Atwood LP-only WH problem found & fixed

[pashooter]

Just thought I'd post a quick description of a problem I had with the Atwood propane-only water heater in my new Coachmen Pursuit over the weekend. It was our first trip out with the rig and when I fired up the WH it would light off normally, run for a short time, then shut down with the DSI (direct spark ignition) light on the control panel illuminated.

Sometimes it would run for 15 seconds or so, other times for several minutes, but kept shutting down.

Did a little surfing for some troubleshooting info and solved the problem. The ignitor electrodes (mounted on a bracket above where the gas tube terminates) double as a flame sensor and as such must be within the flame when the heater is firing. Mine were above and slightly to the side of the flame. I gently bent the bracket holding the electrodes to move the tips slightly down and to the right, placing them in the flame. Problem solved - the heater ran normally for the rest of our trip (two solid days.) and didn't shut down once.

[Bama Rambler]

Thanks for posting this. It will surely help someone in the future.