How to Troubleshoot Your Electric RV Water Heater

[@jaysavelle5939]

WOW!!! What a great video!! I have been searching for DAYS trying to find ANYONE, who would go step by step, in layman’s terms, and actually show how to do what everyone else just says check this or that!! I also appreciated your video on how to use a voltmeter!!! THANK YOU for taking the time to describe each setting. PLEASE continue doing videos for those of us that need step by step directions!!!!!!

[@helenetanguay9421]

This gal has to have a teacher's heart motivational gift! Very thorough in her explanation and it confirmed what we thought the problem was. Referring her to my friends😊

[@HMC777]

Awesome thanks so much 🙏 😊...I just purchased a weekend warrior and the water heater is not working, but the DC side is good, so now I know how to check the a/c side, thanks to you 😇

[@juanvillarreal4112]

I meant to say the wire was loose but it's fixed now thank you thank you thank you thank you

[@irishsetter48]

Funny, energetic, bundle of knowledge. Thank you for an entertaining and comprehensive trouble shooting video. Easy to follow. Finally fixed my hot water heater after 2 months of frustration. I was one day away from buying a new one. Thank you again.

[@rvrepairwoman]

So glad we kept a fixable unit out of the landfill and that you have hot water now!!

[@mcgilm69]

I really appreciate your videos. They are extremely informative and easy to follow. On my last outing my water heater system turned on the DSI Fault light. I thought I had resolved it by cycling the breaker, but the fault came back. I thought I would just switch to LP and deal with this after the trip. The DSI fault came on immediately with LP as well. Because of your videos I was able to determine that the issue had to be common to both LP/AC and it very quickly limited my troubleshooting to a few specific items. My tester doesn't have continuity, so I had to just set it to ohms and check for resistance. I had resistance in the thermal fuse and the ECO. The T'Stat was another story. Nothing there are all. It may not be the only thing that is bad, but I need to replace that and go from there. Thanks for making an entertaining and educational video for us mildly technical RV owners.

[@mikebarfknecht2705]

I just recently found your channel. Love the videos so far. You explain things very well for those that don't know all the terminology. Can't wait to start my classes.

[@Gunner_Tom]

Thanks for the video, my HW heater quit working last camping trip. My grandson left the bathroom water on and over flowed the sink which fried the GFCI outlet below the sink (More about this later). The propane side the HW heater worked fine but the electric side was dead. I used your video in real time to troubleshoot my heater. All of the 12 volt circuits checked out fine. I even tested the relay buy removing the 120v connections to the heating element and it checked out fine but no voltage to the heating element so per your video I looked to the 120 volt supply. I pulled the panel off of my power distribution box and tested the breaker three times and each time I had 120v on the breaker screw. I unplugged the RV and reached in to see where the wire from the breaker went and the wire came loose from the breaker. I reinserted the wire and tightened the screw. I am sure when flipping the breakers to power off the GFCI receptacle for replacement the wire came loose from the HW Breaker. Thanks again, Tom 0:04

[@mikewebster2984]

Emily you are a superb teacher - thank you

[@AFasitgetz007]

Glad I just found your channel. Can't wait to get to learning, and how to better fix my motorhome! You explain exceptionally well. Grateful! Please keep the channel going!

[@tukaruss8680]

I've just come across your KZbin channel. And your videos are going to help me out with my fleetwood flair 6.5L turbo diesel chevy p32 1996. 😊😊

[@markhawthorne6345]

Emily, Your video helped very much. As an RV owner I went to the NRVTA Fundamentals Course within the 1st month of ownership. I just wanted to know about the systems to do my own repairs or troubleshoot before engaging a technician. I knew I could troubleshoot my water heater, but was not sure where to start. Your video laid it all out. It was very informative and entertaining. I wish you great success with your business. Mark H.

[@rvrepairwoman]

Thanks Mark! I'm glad you got your hot water heater fixed!

[@juanvillarreal4112]

Emily you're the best you are the best Emily I fix my water heater electric the water was loose they all have power the water will snooze but I fixed it p😊 now I have hot water thank you thank you so much my friend I love you I love you thank you ❤❤❤❤❤

[@TRAVISGOLDIE]

Just stumbled across your channel, i love how you describe things for the layman!!

[@scottkb1330]

I have subscribed because your style of explanation for us laypeople is awesome! I found you accidently but am loving your great videos. How can we help you to keep this great content coming?

[@diverm2371]

That was actually interesting looking forward to more.

[@philgalvan7777]

Very good. Easy description. Thank you

[@archi190]

V-E-R-Y G-O-O-D. this the BEST video about this kind of water heaterwhne you used it only on electric

[@javiertorrez4771]

Hello Emily, I have a question. I've been looking for a wiring tutorial for a Suburban sw12del water heater. My water heater stopped working a month ago during a camping trip. First and foremost, during the time I checked all known connections and power supply issues, I found that my relay is not connected to 12v dc power. Which leaves me to believe that it has been running on the gas side this entire time. I have purchased a new circuit board hoping that this was the issue, but I also want to reconnect the relay, but have not found information to where this connection actually goes to. Can you help?!?

[@MRHEAT20]

Great tech tip 🍻

[@ahmadshekib7602]

Love your videos, learnt a lot from your videos, really useful content. If you can please make more content about on demand water heater,would be really useful. I have searched a lot for videos regarding on demand water heater but couldn’t find any videos specifically about it. Thank you!

[@rvrepairwoman]

Noted!

[@higgy4409]

Awesome video , one of the most detailed and easy video to follow and understand, thank you 👍

[@rvrepairwoman]

Glad it was helpful!

[@terrymccune29]

This is amazing. Need a new relay. BOOM! THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@rvrepairwoman]

Yes!!!! You got this!

[@arthurbates2665]

I was thinking of going to Texas for the rv classes and was wondering what your thoughts were and if you if you went there for training

[@joebuffett3517]

19:59 what a great video! I understand a lot now and i think I figured out my chattering noise i hear sometimes. I didnt realize there was a relay in there. Now, to determine if its actually the relay, or the circuit to it. Thanks a lot.

[@rvrepairwoman]

You got this!

[@davidemerson1233]

Got a trailer cpl months ago and decided to check hot water. I get the dis/flt alarm for gas and nothing for electric. I can hear the gas trying but there’s no spark, can I stick a bic lighter in there to see if it’ll light? I can smell gas. Also, when going thru your checks, only thing I didn’t get 12 was eco.

[@dugman1550]

What is the purpose of the inline relay? Seems like it would work just as well hook directly to 120v.

[@janecormie5410]

Could you help me. My plastic screw was leaking. I had a full water heater. Forgot to let pressure out. Well did by itself. Now propane works great but electricity will not ignight? Any suggestions?

[@xmudcat]

@emily do I need to have my coach hooked up to 110 or 30 amp to do this test ?

[@whatmynamemitch]

Is there a way to turn down the temperature

[@Shoeman111a]

If I don’t have 12 V at the white wire, where should I be looking next?

[@thebelt24]

If the white wire is switching between doing 0, ~7, ~68 volts how would you diagnose the issue from there? The breaker which controls the water heater is outputting 120 volts and I am unable to figure out why it would work but the wire isn’t

[@allendion6613]

No heat and yellow/brown wire no Voltage. Can it still be a good cleaning. I see calcium build up on the drain ug and pressure valve

[@brentleslie8156]

This is a great tutorial!

[@kengilliskg]

I have an Atwood hot water heater that Cycles on and off both electric and gas and there is a clicking until the the hot water heater is up to temperature. Any ideas on what this could be.

[@PhilipChapman-r6o]

I need the schematic for the water heater

[@chattanoogafiberglass]

2011 open range 34rl. I tested everything in this video twice other than the relay. I did find a video on bypassing. But unfortunately for me, the DSI light comes on, when I switch to Gas or Electric. And yes there’s water in the tank. 2 12 hour nights tracing wiring still can not figure out

[@billrhodes3958]

2008 Winnebago Tour KD, My RV water heater gets super hot on propane function but on electric function, the water only gets warm. What is my problem? Thanks

[@peterbu2817]

You failed to mention that you could have a bad ground on the back of the water heater I found that the weld on the back of the tank failed

[@Jeff-xz5ww]

My hot water tank beats up till it burns your hands and will not shut off. It keeps pulling 8 A. I'm thinking it's thermostat and with your air conditioner running your breaker.

[@mrguzzi]

I'm having a issue with the water heater overheating. Turning it on electric, after it heats up it will blow water out the overflow, like it's overheating. Do I need to replace the overflow valve? Also is there a way to adjust the temp of the water? It's extremely hot, and I'm not sure if this is related to the problem. Thanks for any help.

[@AFasitgetz007]

I'm not a tech but after watching some videos I'd say try changing out the tstat & eco. It shouldn't get hotter than the eco temp limit.

[@stephenbourne1681]

Hi, great information on your video, Question for you, everything checks out good on mine but the voltage coming from the yellow wire is only 10.5 volts and it won’t close the relay, does that mean the circuit board is shot, I had just replaced it last year as well.

[@rvrepairwoman]

I would double check that the relay closes when you give it 12V separately. Juuuuust to make sure it’s not the relays fault. And then yeah my guess would be bad board. I don’t love how new the board is and that being the diag. I’d double check that fuse if you have one, switch it out even just to be sure.

[@stephenbourne1681]

@@rvrepairwoman Hi the relay works perfectly when I connect it to a 12 V battery. And that two amp fuse is good on the circuitboard. Just wondering why the voltage coming from that yellow wire is lower then 12v and will not operate the relay. Thanks.

[@kellyohara806]

Thanks so much for these videos. You are gifted at teaching! I'm not sure if you're monitoring comments on this release anymore, but here it goes. Two questions: 1) Concerning the screws on the relay, we did get about 120 volts on one of the screws, but only 1 volt on the other, rather than the 3-5 volts mentioned in your video. Is this a problem? 2) Our water heater does work in propane mode, but sometimes when it fails to light on the first try, it lights with a loud "poof", as if too much propane is entering before ignition. Is this normal, and if not, is there a solution? Thanks again for all you do. You are very helpful!

[@rvrepairwoman]

Hey Kelly, thanks for commenting. 1. 1 V should be totally fine on that heating element. If you’re not sure if it’s working double check with the resistance test. But seeing only 1 V should be fine. 2. I would look at cleaning your igniter and checking the gap on it. Most of the time I’m having ignition problems it comes down to either the igniter needing to be gapped or sometimes the burner being dirty. I’ll admit the propane side of things is less of my forte than the electrical. Also try just blowing some compressed air into that burn chamber and just making sure there isn’t too much dust and debris in there. You got this.

[@kellyohara806]

Thanks again! I removed the igniter and found that it was coated with soot and had a gap well over the specified 0.125". Once cleaned and regapped, it works flawlessly every time.

[@rvrepairwoman]

Hi! Hello! Don't forget that if your hot water heater has NEVER been cleaned then that is going to cut down the heating power of your tank DRASTICALLY. You can get a step-by-step tutorial on how to clean your hot water tank at. www.rvrepairwoman.com/flush YOU GOT THIS!

[@brendaanthonyrealestateage3233]

Is this with the water heater electric turned on

[@JackFuller-h1x]

How would you fill the tank with vinegar to clean it out?

[@rvrepairwoman]

A funnel system through either the anode rod or the plastic plug hole. You can go to to rvrepairwoman.ck.page/6f5b2abf97 to get my maintenance guide that has a step by step tutorial. Or just wait for next Weeks video, which is on this exact tooic

[@jameskotch8390]

Can you leave the electric on all the time or should you turn it off when you are not using it? Will it harm the hot water heater?

[@chuckcurtice7752]

If you have the water heater on with no water in it, then it will blow the heating element in a minute or two, or less. If there is water in it, and you are leaving it on without using it, I've heard/read that it will shorten the lifespan of the heating element.

[@jameskotch8390]

@@chuckcurtice7752 hey just another question? Could you possibly put a house hot water tank in a trailer like maybe a 10 or 15 gallon tank? And use the existing electrical wire?

[@bbyparit]

This doesn’t say whether we should have the heater plugged in and/or turned on before probing and poking.

[@daviscrt]

great job. don

[@stancole5833]

Thanks!

[@rvrepairwoman]

Thank you!

[@MaddyKistler-ue1rg]

Support your t-stat like you would your sister!

[@rvrepairwoman]

Always!

[@harderja]

Replacing the element in place with that wrench you talk about is too long. I got a 38mm shallow high-impact socket with two holes in it, and I put a screwdriver through it to get it off.

[@seanlavelle8526]

you just blew your heating element if you sent ac to it to test it with no water in it.

[@rvrepairwoman]

I didn’t have power going to this guy for this video. Just showing people where to put the probes.

[@Shoeman111a]

On my dometic water heater, I have 10 V and not 12 I need yellow wire ,does that mean my circuit board needs to be replaced?

[@travisbeach338]

Please Help! What would keep causing my t stat to keep going bad. I have this exact same water heater I've replaced 2 t stats in 2 weeks. Ordered a new control board to replace but don't even know if that's the problem or not. HELP HELP

[@travisbeach338]

Please if you could give me a suggestion that would be awesome