Water heater electric element on the blink

[F40SPTS]

First post. Does anyone here know how to test a water heater electric element other then turning it on? I have the Suburban SW 10 DE.

I have searched Surburbans page, nothing. Another guy said something about "ohm's" but i could not find info for the amount of ohm's it should have etc.

Can I just take it out and check it or????

the propane side works fine.

I wonder if the the propane and electric have seperate shut off's when it reaches temp ? Or do both have just one?

[LadyWindrider]

First of all WELCOME. Ask and ye shall find. In a hurry, search and ye shall find faster. Many basic questions have been covered before. Site has been around a few years. Check this thread,

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ent-11525.html

If not, do a search, the answer is here, I've seen it. Basically it should be only a few ohms. Make sure there is no power on the element, best to unhook the wires, then check resistance, (ohms).

Hope it helps.

[jimh]

the element is not very expensive. seems like around $15. i'd just change it out.

if the hw heater was turned on empty, chances are that the element is burnt. they do not last very long with no water.

It appears to me that the gas and elec have their own thermostats.

if ur going to use an ohm meter, i would remove both wires from the element. then i would check resistance between the two terminals. if u get a reading, i would consider it good then check resistance between each of the terminals and the metal thread area (or the trailer) if u get a reading here, i would suspect wires touching the case inside.

naturally the easiest way would be to remove the protective cover then apply power and check to see if u have voltage at the terminals. if u do, bad element. if u don't, start working backwards.

[F40SPTS]

Thanks windrider and jimh. that should get me to the problem without spending a bucket of money.

[KyDan]

If your water heater element screws in you can get a
large socket to fit from the plumbing isle of your favorite
Home Depot, Lowes or a well stocked hardware store.
It's not made like a mechanics socket but rather is
stamped out of heavy sheet metal. It's cheap looking
but will do the job. (Ask me how I know )

[jimh]

Originally Posted by F40SPTS

Thanks windrider and jimh. that should get me to the problem without spending a bucket of money.

i did an edit on my post and inserted the manual for it.

[F40SPTS]

Thanks jimh. that will help alot.

[backin15]

Another way to check it is to put a DC voltmeter on the wires to the element. If you have power and it does not heat it is shot.

[LadyWindrider]

I think reply number 8 should read an AC voltmeter. The electric element is 120 volt AC only. The control board for the gas is 12 volt DC.

[backin15]

Thanks for correcting me! Sorry about that.

[Matthews1]

You should unplug the battery and the camper and there should be a little black box thing and if you take that off and take the heating eminent off and take it in to your rv store and get a replacement for it and put It back in and plug back in your battery

[Retired2golf]

Originally Posted by Matthews1

You should unplug the battery and the camper and there should be a little black box thing and if you take that off and take the heating eminent off and take it in to your rv store and get a replacement for it and put It back in and plug back in your battery

Much cheaper to buy the element at Home Depot or Lowes. It's just a screw in 1500W element used in most residential HWTs.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by Retired2golf

Much cheaper to buy the element at Home Depot or Lowes. It's just a screw in 1500W element used in most residential HWTs.

Not so fast.
It's a screw in 120 volt element.
Most home water heaters are 240v.
You can usually find the 120v models at the big stores
but you gotta check the voltage on the box!

[Retired2golf]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Not so fast.
It's a screw in 120 volt element.
Most home water heaters are 240v.
You can usually find the 120v models at the big stores
but you gotta check the voltage on the box!

Good point. 1500W 120V will work in a 240 v install but a 1500W 240V will blow breakers in a 120V installation.

Dave

[jimh]

either i am reading it wrong or the reply is reversed. the 240 volt element would have a higher resistance to be rated a the same wattage. if u installed the 1500 w 240 element in the 120 v location, it would draw half the current. Watts= Voltage.Current. the breaker wouldn't trip and u wouldn't get enough heat out of it.
they really are inexpensive.