Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Moby on June 20, 2019, 01:08:47 pm

Title: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Moby on June 20, 2019, 01:08:47 pm
Good news, more good news and bad news.
Cant get water heater to stay lit.  Indicator turns green then red light comes on.
I have gas and stove lights.
Suggestions?
The 120V part of heater never worked.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Lance Camper on June 20, 2019, 01:27:36 pm
Good news, more good news and bad news.
Cant get water heater to stay lit.  Indicator turns green then red light comes on.
I have gas and stove lights.
Suggestions?
The 120V part of heater never worked.
1. Start by looking for mud daubers nest in exhaust tube. Clean it out, use a vacuum after scraping the nest. I have a photo of one I removed but I can't find it. Almost the size of a golf ball.

2. Can you hear the igniter clicking? Listen out side and have some one turn on the switch? If it is clicking it may be not getting propane even if you have plenty. Can't think of the fix right now

3. Circuit Board may need to be replaced. Dinosaur brand is highly rated. 

There are more, but can't think of them right now

HTH
Ed
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Jack Lewis on June 20, 2019, 01:40:36 pm
An addition to Lance's reply.  Visually check to see if igniter is sparking (takes two people).  If spark is too small, adjust gap to 1/8 inch.

I am assuming it never lights.  If it ignites and then quickly goes out, please post that, and I'll post other things to check.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Don & Tys on June 20, 2019, 01:50:56 pm
Other LP appliances working correctly? If so then likely the supply side of the LP equation is okay. If not, maybe the regulator is plugged up or oil has accumulated in the supply line from the tank before the regulator.
Don
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: wolfe10 on June 20, 2019, 02:11:18 pm
All good advice.  Let us know what you find.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Moby on June 20, 2019, 02:11:57 pm
Here goes:
  Engine runs?  Check. (Fixed)
  Batterys good?  Negative.  New ones in at 2:30.
  Genset works? Check.  (Fixed)
  Safety check, lights, brakes, horn?  Check.
  Water heater works?  (Fixed)  Well. Yea, after I burped air out of the lines!  Light stove. Wait for flames to stabilize.  Try water heater.  Enjoy success!  I had an old Honda with a trouble shooting sticker.  First line was :
  "Gas in tank"?
Sometimes I get so worried about the complex stuff I forget the simple fixes.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Jack Lewis on June 20, 2019, 02:25:16 pm
No problem, glad it works, most of us learned the same way.

No 12 volt lights, salesman switch not on.  RV refer not working, same issue as yours with propane flow.  Engine will not start, Allison key pad not in neutral. Sensation of rv moving with engine and brake on, coach parked next to us is moving. Welcome to the forum, it makes us all go back to the basics.

Once after picking my rv up from service (they pulled it around front and left running) I returned home to find I could not re start it after I turned it off.  The shop had left the engine start, front or back, in the rear in the wrong position.  Always recheck the obvious.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Dub on June 20, 2019, 03:42:59 pm
Good you solved it. One more thing for future trouble shooting.. If hot water heater fails on propane AND stove top burners fail, check reset button on LP alarm.
Title: Re: It's alive! Water heater down.
Post by: Lance Camper on June 21, 2019, 06:38:09 am
Sensation of rv moving with engine and brake on, coach parked next to us is moving.
We got a kick out of this one. As kids (young adults) if we pulled up next to one of our friends at a traffic light. Roll the window down, we would start a conversation. Still talking without looking away, start moving forward. Almost always got the other person think his car was moving.