Atwood water heater not working on electric mode

Marguerite66 · 03-30-2015, 08:40 PM

Hi all, looking for some help with this problem. Went to the lake this weekend and went to start the water heater on electric and after awhile realized the water never got hot. Tried again and nothing so switched to propane and that worked fine. I have read quite a few post on this subject and it seems that the most likely fix is at the back of the heater which we can't get to because of where Winnebago put it

. My question is, has anyone pulled the heater out enough to get to the back and how hard was it to do or is there a panel under the RV to remove to get to the back.
Forgot to mention that we had to use a different rough road due to road work on regular road we take, thinking that some wires may have jarred lose.

Thanks for any help,
Marguerite66

Mr_D · 03-30-2015, 08:44 PM

If there was no water in the WH and you turned on the electric switch you probably burned out the element. It's easy to do and only takes a minute or so for it to happen. But I've never seen a WH installed so there is no access panel on the outside.

TXTiger · 03-30-2015, 08:50 PM

I had the exact same problem on my Water heater on my 5er 4 days out of the one yr warranty. It was a faulty electrical relay switch. Simple repair.

gatorcq · 03-30-2015, 09:01 PM

2002, that year was a separate electric and propane circuit, if not mistaken. Yes you should be able to pull the heater out. Should be enough lines and wires to get it oout. Remember turn off the gas and electric. Should be 3 wires on the top of the heater as you pull it out. Just be careful. By the way, there are 2 thermostats. 1 is re-settable and the other is not they are in series and located in the back above the heating element.

Marguerite66 · 03-30-2015, 09:10 PM

Thanks gatorcq, We believe there was water in the tank before we turned it on. Do we still have to pull it out to check if the element is good?

Ranger Smith · 03-31-2015, 04:15 AM

The elements are like $10 at home depot. Just check outside in the panel to make sure the switch is on. Some of those heaters have a switch in the outside grille.

zippo · 03-31-2015, 05:02 AM

We had a 2000 Winnie that had electric problems with the WH about the same as yours. I ended up pulling the heater, not a bad job, but just take your time. On the backside of my heater was another on/off toggle type switch. Why it was back there is a good question as you could not get to it without pulling the heater. Anyway the switch had somehow over heated and melted the plastic switch housing causing the failure.

Tytlfamily · 03-31-2015, 05:08 AM

I have a new Hurricane 34e, and have the same issue. I assume it is the heating element also. I have looked up the model number and found the owners manual and parts manual online one day. My model heater has no other toggle switch to turn on or off. Having it replaced someday, but not a priority, i like how fast water heats on LP mode anyways.

grtharris · 03-31-2015, 08:28 AM

Marguerite66, Just for reference the 110VAC for the water heater goes through the EMS(Energy Management System). Check and see if you have 110VAC at the Water Heater switch. Usually it is a problem behind the water heater but something to check before you pull the unit.

Hikerdogs · 03-31-2015, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marguerite66

Hi all, looking for some help with this problem. Went to the lake this weekend and went to start the water heater on electric and after awhile realized the water never got hot. Tried again and nothing so switched to propane and that worked fine. I have read quite a few post on this subject and it seems that the most likely fix is at the back of the heater which we can't get to because of where Winnebago put it

. My question is, has anyone pulled the heater out enough to get to the back and how hard was it to do or is there a panel under the RV to remove to get to the back.
Forgot to mention that we had to use a different rough road due to road work on regular road we take, thinking that some wires may have jarred lose.

Thanks for any help,
Marguerite66

Actually you can access the back of the water heater without removing it. I replaced both the plastic inlet elbow and the over temp switch on our 2001 Adventurer 32V with out removing the heater. The 2001 is identical to the 2002 32V.

If you're not too large you can get an arm around the water pump and reset the over temp switch at the upper rear of the heater. If you're arms are too short (I'm 5'7" and could reach the switch) you can unbolt the pump from the panel and lay it on the floor. This will allow enough room to get your head far enough in the compartment to actually see the rear of the heater.

I reset the switch on ours several times before I actually had to replace it. Both replacing the elbow and the switch were done on the road with minimal tools. Granted they weren't the easiest jobs in the world, but they can be done.

Removing the heater is not any easier, especially if you're on the road. You have to remove quite a number of sheet metal screws around the perimeter of the enclosure. Then you have to loosen the butyl seal behind the screw flange before attempting to pull the heater out of the enclosure. The butyl tape is extremely sticky and will probably need to be heated with a hair dryer to soften it enough to break the bond.

You'll also have to cut and/or disconnect the motoraid coolant hoses from the engine cooling system. They aren't long enough to remain attached when pulling the heater out of the enclosure. If you need to remove the heater it's best to squeeze the heater hoses shut one at a time with a pliers like this:

Pelican Parts.com - Hose Pinch-Off Pliers

With the hose pinched shut you can cut it and put a plug or cap similar to this over both ends.

Northern Factory | BYPASS CAPS - 5/8"- PK OF 10

You'll have to do the same to both hoses before removing the heater.

To reconnect the heater hoses you'll some clamps and a couple splices like these:

Dorman - Help Heater Hose Connectors - 5/8 In. X 5/8 In. Connector - Metal 56438: Advance Auto Parts

Personally I found it easier either reach around the water pump or remove it to gain access to the switch at the rear of the heater. I would definitely recommend trying to reset the switch a time or two before going through all the trouble to remove the heater.

If you do decide to try resetting the switch I also recommend having the heater off and the shore power disconnected before attempting it. You don't want to miss the red button and touch the terminals by mistake when it's powered up.

On Edit:

There is a switch that looks like a normal residential light switch in the cabinet over the range that controls the 110 volt power to the heater. It' shown on page 6-3 of the operators manual.

http://winnebagoind.com/resources/ma...Adventurer.pdf

Make sure this switch is in the on position before you go through the trouble of attempting to reset the over temp switch or remove the heater.

joemcgin · 03-31-2015, 01:16 PM

Have had the same problem with our 2000 Adventure on a Workhorse chassis. Has worked fine on propane so far but I will see if I can reach to the back of the tank & locate a reset switch. Thanks for the tip.

Marguerite66 · 03-31-2015, 11:37 PM

Thanks Hikerdogs, I was hoping you or someone else that has or had our RV model would respond. My husband can get his hand back there but I don't think he knows what to feel for. I think we might have to remove the pump, so I can get back there. We also have a winch in there. Anyway thanks to everyone for the great advice.
Marguerite66

Hikerdogs · 04-01-2015, 07:14 AM

There's a plumbing diagram for your coach in the manuals section of the Winnebago website showing the rear of the water heater.

http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/...g32v_plumb.pdf

Page 6 has the water heater in the lower left corner. Note it's a view from the rear so the water pump is on the panel on the right side.

The electrical connections including the over temp switch are under the rectangular cover in the lower center of the heater (not the upper center as I mentioned previously). The rectangular cover has a couple keyhole slots and has to be slid toward the partition where the water pump is mounted to remove it.

Once the cover is off you should be able to reach the over temp switch. You might want to use an extension mirror something like this (and a flashlight) to view the back of the heater before trying to remove the cover.

2-1/4 IN ROUND MIRROR MC2 | Matco Tools

Once the cover is removed it's fairly easy to push the red reset button on the over temp switch.

Note the pump mounted on the panel. The lower line on the pump goes to the heater. The line enters the heater at about the center of the cover shielding the electrical connections including the over temp switch. You can follow the line with your hand to determine how far in you need to go.

mx08453 · 04-01-2015, 08:31 PM

I experienced failure of electrical heating element. Impossible to change without removing water heater,,,,unless you cut a hole in bottom of box that houses water heater. Start with a 4 inch hole saw and give your self room to determine perimeter of bottom. Fabricate cover 1 inch larger than final hole, and use a bunch of sheet metal screws to close opening. You will never regret creating opening! My water heater was located behind right front tire. Good luck... send pm for more coaching.

Hikerdogs · 04-02-2015, 06:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mx08453

I experienced failure of electrical heating element. Impossible to change without removing water heater,,,,unless you cut a hole in bottom of box that houses water heater. Start with a 4 inch hole saw and give your self room to determine perimeter of bottom. Fabricate cover 1 inch larger than final hole, and use a bunch of sheet metal screws to close opening. You will never regret creating opening! My water heater was located behind right front tire. Good luck... send pm for more coaching.

The Adventurer 32V is a little different than most other models. The 35' and 37' models have an access panel to get to the rear of the heater. They also have a slightly larger cabinet.

The 32V has the auxiliary coach heater directly behind the water heater. There isn't much room between the two, and the compartment is narrow enough That I doubt you can cut a 4" hole without hitting one or the other. If you decide to try to cut a hole be sure you aren't going to hit either of the components.

A new heater assembly cost $250.00 back in 2006 so I'm sure it's more expensive today.

Marguerite66 · 04-03-2015, 01:43 PM

Sorry I haven't posted more but we had to work the last two days ( leave the house at 6:00am don't get home til 8:00pm). We are still trying to get a look back behind the tank. We may end up having to remove the pump to get some more room in there. I don't know why they wouldn't put an excess door or something to get to that area.

We have tried to get a picture of that area but are not having much luck.
Thank you for all the helpful advice, I will keep you posted.

Maguerite66

ps: Hikerdogs, thanks for the heads up on the aux heater in that space.

Marguerite66 · 04-19-2015, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marguerite66

Hi all, looking for some help with this problem. Went to the lake this weekend and went to start the water heater on electric and after awhile realized the water never got hot. Tried again and nothing so switched to propane and that worked fine. I have read quite a few post on this subject and it seems that the most likely fix is at the back of the heater which we can't get to because of where Winnebago put it

. My question is, has anyone pulled the heater out enough to get to the back and how hard was it to do or is there a panel under the RV to remove to get to the back.
Forgot to mention that we had to use a different rough road due to road work on regular road we take, thinking that some wires may have jarred lose.

Thanks for any help,
Marguerite66

Hi everyone, thought I would update this thread I posted. After realizing that we probably would have to have the water heater worked on by our rv guy, I decided to look at the connection in the cabinet above the microwave. When I got it out of the odd electrical box, and was looking at it I noticed that the hot wire was severed. I don't know if my messing with it broke it or if it was already the problem? What I'm getting at is my husband wants to change the box to a standard box like in the house. Would this be as safe as the odd box it was in in the first place?

It looks like the OEM box was meant to not vibrate as much but the wire they used is so stiff that it seems to do it worse.
Has anyone worked on this or changed this box.
Thanks for the help.

Marguerite66