The water heater will run for 3 - 4 minutes, then shut off. It's electronic ignition. I watched the flame, & it looks good, but it just quits. I can turn the switch off, wait 30 seconds, then it repeats the above. Any idea what is causing this? The water heater is a propane only unit. The original one is long gone. I can't find any identifying marks on it.
Sounds like it might be the circuit board, or the sensor that tells the circuit board the flame is on. It might just need a good cleaning of the burner area - I'd try that first.
I found that the "Ignighter" did not have a good ground. I cleaned the mounting area with steel wool and remounted it. Worked good. You might have a bad "Heat Sensor"
The water heater will run for 3 - 4 minutes, then shut off. It's electronic ignition. I watched the flame, & it looks good, but it just quits. I can turn the switch off, wait 30 seconds, then it repeats the above. Any idea what is causing this? The water heater is a propane only unit. The original one is long gone. I can't find any identifying marks on it.
the flame sensor may be dirty or not in the flame enough.
Your water heater door may be "sealing" tightly to the side of your trailer and not letting in enough air. Try running the water heater with the door open. If it works properly, then the burner is not getting enough air with the door closed. You may need to release the latch and let the top of the door move away from the side of the trailer when the water heater is running. I have needed to do this in my trailer. I put a cotter pin through the hole in the latch to keep the door from dropping open all the way. You could also check the hinges at the bottom to see if they are aligned properly and/or bent.
Thanks for all the replies. It turned out to be bad ground where the flame sensor mounts, and I replaced the wire connector to it. Works like a charm now!
Well, I thought I had it working, but apparently not. It was back to the same thing again last night This morning it did something different; it ran for 5 minutes and shut off, but after I turned it off, let it sit for about 30 seconds, then turned it back on again, it heated the water up the rest of the way. WTH is going on with this goofy thing??? Is this a circuit board problem, or are those elusive green aliens screwing with me now?
Bill, I broke down & had a dealer check it out. I'm not sure if they checked the circuit board, or just replaced it. It's still working (though these cold nights of 20'F make it cycle a little weird) so I'm happy. I had a feeling it was the circuit board after cleaning everything up, and adjusting the flame sensor didn't help. The gas valve appeared to be OK because the flame was steady and blue in the tube. Clean all the connections really well, make sure the flame sensor is in the flame (a bad sensor will shut it down in under 30 seconds), and fire it upl Watch the flame as it runs. If it's yellow and unsteady check the gas tube for a blockage. Of it's blue and steady the gas valve is OK. Everything looked good, butit kept shutting down. This is why I thought it was the circuit board, and what prompted me to take it to a dealer. I hope this helps
We got the water heater working. I bought a new igniter and installed it ($42). That didn't fix the problem. Then the shop said I could bring in the circuit board and they could test it! It tested bad. Bought a we circuit board ($196.00). Installed it and problem solved.
Quick Links
This morning it did something different; it ran for 5 minutes and shut off, but after I turned it off, let it sit for about 30 seconds, then turned it back on again, it heated the water up the rest of the way. WTH is going on with this goofy thing??? Is this a circuit board problem, or are those elusive green aliens screwing with me now?
Linear Mode
