Water Heater Confusion

**pmhellings** · 04-22-2017, 05:34 AM

Hello All,

I was testing my water heater yeasterday and, while it heated well, it left me wondering about how it is supposed to work. My owner's manual says that the heater can be operated on 120v or propane. I checked to see if the electric switch was turned off, surprised that you had to go outside and open the panel to do so, and proceeded to flip the lighted switch in front of the sink that was labeled water heater. I waited 10 minutes or so and tested the water and sure enough.....hot! Very hot! So, test over, I shut the switch off. I went outside to the panel and the gas flame was still on. I re-read the manual and it said to shut the water heater down, turn off the electrical switch (in front of the sink?) and turn off the propane. The problem is, if you are running your fridge on propane (I was, to test it) then the fridge shuts off. So, I turned off the propane at the bottle, let it run out of the line and then turned it back on and restarted the fridge.

This seems pretty inconvenient and I assume that I'm missing something, but the manuals, Trailmanor and Water Heater, just weren't very enlightening to me. Can someone set me straight?

Thanks,
Paul
2010 2720 "New to Me"

bheisser · 04-22-2017, 11:11 AM

leave the inside switch off,,,,,turn on the outside switch (electric) and see if the water heats up....it will take an hour or so,,,,if not could be a burned out heater element,,, cheap and easy to replace ,,,,,,i believe if you turn on the electric switch outside,, you do not turn on the water heater from the inside.....i think the inside switch is gas (i never turn it on)

**Bill** · 04-22-2017, 11:58 AM

Paul -

Let me clarify a bit.

The switch on the front of the sink controls the gas part of the water heater. The switch behind the outside panel controls the electric part of the water heater. They are independent - neither one has any effect on the other. By the way, it is perfectly OK to turn on both at the same time, for quicker recovery while you shower, for example.

In my experience, either one will give you hot water from a cold start quite quickly - maybe 10 minutes at the outside. Five minutes if both are running.

The problem you described seemed to be that you turned the gas part of the heater ON, and heated some water. Then, you switched the gas switch to OFF, but the flame didn't go out immediately. Is that a correct description? How long did you wait between switching the inside switch to OFF and checking the flame?

Assuming that the gas valve in the water heater closes right away (and I can't think of a reason why it wouldn't), I would expect the flame to persist for a few seconds at most as the burner consumes whatever gas is left in the heater's pipes and valves. There is no reason to turn off the gas supply at the 20-pound tanks in order to extinguish the flame. Turning the gas off at the 20-pound tanks is a safety measure, to be used while you are traveling on the road, but nothing else.

Quote:

I re-read the manual and it said [that in order] to shut the water heater down, turn off the electrical switch (in front of the sink?) and turn off the propane.

I think you are misinterpreting the manual. What it is saying is that in order to fully shut down the water heater, you turn off the electrical switch (behind the outside panel) and turn off the propane switch (on the panel in front of the sink). It does not mean to shut off the propane at the 20-pound tanks.

Bill

**pmhellings** · 04-23-2017, 06:56 PM

Thanks for the reply. Apparently, what I'm experiencing is a leaky valve. The gas shuts off about 98% and leaves a small flame burning. I think that I'll put a valve in the line to the water heater so that I can turn the gas off under the sink. Maybe look for a replacement solenoid valve. I'd also like to do the mod to bring the switch ( for the electrical element) to the sink face panel. Makes more sense than going outside and opening up the water heater cover.

Thanks again for the advice!

Paul

**Bill** · 04-23-2017, 07:07 PM

Paul -

If you are going to add an inside switch (something I heartily recommend), I urge you to follow the suggestion made by ThePair in post #27 here

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=15459

I really like his idea. It makes more sense than any other solution I have seen, including my own.

Bill

Shane826 · 04-23-2017, 07:48 PM

Bill- I think he's looking to install a gas shutoff valve just for the water heater. But I do still like that switch and think it's a great mod.

**Bill** · 04-23-2017, 08:53 PM

Shane -

His last sentence is

"I'd also like to do the mod to bring the switch ( for the electrical element) to the sink face panel. Makes more sense than going outside and opening up the water heater cover."

I guess I'm working with that.

Bill

Shane826 · 04-24-2017, 05:48 AM

Oops you're right! Not sure how I missed that.

ThePair · 04-24-2017, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

Paul -

If you are going to add an inside switch (something I heartily recommend), I urge you to follow the suggestion made by ThePair in post #27 here

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ad.php?t=15459

I really like his idea. It makes more sense than any other solution I have seen, including my own.

Bill

I will report back with Pics as soon as I complete this -- TM's been in storage all winter, but with spring here I'm itching to pull it out and get modding!

**pmhellings** · 04-24-2017, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shane826

Oops you're right! Not sure how I missed that.

You're both right! I'm going to put in a gas cutoff valve under the TM, so that I can have full safe functionality of the rest of the gas appliances and will have time to repair / replace the faulty valve.

I also want to install an electrical cutoff switch on the sink cabinet. I might look into a different approach though. Since it is a 120v circuit, I might route it to a lighted switch and avoid the solenoid complexity. Having a light on should be adequate. I may be persuaded to go a different route after studying the wiring diagram and looking over my access. The switch got bumped a few projects down the list as it isn't a safety issue.

I'll post my solution when I get there.

Paul