Does my Hot Water Heater only run on Gas?

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by Crabpot

I weighed my 30lb tanks when they were filled last time - both were 53lb (did not weigh them empty, assume they weigh 30 empty)....

A "30 pound" propane tank holds 30 pounds of propane, more or less.

Somewhere on the tank will be stamped a number, for example, TW 23.

TW stands for "Tare Weight", that is, the weight of the empty tank. So if you have a scales to weight the tanks, the propane content is the weight less the Tare Weight.

[HowieE]

Originally Posted by beatricea

I have tried multiple times to light the water heater in my new sport 16' without success. I operated it successfully two weeks ago but alas, not on this trip. Any ideas?

Lighting it on gas or electric? Lighting with a match or electric switch? More info please

If gas are you sure you have gas? it is common for spiders or stink bugs to get in the burner tube. If you can smell gas at the heater but it will not light or stay light long enough to satisfy the proof of flame you may have to pull the burner tube and clean out the bugs.

[aftermath]

Kat, you have been given some good information here. I would like to add a few things.

The hot water tank: When you are ready for hot water you simply turn the switch on and you will see the red light come on. If you listen you will hear the burner ignite and the light will go off. If, by chance, you return later and see the light on then there has been a failure to reignite when the water had cooled down. Simply turn the switch off and then back on and it should work. This has happened to us on a few occasions so don't panic.

The propane tanks: There is no device to measure the levels in the tank. You will have to take them off the trailer and get them filled and then you have to monitor the levels. The way the system is designed is this. Fill both tanks and install them. Open BOTH valves slowly and notice the direction the switch over switch is pointing. It will point to the tank that is being used. There is a little glass window above this switch over valve that will be showing green. When the tank goes dry, the system will automatically switch over to the other tank and the little glass widow will turn red. You still will be getting gas to your appliances but the first tank will be dry.

When you notice this, manually turn the valve to the other tank (you will see the glass valve turn green again) , shut off the valve to the dry tank and remove it and get it filled. Return the tank and slowly open the valve.

For this system to operate pain free you must monitor the situation by looking at the glass indicator. The advantage of doing it this way is that you won't have to get out of bed late at night, or in the rain, or in other uncomfortable situations so you can go out and open the second tank.

Those who only run one tank at a time will NEVER run out of propane when that first tank goes empty. Those of us who use the system the way it has been designed will HAVE to keep our eyes on things.

Pick you poison on this one.

[beatricea]

Good morning and thank you for responding so quickly! My apologies for being unclear about fuel source -I'm a total newbie!
The water heater is gas only. When I turn on the switch there isn't even a red light flicker- and no hot water after several tries. We did discover that the stove would not light either and deduced that we turned the propane on too fast...so turned the gas off and then slowly turned back on...voila, the stove worked! However this effort did not help the gas water heater.[emoji57]

[Al and Missy]

If you turned on the switch and the red light did not come on, then you either have a water heater problem or it is not getting 12 volts to power the igniter. Find the 12V wire powering your heater and check for the presence of power there. If good, then you have a problem with the heater itself.

Al