Atwood Water Heater Problems

[mypopslou]

The plastic drain plug on my Atwood 10 gallon water heater had a slight leak so I tried to tighten it less than a quarter turn when it fell apart. Long story short it was about an hour later that I remembered that I had not turned off the electric switch to heat the water. I replaced the drain plug the next day ( and bought a spare) but the water heater is not working on the electric mode. It works fine when I switch to gas so we are thankful that I have hot water. I know when you drain the hot water heater there is usually about 2 quarts of water below the drain plug level so I do not think leaving the electric switch on should have caused a problem but obviously it has.

Is there any type of reset switch that I am missing? According to the manual: When the electric switch is turned on, the relay at the rear of the unit will close and pass 110 vac to the element. If the thermostat were to fail, the ECO will open and lockout the system. To correct, check the thermostat to ensure good contact with the tank and reset the control by turning the electric switch off and on.

I tried turning it off and on again and still no electric heat and since it is working fine in the gas mode I am assuming there is not a problem with the thermostat.

Anyone have any ideas on what my problem could be.

Thanks in advance for your help

[kaypsmith]

If you ae are comfortable working with 120 volts, use a VOM "volt ohm meter" to insure 120 volts is reaching the element, set meter in ac position and touch the leads to the wire connections, of course with cold water in tank, if voltage is there, your controls are working. If no voltage, of course check breaker and reset if necessary. The controls are 12 volt and will work with or without 120 volt.

Element can be tested with the ohm meter, be sure to turn off the 120 volt, disconnect one lead to the element, set meter to ohms, touch leads to both sides of the element input, if meter shows 0, the element has a dead short and will trip breaker every time, of if there is no show of resistance, the element is open, and can not work. Elements are cheap and can be found at most RV supply stores.

[mypopslou]

Thanks for this information but looking at my hot water heater I cannot find where the elements are and how them come out. Are they located behind the plate with the 4 wires connected??

Sorry long time RVer but first time with a hot water heater problem

[billbaldwin]

_{You said you turned the switch on and off, I’m assuming this is the switch to select off, on, electric or gas.}

_{Have you checked the breaker?}

[mypopslou]

Yes, I have checked the breaker and the switch I mention is to turn electric on or off, I have another switch next to it for gas. The switch lights up when I turn it on.

[kaypsmith]

If you have a pdf reader, "adobe", here is a copy of the manuel http://www.ucmerced.edu/sites/www.ucmerced.edu/files/rfp/documents/atwood_hw_heater_specs_0.pdf

The last page has a picture, look for the element.

Good luck

[kingfr]

You probably fried the electric heating element, which will happen when there is no water in the heater and the power is on. I have no clue as to how you replace it. That's why RV techs were invented!

[dickandlois]

Do you have the manual for your Atwood? And could you post the model information.

There is a good possibility that the element was damaged.

Can you locate the AC heater Element control circuit, located on the back side of the tank? There is a reset button located on the board, Red in color and on the right side as you look at it. In most cases.

You might get lucky !! and that will solve the issue.

Rich.

[mypopslou]

Thanks for all of your help and suggestions. I went to Camping World to try and buy a replacement element. The Tech there was very helpful in explaining where I would find it on the hot water heater and how to change it out. The rest of the store was no help at all as they did not have one in stock and after an hour of looking in catalogs and on the computer told me it would take a week to get the part.

I went down the street to a independent RV repair shop told the owner my issue and he had the part ordered for me and I picked it up the next day for half the price Camping World told me it would be. The Independent owner, Chad even loaned me the tools to make it easier to make the switch. In addition I told him when my drain plug broke I damaged some of the threads which made it difficult to put the new drain plug in. He is also loaning me the tool to re-thread the drain plug.

Also through my research I have found that if you do not have water in the hot water tank it will take less than a minute to destroy the heating element. Lesson Learned.

I am going to attempt the repair this afternoon, so wish me luck and I will let you know how I do.

[dickandlois]

Thanks for the heads up!

Those old Keystone State boy's are for the most part, very friendly and helpful.

Think that Chad knows where you live, by his willingness to lend you the tools needed.

Rich.

[mypopslou]

Well I finished the repair. It was a real bear getting the old element out of the hot water tank but with the tool Ultimate RV in Harrisburg PA let me borrow combined with a pair a pliers I was finally able to get the old one out. It was coated with white powder but other than that it was intact. I installed the new element and reconnected everything. I turned it on and the breaker did not trip so that is a good sign and the water seems to be heating up. It has only been on for less than 30 minutes and the water is warm so I think it is working.

I was also able to tap the drain plug threads with the tool Ultimate RV let me borrow so now I know the new plug is in there tight. Remember the old plastic plug is what started this adventure.

The takeaways from this experience are at least two:

1.) If you have a plastic drain plug replace it every couple of years ( a pack of 2 is $6) or else it will eventually break apart like mine did

2.) Always make sure you have water in your hot water tank. It takes less than a minute to burn out your electric element if it is not completely submerged in water.

I thank everyone for your help and suggestions and I continue to keep my fingers crossed that I will have electric hot water shortly.