Water heater help June 10, 2024, 04:15:48 pm Hello everyone,We’re currently on a week-long trip and ran into an issue with the water heater. Right now, what’s happening is the WH will light right away, with a nice blue flame, run for 1-2 minutes, then shut off. It automatically attempts to restart, unsuccessfully, and the “CHECK W.H.” light illuminates on the monitor panel. If I turn the switch off and let it rest a few minutes, I can repeat the cycle — with the same results. Additional details: last night, my youngest noted water leaking out of the WH compartment. The drain plug had sprung a pinhole leak along the threads. I incorrectly chose to attempt to tighten the plug resulting in the head of the plug separating from the threads. Now it was a bigger leak. A bit of time was spent, with tools available, to remove the threaded portion of the plug from the WH. Unfortunately, the threaded portion slipped INTO the tank just when we got it altered enough to be pulled out with needle nose pliers. I installed the spare plug and hoped for the best. It seemed to heat up water OK last night for showers, but at some point the “CHECK W.H.” light came on before my shower (I was last in the line of 4 showers). We generally do not run the WH more than 30 min, my shower is always last and I leave the WH turned off for my shower. Thinking we must have bumped something last night, I visually checked all connections today and they seemed fine. I do have a multi-meter on board, but don’t really know how to use that to help in this situation even after reading the companion article (yes, that is sad to admit). I did have a spare thermal cutoff, so replaced that just because the original (I believe) looked rough. About a year ago, the solenoid and igniter were replaced by a tech (preventatively - as he felt the solenoid looked unsafe). Until last night, the WH has always functioned perfectly since we bought the rig in Jan 2022. Any ideas as to what can cause the WH to light with a normal-looking flame only to cut off after 1-2 minutes as described above?Edit: will the small piece of nylon (threaded portion of the drain plug) falling into the WH tank cause this issue?Thanks,Jason
Re: Water heater help Reply #1 – June 10, 2024, 09:54:00 pm Perhaps the following post might help. Water Heater Won’t IgniteThe YouTube video at the end of the post was very helpful. Finally I doubt the debris in the water tank is causing the issue. Hopefully you can sort this out. 🤞
Re: Water heater help Reply #2 – June 11, 2024, 11:23:20 am "Right now, what’s happening is the WH will light right away, with a nice blue flame, run for 1-2 minutes, then shut off."Forgive an old man's fading memory but I recall that there is a Thermocouple involved, much like the one in your oven. If that device is NOT in or very close to that blue flame the WH will shutdown as it is designed to do!
Re: Water heater help Reply #3 – June 11, 2024, 01:32:08 pm Hi Jason, and Steve. The flame detection isn't working well, and the gas shuts off because the control logic thinks that the flame has gone out. I believe that the ignitor terminal that generates the spark, also maintains a small current through the plasma of the flame. Lots of free electrons are floating around in that flame, and that conduction lets the control board know that the pilot/flame is on. It may help to clean the end of the electrode lightly with some sandpaper, and make sure that the gap is what it is supposed to be. Are you operating at a much different altitude than usual? Has the propane mix (often with butane added) changed from a different vendor? Is the mixture, when it does light correct? Does the pilot stay on properly when the switch is on, but it has reached temperature? This could implicate the switch contact that controls the upper temperature limit. Make sure those wire connections are clean and tight. RonB edit: After looking through iRV2, one person mentioned a lockout time period (to let unburned gas dissipate) before it automatically tries to relight the pilot and main flame. RB 1 Likes
Re: Water heater help Reply #4 – June 11, 2024, 02:27:29 pm Thanks for the pointers Ed, Steve, and RonWe're in central Florida right now, so altitude isn’t contributing. And propane was filled a few days ago at the same Tractor Supply we always use. The WH worked fine until the nylon plug failed and we were monkeying around trying to get the dismembered nylon plug out. Last night it would fire, run for 1 minute with a nice blue flame. Flame would go out and after a few seconds it would try a series of re-light attempts with no success (separated by that lockout period you mentioned, Ron). NOW, it won’t even do that. I don’t see any bad connections, but I have put in a call to a local well-reviewed mobile tech near our campsite. We’ll see if he can make time for us.When I flushed the WH before this trip, had I just replaced that old nylon plug with one of the TWO spares I carry, none of this would have happened. Live and learn, I suppose. What did I think I was saving those for?!?!Jason 1 Likes
Re: Water heater help Reply #5 – June 11, 2024, 09:30:45 pm Fixed. The local RV repair guy lived up to the strong reviews. Traced problem to green wire going into 4-wire harness clip (that’s what I’ll call it anyway) that connects to igniter board. I had disconnected and looked at the terminals of that harness but never tugged on the wires to ensure they were seated in the harness well. After the harness clip was replaced, the heater functioned…but something new happened: the igniter continued to fire even after flame was lit. He searched for other causes (I was out there with him the whole time), but ultimately the problem was solved when he trialed a new igniter board. At this point most of the exterior parts of this heater have been replaced (preventatively in the past) or today with the new harness and board. In terms of parts that can fail, I still have the ECO & thermostat, both original, that I will preventatively replace at home before our big summer trip coming up. I guess the good news is that we didn’t cause this when trying to free the nylon plug — we were nowhere near those wires or that board. But that’s one heck of a coincidence. Hmmm. Thanks again for offering advice. It helped me to do the troubleshooting I was equipped for and helped me to know what the professional was doing and when. 5 Likes
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