# Another Water Heater Issue



## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Well I guess itâ€™s my turn to have a water heater issue. Trying to get my Outback ready incase we are able to join the Mid-Atlantic rally in a couple of weeks.

Works on electric but not on gas. I've taken apart and cleaned the tube no go, purged the gas lines the best I could by running the stove, furnace and refrigerator.

I don't hear the igniter fire or smell any gas outside when near the unit. The little round warning light next to the switch is not lit (2003 model).

Looks like all the wire connections are secure. I guess I could remove them and apply some di-electric grease. The fuse also looks to be fine.

What else can I do to troubleshoot? Any ideas?


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

I ll go with obvious question. Does everything else work on propane. To get the air out I always light stove first and then everything else. Easier to get air out. Tanks have propane, I assume. I had one empty out over the winter, my fault just did not expect a tank I just filled to be empty. Good Luck


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Plenty of propane. The stove, refrigerator and heater all work fine off gas. Iâ€™ve tried lighting at least 10 times or more over the weekend with no luck. How can I tell if the water heater has locked out?


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

You said you cleaned everything out. I once years ago had an spider web so tiny in the feeder tube that it would not light. Went to the dealer and watched him find it and show me. I thought it was clean, he said spiders are the no 1 reason for non ignition. So small yet it lit after.


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## Frisbee1969 (Feb 28, 2005)

Yup...I concur with the spider theory. The gas sensor will detect the blockage and prevent ignition by design. Could be an ignition relay too. The same sensor will detect an electronic malfunction and prevent gas from flowing. All of these are safety features, but they are susceptible to minor glitches.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Did you check the 2 amp (mini) fuse on the circuit board?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Also check the fuse on the converter panel. Makes me think a fuse may be blown since the igniter doesn't click and the light doesn't light. I had the same problem and it was a shorted wire.

Mike


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

This is the kind of posts you print out and keep in your troubleshooting folder. Many minds will makes it easier to fix the problem


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Checked the 2amp fuse on the Water Heater board and it looks fine.

Would there be a fuse in the main fuse panel that would have an effect on the water heater? If so which one?


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Yes there is a fuse on the panel for the water heater. On the door of the converter there should be a list of which fuse is which. It will be one of the colored 12 volt ones.

Mike


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Heck, none of the 12v fuses are labled. Is it a 15amp fuse or 30amp fuse? I guess I will have to pull and check all of them.

The breakers are at least labled.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

No sticker with fuse identification on the door of the converter?

Mike


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Yeah it has some sort of numeric number but doesn't suggest what the fuses are related to. I have figured some of them out.
I have to check back through the owners manual and see if there is a diagram.


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## nascarcamper (Jan 27, 2005)

jgerni said:


> Well I guess itâ€™s my turn to have a water heater issue. Trying to get my Outback ready incase we are able to join the Mid-Atlantic rally in a couple of weeks.
> 
> Works on electric but not on gas. I've taken apart and cleaned the tube no go, purged the gas lines the best I could by running the stove, furnace and refrigerator.
> 
> ...


I just had the same problem with mine. After de-winterizing it worked fine. Then I went to check it before leaving for a weekend get away and it wouldn't light or even attempt to light. The red light never came on by the switch and I had power to the unit so the dealer said it was either the circuit board or safety switch on the gas line. I set it up for him to look at it the next day and by the time I went about 100 miles up the road I tried it again and it worked. He was unable to come up with a cause for it.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Gremlins??


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

Back to the spider theory, as already mentioned, anything blocking the tube will cause the gas sensor to disable operation. I have a long wire handle brush (flexible) that I can push into the tube, sort of like a chiminy sweep brush. I also bouht a stainless steel wite mesh screen to attach over the grate. Got some for the heater exaust too, to help keep insects out.

Regards, Glenn


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