KenR
Well-known member
I thought I would post a recent problem I had just in case it can save money for somebody else. I was charged $502 for this fix!
We have a 2003 Winnebago Adventurer 33V motorhome on a Workhorse chasis which we purchased new in Dec. '02. It now has almost 14k miles on it. We have been very happy with this rig and this is the first real problem we have had.
The Atwood water heater stopped working on electric power. It still worked on propane. Not being much of a techie myself, but fairly capable of understanding and following instructions, I got out the handy-dandy manual that came with the rig. The Winnebago manual said to follow the Atwood manual. The Atwood manual said the first thing to do with this kind of problem would be to hit the reset switch on the back of the heater unit. After removing the metal front cover, I noticed a partialy burned wire. Somehow, while traveling, the overly long thermostat wire from the harness had fallen down very close to the flue and the insulation on it had melted. Thinking this might be the problem, I found a nearby RV repair facility and tried to purchase a replacement wire. I was told you can't do that because it is all one unit so I bought a new harness for about $25. It was when I tried to replace the harness that I really ran into the problem.
I discovered that Winnebago had completely enclosed the whole heater unit in a wooden container which had been screwed (with about 4 dozen screws) and glued together and the plumbing lines had then been attached to the outside of the box. The wiring harness was on the outside, but the wires attached to the heater through a little hole which had then been sealed with black rubber epoxy or something. I sat there for about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to the unit without having to take apart the box it was enclosed in along with the plumbing lines. Seeing that the wire itself appeared to be ok (it was just the insulation that had started to melt), I decided to just wrap it in electrical tape until I could take it in. I went to hit the reset switch and found that I couldn't get to it as there was no hole to reach through the box to the unit. After sitting there stuffing my hand in every nook and cranny trying to find a way in and feeling like an idiot who was missing something simple, I finally gave up. The next day I took it to the repair shop.
They confirmed that there was no way to get to the unit without taking apart that container. They had to unattach and take apart the plumbing lines and remove 2 of the box panels. After replacing the wiring harness (fortunately they used the one I had bought) the tech pushed the reset switch and it then worked fine. They then cut a hole in the side of the box before replacing it so I can now reach the reset switch if needed. They had to clean and re-assemble the plumbing lines and put the box back together. I haven't had any problems since. They indicated they have had to do this to several '03 Winnebago models and that beginning with the 2004 models, there was an access hole through which to reach the back of the heater. I haven't confirmed this yet.
I wrote a complaint letter to Winnebago (with documentation) fully explaining that the problem was the design which did not allow a way to hit the reset switch which is what their manual said to do and asked if they would be willing to at least partially reimburse me for what I thought was an outrageous bill. They responded with a letter stating that since the unit was out of warranty, they would not offer any help. I have since written another letter telling them the heater was not broken, it was, in my opinion, a design flaw. I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm still pretty steamed at having to pay over $500 to hit a reset switch!? Live and learn.
We have a 2003 Winnebago Adventurer 33V motorhome on a Workhorse chasis which we purchased new in Dec. '02. It now has almost 14k miles on it. We have been very happy with this rig and this is the first real problem we have had.
The Atwood water heater stopped working on electric power. It still worked on propane. Not being much of a techie myself, but fairly capable of understanding and following instructions, I got out the handy-dandy manual that came with the rig. The Winnebago manual said to follow the Atwood manual. The Atwood manual said the first thing to do with this kind of problem would be to hit the reset switch on the back of the heater unit. After removing the metal front cover, I noticed a partialy burned wire. Somehow, while traveling, the overly long thermostat wire from the harness had fallen down very close to the flue and the insulation on it had melted. Thinking this might be the problem, I found a nearby RV repair facility and tried to purchase a replacement wire. I was told you can't do that because it is all one unit so I bought a new harness for about $25. It was when I tried to replace the harness that I really ran into the problem.
I discovered that Winnebago had completely enclosed the whole heater unit in a wooden container which had been screwed (with about 4 dozen screws) and glued together and the plumbing lines had then been attached to the outside of the box. The wiring harness was on the outside, but the wires attached to the heater through a little hole which had then been sealed with black rubber epoxy or something. I sat there for about 30 minutes trying to figure out how to get to the unit without having to take apart the box it was enclosed in along with the plumbing lines. Seeing that the wire itself appeared to be ok (it was just the insulation that had started to melt), I decided to just wrap it in electrical tape until I could take it in. I went to hit the reset switch and found that I couldn't get to it as there was no hole to reach through the box to the unit. After sitting there stuffing my hand in every nook and cranny trying to find a way in and feeling like an idiot who was missing something simple, I finally gave up. The next day I took it to the repair shop.
They confirmed that there was no way to get to the unit without taking apart that container. They had to unattach and take apart the plumbing lines and remove 2 of the box panels. After replacing the wiring harness (fortunately they used the one I had bought) the tech pushed the reset switch and it then worked fine. They then cut a hole in the side of the box before replacing it so I can now reach the reset switch if needed. They had to clean and re-assemble the plumbing lines and put the box back together. I haven't had any problems since. They indicated they have had to do this to several '03 Winnebago models and that beginning with the 2004 models, there was an access hole through which to reach the back of the heater. I haven't confirmed this yet.
I wrote a complaint letter to Winnebago (with documentation) fully explaining that the problem was the design which did not allow a way to hit the reset switch which is what their manual said to do and asked if they would be willing to at least partially reimburse me for what I thought was an outrageous bill. They responded with a letter stating that since the unit was out of warranty, they would not offer any help. I have since written another letter telling them the heater was not broken, it was, in my opinion, a design flaw. I haven't heard anything back yet. I'm still pretty steamed at having to pay over $500 to hit a reset switch!? Live and learn.
