texatDurango
North Texas
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I have a Suburban hot water heater model SW12DE that works like a charm using propane. Using the electric side does nothing, it worked fine on our last trip in November but now doesn't work at all. Here is what I have done:
1. Changed heating element with a new element which was stamped "1500 watt, 120v".
2. Filled tank with water
3. Flipped switch to turn on 110 power
4. Waited hours and NOTHING, not even luke warm water.
I called Suburban tech support and did what they recommended:
1. Make sure water tank is full then apply power and use multimeter to check to insure voltage is at element. It checked 120 volts meaning thermostat was also working since their tech said the power goes from the source through the thermostat to the element.
2. Turned off power and checked resistance which was 9.4 ohms.
3. Tried another brand new element and still nothing.
As I said, everything works fine under gas so no problem with blocked lines, etc.
Does anyone have any ideas before I hitch up my trailer and haul it 55 miles to the dealer to get this fixed?
Thanks,
George
2006 Duramax Diesel 1 ton dually tugging around a 2006 Mobile Suites 36TK3 #2609. Retired and just travelling around now and then seeing the sights.
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DutchmenSport
Between Anderson, Pendleton, & Lapel, Indiana
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Did you check your fuse box/breaker panel to make sure your breaker is not flipped off? The electric side goes through a breaker. It's just a thought.
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
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texatDurango
North Texas
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DutchmenSport wrote:Did you check your fuse box/breaker panel to make sure your breaker is not flipped off? The electric side goes through a breaker. It's just a thought.
Yes, I'm getting 120v at the heating element itself which screws into the water heater.
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DutchmenSport
Between Anderson, Pendleton, & Lapel, Indiana
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If you're getting voltage at the heating element, it must be the heating element that is bad. It's possible the second element is bad. Another possibility I just thought of ... if you have a lime build up on the bottom of the tank, and the element touch the lime build up, it can cause the element to fail.
Before you turned the electric on, did you have water in the tank. If you do not have water in the tank when you turn it on, you'll burn up the element in a matter of seconds. Same as in a house water heater.
I had the opposite problem 2 years ago. The heating element would not shut off. It just kept getting hotter and hotter. It ended up frying the wires at the element connection. Smelled awful, and I couldn't figure it out because it was all enclosed. I did have to take it in, know knowing what the problem was, and they rewired the mess for me. All it was was the element.
Another thing, is the element you bought a 110 element? Not one for a 220 system? Places like Lowe's and Home Depot sell the same element. But they could look the same, be actually be different. I've never bought one from them. I did buy a back-up element from my RV dealer, just in case...
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PackerBacker
Home is Montreal Qc & Seasonal is NY Adirondacks
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texatDurango wrote:
Does anyone have any ideas before I hitch up my trailer and haul it 55 miles to the dealer to get this fixed?
Thanks,
George
I'd call the dealer and ask if there is any way to test the elements without bringing the trailer to him. There may also be some other simple trouble-shooting test.
Having your original go bad and then having two new ones also not working is starting to stack the odds against the elements being the problem.
* This post was
edited 02/27/09 06:00am by PackerBacker *
Eric
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1mtnman
Colorado
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texatDurango: I have the same problem with my Jayco. I'm taking it in to the dealership this morning as I've tried everything I know to trouble shoot it.
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Carvin Marvin
Livingston, Texas, USA
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Is the wtr htr on a seperate breaker? If so check the screw to see if the wire going from the breaker is tight. If loose it could pass enough current to show 120 but not enough amperage to heat. I assume you also took a resistance reading across the element teminals to determine if there is continuity. Good luck
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Ewayland
Newark,Delaware
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How are you checking the 120 volt? If you're checking hot to ground and getting 120 volt and you have a problem with the neutral wire that could explain why you're seeing voltage but the elements are not heating. Good luck.
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larry cad
Whatever.....
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In the electrical world we have a LAW, called Ohm's law. According to Ohm's law amps in an electrical circuit are related to voltage and resistance. According to your measurements the voltage is 120vac, and the resistance is 9.4 ohms. According to ohms law (power=current squared X resistance) you are producing 1532 watts of power. It's math and it's a law. Assuming we believe your measurements we also have to believe that the water is not heating even though the heating element is producing heat! Somewhere there is a contradiction and contradictions don't exist. What is wrong?
Either the voltage your are reading is wrong, or the resistance you are reading is wrong, or, if they are both correct, the heating element is getting hot.
Double check the voltage.
Double check the resistance but do it with the wires disconnected from the heating element.
If those two checks are correct, the heating element is getting hot. The only other thing that is possible is that the heating element is not transferring the heat to the water. Is it possible the element is not submerged in water? Maybe like the one post suggested, there is gunk in the bottom of the tank. Try flushing it out and then reinsert the element.
We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission; which is the stage of the darkest periods of human history.........
Ayn Rand
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PackerBacker
Home is Montreal Qc & Seasonal is NY Adirondacks
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larry cad wrote: Double check the resistance but do it with the wires disconnected from the heating element.
Good point. I remember this from the Dometic recall a couple years ago when everyone was trying to change out their elements to get around the recall. Many were not getting correct readings with the wires still connected.
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