how water heater won't heat water

We just purchased a new bighorn 36tb and the hot water heater is not heating the water. The heater is full and both switches inside and out are on. We have tried on both gas and electric. Any suggestions?
 

cookie

Administrator
Staff member
On the water heater you will find two thermal overload reset buttons. They are hidden behind a rubber pad.
Try to reset those.
Also check the 12 volt fuses.
On edit, has this water heater ever worked?
If not, your winterization valves may be in the wrong position and you are not getting water flow from the tank.

Peace
Dave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
For the water heater to fail in both gas and electric modes, it would seem like:
1) As Dave suggested, you have it in bypass mode (and if empty, have probably burned out the electric element)
2) You have 2 separate failures; perhaps a burned out electric element, and a different problem on the gas side
3) Something caused the water to get too hot, tripping the Electric Cut Out (ECO) switches on both circuits. That's where the reset buttons Dave mentioned come into play.

In the schematic, the 110V circuit is very simple. If you have both switches on (btw, the one inside should be lit up or you have a loose wire or another power issue on that circuit), the power then flows through the thermostat and the ECO. If the water gets too hot, and the thermostat fails to open the circuit to shut off power to the heating element, the ECO acts as a backup, opening the circuit and keeping it open until manually reset. This is a safety feature.

If pushing the reset button allows the heater to function again, you need to be cautious because the ECO shouldn't trip unless the thermostat has failed. It could fail again.
 

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boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
In the Universal Docking Station. It is probably an Anderson 4 way valve. The diagram and instructions for it should be on the UDC door. Like others have said, if you turned the electric heating element on with no water in the tank, you probably have burned out the heating element. Surprised your dealer didn't explain all this to you.


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I have looked everywhere known to man and don't see a valve. I see it in the photo in the manual but it dies not look like that on our unit
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
What is a Bighorn 36tb?? I don't find that on the Heartland website. While the advice so far is from 5th wheel owners, if your's is a TT, the water heater bypass may be small valves on the water lines at the inlet and outlet of the water heater. Possibly there are three valves, one on the inlet and outlet lines, with the third on a connecting line between them. For winterizing, the ones on the inlet and outlet lines are closed and the one in the middle is open, creating a loop that bypasses the water heater. For normal use, the two lines are open and the center "bypass" valve is closed. If the valve is left open, the hot and cold will mix and you'll get lukewarm water at best.

I had such a configuration on my previous TT, that I installed myself.
 

boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
It sounds like you have the configuration where the bypass valves are in the area behind the UDC. You may need to remove an access panel in the cargo bay to get to them. If you are near your dealer, you should take it back to them and get them to show you how the valves operate. You'll need to know this to winterize next year.


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Thank you for all the help I will take done panels off tomorrow and see if I can find it. The dealer will be open then too do I'll have a try with them. I am not close to them as we are on our trip already but hopefully I can find it soon;)
 
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