Is there an Electric Water Heater Main Switch?

[Ride Everything]

Hi everyone - I have a 2013 FR 3171DS Bunk House Model with a water heater that has both gas and electric. The gas works great but the electric doesn't work at all. The remote switch inside just stays lit all of the time and absolutely zero hot water.
I talked to a RV tech today and he told me to look for a main switch outside and he was sure this switch would be off - I see no main switch outside.

Any suggestions? I searched a bunch of threads and have been poking around for a while and nothing.

Thanks!

[Ride Everything]

Oh, and one other point to mention is that the electric heater hasn't work since we bought the unit, if that helps.

[lbrunning]

You access the switch from outside the mh drivers side take panel off to access water-heater mine is a black rocker switch with a cotter pin in it to keep it in the off position make sure the water heater is full before turning on switch

[j2detroit]

open up the door on the outside look inside for the small on/off rocker switch there will more than likely be a small cotter key though it take out the cotter key turn off the switch inside turn on the switch outside make sure waters on first give it about 15 20 mins and you should start getting hot wages just turn hot water heater on and off using that switch

[Ride Everything]

Here's a few pics I took of the outside, just not seeing it.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Ride Everything

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Here's a few pics I took of the outside, just not seeing it.

Howdy Ride Everything. The previous advice that has been given on an outside switch was given under the impression you had a Suburban brand water heater. Your pics show you have an Atwood brand, which probably has only an INSIDE the RV switch, similar to this one....or could be mounted in a cluster of switches. The lightning bolt indicates the electric heating element side of the heater.



The earlier Atwoods can possibly have an electric switch on the backside of the heater. Yours probably would not have this switch. To gain access to the backside of the heater, you may have go thru a cabinet, remove a false panel, etc from INSIDE the RV to accomplish this. I point this out which will be explained below.

We can hope it's something simple, as in resetting an ECO switch, the circuit breaker to the water heater turned off, the water heater not wired into a power source (we have seen this), loose/disconnected wires at the inside switch, etc.

If for some reason the electric element was turned on, without water being in the heater, it's possible the electric element is burned out, which will require replacement......also done from the backside of the Atwood heater.

The following link is a service manual on Atwoods. Page 14 (not page 13 as that's early models) will show how to troubleshoot the electric heating element not working, as well as how to reset the electric side Energy Cut Off (ECO) switch on the water heater.

http://manuals.adventurerv.net/Atwoo...er-Service.pdf

Hope this helps and you get it working.

[Witch Doctor]

Very good advice in post # 6.....Good luck

[heavynlori]

Check the panel also - breaker may be off there too - some dealers turn them all off so you have to turn them all on yourself - so you know where they are !!! You can have three places to check ....outside on heater which is hidden sometimes, on the electrical panel breaker and the wall switch for electric


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[Jerry01]

Is the light next to the inside switch red? If so, that should be for your propane. The red light comes on until the burner is lit then the light goes out. If that light stays on, then either you have no propane, or the burner did not light. I wasn't aware of an electric switch that is lit. On the Suburban water heaters the switch is usually located on the back of the heater itself as others have said. Usually towards the bottom left. Is your water heater an Atwood? How about a P/N? Jerry.


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[Ride Everything]

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the replies. I believe it's Part # 80-1364 (GCH6A-10E). I checked the breaker and it seems ok, and yes, when the switch inside is on, there is a red light that also stays on the entire time. All of the connections outside seem to be ok so maybe the element burned out - I think I've exhausted my technical abilities at this point.

[Thurman]

My pull unit does not have the electric heating element but in "Ride's" case: Could there be a possibility of a bad heating element within the hot water tank causing his problem?