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Old 11-12-2012, 08:55 PM   #21
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I can't access the panel now that I've got the slides in for winter storage, but I'm pretty sure that's it's a 15A breaker on the AC panel. I have a hard-wired surge protector with a digital readout...the WH draws 10A.

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Old 11-17-2012, 10:57 AM   #22
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Mine HW breaker is a 15A.

Jeff

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Old 03-16-2013, 09:57 PM   #23
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Hello fellow 5ers!
Sorry about the long post.
We have had our Flagstaff 8528RKWS almost two years and love it. We are mostly weekend warriors. Been out 25 night probably. I destroyed the cheap deep cycle battery(lol) I'm such a dumb a$%!
Anyway, last September we had the Co and propane sensor act up. Cut the wire after making sure the RV was safe. I thought it was the battery........replaced with two 6V and a sweet battery disconnect. Hooked the sensor up, tested propane, left everything on for two nights, all is well.

Last night things worked GREAT, heater cycled on and off fine etc.(on shore power)

This AM I pushed the water heater on button and the DSI Fault on the monitor came on. switched off then on again and no fault code, but my CO and LP sounded. I turned off the switch and reset the alarm. 30 minutes later I had to cut the neg to shut it up.

After reading many posts, I still have no idea what a D.S.I. Fault is. Can't find it in the manual either.

I have a Suburban SW6DE in the 5ER. Found the electric plugged and tested it, works fine. Thermal switched seems set.
No heat on AC at all. Until today I assumed I only had a propane water heater. The id tag actually gives it propane spec only, yet I have a secret on off switch on the heater and 110 going to it.......
SO CONFUSED!

Any ideas or help.

Thanks
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Old 03-16-2013, 10:00 PM   #24
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Oh yeah, now the heater goes straight to DSI Fault when switched on from the panel. I hooked up the LP CO sensor and it is all green. On shore power, not battery.
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Old 03-16-2013, 10:07 PM   #25
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Ok 5ers! I' not crazy! But after I sent this I heard the Whale talk! Hot water on AC! Wish they had told me that two years ago!
Then my wife flipped the switch, AND LEFT IT ON! About 15 seconds and it cycled, click click click, poof, now we have gas and AC heat for water!, SWEET!
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Old 03-17-2013, 08:33 AM   #26
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Ok, but you're still crazy. ;-)
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Old 03-17-2013, 09:46 AM   #27
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TheHugens View Post
Hello fellow 5ers!

Anyway, last September we had the Co and propane sensor act up. Cut the wire after making sure the RV was safe. I thought it was the battery........replaced with two 6V and a sweet battery disconnect. Hooked the sensor up, tested propane, left everything on for two nights, all is well.

This AM I pushed the water heater on button and the DSI Fault on the monitor came on. switched off then on again and no fault code, but my CO and LP sounded. I turned off the switch and reset the alarm. 30 minutes later I had to cut the neg to shut it up.

After reading many posts, I still have no idea what a D.S.I. Fault is. Can't find it in the manual either.

I have a Suburban SW6DE in the 5ER. Found the electric plugged and tested it, works fine. Thermal switched seems set.
No heat on AC at all. Until today I assumed I only had a propane water heater. The id tag actually gives it propane spec only, yet I have a secret on off switch on the heater and 110 going to it.......
SO CONFUSED!

Any ideas or help.

Thanks
Just a few basics for anyone else who may read this thread later on in life.

The Suburban SW6DE model number means you have a 6 gallon water heater that has a Direct Spark Ignitor (D.S.I.) and an Electric powered heating element. This water heater can be powered by propane, electricity, or both at the same time. You can use the electric option when you are at campsites that have electricity, and the propane option when at places that don't.....or a combination depending on your needs.

Airxcel | Suburban Manufacturing Service

If using the water heater on propane, you must first make sure your propane tanks have fuel, are open, and the lines aren't full of too much air going to the water heater. You can usually turn on your stove in the camper and this purges a lot of air from the lines first.

You will now turn on your Direct Spark Ignitor (D.S.I.) switch inside your trailer/coach. Your particular RV may just have a switch that says water heater. The DSI is an electric ignitor (DC power) that takes the place of the old fashioned pilot lights that gas powered water heaters have. You can usually hear a rapid clicking sound at the water heater as the DSI is making sparks to ignite the propane. By not having a constantly on pilot light that burns constantly, the DSI is safer and uses less propane.

You just leave the DSI switch on, and whenever the water heater needs to heat water on propane, the DSI will provide the sparks to ignite the gas. If you turn the DSI switch off, then you won't be able to use the propane option.....thus turning off your water heater using propane.

The DSI uses an electric current (DC/battery) to make sparks which lights up the propane to start the burners to heat your water. If the DSI system fails to light the propane after a set number of attempts/time, you will get a fault and the system shuts itself off (including propane). If you keep getting faults you may have a propane delivery problem somewhere. My switch shows a fault until the propane ignites which can take a few attempts. Once the propane ignites, the fault light goes off.......................but after so many failed attempts the whole system locks itself out and won't retry to light.

----------------------------------------------------------

Now for the electric option. Some trailers/coaches have another inside switch to turn the electric heating element on, which is located inside the water heater. This element works only off of 115 volt AC power, and you must be plugged into some form of 115 volt shore power for this heating element to work.

However, many (including all of my trailers), do not have an inside on/off electric heating element switch......but this black switch is located on the front of the water heater itself...near the left hand bottom side. It is hidden just a little. You will have to open/remove your outside water heater panel to get to this switch. See pic




Now, if you turn on the electric heating element, you must always make sure the water heater is full of water first. If you turn it on and there isn't water in the heater, the element will burn itself out in a matter of seconds, usually before you can even say "OH CRAP", and turn it back off.

When using this switch, it's a good idea to make yourself some kind of tag or something to remind yourself it's on (and to turn it off when breaking camp/draining water lines). Many, many a camper has forgot to turn the element off, when breaking camp. They drain their water and/or heater, and pull their trailer home. When they get home they plug back into shore power and IMMEDIATELY burn up their electric heating element.

If you do burn the electric heating element up, you can still most likely use the water heater on propane only. Sometimes though, with a burned up heating element, it will trip your breakers in your trailer.

You can power your water heater by propane and the DSI....as well as the electric heating element (as long as you have 115 volt shore power) at the same time and get the fastest heated water.......or either one individually

---------------------------------------------------
Now I have concerns with your alarms going off constantly. You may possibly have a propane leak somewhere, maybe in your water heater system somewhere. If you are getting DSI faults, which means the water heater is not lighting with the Direct Spark Ignitor, there may be a propane leak which is not letting the water heater fire up correctly. This isn't something I would take lightly, and you might want to consider getting it professionally looked at. We want to keep you around here.
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Old 03-17-2013, 10:10 AM   #28
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Let me add to Bobby's great post below.

See his photo?? Note the round black cover directly in-between
the AC switch and the open drain hole??

The electric heating element is behind that center cover.
Remove that cover to test for voltage at the heater element or to remove/replace
the element.
The element is most likely a screw in element and you can get a
replacement AND a stamped out sheet metal socket to fit it at most
Home Depot, Lowes, plumbing shops and even a well stocked hardware
store.

Just BE SURE to get a 120v element. Most home heaters use 240 volt
elements but there are a few small apartment sizes that are 120v
and that's the one you need for most RVs.
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Old 03-17-2013, 11:30 PM   #29
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Thanks for the great feed back! Yes, I actually am CRAZY!
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Old 03-25-2013, 07:08 AM   #30
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Cold - HOT!! -- Cold -- all in 30 seconds

We had our new 25RKS out this weekend and had other problems getting hot water, and I have not seen this issue listed anywhere.

So, our RV was winterized by the dealer and we did our own summerize (de-winterization ??) a week ago. I filled the fresh water tank with water and a little bleach, ran the pump and purged all the pink RV antifreeze from all the lines. I even remembered to fill the hot water tank and use the temp/pressure valve to purge any water. Ran the hot water side with the tank turned off to purge any pink stuff and air in the lines.

This past weekend we go on the maiden voyage. I make sure the hot water tank is still full and we are on 'city' water. We are running shore power and We open the hot tap to get cold water, then a brief blast of 5 seconds of hot water and then back to cold. I talked to the dealership, no help. I talked to other campers and they suggested everything that I had already tried, but I double checked all. I searched Google via my cell phone and plenty of other problems, but nothing that solves ours. We even tried propane / electric and just propane only with same results. On the propane we never could get it to fire off. We cycled power on all the switches, etc and tried all we could.

I found that during the winterization there is some type of hot water heater bypass. It's a couple valves that shut the cold water supply of the hot water heater off, and a valve that t's the cold water supply into the hot water manifold. I couldn't see the valve that cut off the cold water to the heater without 3 mirrors and a flashlight, but knew it had to be there. Partially under the floor and hidden behind many other hoses and valves it was found. I turned it on and the cold water t-ing into the hot supply off and viola !!

I would assume that the hot water heater filled by the cold water that was t-ed into the hot line by back filling into the tank. When we went to use the hot we would get some hot from the tank but then the rest was just pure cold water mixed in. Once the cold water line that was t-ed into the hot was closed and the real cold water supply to the hot water tank was found (almost as hard as finding the Loch Ness Monster) we were able to get piping hot water to do dishes.

I hope this helps others in the future.
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Old 03-25-2013, 07:13 AM   #31
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Some water heaters have 1 or 2 or 3 valves that must be turned to
switch from winter bypass to summer hot water modes.
It's up to you the owner or you and your dealer to find them and know
what to do with them.

Your LP would not fire most likely because your tank was already hot.
Dual heat water heaters typically have the LP thermostat a few degrees
cooler than the electric side.
This way you can have both modes on and the electric will keep the tank
hot until you use enough water for it to get behind and then the LP will
fire up to help.
If you want to test your LP you should find a circuit breaker in your
power center that is for the electric side of your WH.
Flip that off and run some hot water.
The LP side should fire up pretty quickly. The tank is small and it doesn't take
much to trigger a heat cycle.

Glad you figured yours out!
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Camping days 2010-53, 2011-47, 2012-41, 2013-41, 2014-31, 2015-40, 2016-44, 2017-63, 2018-75, 2019-32, 2020-41, 2021-49, 2022-43, 2023-66
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