water heater not working with LP or Ele

[Rmathews951]

2021 Reflections 303RLS. Our water heater isn't working using LP or electricity. Worked fine for the first 3-day shakedown cruise two weeks ago so something has changed. I don't get any sound from it like it's even trying to light. Checked the circuit breaker and all the fuses in the control panel. Everything seems to be working correctly. Nothing obvious on the front of the water heater itself i.e. burned circuit board or other signs of damage. Is there someplace else I should be looking for an electrical problem? I did check the LP line feeding the heater to make sure the valve was open and it was. I did not check the actual gas flow but I really don't think that's part of the problem. Any suggestions or recommendations welcome.
Thanks,
Ron

[geotex1]

Not being wise, but are the power switches on? For the electric to work, you have to have the heating element switch on (in the unit) and the control panel switch on. If these switches are on, time to get the DMM out and check to see if power is at the water heater.

[Rmathews951]

That's where I'm heading next. Fortunately, accessing the back of the water heater on this model is pretty easy. Unfortunately, electricity is all pure magic to me so I'm having someone that actually has a clue, come over tomorrow and check everything out.
Thanks

[Always Learning]

2021 Reflections 303RLS. Our water heater isn't working using LP or electricity. Worked fine for the first 3-day shakedown cruise two weeks ago so something has changed. I don't get any sound from it like it's even trying to light. Checked the circuit breaker and all the fuses in the control panel. Everything seems to be working correctly. Nothing obvious on the front of the water heater itself i.e. burned circuit board or other signs of damage. Is there someplace else I should be looking for an electrical problem? I did check the LP line feeding the heater to make sure the valve was open and it was. I did not check the actual gas flow but I really don't think that's part of the problem. Any suggestions or recommendations welcome.
Thanks,
Ron

You need 12v DC to run the hot water heater on gas. Not sure if you need 12v to run the control board if heating with electric. Check your 12v.

[Rmathews951]

I tried LP and electricity using both shore power and battery with the same result. Its got to be something electrical with the water heater because everything else in the trailer is working as advertised. Here's something else I'm 100% sure of... is it 110 for the heating element and 12V for the lp igniter? Or does the 110 go to the inverter first and change to 12v before it reaches the water heater? Not that I'm going to try to fix any of this by myself. I usually end up paying someone to repair what I fixed...

[geotex1]

I tried LP and electricity using both shore power and battery with the same result. Its got to be something electrical with the water heater because everything else in the trailer is working as advertised. Here's something else I'm 100% sure of... is it 110 for the heating element and 12V for the lp igniter? Or does the 110 go to the inverter first and change to 12v before it reaches the water heater? Not that I'm going to try to fix any of this by myself. I usually end up paying someone to repair what I fixed...

The electric heating element is 110 VAC. The igniter is 12VDC.

[Rmathews951]

Okay, so here's my new question. If the LP and Electrical systems work independently of each other to heat the water and neither of them works, then neither of them can be the cause. It seems a logical starting point would be a circuit board. Yes, no, maybe???

[geotex1]

Okay, so here's my new question. If the LP and Electrical systems work independently of each other to heat the water and neither of them works, then neither of them can be the cause. It seems a logical starting point would be a circuit board. Yes, no, maybe???

They're not independent. You must have 12VDC to not only work the igniter but to also open the valve for LP.

An all too common occurrence is burning out the 110v heating element by leaving it on with an empty water heater. So your thought isn't necessarily a gotcha. However, testing to make sure power is getting to the water heater will suitably narrow the issue.

[Rmathews951]

I think I understand what you're saying but I'm still confused becasue I think you're saying is they are actually independent of each other. Here's what I mean. If the 12VDC is out then the gas valve and the igniter won't work, which is another way of saying the 110 has nothing to do with it. If the electrical heating element is burned and can't work, the LP and 12VDC have nothing to do with that. For both systems to fail at the same time seems a bit of a stretch to me.

[geotex1]

I think I understand what you're saying but I'm still confused becasue I think you're saying is they are actually independent of each other. Here's what I mean. If the 12VDC is out then the gas valve and the igniter won't work, which is another way of saying the 110 has nothing to do with it. If the electrical heating element is burned and can't work, the LP and 12VDC have nothing to do with that. For both systems to fail at the same time seems a bit of a stretch to me.

Both systems can be offline because of a bad thermostat... I've been trying to be sensitive to your aversion of fiddling with electricity. If you want to really get into diagnosing, Google your water heater and "service manual." They all have their manuals available. There are troubleshooting trees in them. Probably best to do so in advance of your friend coming.