how to fix water heater?

[rootusrootus]

So we just picked up a new Transcend 261BH yesterday, and promptly took it for a quick overnight at an RV park on the way home. My wife inadvertently turned on the water heater while it was still dry (fully bypassed by the winterize valves). I smelled something and asked her if she had done anything ;-). Ah well.

Anyway, of course now that we're home and I've dewinterized the rig and filled the heater, it indeed does not work. Turning on electric, nothing happens. Switch lights up, never gets warm. No surprise. Turn on gas, and the DSI fault light glows, heater doesn't even try to turn on the gas valve.

So I've done some research, but still coming up blank. I don't see any kind of thermal fuse, the wires just go to the various connectors with nothing inline. There's a box that says 'push to reset' and seems to have two buttons to push, so I tried, nothing.

What do you suggest? I assume I should order a new heating element and the tool to unscrew it. But what about the fuse? Where would I find it? The smell we got inside the trailer was like hot vinyl, which does seem like what a burnt thermal fuse would smell like, but where is it? On the back of the heater maybe instead of the outside?

 

[Ynot4me2]

Have you verified the fuses in the fuse panel and breaker?

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[rootusrootus]

I have not. I reasoned that since the switch lights up, the DSI fault light as well, that it must be getting power. I will check the fuse panel at the converter.

 

[geotex1]

More info would help like the make and model of the water heater. If you're lucky, the electric element was off and you have a Suburban and just need to hit the resets on the unit. Check your owners' manuals in the folder from GD.

 

[rootusrootus]

More info would help like the make and model of the water heater. If you're lucky, the electric element was off and you have a Suburban and just need to hit the resets on the unit. Check your owners' manuals in the folder from GD.

It is a Suburban SW6DELC. I tried pushing the resets, and it didn't change anything. Still doesn't heat on electric, and won't even attempt to light on gas, just illuminates the DSI fault light. I verified that the breaker was not tripped.

Thanks for your help!

 

[geotex1]

Pull the fuse for the DSI and shut off the breaker for the electric side. Press the resets while off, confirm the propane valve at the water heater is in the on position, and go back in and purge the air from the LP system by lighting the range top. Head back and reseat the fuse and turn breaker on. Leave off the electric side and just throw the propane side and see if it'll attempt to light. If so, ok there and then it's diagnosing the electric element. If no attempt to light, then out comes the multimeter.

 

[rootusrootus]

Alright, gas working, just electric not. Guessing since there is no thermal fuse that we burnt out the heating element. Sound plausible? Fortunately that's an inexpensive fix, though it sounds like a mild PITA to replace.

 

[geotex1]

Alright, gas working, just electric not. Guessing since there is no thermal fuse that we burnt out the heating element. Sound plausible? Fortunately that's an inexpensive fix, though it sounds like a mild PITA to replace.

Great!

It's not terrible, but you will need to get an element wrench. It's a standard element found practically at anywhere selling water heaters. Here's a tutorial: https://youtu.be/-6jjhJQq9EY

 

[Ynot4me2]

If you have a multimeter, you can check the element without removing it. Just unscrew the 2 wires on it and test the resistance on the element. If its 1ohm or lower its shot.

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[Ynot4me2]

How long was it on without water? These units have some safety feature builtin. It might be the element but I have a feeling its something else. Have you tried resitting the thermal fuse?

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[huntr70]

If it is a Suburban, is the breaker turned on in the electrical panel and the switch turned on inside the water heater itself?

Need both to tango....