Auto/low switch in kitchen by control panel

Terry Y. · 04-22-2012, 10:23 AM

We have a new Forest River Wildcat Sterling 30RL. Next to the Monitor Panel there is a switch that you select Auto or Low. We have no idea what this does. Anyone got any info on this??

TURBS · 04-22-2012, 10:59 AM

for the life of me I could not think of a reason for a switch like that "auto/low"
post a pic maybe it will spark something
did your dealer not tell you this during pdi ?

RJHuser · 04-22-2012, 11:02 AM

Do you have a tankless water heater? I have read they have an auto and low operating mode.

Oakman · 04-22-2012, 11:02 AM

The auto/Low switch is probably for your Girard Tankless Water Heater. You should have a manual on the operation of the switch and how to use the tankless water heater. If you didn't get this manual go to this website and download the manual. For now keep the switch on Auto until you read the manual.

Here's the website for Girard. Girard Water Heater - Girard Products, LLC | Tankless RV Water Heater | On Demand RV Water Heaters | Endless Hot Water RV | Instant Flow RV Water Heaters | LP Gas Tankless RV Water Heater | Induced Draft Tankless Water Heater

This is one manual you want to invest the time to read it cover to cover. If you do you will probably have a more satisfying experience with the water heater.

Terry Y. · 04-22-2012, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry Y.

We have a new Forest River Wildcat Sterling 30RL. Next to the Monitor Panel there is a switch that you select Auto or Low. We have no idea what this does. Anyone got any info on this??

Thanks guys....yes it does have a tankless water heater. That has to be it. I'll give it a read to see what to do with it.

TURBS · 04-22-2012, 01:16 PM

Its no wonder people are having issues with tankless hw heaters.
poor education from dealers!
Sad.

Pleasantsurroundings · 04-22-2012, 02:24 PM

We just got a Wildcat 313 RE-OK and we could not regulate the water temp. We read about the Auto/low switch and my husband kept looking in the water heater area...low and behold we found out it's inside in the control panel cupboard. Who would have thought to look there? Anyway still can't get the water at the right temp and I can stand some pretty hot water. I guess that means I've been in a lot of hot water...LOL. We'll keep trying and then ask for help from a tech. But from what I've read no one can regulate them. We thought the tankless was going to be so nice.......yeah right!

Terry Y. · 04-22-2012, 07:13 PM

Same here on the tankless water heater. The instructions say to turn the water on low, then to get it colder, you open the hot water side more. Never did get the right temp on the thing. Thought it was going to be better than old style, but it may take time to get used to the "new" heater. My new wildcat sterling was really new to the dealer and the techs couldn't answer many questions about the thing. So far, it has been pretty much trial and error. Something of note is that ours came with one air conditioner. We took the camper to the Texas coast and found that we need another unit installed. The bedroom was a bit too warm until we put a fan in the kitchen area to blow some of the cold air to the bedroom. We're taking it to Heber Springs Ark. in May and are having the second unit installed in the bedroom this week!

Crusader · 04-22-2012, 07:34 PM

I have a standard R.V. hot water tank. I can't regulate it. It comes out dangerously hot!! I had the thermostat in the tank changed under warranty, and its still to hot!! I gess its the nature of the tanks.

TURBS · 04-22-2012, 07:50 PM

have you been using the cold water with the the hot to regulate ?

Oakman · 04-22-2012, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crusader

I have a standard R.V. hot water tank. I can't regulate it. It comes out dangerously hot!! I had the thermostat in the tank changed under warranty, and its still to hot!! I gess its the nature of the tanks.

It's that hot because you only have a 6 or 10 gallon water heater. The idea is that it will take less hot water to mix with the cold to get a good shower from the small water heater. The hot water can easily exceed 120 degrees. Small children should be watched when washing hands.

hatstomper · 04-25-2012, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Terry Y.

We have a new Forest River Wildcat Sterling 30RL. Next to the Monitor Panel there is a switch that you select Auto or Low. We have no idea what this does. Anyone got any info on this??

We also have a tankless. Dealer said to leave the switch on auto. They set the temp at 106F. The thing, so far works good. Never have to use the cold side at all, and your not using propane to heat water your not using.

Foley5000 · 04-26-2012, 12:49 PM

I just purchased a 312BHX and have a high/low switch. The dealer told me to leave it on high because it's a high flow system.?. Anyway, I had the understanding that you don't need to use the cold water to regulate water temperature (with the tankless water heater). My water temp is about perfect with the hot water on full blast.

Wildcat Chris · 04-26-2012, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foley5000

I just purchased a 312BHX and have a high/low switch. The dealer told me to leave it on high because it's a high flow system.?. Anyway, I had the understanding that you don't need to use the cold water to regulate water temperature (with the tankless water heater). My water temp is about perfect with the hot water on full blast.

You do not need to use cold. "Hot water on full blast" with no cold is the standard HOT setting. To make your water hotter (for dishes, for instance), reduce flow.

cre10 · 04-26-2012, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildcat Chris

You do not need to use cold. "Hot water on full blast" with no cold is the standard HOT setting. To make your water hotter (for dishes, for instance), reduce flow.

Hmm, I'm not sure if I would like that.

Foley5000 · 04-26-2012, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildcat Chris

You do not need to use cold. "Hot water on full blast" with no cold is the standard HOT setting. To make your water hotter (for dishes, for instance), reduce flow.

Thanks for the reassurance. From what I've read on this and other threads, it seems to be a point of confusion. Learning to change your acquired habits can be a challenge. Almost everyone, I would guess, is used to adjusting water temp by using both hot and cold together. So far, I think the tankless system works great, but I have not used it in a "real world" trial yet. I just picked up my new Wildcat on Monday and will be breaking it in this weekend.

4x4man · 04-27-2012, 11:32 AM

It has been trial and error with our tankless setup. We finally settled in on having to use Low for showers (half a turn on hot faucet) and then setting back to Auto for washing dishes. Auto was just too hot for my wife and I. Next weekend we have to pack in our own fresh water so we'll see what the flow of the water pump does to the tankless temps. I can only assume the slower flow will mean higher temps. I read on Girard's website that the system needs 45 psi to function properly...not sure what the factory pumps put out so we'll see what happens.

As far as temps go, I believe there is a limit switch set at 125 degrees (don't have the manual in front of me). While I didn't have a thermometer a couple of weeks ago, our shower water was much higher than 106 degrees when set on Auto.

Wildcat Chris · 04-27-2012, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Foley5000

Learning to change your acquired habits can be a challenge.

I agree completely with your statement. This is the single biggest challenge we faced when the unit was introduced. As you can see, it's still being discussed -- and I'm very open to the discussion. Years ago, no one could have guessed that every RV would NEED a microwave oven. New technology always takes some adjusting...

Oilmaggott · 04-29-2012, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildcat Chris

I agree completely with your statement. This is the single biggest challenge we faced when the unit was introduced. As you can see, it's still being discussed -- and I'm very open to the discussion. Years ago, no one could have guessed that every RV would NEED a microwave oven. New technology always takes some adjusting...

As I'm sure you know Chris there is a technical service Bulletin that has been sent to dealers from Gerrard concerning this issue. The main issue is the inlet water temp. They suggest that for those of us in the south (hot) to keep the switch on low. All the switch does is control the burner. It has two heat settings low and high. With the switch on auto the unit will switch back from high to low depending on the outlet temp. On the low setting the unit stays on the low setting but still functions the same. Here in south Texas we can see inlet water temps over 90 deg. Even the low setting will not work.. The unit reaches it's max output temp and cuts off completely. We call it adventures in bathing. Works great when we travel to cooler climates and in winter. Gerard needs to program this thing with an option for an ultra low burner setting for those of us in the hotter parts of the country.

Johnv · 04-30-2012, 10:11 AM

We also have the tankless water heater on our 30RL. The auto switch allows the water heater automatically to run high or low depending on the inlet water temp. I just put a VSD pump on our unit, as we dry camp a lot. The even flow of pressure allows the tankless water heater to work much better. Otherwise we had cycling between hot and cold.

Johnv

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