water heater ignitor ground

[john hd]

i was getting the excella ready for a trip this friday, just checking things out...

i discovered my water heater would not light! it was raining out, i figured the insulators on the ignitor were wet and most likely dirty preventing ignition. so i cleaned them off and still no light! strike one!

then i pulled the switch in the bath and found 12 volts! strike two!

consulting my manual, i checked both the e.c.o. and the t stat for closed contacts...zero ohms. strike three!

well, i figured new controller was in order. just before i was gonna call around and get i new one, i figured i'd give it one last try. lineman's secret trouble shooting technique...wiggle the wires. the ground wire was loose!

home run! bases loaded!



john

[74Argosy24MH]

Originally Posted by john hd

lineman's secret trouble shooting technique...wiggle the wires.

Years of training and it comes down to wiggling wires.

John

[john hd]

john

yeah yer right! who needs a volt/ohm meter anyway!

heres a pic of the culprit...

john

[COArgosy78]

I was going to post a new thread, but saw the perfect picture that John posted just above showing the access panel we want to replace. Wondering if anyone else has already done that and if there were any particular pitfalls or items we should watch out for before taking apart or undoing all those wires, pipes and other goodies to pull the panel and replace? We had the copper tube which ran the LP thru split, so will be replacing that also. Those little metal "L" shaped pieces around each corner of our panel are in pretty bad shape also (altho we will try to clean and rust-proof as much as we can), so wondering if anyone knows of replacements (where to) for those. Thanks for the help

[Silvertwinky]

Originally Posted by john hd

john

yeah yer right! who needs a volt/ohm meter anyway!

heres a pic of the culprit...

john

I'm glad to see that you found the problem! Things like that can really be a nuisance.

I thought of suggesting; "did you check to make sure the gas was on?"

[j54mark]

Originally Posted by COArgosy78

Wondering if anyone else has already done that and if there were any particular pitfalls or items we should watch out for before taking apart or undoing all those wires, pipes and other goodies to pull the panel and replace?

Why are you wanting to take out the "access panel"? The entire heater comes out as a unit (from the outside) should you need to do that - no need to disconnect all those wires and tubes except the one lp gas line and the power feed. Everything else is servicable from the outside.

If you remove the tank you will need a gasket kit - and the two spring gasket keepers which fit over the gas/air inlet and exhaust outlet are a pain to install.

Mark

[COArgosy78]

Hi Mark - Our access panel is quite rusty and falling apart. We found a servicable one at a junk yard, cleaned it and painted it w/rustoleum and now want to replace old w/new. Can you help?

[Janets Husband]

Originally Posted by COArgosy78

the access panel we want to replace. Wondering if anyone else has already done that and if there were any particular pitfalls or items we should watch out for before taking apart or undoing all those wires, pipes and other goodies to pull the panel and replace? We had the copper tube which ran the LP thru split, so will be replacing that also. Those little metal "L" shaped pieces around each corner of our panel are in pretty bad shape also (altho we will try to clean and rust-proof as much as we can), so wondering if anyone knows of replacements (where to) for those. Thanks for the help

I'm a little confused, you are going to replace the door (outside hatch) or are you going to replace the heater mounting plate and use the old tank and controls?
I have replaced the door (outside hatch) they are available along with the hinges as new items. Not too hard just 2 pop rivets.
As for the heater mounting plate. It looks like it could be done, but should be done on the bench. Don't forget to use leak check when done.

[COArgosy78]

OK - I guess that recessed area where all the wires and tubing and other gadgets are located could be called the heater mounting plate. In JohnHD's pic, it is the recessed (beige) box riveted to the side of the trailer w/hinged door hanging down. We want to replace the beige box, but are wondering about disconnecting all wires, tubes, etc. to get the job done. We are having to replace the copper tube that the LP runs thru within this box as it broke in half on our last trip. Are small pieces of copper tube available at plumbing supply? and we are still looking for those corner metal brackets on each corner of the beige box as ours are very rusted. Thanks

[Tinsel Loaf]

Put a little high temperature paint on that rust to slow it down until you can get that repaired, ( the rust that is ) congrats on the wire. Crimps, wire and weather don't go together over the long hall, as you know.

[j54mark]

Leigh, the replacement is going to have to be exact - intake and exhaust holes, drain, and pop off valve are all going to have to be in exactly the right location. You will have to have a new gasket kit. See that bright silver flange around the base of the burner inlet? That is a spring metal keeper that holds the gasket in place. There is another just like it for the exhaust (hidden in the photo above). When new they are slightly smaller than the tubes they go over and have to be gently stretched over and back into place for a friction fit. All the gaskets are important as any gaps will permit deadly gasses to blow back into your coach, should the winds be blowing just right (or wrong).

Yes, copper tubing and fittings are available at hardware stores - you buy it by the foot.

Your biggest problem may be getting the burner air/fuel shutter adjusted correctly - this really should be done by a trained service person.

Mark

[COArgosy78]

Thanks Mark - thats the kind of info I was looking for! What we can do, what pro is needed for and what parts and things we need to look out for to do the job correctly. Price (husband) can do alot, but when professional is called for, that's where we will go. We are so PROUD to have "Mini" and want to make sure job is done correctly and safely If anyone else has comments, please feel free to chime in, we LOVE this place.

[COArgosy78]

Back again w/more ????
I got the owners manual from the trailer yesterday. Within is a terrible picture of our access box along w/info about it being a Bowen Gas Water Heater equipped w/a Robertshaw 100% shut-off safety valve. There is talk of the air shutter and a screw which you loosen for adjustment. Price says that we will not be changing that air shutter on the burner tube when we try to replace the box, so should not need to be adjusted. I can find no mention of gaskets or gasket replacement kits. I did call AS tech and their representative said something about using putty tape???? I can only think that they are referring to using it around the box, under all those screws (see JohnHD's pic above) once we put in the new access box (is that where we should be concerned about "deadly gasses"?) We were going to use vulkem, but can use putty tape or a gasket kit if someone can tell us what kind of gasket kit and is it just for AS or any trailer. Thanks again,

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by john hd

john

yeah yer right! who needs a volt/ohm meter anyway!

heres a pic of the culprit...

john

I took a sponge bath this morning with water heated on the stove because my water heater didn't light. Now I know where to look first.

As far as electricity is concerned my knowledge is limited to

1. always turn off the breaker FIRST
2. never stick a fork into a toaster!

I will proceed to checking loose wires.

Paula

[Foiled Again]

Well I wiggled and pushed on all of the wires on my water heater, went inside turned on the switch..... and waited.... just as I was ready to give up I heard the little "poof" and the light went out. Five minutes later I'm taking a warm shower.

Thanks again. Paula