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Old 12-29-2019, 07:14 AM   #1
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Water heater problem

Water heater went on the fritz last night. Gas heater tries to light 3 times and shows "Pilot Out" light on (only with 110v switch down). Don't believe 110v heater is working as no indicator light comes "ON" at switch. Could be a simple bulb out. First time out for season.
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Old 12-29-2019, 09:34 AM   #2
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It could be many things. If neither the gas nor electric functions are working I’d suggest checking the thermal cutoff. You’ll find it near the main thermostat on the heat tank. It’s a diode looking thing inside a clear plastic tube.

If there is a gas flare up this diode gets hot and cuts off power to the circuit board for safety. When this cuts off neither gas nor electric will operate.

It’s a super easy fix and all RV supply places would have replacements for a few dollars.

Note that it’s only if both gas and electric functions are down that it “might” be the cause. It’s just the first place to check.

To test it you usually just remove the thermal cutoff and bypass it. If that’s the problem it will start right up. If it doesn’t start when bypassed then it’s not that. If it does start then you can run safely with the cutoff bypassed but only on electric, not gas. It wouldn’t be safe to run on gas without this safety device.
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Old 12-30-2019, 07:13 AM   #3
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Next morning works. A few road miles? Go figure! Thanks for input, will keep info for future use.
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Old 01-05-2020, 07:02 PM   #4
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At least on my Vista, the 110 V switch for the water heater had an incandescent bulb....which burned out. Put in an LED replacement. The power for that bulb is just pulled from the switch terminals so the bulb lighting or not doesn't mean much as far as whether the water heater is getting power. Debugged the bulb by turning it on and testing for hot water. Course, this doesn't help you with the gas heater side of the the thing.
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Old 01-05-2020, 07:55 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Captez View Post
Next morning works. A few road miles? Go figure! Thanks for input, will keep info for future use.
Just for a mind easing check? How was the wind when it fails to light? We have had places where the heater would not light off until I added a paper "shield " to block the wind for the time we were there.
If the pilot is lighting but the wind blows it out before the time delay, it can try three times and shut down, leaving you to think it has failed.
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Old 01-06-2020, 09:41 AM   #6
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I had similar problems. The rv tech cleaned and blew out both my water heater and refrigerator. He told me it is a good idea to have them cleaned every couple years. He only charged $35 to blow out, clean, and inspect both units.
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Old 01-08-2020, 06:08 AM   #7
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This is just a thought since I am a refrigeration technician. If you know a refrigeration tech you could empty your tank and have a tech hook up a vacuum pump which will boil any water and remove any moisture from the tank. Then hope you do not get any water when refilling. Just a thought!
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