Fridge and hot water heater issues

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AmyW

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May 18, 2018
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Hi all! I'm new to RV-ing. I just purchased a 1998 Coachmen Prospera 32 ft. to live in permanently. It's in great shape and I had it transported and set up in an RV park for now. Everything is going well, I'm only in one week but I'm loving it!!

2 problems have come up and I'm hoping there are simple solutions:

1) The fridge is leaking a very oily substance. It doesn't smell, it's completely clear and not very runny... it's sort of pooling on the bottom hinge and leaking straight down the front onto the floor. Fridge and freezer seem to be working fine, but I've no clue what this could be.

2) My hot water heater hasn't come on. I was told to turn on the water and run it in all spigots then turn on the HWH fuse and then the HW switch and I should be good to go. Perhaps there's a pilot light someplace?

Admittedly I haven't done any other research (although it was research that led me here) so I'm asking you all first.

PS I'm in Florida so no hot water hasn't really hindered me, showers aren't really all that cold! But hot water will be nice, obviously!

Thanks much and I look forward to building relationships with more like minded RVing folks!!

Amy
 
Welcome!!!

The makes and models of the HWH  and Fridge would be good to know. Might save telling you of things that are not correct for you models.
 
Can't help you on the refrigerator, that an odd problem. On the inside of the refrigerator either on the door or inside wall there will be a label that has all the information about the refrigerator make and model. We need that information.

For the water heater....you need to make sure you have propane in your propane tank and the gas valve near the tank is turned on allowing propane to flow to the water heater.

There is a pilot light and it is usually turned on with an electrical spark from a control board. Somewhere in your RV there is a panel that will have a switch to turn on the water heater. 

Make sure there is propane and the propane valve is turned on.

 
Are you trying to run the water heater on propane or electric. If electric, there may be a switch on the heater. On my old trailer the switch was almost hidden behind some wires. Where in FL? I recently moved from NC to the Sarasota area and might be able to help.
 
If the water heater is electric or gas/electric, MAKE SURE you have water in the heater. Turning on an electric heater with no water will burnout the heating element in short order. Also, if it's electric and not working, the element may already be gone. Also, if you don't have any manuals on the appliances, you can probably find them online using make and model of the items.
 
Well, your fridge doesn't contain any "oily substance" that can leak, so maybe it's just some excess lube on that hinge?  The only internal fluid in the fridge is a highly corrosive ammonia/hydrogen mix under extreme pressure. It isn't oily and if there is a leak, it literally blows out rather than drips.
 
There is a pilot light and it is usually turned on with an electrical spark from a control board.
Click to expand...
Probably not true in a 1998 Prospera.  Nearly all water heaters are direct spark ignition (DSI) and thus have no pilot light. The flame gets lit on demand, under control of the circuit board..
 
2) My hot water heater hasn't come on. I was told to turn on the water and run it in all spigots then turn on the HWH fuse and then the HW switch and I should be good to go. Perhaps there's a pilot light someplace?
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure your Prospera has a dual electric & gas HWH.  If so, there will be two ON switches, one for LP gas mode and one for electric heating. You can use either or both at the same time.  The first thing we need is the heater brand (model is helpful too), and the second thing is to figure out what things you have turned on so far. 

Can we assume you have propane in the tank(s) and the valves turn on? Stove lights ok?  Just want to make sure that LP gas mode for the HWH can work if that gets turned on.
When you say the HWH doesn't work, do you mean the water temperature at the Hot faucet is the same as the  Cold? Or is it even slightly warmer?  Makes a big difference is where the problem may lie.

There is an outer access door for the heater, probably on the right (door side) rear. Open that up and see if the heater seems hot, e.g. the relief valve spigot near the top is hot to the touch. Be careful - it might be very hot!  Tht's also where you can find the heater brand and model on a sticker. It will be either Atwood or Suburban and the model will be letters and numbers, e.g. GC6AA or SW10PE.
 
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