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Old 01-22-2018, 04:01 PM   #1
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1997 30' Excella
Corpus Christi , Texas
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No power to water heater

The red light does not come on when we turn the water heater on. The water heater will not turn on. Help!
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:03 PM   #2
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The red light does not come on when we turn the water heater on. The water heater will not turn on. Help!


1997 30’ excella classic
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:37 PM   #3
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Do you have propane in the tanks? Test by firing up your stovetop. Often if the airstream jas been sitting air can get into the lines. Running stove burners will clear it. If the tank regulator is showing green and the burners on the stove work, then it is time to wonder if you've got an insect problem in your water heaters gas or air supply. If your water heater has an automatic ignition check and reset the circuit breaker.... if the trailer is new to you it may be old enough that it is a match light model.... but an inside red light indicates an electronic ignition.

The thermostat might be bad or the chimney (exhaust) could be blocked with smut, or the tempering valve could have gone bad. I call a service guy.... propane isn't something to mess with if you dont really know what you are doing.

YouTube might be a good resource as are most of the service manuals.

Paula
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Old 01-22-2018, 04:45 PM   #4
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Step one - turn switch off.

Two - wiggle every wire you can reach on the control board and both thermostats. Maybe even remove and reattach the wires on the thermostats (they can corrode and the connection can get iffy)

Three - try switch again.

Generally, when the switch is engaged, you should get a red light, then hear the igniter and then the light should go out. If it stays on, it didn't light.

No light at all usually means the thermostat circuit is open and wouldn't even let it try to light.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:39 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Knudsvig View Post
The red light does not come on when we turn the water heater on. The water heater will not turn on. Help!
Assuming you are talking about the light on the inside of the trailer at the on/off switch (some WH's have a LED outside on the ignition module):

If there is no power to the switch, check the 12v breaker. Behind the sofa there is an access door to them. Fold the sofa down for easier access.

On the manual reset type there is a black button. If one is extended out further than the others push it back in to reset it.
Be careful, do not use a tool that might short between (+) and (-).

If your breakers do not have reset buttons, it is an auto reset breaker. If working properly, it will reset when it cools down. They do fail occasionally. Use a tester to check for continuity between the connector bolts to see if one has gone bad.

This is what you are looking for:
http://odmrv.com/catalog/index.php?m...roducts_id=706
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:07 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by A W Warn View Post
...

If there is no power to the switch, check the 12v breaker. Behind the sofa there is an access door to them. Fold the sofa down for easier access.

On the manual reset type there is a black button. If one is extended out further than the others push it back in to reset it.
Be careful, do not use a tool that might short between (+) and (-).

If your breakers do not have reset buttons, it is an auto reset breaker. If working properly, it will reset when it cools down. They do fail occasionally. Use a tester to check for continuity between the connector bolts to see if one has gone bad....
Or just measure the voltage on each of the two studs of the breaker to the ground buss bar. There should be 12 volts on both studs.

Al
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Old 01-23-2018, 09:39 AM   #7
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There is a thermal link in the wiring between the circuit board and the gas valve, which is intended to protect the water heater from causing a fire if the temperature under the outside access panel gets too high. This can happen if insects or spiders build webs or otherwise block the flow of gas from getting to the burner, which can cause burning gas to go places it’s not supposed to go. Unfortunately getting bugs in the burner gas pipe is rather common. The thermal link looks like a big resistor plugged into the red wire, and is usually positioned somewhere above the burner.

I had one blow last summer, but not before burning gas caused the red wire to melt. I later found a dead moth in the gas tubing between the gas valve and the burner. Thankfully the thermal link prevented a fire. I bought 5 new thermal links from Amazon for about $10, and replaced it and the melted wire. Now I carry spare thermal links with me when we travel. Plus, when we first go out I have my wife turn the water heater on while I keep an eye on the water heater guts from the outside. If bugs get into the burner gas piping, the burner won’t light correctly and you can tell right away! It’s not hard to remove the burner gas piping so you can clear it of errant critters.
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Old 01-23-2018, 03:39 PM   #8
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My red light is always on, but the unit functions normally.
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Old 01-23-2018, 08:40 PM   #9
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Not already mentioned are corroded electrical connections. This always happens over time if the contacts are not made of gold. Clean contacts with a pencil eraser and coat them with dielectric grease. I had to do my reefer 11 or 12 years ago and it is still running.
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Old 01-24-2018, 01:34 PM   #10
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Assuming your hot water tank is full ? It was an issue I had when boondocking. Heater will not ignite if the tank is low or no water. Cant recall if the light did not come on at all, or shut off immediately.
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Old 01-24-2018, 06:16 PM   #11
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Ann.. there are 2 heat processes. Electric and LP. The LP has the 'red light' you are mentioning?
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Old 01-25-2018, 10:18 AM   #12
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Ann.. there are 2 heat processes. Electric and LP. The LP has the 'red light' you are mentioning?
I may have missed the make and model number of the heater, but don't recall it being stated. In my experience working on my Atwood HWH, there are basically 2-3 models used (although I am sure there are a small number of others) and not all have electric and propane. Ours is propane only.
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