In years gone by, hardly anyone had plumbed hot water on their caravan. Now you find storage and continuous flow hot water units installed into every RV situation. When they work they're fantastic. When they breakdown, it's hard to know who to call. Most house plumbers probably don't deal with RV hot water units. Or would waste your time and money trying to figure out something they've never repaired before. It's best just to call us and get your camping hot water sorted . In this article we discuss the different models and the common issues and see if there is anything that the end user can do for themselves. Prevention is always better than cure.
The four most common storage tank gas water heaters are Suburban, Truma (B14 and Ultra rapid models), Swift and Atwood. The old 6 gallon Atwood with it's wide frontage is less common thankfully. With old age comes old corroded switch terminals and broken burner parts and ignitors. Parts are increasingly hard to come by and we no longer feel it's worth the risk buying expensive Atwood parts from America. If your Atwood breaks down, please still call us. The issue could easily be your gas regulator or an electrical issue. We also may have used parts to hand if we've recently replaced one.
Truma. Anyone who has ever had a Truma breakdown knows its nickname as the Trauma. If your Trauma is suffering from lockout issues and the red LED keeps appearing after a few seconds then all you can do is ensure that the gas is turned on and that you have 12 volts on the inlet. The first thing we always do is check voltage and gas pressure. If the Truma lights but continually locks out after 10 seconds then the flame isn't being sensed. We always keep a spare used test circuit board to swap out just in case its the board. If it's not the board then unfortunately it's going to require removing the Truma from the van to strip down on a bench. You are looking at 2 - 3 hours to repair if the Truma has to come out. It's a lot of money to pay to remove a spiders web from the burner venturi or blow bull dust out of the burner. Best not to loose your over priced Truma cover.
Suburban. The Suburban SW6 series is the easiest hot water unit to work on and repair. Most users are familliar with replacing the sacrificial anode. This should be changed roughly every 1 - 2 years. It depends on usage and how soft and aggressive the water is. We've seen the anodes completely dissolved after just a year and others still near new after a couple of years. If the water isn't attacking the sacrificial anode then it's attacking the tank. We have genuine Suburban anodes and can flush the tank if needed.
Above: Older van with brittle John Guest water pipe. From experience, once it starts cracking it's best to replace as much as can be replaced rather than just fitting a joiner over the first crack to appear.
With the Suburban being so popular we have seen a wide range of issues. Most are easily rectified. We carry the complete range of spares as well as the latest models. The most common cause of lockout and the red neon coming on are gas pressure issues or a corroded flame probe. If the burner lights but locks out after 10 seconds then the circuit board isn't picking up the flame rectification signal through the earthing. You can remove and clean the flame probe at the burner and ensure a good clean metal to metal connection but if it needs replacing just give us a call. The solenoids don't usually fail but older valves can suffer from let by where they fail to shut properly and gas leaks through the injector. The Suburban has similar 12 volt and 240v thermostats as the Swift above. When the thermostat fails, the overheat will trip and can be reset until it trips again.
Swift. These units are pretty reliable. We've had a couple of 65'C thermostats let go recently that needed to be changed. If the thermostat fails then the unit will trip the overheat thermostat. There are two thermostats and two overheat stats. one each for the gas 12 volt system and one each for the 240v electric element. If nothing works with your Swift and there is no red LED on the switch, try pressing the overheat reset button near the gas burner. It may reset and start working again but it will likely keep tripping out until the 65'C stat is replaced. We have spare thermostats. The other issue we see is water dripping from the TP&R valve onto the electrodes causing corrosion. Let us know if you have any concerns.
Continuous flow hot water units.
Camec, Fogatti, Girard, Suburban Nautilus. They all work on the same principal. The pump operates and the flow switch in the heater senses the water flow and begins the sequence of operations. The fan operates first to purge the combustion chamber for safety. If the fan has seized from being unused in a humid environment for a couple of years then you may be in need of a new fan if it can't be lubricated and repaired. Once the fan is running at the correct speed, the pressure switch will make and you can usually hear it click.
We have seen corroded fan switch terminals cause an issue as well as mud wasps and other critters building a home in the fan venturi. Be careful if parking the van near bushes etc.
Once the fan switch makes and proves that the fan is up to speed then the control board begins the stage 1 ignition sequence. We have yet to see a failure of the solenoids or ignition probes on the continuous models. Touch wood. We generally keep most gas hot water models in stock and can borrow parts if something unusual is needed.
To summarize. If you are having issues with lack of hot water, ensure that the gas is on and light some burners on the stove. If all looks well at the stove then there should be plenty of gas at the hot water unit. All units apart from old style pilot models require 12 volt. If you don't seem to have 12v then either a fuse has blown or it is locked out on overheat trip. If you have no idea, give us a call. And lastly, as in our hero image at the top of the screen. If you've been on a big dusty trip, give us a call when you get back. It's re-assuring to know that your hot water unit and indeed all aspects of your gas system are in good working order and safe. Ready for your next trip
