problem with the bank check valve.
To supplant the check valve, you'll demand to bleed your hot water tank, unscrew and pull off the old cheque valve (which you'll do from backside the h2o heater where all the water connections are located… depending on your RV's structure, you may have access to this from inside your RV), and replace information technology with a new one.
Conclusion
Hopefully, after following these troubleshooting tips, you discovered that the event causing y'all to accept no hot water in your RV was solved every bit simply equally ours was, and you lot've been able to enjoy a nice hot shower.
If not, be certain to bank check out the links and videos posted to a higher place in this article for more detailed data that will (hopefully) pb to an easy resolution, bringing the luxury of hot h2o back into your RV.
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Source: https://www.thervgeeks.com/no-hot-water-in-rv/
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