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Old 10-03-2018, 08:15 PM   #1
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Water Heater Quit Working On Gas

Suburban SW6DEL hot water heater quit working on gas over night.
Works on electric so I am not without hot water.
When I try it on gas there is no spark.
Looks like high limit is not out at least when you push it it is solid will not go in any at all.
How do you check the tstat and hi-limit?
The only two things I can see that could be out are the Hi-Limit/Tstat or a bad Module Board. So how do you check these out.
Module Board is going to be hard to access and may require pulling the heater out.
I hope I am missing something simple.
Please post if you have had this problem and found a fix.
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Old 10-03-2018, 08:40 PM   #2
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Starting with simple, do you have propane? Does your stove work and have a good flame?


This previous thread may be of help and give you a starting point to troubleshoot.


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1827312
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Old 10-04-2018, 05:24 AM   #3
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When propane quit working overnight, did you have both propane and electric working at same time? If yes, then shut electric and use water to see if propane will light up. Electric comes on first to heat water, then propane when using both at same time.
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Old 10-04-2018, 07:29 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fonzie View Post
When propane quit working overnight, did you have both propane and electric working at same time? If yes, then shut electric and use water to see if propane will light up. Electric comes on first to heat water, then propane when using both at same time.
To add to fonzie's questions... if you had the electric on... how long did you wait (or use enough water) for the LP side to kick on?

On my exact same unit, the electric element gets the water hot enough that I have to use several gallons out of it before it will bring the temperature down enough for the LP to kick on.
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Old 10-04-2018, 08:26 AM   #5
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Water heater Quit

Water heater was running on gas only.
One full 30# tank and one 3/4 full 30# tank of gas. Plenty of gas and pressure.
Something is preventing the spark from happening.
Tried the reset procedure and it did reset but locked out again several times.
Pulled apart all I could get to and did not find anything that looked bad or burnt out.
Still need to get to the back side where the controller board is to check it out. This will be a major job.

Thank's to everyone who has responded so far.
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Old 10-04-2018, 09:17 AM   #6
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Some RV units have access to the control board from underneath the rig.....some from inside the rig behind some panel.

Do you know where you could gain access for your situation?
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Old 10-04-2018, 11:43 AM   #7
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When you reset it, did it spark and try to light?
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Old 10-04-2018, 11:59 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Bama Rambler View Post
When you reset it, did it spark and try to light?
This is important to know.
If it sparked but didn't light, then it could be electrical or LP issues. If it didn't spark then it is likely a 12v electrical issue or the control board.

You did mention it went back into lockout after resetting. That is usually a good sign that the 12v control portion is functioning somewhat properly.
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Old 10-04-2018, 12:00 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax07 View Post
Suburban SW6DEL hot water heater quit working on gas over night.
Works on electric so I am not without hot water.
When I try it on gas there is no spark.
Looks like high limit is not out at least when you push it it is solid will not go in any at all.
How do you check the tstat and hi-limit?
The only two things I can see that could be out are the Hi-Limit/Tstat or a bad Module Board. So how do you check these out.
Module Board is going to be hard to access and may require pulling the heater out.
I hope I am missing something simple.
Please post if you have had this problem and found a fix.

surburban means bad ignition board . they make the worst boards out there . not uncommon for them to go out . you should be able to see the board from the back of the h/w/h
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Old 10-04-2018, 12:02 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dmax07 View Post
Water heater was running on gas only.
One full 30# tank and one 3/4 full 30# tank of gas. Plenty of gas and pressure.
Something is preventing the spark from happening.
Tried the reset procedure and it did reset but locked out again several times.
Pulled apart all I could get to and did not find anything that looked bad or burnt out.
Still need to get to the back side where the controller board is to check it out. This will be a major job.

Thank's to everyone who has responded so far.

so your saying it sparked when you reset but no light . could you smell gas? still it's most likely the board as they operate the gas valve to
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Old 10-04-2018, 01:00 PM   #11
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Our Suburban hot water heater quit working on gas at the August FROG Rally in Goshen. The DSI light was on. Turning off the gas hwh switch and turning back on again caused the light to go out for a short time and then back on again, signaling direct spark ignition failure to light. I could light from outside with a match, but it wouldn't stay lit. No sound of spark during the attempt to start on gas. Fortunately, since we were at the rally, a technician came and replaced the control board, which was located somewhere on top of the unit - easily accessible after removing a panel in the pass-through storage. Apparently this is common enough that bad control board is everyone's first guess on these units.
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Old 10-04-2018, 04:17 PM   #12
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if they light and go out , ie won't stay lit it doesn't hurt to pull the igniter out and clean it off with some emery cloth just don't go crazy . if that doesn't do it then it's the board .I've gotten boards bad out of the box direct from airexcel
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Old 10-04-2018, 09:10 PM   #13
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Check the propane fittings inside the access door and clean them. Use a fine wire to clean out the pinhole orifice.
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Old 10-04-2018, 09:46 PM   #14
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The service manual for Suburban WH's is in the Plumbing section of the Library.
WH_Service and Training Manual 05-18-11.pdf
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Old 10-05-2018, 10:20 PM   #15
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Problem solved

Installed a new igniter board today. Pulled the old board out and noticed one of the components looked burnt. Purchased a new igniter board from Camping World and installed it. Problem solved I now have gas water heater again.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.
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Old 10-06-2018, 06:43 AM   #16
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Glad your issue is resolved and that you came back and reported the fix. It will help others.

Should you ever have another control board issue, check out the boards made by Dinosaur Electronics. Much better quality than OEM boards.

https://www.dinosaurelectronics.com
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Old 10-06-2018, 09:08 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by Dmax07 View Post
Installed a new igniter board today. Pulled the old board out and noticed one of the components looked burnt. Purchased a new igniter board from Camping World and installed it. Problem solved I now have gas water heater again.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions.

What did CW charge you ? on amazon you can get them for about $80.
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