no hot water

[O Canada]

Hello everyone. Just discovered that our T1950 (2007) has no hot water in electric mode. The wall switch was on and illuminated for about 3 hours and we never noticed until it was time to do the dishes and head home. It was working 2 weeks ago, never went dry. What might be the most likely problem or where should I start looking? Thanks for any help.

[Poppy & Nana]

fuse?????

[JohnB]

There are 2 more common reasons and then the more complex ones.

1. A 2007 unit will have a dedicated circuit breaker just for the electric HW heater element. Check the converter panel that the breaker is not tripped and on. The tank panel red light will work regardless if the breaker labeled HW heater in on or tripped as it is running on 12 VDC not 120 VAC like the electric heating element.

2. The next is the saftey circuit on the heater is not making due to corrosion on the terminals outside. Since your on electric you can't hear anything working on the HW heater even when it does work. The easiest way to test this is: Try starting the heater on LP gas. If you hear a clunk followed by click click click it is trying to light on gas, then all the safeties are working and you have other issues on why it does not work on electric. If there is no clunk or clicks when you are outside listening when the switch is turned on, then the safeties are not made and or the problem is deeper.

Tell us which of the 1st 2 most common areas for your 2007 unit are or are not working. From there we can better point you where to go hunting.

Hope this helps

John

[jim44646]

Or the element just gave up the ghost. You can check with a ohm meter. Shut power off first and disconnect leads on element. Then check with meter. If no reading element is shot.

[O Canada]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will check it out in the next few days and get back.

[O Canada]

I now have hot water using the electrical system and would like to say I did something really skilly to fix the problem Not so. I reset the breaker which did not appear to have tripped, cleaned the contacts on the 2 outside wiring harnesses and fired up the propane system. Somewhere in there was the fix and I am once again a happy camper! I learned a couple of things about the water system and that in itself is a good thing. Thanks again for your help.

[JohnB]

You wiggled the wires and made the corroded connection work.

Here is a tip for the future, go to the auto parts store and ask for dielectric grease.

This kind is good, but not hung up on the brand
Amazon.com: dielectric grease

Then shut all power off, battery too, open up the outside panel, unhook all connections, scrape away any corrosion if you can see it on the contacts, even pushing then on and off will help and apply a little dielectric grease.

The main PC board connection, the T stat, ECO and the thermal fuse connection are the main issues. If it will not go click click click on Gas trying to fire off, odds are high the connections are corroded and the saftey circuit will not make. On your 2007 unit, both gas and electric use the same safety circuit. The 2003 and older ones had 2 separate circuits.

Good to hear it is working.

John

[bunjin]

Glad you have it working.

I try to resist doing many things all at once when trouble shooting. By doing one thing, testing and then another, testing, etc. I know when I found the problem and the solution, whereas, doing several things at once solved the problem.....but what caused it? Soft circuit breaker, corrosion, ?

As a professional modelmaker...trouble shooting is my middle name and a cause for me be perplexed by the obvious not being any such thing. Sometimes (often actually) solutions also create new problems.

Do you think it was contacts?

[O Canada]

Good point but I was a little impatient waiting for the water to heat up. Not exactly a quick process, more like a hurry up and wait. Breaker seems fine so the contacts would be the more likely of the two. Will try that first if / when it happens again.

[JohnB]

As FYI and to keep in your hip pocket

A way to test if it is the contacts on a post 2003 Atwood HW heater is to try and start it on LP gas. If you hear the clunk of the gas valve followed by click click click trying to light, (even with the LP gas turned off at the tank) then the majority of contacts are working, then shut down the gas and go to electric. The same safeties controls on the newer heaters work both the LP gas and the electric element system.

Resetting the 120 VAC circuit breaker might help a weak breaker however it will not do anything for the heater control system as there is no 120VAC control used at all. The control, even to turn on the 120VAC element is 12 VDC driven by the same safties and control system used for the LP gas part.

Once I finally found a wiring diagram for mine, I realized, stop giggling wires and just test fire it on gas, if I get a clunk and click, odds are high the electric will work.

Hope this helps

John