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Originally Posted by Camper_Life9
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I have gas to to the stove so I've ruled that out. Water to the sinks, shower, and toilet. But the heater light doesn't turn off and I don't hear the ignition ticking. No reset buttons on the exterior panel as explained in most videos.
Please help in any way!!
Anything else I should know/prepare myself for with this model? What should I do for the winter months as it will be used as a full-time residency. I live in Southern New Jersey.
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Regarding this water heater issue, during the time your camper was built, Sunline was installing two vintages of Atwood water heaters as Atwood changed the control design during that period. Your heater looks in perfect shape if it is the original from 2002/2003. But, it might be just that good-looking, or someone changed it along the way. It would really help if we knew the model number, but it appears the sticker for the model number is gone from your heater. It "normally" is always outside on the lower right stuck to the black side of the heater you can see with the white door down. If you can find the model number, please post it.
But, this can help you get it going regardless of the which vintage, as you have given us some good pics to help with.
See this pic of yours,
And this pic of the control board
Corrosion on the wire terminals can be a common problem causing the issue you are describing. Let's try the easy fixes first, if not then we will have to dig deeper.
Turn the tank panel red rockers switch "off". The one here that says "htr"
Go outside and let the white door down, at the control board, unplug the white connector with all the wires on it from the black control board. Look for tarnish on the connecter tabs of the control board, if this is any, gently brush them with fine emery paper or steel wood. Make sure there is no leftover emery dust or steel wool left on any of those contacts. Using CRC electric contact cleaner or denatured or isopropyl rubbing alcohol to clean the PC board contact surface to get any sanding grime away.
If there is not much tarnish at all on the PC board tabs, then just push the wire connector on and off a few times to scratch away any faint tarnish that is hard to see by eye.
Next is the "most" common corrosion issue. The thermal fuse link. Look here, there 2 brown wires that create a run/stop signal and a safety shutdown signal. The brown wire starts at the control board plug, runs down to the T stat (thermostat), then a clear tube with a thermal fuse inside the tube plugs into the other terminal on the T stat, Then out of the thermal fuse, a brown wire goes back up to the control board white connector. Look for what I just described.
The T stat is a normally closed thermal disk switch. When the heater gets up to 140F, the T stat, which is touching the side of the water tank, opens up and shuts down the heater. When the heater cools enough below setpoint, the switch closes again, and the heater will start back up heating water.
The clear tube thermal fuse is a normally closed safety device. Its job is to melt in half if a fire breaks out in the outside area of the heater. When the fuse melts, it breaks the circuit and shuts down the heater, and it will not reset unless you change the thermal fuse.
Now the corrosion issue, either the plug tabs at the T stat or on the thermal fuse get fuzz corrosion on them, and they will not make the circuit. This corrosion has to be cleaned up. HEADS UP, be extra gentle with the clear tube fusible link, or you will break it trying to unplug it. Suggest a pair of needle nose pliers to grip and pull on the fusible link connector while you hold the T stat or the brown wire. Wiggle and pull, then clean up the corrosion.
Once you get the two things above done, then do this and listen for this. You may need a helper so you can watch/listen to the heater outside while they flip the switch inside.
Turn on the red rocker switch at the tank panel for the water heater. The red light on the switch should light up. This switch sends 12 VDC power to the heater control board to become active.
Go outside, and with the door panel down, listen for a clunk when within a second or so of when the red rocker switch is turned on. That one clunk was the gas valve opening. you might hear a hiss of air or gas flow.
Next, after the clunk, you should hear, snap, snap, snap, one snap about once a second of the igniter.
If everything is working, the burner flame might try and start. It might catch or blow out on the first or second try to purge the air out of the gas lines.
The control board has a trial for ignition sequence that will repeat 3 times and then shut down and go into safety lockout if the burner does not light. It goes like this.
Open gas valve, and you hear one clunk.
Power the igniter to snap for so many seconds.
If the gas burner lights, stop the igniter and run until the T stat is satisfied.
If the gas burner does not light within a short period (approx. 10 to 20 seconds), then shut down the gas valve and you hear click/clunk of the gas valve closing, and stop the igniter.
Wait approx. 20 - 30 seconds for any gas to clear, then start over on trial for ignition.
The system does 3 trials for ignition; after 3, it shuts down and goes into safety lockout and will turn on the tiny red fault light between the 2 red rocker switches on the tank panel. To reset and get 3 more tries, turn the heater red rocker switch off, then back on, and you get 3 more tries.
If you do not hear any clunk, and no click, click, click, then nothing will work; odds are the T stat/thermal fuse circuit is not made; check for corrosion as stated above.
If you hear a clunk and no clicks, the gas valve opens, but the igniter has issues, but the T stat and thermal fuse are good.
If you hear the igniter clicking but no clunk of the gas valve, then the gas valve has issues, the ECO safety switch has issues, or the control board. But the T stat/thermal is good.
See if this gets you going; if not, report back on what you hear or do not. And take a picture of the back side of the heater, remove the hamper in the bathroom, or reach in from the bedroom access door to get the bypass valves. And let us know if you have a volt/ohm meter or 12-volt test light. We need to dig deeper.
Hope this helps
John
Linear Mode
