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12-19-2008, 09:43 AM
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#1
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3 Rivet Member
2009 28' International
Columbia
, Illinois
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 173
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Hot water heater won't light. :(
Aloha all:
We have a 2009 28 ft International. The propane hot water heater won't light. It worked two weeks ago, now nothing. We followed the directions and turned it off and tried again after 5 minutes, still nothing. Any suggestions on what we should try next?
Thanks
sinjin
Oh, and we do have propane. Just filled both tanks and the propane heater and gas burners on the stove are both working.
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12-19-2008, 09:51 AM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1972 25' Tradewind
North Vancouver
, British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,421
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Is it an electric start or a regular pilot light model?
__________________
Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC
Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
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12-19-2008, 11:13 AM
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#3
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3 Rivet Member
2009 28' International
Columbia
, Illinois
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 173
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It's electric start, but after driving down the road for an hour we tried it again and it started. Very weird.
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12-19-2008, 04:11 PM
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#4
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4 Rivet Member
2004 25' Classic
West Chazy
, New York
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 276
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Did you get an "attempted light"? I think there are three tries before the red light comes on which requires a re-set of the switch. If you are at the water heater outside you can verify this. Mine will do several flame outs before it stays lit, but then it is fine thereon. I have yet to determine the cause, perhaps air in the gas line. Try cleaning the 12V connections on the water heater if you experience this again. Also make sure there are no insect webs/nests in the air tube, and that the air mixing sleeve is adjusted properly.
__________________
Ron
2004 Classic 25 - The Silver Sausage
2008 Silverado LTZ CC 2500 4x4 Duramax - Brutus
WBCCI 2623
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12-19-2008, 04:27 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
2011 25' FB Flying Cloud
Anywhere &
, Everywhere
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,090
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This is a very common problem with late model Airstreams. The usual advice is to clean the 12V connector but in my case that didn't work. Mine would work one place and then wouldn't work the next. And over and over. Was at Jackson Center last summer and they couldn't figure out what was causing the problem. They ended up replacing several parts and it now seems to work fine but I have no idea which of the replaced parts was causing the problem.
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12-19-2008, 04:40 PM
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#6
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1962 19' Globetrotter
1963 19' Globetrotter
1961 19' Globetrotter
Wheat Ridge
, Colorado
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 624
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My guess is the battery may have been low... And once down the road it recharged the battery? Just a guess!
Vin...
__________________
www.VINSTREAM.com
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
WBCCI # 1962
Instagram #Vinstream
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12-19-2008, 04:53 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1972 25' Tradewind
North Vancouver
, British Columbia
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 3,421
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vinstream
My guess is the battery may have been low... And once down the road it recharged the battery? Just a guess!
Vin...
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Yep this is very likely. Anotherpossibility is too many 12 volt fixtures running at once. This is where mine gets hung up. If I have too many 12 volt lights going, the water heater won't start. Once I turn off a couple of lights, it starts right up.
__________________
Cameron & the Labradors, Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC
Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! - Mame Dennis
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12-19-2008, 06:14 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
Commercial Member
1962 19' Globetrotter
1963 19' Globetrotter
1961 19' Globetrotter
Wheat Ridge
, Colorado
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 624
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Yes having many 12volt items working will do the samething! There is a wand with in the heater and if there is to little air moving through the system the wand will not trip the circut and the heater will not light! On that point the samething will happen when the fan motor is on it last leg or I have found this at very high alt over 10,000 feet!
Vin...
__________________
www.VINSTREAM.com
Wheat Ridge, Colorado
WBCCI # 1962
Instagram #Vinstream
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12-19-2008, 07:13 PM
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#9
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3 Rivet Member
2009 28' International
Columbia
, Illinois
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 173
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Thanks for all the replies. The battery was fully charged and we were on shore power when we couldn't get it to light, parked in the campground. We finally just heated water on the stove to do the dishes. We don't use a lot of electrical stuff when we camp.
But thanks to you guys we have some things to try if it happens again.
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12-19-2008, 08:04 PM
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#10
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3 Rivet Member
2007 27' Safari FB SE
1969 31' Sovereign
Ft. Worth
, Texas
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 174
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And yet another theory, same thing happened to us recently. Turns out one of the wires had come loose in the switch on the wall. A couple of twists of a screw driver and we were back in business. Happy camping!
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12-19-2008, 08:32 PM
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#11
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4 Rivet Member
Currently Looking...
Fort Walton Beach
, Florida
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 478
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I have had water heater problems on two different late model trailers.....a 2007 20' Safari SE, and our current 2008 25' Safari SE.
The '07 went through two circuit boards during the six months we owned it. When one of those babies goes out, you're not getting any power to the ignitor and the only fix is replacement (simple, but not always convenient).
Our '08 had the bad habit of not igniting at the worst possible time......during or after a rainstorm. The last time it happened, I was outside (standing in water) with a hairdryer trying to dry everything off. After returning home, I cleaned each and every connector and applied some dielectric grease to the fittings. Since then, it has neve failed to ignite.
I would guess that Sinjin's problem is a loose connection, or poor ground. Cleaning/tightening all the connections may fix the problem.
Ron
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12-19-2008, 08:38 PM
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#12
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Master of Universe
2008 25' Safari FB SE
Grand Junction
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 12,711
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Since you just filled both propane tanks, could you have run out of propane and not known it? Maybe the lines were air bound or maybe just one air bubble. Driving could dissolve the bubble into many little bubbles so that propane could get to the water heater. If the water heater is the last appliance to get propane, it can be the last thing to light. We've run out of propane and our furnace is the last thing, so lighting the stove brought gas closer to the furnace so it had a chance to light. You heated hot water on the stove and may have moved the gas along. I don't know where the water heater is on a 28' and tracking the lines underneath the trailer can show you what gets gas first, next and so on.
Gene
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12-19-2008, 09:31 PM
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#13
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3 Rivet Member
1974 31' Sovereign
Texarkana
, Arkansas
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 224
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OHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man!!!! I attempted to light my 1974 Sovereign only to experience a big "BOOM"....Luckily, I did not blow up!!! I removed my old Suburban and am looking for a replacement, but things are SOOO expensive and I am about ready to give up...I also need an awning, but the prices are outrageous....I am about ready to sell my 1913 home--historical--in Texarkana so I can go traveling full time...But my 1974 needs a lot of TLC...My husband tells me that my AS is 'my project', and he is 'out of it'....So, it is up to me to do it all....My AS is paid for and I feel that with today's economy, that at least I own something!!!---My husband does not share the enthusiasm that I do......So, I need as much advice as possible so I can work on my baby as much as possible while I am not working.....
HELP!!!
__________________
imeynstein
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12-20-2008, 07:09 AM
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#14
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Aluminut
2004 25' Safari
.
, Illinois
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 10,477
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Aloha Mr. Hand.
Why would you need to light the heater if the water is already hot?
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinjin
Aloha all: We have a 2009 28 ft International. The propane hot water heater won't light.
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Sorry, I just couldn't pass this one up.
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12-20-2008, 09:25 AM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2001 34' Limited
The State of
, Ohio
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,605
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie
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LOL! You beat me to it. I was going to explain the water heater wouldn't turn on until the hot water got cold again (there's no such thing as a hot water heater--a water heater heats cold water).
__________________
Maurice
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