Atwood Water Heater Leaking and Other Faults

[RVOA]

Hi Guys

We are having trouble with our Atwood Propane/Electric Ignition Water Heater.

I had noticed water marks around the water heater door.

This morning, the Fault light was showing on our remote switch panel.

We turned the electric off and back on and the fault light came on very quickly.

So, we tried the Propane and the fault light came straight on - it didnt even try to start (ie no gas noise).

I thought I would remove and replace all the contacts on the front of the water heater so turned the main water heater fuse to off.

I checked the electric switch again and the fault light remained off - ie no power.

But, I treid the pronane switch and the gas started and lit just fine.  ???

I went outside and drained the water heater and removed/replaced all those contacts (one of which was the thermostat).

It seemed everything was working after that.

BUT, I now have water pouring out of the relief valve and have had to switch the water heater off at the fuse - there is now just a trickle coming out.

So, what can you guys suggest please?

Thanks
Paul

 

[Tom]

Paul,

There's a water heater troubleshooting guide in our library.

A leaking relief valve could be a sign of overheating or a bad valve. If it's not overheating, try toggling the valve open/closed (just once) to see if it stops. If not, you might need a new valve.

 

[RVOA]

Hi Tom

I read Atwoods troubleshooting guide and thought I had followed things.

I have now read http://www.atwoodmobile.com/media/3749/pressure.pdf - which i thought I had done.  :

After going thru that routine again the leak has stopped and the heater appears to be working on electric.

The propane side isnt working though - it tries the 3 attempts and then goes to fault. I think it is a flow issue though and will turn on the furnace and cooker tomorrow (its late here now) to get the flow going.

It could just be that the propane side of things is waterlogged from the relief valve issue and will be OK when dried out.

Paul

 

[RVOA]

It's now midnight and Ive been woken by the sound of water leaking from the heater.

Sounds like it is probably a Thermostat problem and not the pressure valve (as it has only just started leaking again).

Would you guys think I need a new Thermostat/ECO or Thermal Cutoff?

UPDATED 7.30AM............

The Thermostat/ECO is puzzling me - the thermostat may not be controlling the temp and thats why the pressure relief is leaking (working) but the ECO stands for Energy Cut Out. Problem is, the water heater is still working so the ECO hasnt cut the power. Perhaps thats the fault??

This Thermal Cutoff detects high temperatures due to an obstructed flue and once fused will prevent operation in either gas or electric mode. I cant find any obstruction and the heater works on electric (maybe gas now its had time to dry) so it doesnt seem to be the problem.

I got the following tip from another site and will check when I get home from work later.

here's a quick way to find out if it is the Thermal Cutoff. First, MAKE SURE there are no obstructions in the flue tube. Then turn off the water heater's electric mode and turn on the gas mode. With the exterior access door open and looking at center of the water tank you'll see a black foam-covered area with 4 wires running to it. Look for the area marked T-STAT with two brown wires running to it. One of the wires will have a piece of clear tubing over it that covers a large diode- this diode is the Thermal Cutoff. (Mine didn't look burned or in any way defective, so a visual inspection won't tell you if it's bad or not.)
Remove the diode from the T-STAT terminal lug then disconnect the other end of the diode from the brown wire connector. Now connect the brown wire (without the diode attached) directly to the T-STAT terminal lug. Give it a few seconds and the water heater should turn on in gas operation mode. If it does, that means the Thermal Cutoff is bad and you'll need to get a new one from Atwood. Leave the wire hooked up, turn on the electrical mode to supplement gas mode (if you want) and you'll have hot water till you get the new Thermal Cutoff.
If the water heater doesn't turn on after a minute or so chances are it's not the Thermal Cutoff and you'll have to look elsewhere for your problem.

[unquote]

Thanks
Paul