No hot water not even with the electric but heater burning??? What do I check first. Burner ignites and burns for awhile...like at least 5 minutes...but the water never gets hot and the burner shuts off and doesn't reignite. What do I check first?

[shaneotr]

My gas hot water heater in our 2004 Winnebago Brave will ignite..and burn...for at least 5 minutes I can feel the heat coming from the outside vent...but the water never gets even warm.  I've tried the electric and still no warm or hot water.  What do I check first?  I've cleaned the burner tube and surrounding areas of all debris

 

[richard5933]

Have you used the hot water heater before successfully? If so, has anything changed in your plumbing system since you last had hot water?

If it's not worked before, have you confirmed that the bypass valve isn't in the bypass mode? Can you confirm that there is water in the hot water heater?

Also, if you have an outdoor shower is it turned off? (These can act as a bypass valve in some rigs if left on at the faucet but off on the shower head)

[pawoodtx]

I would check the bypass valve first. 

Paul

[manholt]

Thermostat, Element & bypass!

[kaypsmith]

13 hours ago, shaneotr said:

My gas hot water heater in our 2004 Winnebago Brave will ignite..and burn...for at least 5 minutes I can feel the heat coming from the outside vent

I vote by-pass valve, no water in the hot water heater no hot water. It sounds as if the water is flowing, just not hot, and if the gas burns 5 minutes then shuts down, either the water will be at least warm. Sediment buildup at the bottom of the tank of a gas waterheater will cause the water not get very hot also. But since he has tried electric also, I feel that the drawn water has to be by-passing the heater somehow. Let me clarify, op did ask first place to check.

[shaneotr]

I really  wish it were that easy.  The by pass valve was the very first thing I checked as ....I had no water from the hot water spigots!  So yes the by pass valve was on...the spouse swears he didn't touch it...must have been gremlins....but I switched it on, and that's when I discovered that the water wouldn't heat up.  Once I knew I had water in the tank, I started the hot water heater.  It fired right up but 15 minutes later when I checked it..the heater wasn't heating and the water was still cold.  Not warm, not tepid...cool...so I turned on the electric heater, as I was already at the campground, waited 10-15 minutes and still cold water.  So I turned the gas heater on again and heard it fire right up...waited a minute or so and went outside and felt the heat coming from the vent, heard the burner working, still cold water!!!!  I am now clueless as to what to check next.

 

[shaneotr]

I really  wish it were that easy.  The by pass valve was the very first thing I checked as ....I had no water from the hot water spigots!  So yes the by pass valve was on...the spouse swears he didn't touch it...must have been gremlins....but I switched it on, and that's when I discovered that the water wouldn't heat up.  Once I knew I had water in the tank, I started the hot water heater.  It fired right up but 15 minutes later when I checked it..the heater wasn't heating and the water was still cold.  Not warm, not tepid...cool...so I turned on the electric heater, as I was already at the campground, waited 10-15 minutes and still cold water.  So I turned the gas heater on again and heard it fire right up...waited a minute or so and went outside and felt the heat coming from the vent, heard the burner working, still cold water!!!!  I am now clueless as to what to check next.

RICHARD5933, I had no idea that the outside showers would effect the performance of the main heater as we rarely use those outside faucets.  However, since gremlins turned on the by pass valve,  perhaps those pesky gremlins turned on the outside faucets as well.  it's late tonight so in the morning, I will definitely check those faucets.  Our hot water heater has never given us a speck of trouble and worked very well at the FMCA rally in Ga. as well as the last trip to northern Indiana.  Honestly, the non working water took me completely by surprise.  Hubby just cleaned out the tank sediment last fall but who knows if he got it all.  We aren't experts in this field.  Thank you for the suggestions. Will check the outside faucets and after that, I am suspecting the thermostat which will probably mean a trip to ye ole repair shoppe. If you think if anything else please let me know!

Thanks again!

 

 

 

[manholt]

If you goggle Atwood water heather, there are 3 good trouble shooting videos!  Water heather's are not difficult and you should be able to fix it yourself.  

[shaneotr]

Will do, thanks manholt!