Water Heater Question

[craigwalsh16]

Hello, I just purchased a trailer with a Atwood GC6AA-8 water heater and the pilot will not stay lit. They tell me it is a propane water heater and does not electricity but there is a breaker and two water heater on and off buttons, so any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Henry J Fate]

1400 watt electric or propane.

the pilot should stay lit after the thermocouple gets hot. this is done by holding in the lite pilot button/knob for 30 seconds. once the thermocouple detects a flame. the pilot will stay lit.

if it stays lit only when the button/knob is pushed after 30 seconds, probably a bad thermocouple. could possibly be a clogged nozzle too but usually a bad thermocouple.

 

[craigwalsh16]

The pilot won’t stay lit at all, it is a brand new thermocouple and pilot

 

[craigwalsh16]

Correction, the pilot will only stay lit when I have dial on pilot

 

[craigwalsh16]

1400 watt electric or propane.

the pilot should stay lit after the thermocouple gets hot. this is done by holding in the lite pilot button/knob for 30 seconds. once the thermocouple detects a flame. the pilot will stay lit.

if it stays lit only when the button/knob is pushed after 30 seconds, probably a bad thermocouple. could possibly be a clogged nozzle too but usually a bad thermocouple.

Correction, the pilot will only stay lit when I have dial on pilot and it is a brand new pilot and thermocouple

 

[Kirk]

Here is a link to a copy of the Atwood Service manual. If you look on page 7 you should find the following diagram.

Does the pilot continue to burn when you release the button that is held down to light the pilot but then goes out when you attempt to turn the control knob from pilot to the on position? Here is a link to a copy of the operator's manual that you can download if you don't have a copy. The operation of the pilot is on pages 3 & 4.

 

[craigwalsh16]

Here is a link to a copy of the Atwood Service manual. If you look on page 7 you should find the following diagram.
View attachment 164668
Does the pilot continue to burn when you release the button that is held down to light the pilot but then goes out when you attempt to turn the control knob from pilot to the on position? Here is a link to a copy of the operator's manual that you can download if you don't have a copy. The operation of the pilot is on pages 3 & 4.

this is the one I have, I turn the dial to pilot and and light it with a lighter held it for intervals up to 10 minutes and still does not want to stay lit, at the back of the water heater there is a on and off switch, a switch that says water heater on off and a breaker labeled water heater, if it is strictly a propane run water heater why all the electric ?

 

[Kirk]

From the troubleshooting section of the service manual.

 

[craigwalsh16]

View attachment 164674
From the troubleshooting section of the service manual.

So this gas control is discontinued, been to many sites and called many many places all are either out of stock or showing back order, the manufacturer also does not carry it anymore, are there any other models that would function properly

 

[craigwalsh16]

I talked to a dealer and they said it was a valve issue if I tighten the tc line and still didn’t work which I’d did but still nothing,

 

[craigwalsh16]

View attachment 164674
From the troubleshooting section of the service manual.

Also thank you so much for all the help

 

[CharlesinGA]

if it is strictly a propane run water heater why all the electric ?

You do have a 120v AC heating element in the tank also, It will run from shore or generator power. The model, GC tells us it is a combination (gas and electric) unit. The 120v AC is switched on and off by a 12v DC switch that operates a miniature relay adjacent to the heat element.

Charles

 

[craigwalsh16]

You do have a 120v AC heating element in the tank also, It will run from shore or generator power. The model, GC tells us it is a combination (gas and electric) unit. The 120v AC is switched on and off by a 12v DC switch that operates a miniature relay adjacent to the heat element.

Charles

Thank you, the guys at the store just told me the wrong info. I am going to check out the mv to the thermocouple And go from there. The gas valve is discontinued and cannot find it anywhere to be replaced so if it’s not the thermocouple I’m up the creek I guess

 

[Mountain high]

Similar to the heater our approximately 2 year old Norcold 305 refrigerator was working fine all last weekend. It can run on electric and gas. No computer circuit board. The gas quit working on the weekend. Only runs while holding in the pressure safety switch. I have two other salvage refrigerators and stripped one. Blew out, cleaned, and replaced all of the components and lines, and changed the propane tank. Figure the propane pressure regulator is not supplying enough flame to keep it running. I'm replacing it.

 

[craigwalsh16]

Yeah I thought of that, my fridge when it is running, the light that says check comes on

 

[craigwalsh16]

Similar to the heater our approximately 2 year old Norcold 305 refrigerator was working fine all last weekend. It can run on electric and gas. No computer circuit board. The gas quit working on the weekend. Only runs while holding in the pressure safety switch. I have two other salvage refrigerators and stripped one. Blew out, cleaned, and replaced all of the components and lines, and changed the propane tank. Figure the propane pressure regulator is not supplying enough flame to keep it running. I'm replacing it.

Yeah I thought of that, my fridge when it is running, the light that says check comes on when using lp

 

[Mountain high]

Our 15 foot 2016 off-road TT eats a lot of desert dirt road mud and dust. The propane pressure regulator is right up on the front of it. We just got off of 80 miles of both heavy dust and mud when it stopped working. The breather screen got caked with mud.

 

[Mountain high]

Our refrigerator runs now, but it's not designed for high altitude. That's my issue. Need a high altitude orifice for my region. We don't get below 5,500 feet altitude too often with it. Getting it started cold on propane has always been a major issue with all of the Norcold refrigerators in our small TT. The first one I fried the ammonia gas running it in extreme cold, below 0F. The 2nd the ammonia gas line burst in extreme cold and was just passed the warranty. This is the 3rd refrigerator.

It's a Norcold N306.