strange thing

[rumaco]

Here is a question for you guys! I have a Bighorn 3580RL and the water heater (on propane) heats great.....sometimes! Sometimes I go to turn the hot on and it isn't even though the heater is on. I turn it off then back on and it gets going again.........any ideas why this occurs. I would take it to the dealer but alas the Dealer is in Shelley Idaho and the 5th wheel is in Port Angeles WA.................appreciate the help!

Russ

 

[jnbhobe]

Does it heat up when you lite it the first time??? If it does it may be the thermostat is not turning it back on after it shuts down the first time.

 

[TXBobcat]

Check to make sure the faucets are turned off in the shower. I left the shower turned off at the head and forgot to turn off the faucets. The water was cold until I figured out to turn them off.

BC

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Russ! A question. When the water heater is running on propane, does it continue to run normally until you shut it down? Do you turn off the LP bottles when you aren't using the rig? It sounds as if you may have air in the LP line. Does it work properly on electric? Spiders sometimes build webs in the burner tube and a small web may temporarily cause air flow problems and after a few tries the web may blow through thereby allowing normal operation. Final guess would be a circuit board problem. If under warranty, a call to Heartland might get you the OK to use a local repair service.

 

[Rickhansen]

On the propane water heater switch (versus the electric switch) that in the inside control center (adjacent the front door) there is an LED. When you turn the water heater on, the LED lights until the flame starts up. Every time it cycles, the LED will light for a second until the flame starts, as well. If the HW heater fails for any reason, it will lock itself out a safety and light this LED.

When yours fails, does the LED light?

In a DSI system (Direct Spark Ignition) system the ignitor doubles as a flame rod (sort of like a thermocouple) that verifies when the gas is on, the flame is burning. If the gas valve is open and there is no flame for about 6 seconds, it will lock out and not try to relight, and light the LED.

Sometimes the ignitor rod needs to be adjusted and cleaned to sense the flame correctly.

 

[jimtoo]

Check to make sure the faucets are turned off in the shower. I left the shower turned off at the head and forgot to turn off the faucets. The water was cold until I figured out to turn them off.

BC

If your water heater is fired up and running, make sure both the inside shower and the outside shower are turned off at the fixture, not at the shower head. It will bypass sometimes through these and you will get nothing but cold water.

If these are both off, then the bypass valve may be partiality open at the back of the water heater.

Jim M

 

[jnbhobe]

Good info Jim !!

 

[rumaco]

Wow!

I will check all this out when I return to it this Saturday, snow permitting the drive from Idaho. I knew if I asked on this site a wealth of information would spring across my screen. I appreciate all of you for your input!