First time trying WH and not working

[Beachbourbon]

So our water heater is not working. We tried all the online and owners manual troubleshooting to no avail. Then noticed the main 15 amp fuse had actually blown. We replaced it, but still had no luck. There is no fault light, and no propane smell. All othe propane appliances work. Any ideas? Thank you for all responses.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Beachbourbon

So our water heater is not working. We tried all the online and owners manual troubleshooting to no avail. Then noticed the main 15 amp fuse had actually blown. We replaced it, but still had no luck. There is no fault light, and no propane smell. All othe propane appliances work. Any ideas? Thank you for all responses.

What brand/model water heater do you have? Is it the gas/electric type and does the electric work if so? Not familiar with Dutchmen RV's as per your sigline, but it's probably the same as used in FR RV's.


I moved your question to it's own thread so as to not hijack the one you originally posted in.

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by wmtire

What brand/model water heater do you have? Is it the gas/electric type and does the electric work if so? Not familiar with Dutchmen RV's as per your sigline, but it's probably the same as used in FR RV's.


I moved your question to it's own thread so as to not hijack the one you originally posted in.

Sorry about that...Atwood water heater.

[wmtire]

Since you have a Dutchmen, you may be able to get better help from our Dutchmen sister site:


Dutchmen Owners

[Mad_River]

If a fuse blew then you likely have a ground in the wiring somewhere. You can check the wiring leading into the WH. If you don't see something obvious I would take it to a professional. Replacing fuses that blow can lead to a fire if there is a ground. Hopefully you are still under a warranty.

[TimVWulp]

Is there water in the hot water heater???? If you lift up on the relief valve very slowly dose water come out? If not the water heater valves are still in winter bypass. If no water and electric is on to water heater the heating element is burned out and the high limit safetys may be triped to shut off the propane.

Hope this helps Tim

[onetonford]

Originally Posted by TimVWulp

Is there water in the hot water heater???? If you lift up on the relief valve very slowly dose water come out? If not the water heater valves are still in winter bypass. If no water and electric is on to water heater the heating element is burned out and the high limit safetys may be triped to shut off the propane.

Hope this helps Tim

X2

[Beachbourbon]

This is an Atwood gas/electric WH. We followed all the directions, and double and triple checked. We read posts and watched YouTube videos for troubleshooting. The tank has water, it is not bypassed, water comes out of the pressure relief valve, the 2 amp fuse on the WH is good, the other connections look good. I didn’t notice the 15 amp fuse at first because the labeling was a bit off, so I checked another 15 amp instead. In fact the fuse that was blown was a 10 amp that replaced a 15 amp. I didn’t have a 15 at camp, so put in a 30 amp I had just to see if it would start up. Still dead. No propane smell either.

I’m asking for help here to see if I missed something before calling a service tech.

Thanks for all the replies

[pjones1969]

Originally Posted by Beachbourbon

This is an Atwood gas/electric WH. We followed all the directions, and double and triple checked. We read posts and watched YouTube videos for troubleshooting. The tank has water, it is not bypassed, water comes out of the pressure relief valve, the 2 amp fuse on the WH is good, the other connections look good. I didn’t notice the 15 amp fuse at first because the labeling was a bit off, so I checked another 15 amp instead. In fact the fuse that was blown was a 10 amp that replaced a 15 amp. I didn’t have a 15 at camp, so put in a 30 amp I had just to see if it would start up. Still dead. No propane smell either.

I’m asking for help here to see if I missed something before calling a service tech.

Thanks for all the replies

Look at #33 in the diagram on this page, it’s a thermal cut off, mine blew last week. Like you I tried everything until finding this, you can’t tell by looking at it so you can remove it and check continuity. They are cheaper on Amazon, I have 3 spares now. It will not allow the WH to run on either electric or propane.

Also, check your u-tube for blockage before firing it up or you’ll probably blow another one..... a quick $12 mistake

https://pantherrvproducts.com/water-...rts-breakdown/

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by pjones1969

Look at #33 in the diagram on this page, it’s a thermal cut off, mine blew last week. Like you I tried everything until finding this, you can’t tell by looking at it so you can remove it and check continuity. They are cheaper on Amazon, I have 3 spares now. It will not allow the WH to run on either electric or propane.

Also, check your u-tube for blockage before firing it up or you’ll probably blow another one..... a quick $12 mistake

https://pantherrvproducts.com/water-...rts-breakdown/

Thanks! I did look at this, but did not remove it because I thought it looked ok. I’ll remove it and check closely. How do I check the u-tube for blockages? And what is the best way to remove them?

[pjones1969]

Originally Posted by Beachbourbon

Thanks! I did look at this, but did not remove it because I thought it looked ok. I’ll remove it and check closely. How do I check the u-tube for blockages? And what is the best way to remove them?

Look back at that diagram, remove #1, 5A and #11, you’ll need a 1/4” nutdriver, you can then run a folded out wire coat hanger through the u tube from either way, then tape a rag to one end and pull it back through.

[pjones1969]

Here’s a manual, look at page 18 and 20 for info on the Thermal Cut-Off and other things

http://www.rvrepairmanual.com/manual...er-Heaters.pdf

[Beachbourbon]

Ok, this is great information. I do remember the exterior of the tube seemed to have some debris when I first looked at this. I’ll order the cut off replacement from amazon, clean out the u tube and report back the results.

[Beachbourbon]

Originally Posted by pjones1969

Look at #33 in the diagram on this page, it’s a thermal cut off, mine blew last week. Like you I tried everything until finding this, you can’t tell by looking at it so you can remove it and check continuity. They are cheaper on Amazon, I have 3 spares now. It will not allow the WH to run on either electric or propane.

Also, check your u-tube for blockage before firing it up or you’ll probably blow another one..... a quick $12 mistake

https://pantherrvproducts.com/water-...rts-breakdown/

So I ordered this thermal cut off on amazon and got Two for $15. The existing part had no visual indication of failure, so I wasn’t sure this would be the fix. Today I replaced it and tried to power up the water heater and it started immediately and worked beautifully. I can’t thank you all enough for your input. Now I have an extra part for the road. And the best part? Happy DW!