2011 M21 Hot water heater

cgsnipe · Apr 26, 2011

Anyone have an issue with the hot water heater not working on electricity? It works fine on propane, too fine actually, have to be careful not to get scalded, just nothing on 120 V. Am I missing a switch somewhere?
thanks for any and replies.

Riverman · Apr 26, 2011

You may have a rocker switch outside on the water heater.
It should have a small hairpin to prevent it from being switched on in error

cgsnipe · Apr 26, 2011

That's what i thought, even the operations manual tells you to turn on the rocker switch, however, I can't find it. I even took off the wood panel cover inside to see if it was in there..No Joy.. I attached some pictures for your viewing pleasure. unless i'm blind and can see the treees for the forest...???

cookie · Apr 26, 2011

I don't see a switch on your water heater. Have you checked the breaker?

Peace
Dave

camr · Apr 26, 2011

Are you sure it runs on AC? I don't remember our M-22 running on anything but propane. But I stand to be corrected.

Riverman · Apr 26, 2011

That is a different model water heater than we have.
Do you have a switch inside the rv for electric mode?
Could be that the M21 does not come with the electric option??

cookie · Apr 26, 2011

Two good thoughts above. They may be right. I don't see a cover for an electric element in you pics either.

Peace
Dave

camr · Apr 26, 2011

I am sorry that we do not have our M-22 here, as it is still in winter storage at the dealers 100 miles away. The photo of the heater looks to be identical to ours, going by my feeble memory. I am almost certain that it is propane only. There is a switch on the tank level indicator panel in the washroom to fire up the water heater, but it is only propane. I do not recall ever seeing a second switch for turning on an electrical element.
Cam

cgsnipe · Apr 27, 2011

The level indicator and heater control panel in the bathroom has 3 rockers. First one is for the water pump, second one is for the water heater GAS, and the third is for Water Heater ELECTRIC. It even illuminates after it's turned on. Breaker is on, even cycled it a few times to make sure it wasn't tripped. Mystery continues.

I really appreciate all the replies, keep them coming. theres a switch somewhere.......or the element is defective....or wrong unit was installed.....

Going to call my dealer later today...Maybe it's a placebo switch in the bathroom, but why would there be a 120v breaker and a switch??? Even the attached brochure states its a Gas/Electric.....
View attachment Edge.pdf
Additional Information discovered....Installed unit is an ATWOOD G6AA-10E, not a SUBURBAN as the literature supplied with the RV would leave you to believe, frustrating... Heating element is inside the unit behind the plumbing making it difficult to access the junction box to check for available voltage. looks like a 2 hour trip to the dealer......

camr · Apr 27, 2011

Again, I apologize for not having the ability to look at the control panel. But I seem to remember three switches, one being tank levels, the second being battery level, and the third being water heater. But the panels may have changed since ours was built. Looking at the photo of your water heater, I would expect to see an electrical element fitting and the associated wiring for the heater element. I don't see anything different from my memory of our heater. Could it be possible that the switch for the electric water heater that is on your panel is in fact a battery capacity switch, but has been labeled wrong. If it is not a battery capacity switch, can you find that switch anywhere else? Sorry, but I am grasping at straws here.

cgsnipe · Apr 27, 2011

There is definately a heating element on the back side, inside trailer, I went out this morning and pulled the panel off to have a looksee. I see the 120v black plactic junction box but am unable to access it due to the plumbing in the way. All of the ATWOOD literature I have looked at on-line states it is a Gas/Electric and the wire diagrams and exploded views show the element on the back side. Not looking forward to the 2 hour drive to have the Dealer look at it.

thanks for all the responses, keepem comin...

pegmikef · Apr 27, 2011

I had an 2011 Edge M21 and the hot water heater was gas only. There was no electric option. The only switch was one on the control panel in the bathroom and it was for gas. The little indicator light next to the panel is supposed to come on when the heater is lighting. My Edge was manufactured in April 2011.

cgsnipe · Apr 27, 2011

Bathroom Heater Control

cookie · Apr 27, 2011

If you do see an electric element on the back side, I would remove the plastic cover, the one covered by some plumbing, and use a meter to see if the element is getting current. If you have 120 volts at the element terminal screws the element is most likely fried and needs to be replaced. If there no is current there when the switch is turned on then you will have to check wiring at the switch and breaker.
Make sure that the power is off before diving into it. Only turn it on when you check voltage, then turn it off again till it is put back together.
Good luck.

Peace
Dave

cgsnipe · Apr 27, 2011

Thanx Dave, that's where I'm headed, Dealer even said it's probably a loose wire. tryin to save the 2 hour trip there, who knows how long of a wait, and 2 hours back.
I'll let ya know what I find.

cgsnipe · Apr 27, 2011

Weeeell, lookie here what I found...... re-installed and tightened, waiting for the heat.....Neutral wire was never installed correctly or tightened, buss bar screw was backed all the way out.

PROBLEM SOLVED..... Had excellent hot water in less than 30 minutes.

Thank you all for your assistance...hopefully no one else will experience this issue, but if so, hope this string of posts helps.
Have a great summer folks..Keep up the communications on this forum, if not for this, many questions and problems may always remain a mystery....

cookie · Apr 27, 2011

There ya go. Glad you got it fixed and can enjoy some hot water.
We don need no steenking dealer.

Peace
Dave

pegmikef · Apr 27, 2011

Kind of makes one wonder what else wasn't correctly hooked up.

mikeyy53 · Apr 28, 2011

IMO the dealer should've caught that during the PDI. Than again maybe not. The 2011 have most of the bells and whistles, our 2010 was missing some of them.

camr · Apr 28, 2011

Our 2010 Edge has a completely different bathroom panel. Sorry I couldn't have been more help. It is especially worrisome that these type of problems occur. There have been more than a few posts concerning other wiring problems, such as TV coax cables and the horrible job of fitting the connectors on the ends of the cable. These type of things should be able to be tracked back to an individual employee. This type of employee would make a greater contribution to Heartland if they were working at an SOB plant.
You have my permission to go take a hot shower!!!!

Cam

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