Replaced Water Heater Element-Still No Hot Water

[Steppy]

Originally Posted by Bill

Good suggestion, Bob. Beyond that, if you have a test meter, and if you feel you can safely use it (both big requirements), you can also test the element itself.

1. Disconnect the TM from shore power!!! Now there is no power anywhere that can hurt you.
2. Turn the water heater switch (the one in the outside compartment) to OFF.
3. Remove the black cover from the element connections.
4. Disconnect both wires from the screws on the element, and push them aside.

You have already done all of the steps above, so they are easy. Now ...

5. Set your meter to the lowest resistance scale - it is probably called "OHMS X 1". With the probes not touching anything, an analog meter will read all the way to the left. A digital meter will read a very high value, or more likely something like "OL".
6. Touch the two probe tips together. Confirm that the meter reads somewhere near ZERO OHMS. On an analog meter, this means that the pointer will move to the top of the scale, which reads ZERO ohms. If your meter is digital, the reading will be something around Zero. In either case, turn the adjustment knob until the meter reads full scale or ZERO.
7. Press the probe tips firmly against the two element screws.
If the element is bad, the analog meter will barely move, if at all. On a digital meter, the reading will stay very high.
If the element is good, the analog meter will move up to somewhere near the top of the scale, stopping at a reading in the neighborhood of 10. The digital meter will read somewhere around 10. Note that the suggested reading of "10" is not exact. All we are looking for is something approximating that.
8. Button everything back up safely.

I know it is a little late to point this out, but it is not a bad idea to perform this test on the old element, before removing it, to confirm that you are not removing a good element. It is also a good idea to perform this test on the new element before you install it, so you are sure you are not installing a bad element.

Bill

I ran the test explained by Bill, set my meter @ X1 and touched the probes together first and the needle swung to the far right reading of 0 ohms. I disconnected the wires from the element and touched the probes to the screws, but instead of the needle a. not moving, or b. reading approx. 10 ohms, the needle swung to the far right as it did when I touched the 2 probes together, showing 0 resistance. I surmise I have a bad element?

Assuming the element is bad, how does one get the element out? Is there a special element wrench or do I need a socket wrench. The gas burner pipe goes right in front of the element. Does that need to be removed first? I have a 2004 2720SL.

[ELM-JLM]

Hi,
The gas fittings are easily removed. Just loosen the fittings and remove the screw at the orifus! Then three screws to remove the cap! Lowe's sells a heating element wrench for less than 10 bucks!

[Steppy]

Thanks,
Got it done.

Have a shorted heating element ().

And just got a new replacement.

The new one has a rubber gasket. Do you put teflon tape on the threads or is that not necessary?

Originally Posted by Bill

And of course, since you have the right wrench, this is easy.

Ah, well, thanks to this thread I have become enlightened about the "right wrench", and will pick one up at the St. Augustine, FL Home Depot tomorrow. But will forget the teflon tape.

It was looking at that big nut and wondering whether a standard 1.5" socket would fit between the nut and the surrounding sheet metal that brought me to the forum in the first place. And I'd left my socket set back in Ontario anyway.

It's become a standing joke around here. I get stumped by something, tell my wife that "I need to think about it some" and end up on this (or some other) forum reading and asking questions.

Not quite sure how I managed pre-internet ...

And it's done and working in both electrical and propane modes. Luckily the over-temp switch wasn't shorted as well.

There was no teflon tape on the original heating element, just the rubber gasket, and it works fine. I can see teflon tape on the original anode however.

Got some water draining to the inside of the trailer when I pulled the element. Pulling (and replacing) the anode beforehand might help there.

Getting the propane burner and feed pipe out of the way was difficult as I only had a large crescent wrench and screwdriver. I ended up removing the burner and twisting the aluminum feed pipe out of the way. And twisting it back when putting it all together again. Not sure how many times you can do that before something breaks.

But hopefully we've learned our lesson, and this will not be necessary again. Thanks to all for the advice.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by brulaz

Getting the propane burner and feed pipe out of the way was difficult as I only had a large crescent wrench and screwdriver. I ended up removing the burner and twisting the aluminum feed pipe out of the way. And twisting it back when putting it all together again. Not sure how many times you can do that before something breaks.

It's a terrible time to ask, I know, but did you see the tutorial at
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=11489

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

It's a terrible time to ask, I know, but did you see the tutorial at
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=11489

Bill

Good grief. That would have been helpful.

For some reason, search just gave me this thread. Oh well.