Scorching water entry is without doubt one of the largest benefits that RVers take pleasure in. However when an RV scorching water heater will not be working, it’s extra irritating than happening a tent tenting journey understanding you’ll have to make use of the campground amenities for dishes or a heat bathe.
In case you’re not getting scorching water in your RV, begin troubleshooting with these primary questions:
Is the Water Heater Turned On?
Make sure the swap in your fuel/electrical or tankless water heater is turned on. For fuel/electrical water heaters, the swap should be turned on for a number of minutes to warmth water within the tank earlier than utilizing scorching water at a faucet or showerhead. Even after the water heater has been turned on for a number of minutes, it’s possible you’ll have to open the new water faucet for 10 or 15 seconds to purge any chilly water resting within the traces.
How Lengthy Has It Been Turned On?
Until you might have an on-demand or tankless water heater, the fuel or electrical heating possibility takes time to heat the water within the tank. The bigger your water heater’s tank (often 6 or 10 gallons, however 12 and 16-gallon fashions additionally exist), the extra time it takes to warmth the quantity of water saved inside.
With fuel/electrical water heaters, it sometimes takes between 30-45 minutes for the water within the tank to warmth. Nevertheless, you should utilize each heating settings for “faster restoration,” which reduces the period of time you’ll want to attend earlier than scorching water is offered.
With tankless water heaters, scorching water needs to be out there at your taps and bathe inside 5-10 seconds of turning the heater’s swap to the On place.
Have You Run Out of Scorching Water?
The common RV water heater tank holds about 6 gallons, whereas residential tanks common about 40 gallons. If your loved ones takes a number of showers back-to-back, you’ll have to house them out sufficient in your water heater tank to refill and reheat. The common tank-style water heater can present scorching water for 5-10 minutes, relying on tank measurement.
With tankless water heaters, there are fewer limitations as a result of there’s no tank that should be crammed and heated. Nevertheless, the “limitless scorching water” that many tankless water heater producers boast may be deceptive as a result of you’ll be restricted by different elements in your RV’s plumbing system – primarily grey water tank capability, but in addition contemporary water tank capability when dry tenting.
Technician Tip: On-demand or hybrid techniques such because the Aldi or Truma Combi could not match the temperatures of tank-style and tankless water heaters. The issue is that they might use the identical or comparable names, akin to tankless or on-demand, which may be deceptive. All sorts will record the GPH, gallons of water on the marketed temperature, and the setpoint temperature of the system. The RV proprietor should search for and examine these real-world information factors with a view to get what they require for his or her private wants.
Is Air within the Propane Strains?
If the fuel swap is turned on and the unit is making an attempt to warmth water, it is best to hear the roar of the flame (with out opening the water heater entry door). If the flame will not be lit, make sure the valves on high of your propane containers are absolutely opened. Then, mild a burner on the range to check that fuel flows by the camper.
In case you just lately refilled your ASME tank or modified out for a brand new DOT cylinder, there could also be air within the LP traces, inflicting the water heater to misfire. Lighting the burner on the range ought to purge many of the air and guarantee a gradual LP provide to mild your water heater.
Is There Enough Voltage to Preserve the Gasoline Valve Open and Circuit Board Lively?
It takes a minimal of 10.5 volts to carry open the coils on the fuel valve. Low voltage is extra frequent when dry tenting since you aren’t related to a dependable campground energy supply. In case your battery is drained, it received’t present sufficient energy in your water heater to function as supposed. In case you suspect this might be the case, use a digital multimeter to check the DC voltage in your RV battery (or batteries).
Is Water within the Tank?
To verify for an empty tank, begin by turning off the fuel and/or electrical management switches. Go outdoors and open the heater’s entry cowl. Gently contact the pressure-temperature valve (P/T valve) and see whether it is scorching. Whether it is, the equipment is making an attempt to create scorching water. Nevertheless, there will not be water within the tank.
Seize a espresso cup and place it beneath the P/T valve opening. Flippantly pull up on the silver lever on the head of the valve. Scorching water ought to run into the cup. In case you hear a fast air strain launch and no water comes out, there isn’t any water within the tank.
At this level, it’s time to cease. The more than likely state of affairs is that your water heater’s bypass valve remains to be in winterize mode. Resetting the bypass valve as soon as the water heater has been working will add chilly water to a scorching tank, which may trigger irreparable tank injury.
The chilly water will crack the glass lining in a Suburban tank. On a Dometic tank, it’s going to doubtless collapse or crack the flue tube that runs by the middle. The chilly water may also crack an electrical heating aspect.
On pilot fashions, working the water heater for a short while with no full water tank will trigger the excessive restrict swap within the thermostat meeting to open completely. The outcome? Your entire meeting should be changed, as it’s neither resettable nor serviceable.
Wait 60-120 minutes for the tank to chill earlier than altering the bypass valve to the conventional operation place and including water.
Is Scorching Water Coming From the Chilly Faucet?
In case you’re making an attempt to get scorching water at a single-lever faucet, the blending valve on the tap is perhaps defective. Strive getting scorching water from the chilly aspect. Through the camper’s maiden voyage, we typically uncover that the cold and hot traces had been put in incorrectly by the producer. In case you suspect this to be the case in your RV, contact a service middle for additional help to treatment the problem of your RV scorching water heater not working.
Is the Water Heater Heat, Not Scorching?
In case you really feel that your water isn’t getting scorching sufficient, there’s a fast and easy check. Get a reasonable meat thermometer and fill a espresso cup with scorching water. If the cup is chilly, dump and refill it a number of instances to carry it to temperature. Drop the thermometer into the water.
Tank-style water heaters sometimes warmth to 140℉. So, if the cup is crammed on the P/T valve, a thermometer studying of roughly 140℉ is regular. A thermometer studying round 120℉ is extra doubtless when drawing water from a faucet. If the water heater makes use of a mixing valve, such because the EXT fashions, the water on the P/T valve could attain 180℉, which may be harmful though it’s finally tempered right down to the identical 120℉ on the faucet.
In case your check reveals that your scorching water heater isn’t heating to the designed temperature, contact a Tenting World Service middle to schedule a extra full diagnostic.
Technician Tip: Seek the advice of your proprietor’s guide or producer for info in your water heater’s supposed temperature in the event you don’t have a Suburban or Dometic mannequin.
In case you’ve requested these questions and tried the troubleshooting suggestions related to every, however you’re nonetheless not getting scorching water, it’s time to schedule an appointment to have your water heater inspected by an RV technician.
For different troubleshooting suggestions, take a look at these articles:
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