# Water Heater Still Won't Work On Electric



## CampingRus

On our first camping trip of the season we forgot to fill the water heater before turning on the electric switch. Our bad. The water heater worked on gas no problem for the trip and we assumed it was just the element that we burned out. I ordered a new element, which dh installed today.

However, it still won't work on electric. The switch in on the hot water heater is on as is the switch on the wall. DH checked the fuses and they all are fine. (Also found the breaker box was missing a few screws and was not secure)

What are we missing? It will heat on gas.

Thanks for the advise!!!


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## huntr70

Can you get to the back of the water heater to make sure it is plugged in?

There is usually a 1 opening outlet mounted near the water heater, and it just plugs in.

Also, the water heater will be on a breaker in the panel, not a 12 volt fuse......you need to have the shore cord plugged in for it to work on electric.


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## Racing56

the thermostat i just had mine replaced under warranty


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## LaydBack

I know you said your husband checked the fuses, which actually the water heater is on a breaker as huntr70 stated, but have him turn the breakers off and then back on. It could've tripped, and sometimes they look as if they're in the on position when they're actually tripped.


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## Chuggs

If you look closely on the Suburban models...just under the Pressure Relief/Temperatur Relief...there is a black panel with two buttons and the words RESET... Might give that a whirl...

Manual

See page 7... Water temp must be below 110 degrees to attempt a reset of the thermostat...

Hope this fixs it for you!


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## CampingRus

Nope, so far none of the fixes have helped. We went camping last weekend and thankfully the water heater works fine on gas. Reset, breaker on/off, on/off button on water heater, heater plugged in, shore power at home and at campsite.

As for the thermostat - would it work fine on gas if it was a thermostat issue?

DH is calling suburban for any other suggestions and to see where we could get it checked locally. Not really wanting to drive the 2.5 hours back to the dealer.


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## Oregon_Camper

Have you tried to plug the heater directly to shore power...bypassing the Outback? Thinking here is maybe the outlet the water heater is using is bad.


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## CampingRus

Oregon_Camper said:


> Have you tried to plug the heater directly to shore power...bypassing the Outback? Thinking here is maybe the outlet the water heater is using is bad.


Interesting thought....camper at storage yard, but will run it by dh when he gets home. Thanks for the input.


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## Chuggs

CampingRus said:


> As for the thermostat - would it work fine on gas if it was a thermostat issue?


In a word... NO!









There are two side by side. A 12v thermostat for the GAS...and a 120v thermostat for the ELEC.

Page 11 of the manual. Part No. 45 & 47...

If you have the same unit that I have... according to the manual, the reset/thermostat on the LEFT is for the 120v side (elec)..and the one on the right is for the 12vdc (gas) side.

I would divide and conquer...

If you have a Voltmeter... carefully remove the black wire from the heating element and put it in a safe place where it can't touch anything. If you have the switches on and the thermostat is commanding the element to work...it should be LIVE! Take an ac voltage measurment from the black wire to the white wire... if it's measuring 120v...then everthing is working as it's supposed to. You probably have a bad element. Take a OHM reading across the two screws on the element. If you don't get a reasonable ohm reading...it's probably an open circuit (burnt out element).

On the other hand...if you don't get any ac voltage from the black wire to the white wire...you might check the black wire to the green wire. You may have a loose ground at your distribution panel.

Just keep working backwards thru the wiring until you find the problem.

Careful working with a HOT circuit!! If you're not comfortable...you might get an electrician to do it for you.


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## Insomniak

I've never seen these water heaters with a corded plug going to a receptacle. They're hard-wired directly to the breaker panel.


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## Racing56

mine worked fine on gas whith a bad electrical side and it was the thermostat. check amp draw before and after the thermostat and if it dies there u have your answer.


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## CampingRus

Thanks all!!! Will follow up on these suggestions and let you know!


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## CamperAndy

Insomniak said:


> I've never seen these water heaters with a corded plug going to a receptacle. They're hard-wired directly to the breaker panel.


They are all wired through a relay. The thermostat controls a relay that turns the power on and off to the element. It could be the relay that has failed but there are a ton of checks that can be done in ten minutes with a voltmeter if you have one and comfortable to use it.

Look at page 25 of the attached manual for the wiring.


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## CampingRus

ok, DH here.

Suburban Model SW6DEL

Ran an Ohm test on the electric element - 9.0 (which is correct per Suburban).

Tried an AC circuit bridge from detached black wire to white wire - nothing on the meter at all. (Yes BOTH electrical switches were on, as was the breaker which tested clean).

Suburban said the only parts for the electrical side were the 2 switches, the Element and the T-Stat Hi-Limit Thermostat/Reset assemmbly. I am unable to access that because of how the gas lines are in front of it (I really do not want to spend a ton to time tearing it a part and putting it all back. Those gas lines are small, and very "grouchy" to work with, especially when you have "Sasquach" sized hands).

Unless someone else has an easy idea, it looks like I will be shipping the darn thing out to Warranty Repairs.

Thanks for all the ideas folks.

DH / Chauffeur / Chef / Janitor / Camper Tech / Support Staff

PS - love you DW.



CampingRus said:


> On our first camping trip of the season we forgot to fill the water heater before turning on the electric switch. Our bad. The water heater worked on gas no problem for the trip and we assumed it was just the element that we burned out. I ordered a new element, which dh installed today.
> 
> However, it still won't work on electric. The switch in on the hot water heater is on as is the switch on the wall. DH checked the fuses and they all are fine. (Also found the breaker box was missing a few screws and was not secure)
> 
> What are we missing? It will heat on gas.
> 
> Thanks for the advise!!!


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## Chuggs

CampingRus said:


> ok, DH here.
> 
> Tried an AC circuit bridge from detached black wire to white wire - nothing on the meter at all. (Yes BOTH electrical switches were on, as was the breaker which tested clean).
> 
> What are we missing? It will heat on gas.
> 
> Thanks for the advise!!!


Did you bridge the Black wire to a surrogate NEUTRAL? I would put a neon test light on the black wire to see if it's HOT ...maybe you're not getting a voltage reading because the WHITE side of the circuit is the culprit. It could be loose in the junction box on the back of the water heater...it could have come loose on the grounding stip in the distribution panel.

I think IF your HOT isn't hot at the element...with all those things that you've checked. I would be opening the junction box on the rear of the water heater. If the supply line is HOT...and not loose...and you have done all those things on the water heater...it's somewhere inside --- difficult to get to --- so might as well do a swap out by warranty.


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## CampingRus

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Finally gave up - it's under warranty and have a mobile RV service coming on Monday to find the cure.


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## CampingRus

CampingRus said:


> Thanks for all of the suggestions. Finally gave up - it's under warranty and have a mobile RV service coming on Monday to find the cure.


DH here -

Water heater is all better. The service guy who came and worked on it found:
> Wire nuts were not making a connection causing a faulty connection
> Failed Electric high Temp Limiter Reset failure

he said the new high temp limiters are made much cheaper (has a red reset stem) and they seem to go quicker. He replaced it with the older style (white reset stem) and said this one should not give me any problems. (he also showed me a few things about the water heater - I will be much handier in that area now)

DH / Chauffeur / Chef / Janitor / Camper Tech / Support Staff

PS - love you DW.


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## Nomadog

I have the same problem and will definitely use all of the above recommendations. Thanks!


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