jaybeemc4 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 I am having repeated problems with 0n-demand water heater not igniting on Winnebago Journey 40R. Replaced 3 amp fuse. Still randomly will not ignite. Sometimes all I need to do is remove the cover and it fires up! Anyone having similar challenges? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 13, 2017 4 hours ago, jaybeemc4 said: I am having repeated problems with 0n-demand water heater not igniting on Winnebago Journey 40R. Replaced 3 amp fuse. Still randomly will not ignite. Sometimes all I need to do is remove the cover and it fires up! Anyone having similar challenges? Welcome to the forum. The only thing I can think of is make sure the gap on the igniter isn't to big. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybeemc4 Report post Posted May 14, 2017 Thanks. I will double-check It! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted May 14, 2017 1 hour ago, jaybeemc4 said: Thanks. I will double-check It! Good thought from Bill. Might check for a loos or corroded connection between the control board and the board connector. Second item could be a loose ground ? What year was the coach built? The area where the fuel air mixture is adjusted, something might be loose enough to allow the air to fuel mix to change Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 14, 2017 Rich, I am guessing but it is probbabley a fairly new coach/instillation as I have not heard of Winnebago shiping with an on demand heater. I think we are on the right track it may be something simple. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 14, 2017 Quote With WB nothing is simple, just broken, like Tiffin and AC. limited Quality control. . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybeemc4 Report post Posted May 14, 2017 It is a 2015 Journey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jaybeemc4 Report post Posted May 14, 2017 I also agree with Manholt! There is never a simple fix with Winnebago! Had an Itasca prior to the Journey and had a lot of gremlins with it too! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 14, 2017 2 hours ago, jaybeemc4 said: It is a 2015 Journey. Did it come with the tankless water heater? Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted May 15, 2017 I had a tankless water heater installed during the winter. We have been living with it for two weeks now. I spent an hour on the phone with technical help last week. I'm still trying to get satisfactory service from mine. It is a Precision Temp RV550. It requires a minimum water flow to activate. Even with a proper minimum flow, it sometimes does not light. There is a pressure sensor for the exhaust fan, adjusting that has taken care of the problem most of the time. The diagnosis for this, the tech had me just hold my hand in front of the exhaust port and the back pressure was enough to light the unit. I suggest you contact the manufacturer of your water heater and spend some time on the phone (or take it to a service center) and get it adjusted to function properly. My current problem is in adjusting the temperature down low enough so I don't have to add huge amounts of cold water to the shower. If too much cold water is added, the minimum flow of the hot water is below the minimum for the hot water heater and then it shuts off, instant cold shower! So far no help from technical help on this one. I'm beginning to think that this type of water heater is not suitable for RV's. I think there may be issues with the quantity of water needed to operate the water heater and the need to conserve water volume in the grey waste tank. Technical help began by suggesting that we run a hot water faucet while showering to keep the minimum hot water flow high enough to keep the water heater operating. That was a non-starter! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 15, 2017 Tom, Are you and Louise still in Edinbury? If so are you in the coach and hooked up to the parks water? Since you said it appears to be a pressure issue have you tried using the coach's pump when showering? Maybe there might be enough pressure between the two to activate the water heater. The last pump I installed has a pressure of 55 lbs. Just a thought. Hope to see you'll down the road. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 15, 2017 OP, what brand do you have in the Winnie coach? Atwood threw in the towel from what I have read, they couldn't get it right with Chinese parts and gave up. Tom, I'm baffled, did you opt for the high wind fan package (not sure if its still an option on the 550)? We had a Precision Temp RV500 (older version of yours) in our last coach, 7 years Zero problems. The trick with tankless is to turn on the hot water, once hot at the shower slowly dial in the cold to your desired comfort. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted May 15, 2017 I installed two of the tankless hot water heaters. I had to reverse the hot and cold water lines so that hot got maximum flow before the cold water even came on with a single handle shower faucet. First winter with the heater in the basement area, it froze and bursted as there is no drain to get water out of the heater tube. Put in replacement, second winter making sure that an electric heater installed to avoid the freezing problem, power went out overnight while I was away from home so no electric heat, second froze and bursted. I changed to a 5 gallon electric tank heater moved up into the coach, so far I'm keeping my fingers crossed, has lasted three years now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted May 15, 2017 No, Herman, it isn't a pressure problem. And yes, jleamont, I know that you run full hot to get the water heater started. When we bring in the cold water to balance the hot the amount (volume) of cold water needed to get a nice warm shower (even with Louise's version of a nice warm shower which is at least 10 degrees warmer than mine) reduces the hot water flow (the shower head will only allow so much water through those little holes). We are on a private pump at my daughters house in Missouri at present, plenty of pressure. We were on the water pump for a week last week while in Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Neither worked for us. As soon as we get enough cold water into the mix the hot water flow drops below minimum and the water heater shuts off. If you increase the total flow then you have problems with a rapidly filling grey water tank. The only possible solution I can see is to check and verify that the low flow sensor is working properly. If it is working as designed then the water heater is not satisfactory for our use. I'm making plans to go back to the standard 10 gallon water heater. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted May 15, 2017 We installed a quick shutoff at the shower head to overcome the tank filling too fast, and the tankless was fine with that setup, it started and stopped well after installing that. The showerhead valves are sold most anywhere shower plumbing is installed. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 16, 2017 Tom, do you have this problem with other faucets in your coach or just the shower? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 16, 2017 Speaking of the outside faucet, the DW was cleaning in the coach. It was in the garage. She turned on the pump for some water and heard water running. The outside faucet latterly BLEW the hot side valve apart. Dadgum plastic. Thank goodness for the manifold. Just shut off the hot and cold valves and continued to get ready for the rally. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 16, 2017 23 minutes ago, hermanmullins said: Speaking of the outside faucet, the DW was cleaning in the coach. It was in the garage. She turned on the pump for some water and heard water running. The outside faucet latterly BLEW the hot side valve apart. Dadgum plastic. Thank goodness for the manifold. Just shut off the hot and cold valves and continued to get ready for the rally. Herman Wow . I had the hose fitting break off, not the hot side. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 16, 2017 She didn't hit it with a rubber mallet did she? Sorry Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted May 16, 2017 The shower is the problem because we stand under it. Louise runs water for dish washing. When she turns on the hot water, it starts cold and then goes hot. The result is water as warm as she wants it. I tried to mix the water from the bath faucet and when I got it comfortable to the feel, the water heater shut off. So the shower isn't different than the faucets in that respect. The shower is a single control, turning it off with the main valve works fine. Any way you turn it off, the water heater shuts off. Then when it is turned back on, you have some hot water in the line. To get the water heater started you have to run it on full hot, then turn it down when the hot water comes through again. The problem is when the water is adjusted to a comfortable temperature, the hot water flow isn't enough to keep the water heater working and the water from the water heater is cold which mixes with the cold water very well but doesn't mix with me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 16, 2017 The tankless was designed and built for residential and commercial buildings. I have it in my house and it has been no problem for 9 years now. Everyone who I know that went with it in their RV's or horse trailers, threw it out and went back to the regular 10 gal. tank! Couple of them, had the room and got Aqua Hot. Bill. The Rubber Mallet did the trick, no more problems, sort off, did have both inverters checked and found a loss ground wire...now it's fixed. Now, I'm on Generator at Linda's place. Hooked up to her 50A and found it had reverse polarity and a loos neutral. Electrician is coming at 7am! Thankfully my portable Surge Protector caught it, before I lit up like a Christmas tree! She has 3, 250A panels and 1 dysfunctional son. He wired it and Linda was busy, so.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted May 16, 2017 Tom, after owning the older version it sounds like they either goofed on the later model or you have a problem with that specific one. When I said ours worked flawlessly for 7 years, I meant it. If my wife ever had the slightest bit of a cold shower I would have been divorced and the RV's would have become a thing of the past! We did have a double faucet in the shower before, not the single lever you described, I wonder if the mixing valve is giving you trouble, that happed to a friend with one at his house. She gets more cold showers now with the Aqua Hot (still trying to figure that out) than ever before with the Tankless Heater. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted May 16, 2017 On 5/15/2017 at 5:59 AM, kaypsmith said: I had to reverse the hot and cold water lines so that hot got maximum flow before the cold water even came on with a single handle shower faucet. The above resolved the hot water issue for me with a single handle shower faucet, just added a quick cutoff at the shower head to conserve water. Without that configuration the tankless water heater never worked well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
