Water Heater

[264SRinPA]

After limping through the M&G with a malfunctioning water heater, I spent the afternoon buying new parts. Tomorrow I'll replace everything and hope they fix the problem. The only thing left that could be the problem is the circuit board, that cost $180. The dealer wants $110 an hour for labor, so I can replace a lot of parts and still come out ahead.

[Sunline Fan]

Yeah Mike, the circuit board is a really simple job, easily done by you. I'd say it's most likely the problem too. The things are so electronically controlled that whenever something goes wrong and it isn't spiders, it's most likely the board. We had to replace two within the past year; one never used, one five years old with quite a bit of use.

Jon

[Honda03842]

Before replacing a circuit board i'd one by one remove the connectors and reseat them, possibly putting a little conductive grease on them, available at Home Depot or Lowes used for aluminum/cooper connections.

I have had two situations where simply ungluging and reconnecting has fixed circuit board problems. It was the connections not the board. It could save you some money.

A circuit board has never failed in our bounder, a2 years but the connections have failed and frequently it's just a case of reseating the contacts.

Norm Millaird

[Sunline Fan]

I forgot to mention that when you do go to get a new board, take the old one with you. They should have a piece of equipment supplied by Atwood designed to test the circuit boards to see if they are faulty. This will determine if you really need a new one or not. Testing this will also prove if you should do any further investigation for a problem.

Jon

[264SRinPA]

Jon
Yes I talked to the tech and they have the equipment to test the circuit board. He said the board has no control over the thermostat, so he thinks the thermostat isn't working. As for the gas not staying lit, it could be the board not sensing the flame, but a very good chance the electrode isn't sending a signal back to the board.

[264SRinPA]

Well put the parts in and it fired right up. I think what happened was the thermostat went bad, letting the water over heat, which opened the pressure/temperature relief valve, spraying water on the electrode causing it to short out. So for less than $50 I have a new electrode, thermostat, and E.C.O.. While I was at it, I put a new nylon nipple in to hook the drain hose to. The one that I put in before the M&G was supposed to be for hot water but it melted and blew out. And I also put a fitting in the relief valve with some hose so water can't spray on all the controls if it ever releases water again.

[purplesuebug]

Mike,
Glad to here all repaired well. It's wierd how one thing leads to another in the cause and effect world. How much do you think it would have cost to let the dealer figure it out. I bet a lot more than 50 bucks. Take Care and hope to see you all soon..............Marshall & Sue

[JohnB]

Mike

Glad it turned out good. And learned a few things too. The flame sensing, that one is odd. Would be real interested if you had an ohm meter to measure the old and new to tell what works and what does not.

Thanks for reporting back

John

[264SRinPA]

JohnB

I could test them and see if there is any difference. But from the way I understand it, the return voltage after sensing the flame is so small that you would need specialized equipment to measure it. Something like 400/millionth of a volt. So even though it will spark, the return voltage is so small that even a crack in the porcelain that you can't see with your eyes can disrupt that signal. Don't know if all the facts are true, but replacing the electrode did the trick.