Congratulations on the 100000 subscriber mark! I appreciate how the videos are both easy to follow, and explained so even an Elf can understand it! Thank you!
Was thinking this was going to be a tuff job thinking somehow the thermocouple would somehow be fitted in the heater. Lots simpler. My problem is I leave my RV at the beach and the terminals get corroded having a high resistance from input through the thermocouples sometimes having to flip the switch on and off just to get it to work. Will change this out next time we go.BTW, what is the part# for the thermostat ? Your link isn't any good anymore. Great informative video. Mine is exactly like yours. Thanks! 👍
Thanks Guys I was about to crawl around in the under side to see If I could fine the Thermostats My electric side is also gone. you saved me several hours taking the heater apart for nothing and then reassembling it. So glad I found this video Thanks for make the video !!!!
Wow 25 million views, that's amazing. But you guys make excellent videos with excellent production and editing, I guess you shouldn't be surprised. Keep it up we all love your videos! Stay safe, Lou
I always wondered what was behind that black panel on my water heater. It's nice to know that's where the thermostat lives! Another great video. I really appreciate your work. Thanks and Congratulations on 100k subs!
Another amazing short and sweet video. You have that awesome voiceover voice. You could be making a ton of money doing voice overs for companies I am sure. Keep up the great work guys.
Thank you!!! My propane water heater won’t stay lite. Cuts off after 5 minutes. I have a strong flame from Orifice. This may be the the culprit. I thought many it might circuit board. From symptoms that your describing, probably this is it.
That is exactly the problem I am having (Electric Issue). I have ordered both the the electric and propane thermostats. I will keep the propane as a back up but thought I would replace the existing one with new since the fix was quick and expensive. Thank for the easy to follow guidelines. Hope to follow-up from a GOT R DONE TO A GOT R DID success. :-)
@@RVgeeks I GOT R DID! Well success breeds success. I also have had an issue with my Leveling panel working sporadically so I thought I would tackle that next. I unplugged/disconnected everything since I was messing with electrical issues (maybe) and took off the circuit board plate. When trouble shooting the situation I thought I heard a slight sound like there was trying to be a connection happening. Using that elementary data I decided to order a new motherboard. A pricey gamble ($300.00 but shipping was free and it came the next day) It took about five minutes to unscrew, disconnect and reconnect the new one and "Lord Love A Duck" I had another GOT R DID moment! Manual and automatic are working perfectly. Now what can I get into next......Maybe I'll wash it! Sorry for the long reply but just had to tell someone.
We noticed ours either on electric or gas has been getting EXTREMELY hot this year. Once it popped the pressure safety but I'm not sure if that's why or if I lost my air bubble by accident.
Beautiful guys! What a refreshing helpful to the point video! I appreciate this so much!!! Keep up the excellent tutorials! I’ll be watching more I’m sure; as I just moved into my Rv full time as well!😮❤
Great Video Guy's But really wish you would throw some warnings in there. Considering the T-stat and Eco you replaced is for the 120 volt side you will want to take precautions and make sure the coach is unplugged and inverter is turned off as well as water heater. Anytime you work with !20 volts you will want to always take the neccessary steps to prevent yourself from being injured or killed. If you are standing in water and change this while there is still power there it can Kill you. Anyways great video Just a friendly reminder is all.
Hey Joe! Thanks for the input. We're normally very careful about that sort of thing, and before we touched anything, we used a circuit tester to check for 12-volt or 120-volt power coming through the thermostat. Whether the heater was actively heating water or not, we found zero power in any of connections, so we only shut off the heater so it wouldn't try to come on while we were replacing it. But we appreciate your input, and will take the extra step of completely shutting down power for this job next time.
Great video as always!! This looks very easy to do!! You guys provide a great service with this channel, Showing people how to save money by working on their own coaches. We hope you continue to have great success and look forward to seeing more from you. P.S. The other day Sabrina and I were listening to an Audible Book and the guy doing the speaking sounded like you Peter, so much so we stopped to check if it was lol. Has anyone ever approached you to do readings for Audio books?
Are you sure the two thermostats are for gas and electric independently? On mine, one is the thermostat, and one is the ECO (emergency cut off). The ECO shuts off the system if the thermostat fails. It has a higher trip temperature and should only ever trip if the thermostat fails.
Congrats on the 101K subscribers! Although I'm not surprised. Very helpful video. Do you need to drain the tank or does it just fit up against the tank to read the temp? And are they adjustable for a higher or lower temp lime the ones in a stick and brick house?
Do you need to unplug power from trailer prior to doing this? Can a person get shocked? Need to do it myself this time and don't remember if last people did that or not
There should not be any shock hazard from replacing the thermostat, but we always prefer to err on the side of safety. Since there is no harm in turning off the power, we’d suggest doing that for added safety and peace of mind.
So...I have an Atwood water heater and went about cleaning it and filling it with vinegar yesterday to prepare for winterizing. It had been in storage since April and the drained water had that sulfur smell to it (note to self: drain it before storage even if you think you might take it out the next week). When I tried to turn it on using propane for your recommended 16-24hr heat time, it didn't fire up. :( Still trying to diagnose the problem, however I had a question...if the propane won't work or your pilot won't light, will the electric still work? I'm sure it depends on the issue, but let's just say it's an issue with the propane side only. I wasn't plugged in, and didn't want to run it off the coach battery all night just to clean the tank so I left it cold and drained it the next day.
Hi Jen. Unless it's the master circuit board that's failed, the water heater should still work on electric if it's just the propane side that's failed. It's possible that, since it was in storage, there's another propane valve that's been turned off. Or the propane could have leaked out of the lines over that time... which would take a lot of attempts to fire up the water heater to get them re-primed with propane (do your stove burners run OK?). Hope you get it figured out before you're ready for your next trip!
Hi Jim - good question! We went to the source: the manual! The owner's manual for our Suburban water heater includes a parts diagram which identified which was which. If you don't have yours, you should be able to find it online... try these links: Suburban Manuals: airxcel.com/suburban/service-support/document-library Atwood Manuals: atwoodmobile.com/water-heaters.asp If those don't work, try Googling for your make & model number water heater and add the words "owners manual" or "parts diagram" and you should find something!
We aren’t aware of an adjustable thermostat for an RV water heater, as they are supposed to be set at about 130° to prevent scalding. If yours is getting scalding hot, it’s likely your thermostat is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. Try running up hot water and checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer. It shouldn’t be above about 130°.
Thanks for another great, high quality repair video! BTW, 130F equals 54C. Don't forget that the 'C' means correct and the 'F' means false - you don't want any false temperatures now, do you!? ;) Cheers.
Are you sure it was the thermostat? Maybe you just left the outdoor shower turned on....Haha!!..... sorry, couldn't resist. Congratulations from Burnaby on 100K!
I have a 6 gallon suburban water heater that i run on propane. The gas will not shut off and the water gets too hot and comes out the relief valve. Would a faulty thermostat cause this?
Hi Darren. If you've tested, and the water in the water heater is definitely overheating (above 130°F), then we'd suspect you're right and it's a faulty thermostat. And since it's (relatively) inexpensive and (quite) easy to replace, it's a good first step. If that doesn't solve it, we'd suspect the control board for the water heater to be the next likely failure point... it may not be properly responding to the signal from the thermostat telling it to stop heating.
Hi Steve. I sincerely hope you’re not asking because that’s what’s happened to you! If it hasn’t, I would be incredibly careful not to allow that to happen. Do not over torque it. If it’s already broken off, I’m not sure if it can be replaced or not. It’s possible that that entire assembly that the two bolts stick out of can be replaced, but I’m not sure. I suggest checking for information on suburban’s website about parts availability.
@@RVgeeks thank you for replying. Sprayed a small amount of WD40 around the edges and came back a bit later and finally it let go and came off. Rubber gasket had baked itself like glue to both surfaces.
Sorry we’re away from our RV until April (currently RVing in New Zealand!) so can’t check our water heater right now. The manual should have info or maybe a diagram showing which wires go where to differentiate between the two.
If by "switch" you mean the thermostat, we knew ours was going because the water heater wouldn't get the water as hot as it should (luke-warm showers were the tell). But if you think you're having trouble with the On/Off switch inside your RV... should could test it with a multimeter ( amzn.to/2JVrbtZ ) to check for continuity across the two terminals when the switch is turned on.
@@RVgeeks also make sure all your water valves are off and not mixing cold and hot making warm water ....say you have a shower head with a shut off on the head and you don't turn the regular knobs to to off position water will mix at that valve had it happen also check your outside shower quick connect valves are off not open and mixing there👍
You'd have to ask Newmar. Our rig came that way! LOL We've always wondered if it's really necessary ourselves (other than the digital compass in it, which is useful). Kind of a waste overall.
Hey its me again sorry for another question this happended to me i have a suburban serial number 153407261 will the prt that you have in the link fit this model?
Hi Axel! No problem asking another question. Happy to help if we can. But we can't tell which model water heater you have from the serial number. Do you by any chance have a model number, or other information, such as the capacity (how many gallons), how old it is, etc?
Hey Axel! Take a look at this website. We just found it, and this page might have the information you need, even if they don’t carry the part. techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/technical-service-manuals/suburban-sw12del/ Let us know if this helps.
My friends, have a question for you guys. My water heater looks like is getting hot, but the water is coming out cold when I turn on the hot water in shower.
Hi Hector! Are you trying to heat on electric or propane? And are you able to get it to work on the other fuel source? If it won't heat on propane OR electric, it's likely a valve issue (like you have it set to bypass mode or something like that, since the odds of both propane and electric modes failing simultaneously are somewhat small). One thing that will confirm that water is hot is opening the over-pressure relief valve. If the water inside is hot, it will come right out of that valve hot. If it's hot, then you're probably in bypass mode. If it's cold, make sure you've tried both electric & propane to see if it's one or the other. Hope this helps a bit. Please let us know how you make out.
RVgeeks I am trying to heat water with electric and propane . If am not mistaking the water is heating but it will not come out hot. When I turn on the electric switch, I can see the Amps go from 1 to 13 amps. Also when I try with propane it lights up and sounds like it’s working right. Even the box next to bed gets hot and the valve is on normal flow. Tomorrow I am going to try to drain the tank to see if lots of junk comes out. For now is all cold showers and they are short and very refreshing.
Before you drain the tank, just try lifting the little spring-loaded handle on the pressure relief valve to absolutely confirm that the water in the tank is indeed hot. If it is, we’re betting it’s a valve issue. Did you do anything with the bypass valves recently?
RVgeeks well, I released pressure and the water it is hot. I also moved the handle from normal flow to bypass several times with water running. Did few dances, prayed to the Gods and I think the dance did the trick. Not sure what happened or what else I did, but it’s working now. Thank you guys for your help. You guys have a great Merry Xmas.
Hi Craig! We can simply turn off the water by disconnecting from the water spigot at the campground, and turning off the water pump. Once you’re finished, and need to refill the water heater, turning on the water at the faucet in the park will automatically fill up the water heater, as water will go into any available space until it’s full. When the water heater is empty, it is the first place water will fill.
@@RVgeeks That’s what I would think, but for some reason it filled my fresh water tank and the heater tank didn’t get anything, so I tried bleeding all the sinks and shower and for some reason my pump underneath the kitchen sink, it just keeps running, so either I have to pull one of the wires on the pump or I have to shut off the pump with the button which works for the batteries and other things, so I’m kind of confused, cause I didn’t touch anything else except just the water heater and this trailer isn’t going anywhere for a long time, but I did change the pressure release valve and cleaned the anode best I could, cause it wasn’t too bad, I also tried pressing the reset buttons, but I didn’t have any luck, unless it’s stuck in place pushed down and didn’t pop back up and that switch right behind the baffles which has a cotter pin on it, what’s that switch for, I flushed it too and it had a lot of crap in it too, but even the water pressure seems to cut back too, I appreciate your response and nothing leaks anymore too, glad for that and the propane line coming in had a slow leak, but I fixed that Aloha
@@craigcho6797 If the fresh tank was filling, but not the water heater, the most likely cause is probably a valve or two being in the wrong position. Most RVs have water heater bypass valves for winterizing, and many also have freshwater tank fill valves. If any of those are flipped in the wrong direction, the water doesn’t go where it supposed to. Sounds like you’re in pretty good shape now though!
@@RVgeeks This morning when I woke up, nothing was working, lights, the plugs for charging my phone, and the refrigerator was off, so I crank up the generator, cause we are plugged into a Honda generator, so anyway everything is good at the moment and I was also thinking that if the batteries were low cause we been having rain most of the week, that I thought maybe that’s why I was having those problems and so now that I’m running the generator all the faucets and shower has good normal pressure and the pump under the kitchen sink finally shuts off and I walked to the other side which is the ohana and that box that reads the incoming electricity from the solar panels is finally reading numbers, but for that side I have a bigger generator for my washer and dryer and when I’m not using the washer or dryer I can turn off the generator and everything normally runs off the batteries and solar, also when both generators are off the rest just run’s off solar and batteries, while the generators are running, I’m gonna go and see if the heater will kick on and if it does then I pretty much know the answer, why I had problems yesterday. But I really appreciate you guys and hopefully everything runs smoothly again for at least 10 more years, but I’ll definitely keep your page for the next problem hopefully not but I thank you guys so very much and if you folks ever come to the big island of Hawaii, you should get in touch with me, then I can either tell you where to go and not, or I can be your guide mahalo guys, Aloha
Hi Tina! On a regular household water heater, that would be true. But the thermostats installed on RV water heaters aren't adjustable. They come set to a preset temperature. The good news is that RV water heaters are very well insulated and very efficient. Our 12-gallon heater can bring a tank of water up to temperature in about 15 minutes (on propane) and it will stay warm all day! Plus, since they do heat up so quickly, we often leave ours turned off... and just turn it on in time for it to heat the water for doing nighttime dishes and showering, so we save a lot of energy that way.
Hey Randy! 110 is plenty hot enough for a shower for sure. The problem is that with the temp that low, you end up using almost pure hot water (very little cold mixed in) and the second person taking a shower is more likely to run out of hot water with such a small tankful available. ;-)
To see all of our personal choices for RV equipment & supplies, check out our Favorite Gear page: thervgeeks.com/our-favorite-gear
I was worried about doing this to my RV but after watching this it looks way easier than I had imagined! 2yr fulltimer here =)
I don't own an RV. Don't know if I ever will, but really enjoy watching y'alls videos. Keep up the great work guys and safe travels.
Thanks so much! :)
Congratulations on the 100000 subscriber mark! I appreciate how the videos are both easy to follow, and explained so even an Elf can understand it! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Jonathan! Great to hear!
Was thinking this was going to be a tuff job thinking somehow the thermocouple would somehow be fitted in the heater. Lots simpler. My problem is I leave my RV at the beach and the terminals get corroded having a high resistance from input through the thermocouples sometimes having to flip the switch on and off just to get it to work. Will change this out next time we go.BTW, what is the part# for the thermostat ? Your link isn't any good anymore. Great informative video. Mine is exactly like yours. Thanks! 👍
Thanks Guys I was about to crawl around in the under side to see If I could fine the Thermostats My electric side is also gone. you saved me several hours taking the heater apart for nothing and then reassembling it. So glad I found this video Thanks for make the video !!!!
Herb Winters Thanks so much for letting us know we’ve been helpful, Herb! It’s always great to hear.
Clear process for changing out the thermostat, have gas issue so will follow the same procedure for that.
Thanks from Dave in Oz.
Looks like it is the igniter which doubles as a thermocouple, I have just found out
Wow 25 million views, that's amazing. But you guys make excellent videos with excellent production and editing, I guess you shouldn't be surprised. Keep it up we all love your videos! Stay safe, Lou
Thanks so much, Lou! Much appreciated. :)
I always wondered what was behind that black panel on my water heater. It's nice to know that's where the thermostat lives! Another great video. I really appreciate your work. Thanks and Congratulations on 100k subs!
Thanks so much! :) Glad we could de-mystify the secret black panel contents! :)
Another amazing short and sweet video. You have that awesome voiceover voice. You could be making a ton of money doing voice overs for companies I am sure. Keep up the great work guys.
Thanks so much Dave! I'll have to look into that to see if we can earn some more money. ;-)
Thank you!!! My propane water heater won’t stay lite. Cuts off after 5 minutes. I have a strong flame from Orifice. This may be the the culprit. I thought many it might circuit board. From symptoms that your describing, probably this is it.
I hope that’s all it is, Todd! Let me know how you make out. 🤞
Great video. This was exactly my issue on the 12DC / propane side. Thank you.
That is exactly the problem I am having (Electric Issue). I have ordered both the the electric and propane thermostats. I will keep the propane as a back up but thought I would replace the existing one with new since the fix was quick and expensive. Thank for the easy to follow guidelines. Hope to follow-up from a GOT R DONE TO A GOT R DID success. :-)
Thanks James! Way to GOT R DID!
@@RVgeeks I GOT R DID! Well success breeds success. I also have had an issue with my Leveling panel working sporadically so I thought I would tackle that next. I unplugged/disconnected everything since I was messing with electrical issues (maybe) and took off the circuit board plate. When trouble shooting the situation I thought I heard a slight sound like there was trying to be a connection happening. Using that elementary data I decided to order a new motherboard. A pricey gamble ($300.00 but shipping was free and it came the next day) It took about five minutes to unscrew, disconnect and reconnect the new one and "Lord Love A Duck" I had another GOT R DID moment! Manual and automatic are working perfectly. Now what can I get into next......Maybe I'll wash it! Sorry for the long reply but just had to tell someone.
We noticed ours either on electric or gas has been getting EXTREMELY hot this year. Once it popped the pressure safety but I'm not sure if that's why or if I lost my air bubble by accident.
Beautiful guys! What a refreshing helpful to the point video! I appreciate this so much!!! Keep up the excellent tutorials! I’ll be watching more I’m sure; as I just moved into my Rv full time as well!😮❤
Thanks so much, and congratulations on going full-time!
Nice video guys! It does look easy enough to swap out. Congrats on the 15 year anniversary! We are anxious to start year 1 in 2018.
+Al D Thank! And best wishes for 2018!
You guys are awesome. A must watch for anyone who rv's. Thank you.
Thank you so much, Robert! You just made our day. :)
Well made video. Simple instructions and illustrations.
Great video and easy to follow. Congrats on 100K subscribers and 25B views...no surprise there, you guys create excellent videos. Stay safe and enjoy!
Thanks Nancy! Much appreciated. :)
Congratulations guys on 100,000.
Thanks Vernon! :)
Great Video Guy's But really wish you would throw some warnings in there. Considering the T-stat and Eco you replaced is for the 120 volt side you will want to take precautions and make sure the coach is unplugged and inverter is turned off as well as water heater. Anytime you work with !20 volts you will want to always take the neccessary steps to prevent yourself from being injured or killed. If you are standing in water and change this while there is still power there it can Kill you. Anyways great video Just a friendly reminder is all.
Hey Joe! Thanks for the input. We're normally very careful about that sort of thing, and before we touched anything, we used a circuit tester to check for 12-volt or 120-volt power coming through the thermostat. Whether the heater was actively heating water or not, we found zero power in any of connections, so we only shut off the heater so it wouldn't try to come on while we were replacing it. But we appreciate your input, and will take the extra step of completely shutting down power for this job next time.
Great to hear guy's. Keep up the great work and I'll continue to let my customer's know about your great Channel :)
Great video as always!! This looks very easy to do!! You guys provide a great service with this channel, Showing people how to save money by working on their own coaches. We hope you continue to have great success and look forward to seeing more from you. P.S. The other day Sabrina and I were listening to an Audible Book and the guy doing the speaking sounded like you Peter, so much so we stopped to check if it was lol. Has anyone ever approached you to do readings for Audio books?
Thanks for the very nice comments. So nice to hear. As far as voiceover work... they can't afford me. :-P
Very informative ... short and to the point...
I really enjoy all your how to videos thanks
Thanks guys ! Alway clear and concise...well done !
Are you sure the two thermostats are for gas and electric independently? On mine, one is the thermostat, and one is the ECO (emergency cut off). The ECO shuts off the system if the thermostat fails. It has a higher trip temperature and should only ever trip if the thermostat fails.
Thank you for this video. This is exactly what I needed.
Thank you for the video. It helped me tremendously.
Congrats on the 101K subscribers! Although I'm not surprised.
Very helpful video. Do you need to drain the tank or does it just fit up against the tank to read the temp? And are they adjustable for a higher or lower temp lime the ones in a stick and brick house?
Thanks so much! No need to drain the tank. They're pre-set at 130 degree F and not adjustable.
I love your videos. They are super informative and very well put together!
+Sheryl Shupel Thank you so much for the kind words, Sheryl! Great to hear and really means a lot to us. 😊
Do you need to unplug power from trailer prior to doing this? Can a person get shocked? Need to do it myself this time and don't remember if last people did that or not
There should not be any shock hazard from replacing the thermostat, but we always prefer to err on the side of safety. Since there is no harm in turning off the power, we’d suggest doing that for added safety and peace of mind.
Thanks alot , hopefully this will work for my propane won't fire up
Are both the gas and electric thermostats the same model or are there two different types of thermostats
Two different part numbers.
100,000 subs and 15 years F-T on the road. Impressive and great with congrats your way.
Thanks Dave! We've been out here so long, we can't even imagine being in a stick house again. :)
So...I have an Atwood water heater and went about cleaning it and filling it with vinegar yesterday to prepare for winterizing. It had been in storage since April and the drained water had that sulfur smell to it (note to self: drain it before storage even if you think you might take it out the next week). When I tried to turn it on using propane for your recommended 16-24hr heat time, it didn't fire up. :( Still trying to diagnose the problem, however I had a question...if the propane won't work or your pilot won't light, will the electric still work? I'm sure it depends on the issue, but let's just say it's an issue with the propane side only. I wasn't plugged in, and didn't want to run it off the coach battery all night just to clean the tank so I left it cold and drained it the next day.
Hi Jen. Unless it's the master circuit board that's failed, the water heater should still work on electric if it's just the propane side that's failed. It's possible that, since it was in storage, there's another propane valve that's been turned off. Or the propane could have leaked out of the lines over that time... which would take a lot of attempts to fire up the water heater to get them re-primed with propane (do your stove burners run OK?).
Hope you get it figured out before you're ready for your next trip!
RVgeeks Thermal cut off switch was bad. Diagnosed, bought part (in-line fuse?) fixed in minutes on my own! :)
Thanks guys for the vid. Cool to see you both on camera ;-)
this guy has a great voice
Thanks for posting this!
How did you know which side was electric and which was the propane side?
Hi Jim - good question! We went to the source: the manual! The owner's manual for our Suburban water heater includes a parts diagram which identified which was which. If you don't have yours, you should be able to find it online... try these links:
Suburban Manuals: airxcel.com/suburban/service-support/document-library
Atwood Manuals: atwoodmobile.com/water-heaters.asp
If those don't work, try Googling for your make & model number water heater and add the words "owners manual" or "parts diagram" and you should find something!
You guys are so great. Thank you!!
Thanks, John! :)
Our suburban hot water is scalding hot. Is there a way to replace it with an adjustable thermostat?
We aren’t aware of an adjustable thermostat for an RV water heater, as they are supposed to be set at about 130° to prevent scalding. If yours is getting scalding hot, it’s likely your thermostat is malfunctioning and needs to be replaced. Try running up hot water and checking the temperature with an instant read thermometer. It shouldn’t be above about 130°.
Short and sweet, thanks for sharing!
+Russ Quattlebaum Thanks Russ! 😊
Thanks for another great, high quality repair video!
BTW, 130F equals 54C. Don't forget that the 'C' means correct and the 'F' means false - you don't want any false temperatures now, do you!? ;)
Cheers.
Writing this from Canada, we honour your comment more than you know. It's our favourite. ;-)
Great informative video as usual guys 👌🏼
Thanks Mel! :)
Are you sure it was the thermostat? Maybe you just left the outdoor shower turned on....Haha!!..... sorry, couldn't resist. Congratulations from Burnaby on 100K!
Great call back to our "Newbie Mistake" video! Love it! Thanks for remembering, and thanks so much for the congrats & Burnaby greetings. :)
I found this to be extremely helpful if my thermostat goes bad. I just wish I could figure out my current problem. lol
Thank you that looked very easy!! I really enjoy your guys videos :-)
Thanks David! :)
Thank you and very helpful video.
I have a 6 gallon suburban water heater that i run on propane. The gas will not shut off and the water gets too hot and comes out the relief valve. Would a faulty thermostat cause this?
Hi Darren. If you've tested, and the water in the water heater is definitely overheating (above 130°F), then we'd suspect you're right and it's a faulty thermostat. And since it's (relatively) inexpensive and (quite) easy to replace, it's a good first step. If that doesn't solve it, we'd suspect the control board for the water heater to be the next likely failure point... it may not be properly responding to the signal from the thermostat telling it to stop heating.
Any videos on why a suburban sw12de gas won’t light? After a new gas valve has been installed
Can’t really diagnose remotely, but two questions: 1) Did it work before? 2) Are other propane appliances working okay?
RVgeeks working fine. I’m going to try cleaning all connection and maybe replacing the circuit board
Awesome video....thanks for sharing
If the thermostat copper stud breaks off of the water heater can it be replaced
Hi Steve. I sincerely hope you’re not asking because that’s what’s happened to you! If it hasn’t, I would be incredibly careful not to allow that to happen. Do not over torque it. If it’s already broken off, I’m not sure if it can be replaced or not. It’s possible that that entire assembly that the two bolts stick out of can be replaced, but I’m not sure. I suggest checking for information on suburban’s website about parts availability.
Cant get the cover off my 21 year old heater. Any suggestions. The black on in your video
Sorry we’ve never experienced anything like that before, so we’re not sure how to proceed on this one.
@@RVgeeks thank you for replying. Sprayed a small amount of WD40 around the edges and came back a bit later and finally it let go and came off. Rubber gasket had baked itself like glue to both surfaces.
That’s awesome! Great to hear. 👍
Which side is a/c and witch side is d/c? They gave me two thermostats, they look exactly the same but one is labeled a/c the other d/c
Sorry we’re away from our RV until April (currently RVing in New Zealand!) so can’t check our water heater right now. The manual should have info or maybe a diagram showing which wires go where to differentiate between the two.
How can I tell if my switch is bad? I have the propane only model. 6wD
If by "switch" you mean the thermostat, we knew ours was going because the water heater wouldn't get the water as hot as it should (luke-warm showers were the tell). But if you think you're having trouble with the On/Off switch inside your RV... should could test it with a multimeter ( amzn.to/2JVrbtZ ) to check for continuity across the two terminals when the switch is turned on.
@@RVgeeks also make sure all your water valves are off and not mixing cold and hot making warm water ....say you have a shower head with a shut off on the head and you don't turn the regular knobs to to off position water will mix at that valve had it happen also check your outside shower quick connect valves are off not open and mixing there👍
@@z32323232 Absolutely!!
ua-cam.com/video/IsiXaMEneaY/v-deo.html
What do I do if I have a brand new suburban hot water system and the thermostat is not working? Please help
If it’s brand new, it should be under warranty, so the first thing we’d do is contact the dealer you bought it from or the manufacturer.
@@RVgeeks wow that’s amazing how quickly you replied. Bless you! Thank you.
I will call the retailer.
Thank You for the info it was helpful
What's the purpose of the automotive style rear-view mirror in a Class A Coach?
You'd have to ask Newmar. Our rig came that way! LOL We've always wondered if it's really necessary ourselves (other than the digital compass in it, which is useful). Kind of a waste overall.
I never knew of one that was factory installed.
Thanks for asking that question! I was going to ask as well! I have a 2008 MADP and it doesn't have one. The compass would be useful though...
Hey its me again sorry for another question this happended to me i have a suburban serial number 153407261 will the prt that you have in the link fit this model?
Hi Axel! No problem asking another question. Happy to help if we can. But we can't tell which model water heater you have from the serial number. Do you by any chance have a model number, or other information, such as the capacity (how many gallons), how old it is, etc?
RVgeeks Model# SW12DEL
Orif size 61 DMS
Tank capacity 12.0 us gallon
Hey Axel! Take a look at this website. We just found it, and this page might have the information you need, even if they don’t carry the part. techsupport.pdxrvwholesale.com/technical-service-manuals/suburban-sw12del/ Let us know if this helps.
Thanks, that really helped.
My friends, have a question for you guys. My water heater looks like is getting hot, but the water is coming out cold when I turn on the hot water in shower.
Hi Hector! Are you trying to heat on electric or propane? And are you able to get it to work on the other fuel source? If it won't heat on propane OR electric, it's likely a valve issue (like you have it set to bypass mode or something like that, since the odds of both propane and electric modes failing simultaneously are somewhat small). One thing that will confirm that water is hot is opening the over-pressure relief valve. If the water inside is hot, it will come right out of that valve hot. If it's hot, then you're probably in bypass mode. If it's cold, make sure you've tried both electric & propane to see if it's one or the other. Hope this helps a bit. Please let us know how you make out.
RVgeeks I am trying to heat water with electric and propane . If am not mistaking the water is heating but it will not come out hot. When I turn on the electric switch, I can see the Amps go from 1 to 13 amps. Also when I try with propane it lights up and sounds like it’s working right. Even the box next to bed gets hot and the valve is on normal flow. Tomorrow I am going to try to drain the tank to see if lots of junk comes out. For now is all cold showers and they are short and very refreshing.
Before you drain the tank, just try lifting the little spring-loaded handle on the pressure relief valve to absolutely confirm that the water in the tank is indeed hot. If it is, we’re betting it’s a valve issue. Did you do anything with the bypass valves recently?
RVgeeks well, I released pressure and the water it is hot. I also moved the handle from normal flow to bypass several times with water running. Did few dances, prayed to the Gods and I think the dance did the trick. Not sure what happened or what else I did, but it’s working now. Thank you guys for your help. You guys have a great Merry Xmas.
That's awesome, Hector! This is no time of year to be taking cold showers! Merry Christmas to you too. :)
Where’s the valve to turn off the water and on, also how do you refill the tank again for the water heater
Hi Craig! We can simply turn off the water by disconnecting from the water spigot at the campground, and turning off the water pump. Once you’re finished, and need to refill the water heater, turning on the water at the faucet in the park will automatically fill up the water heater, as water will go into any available space until it’s full. When the water heater is empty, it is the first place water will fill.
@@RVgeeks That’s what I would think, but for some reason it filled my fresh water tank and the heater tank didn’t get anything, so I tried bleeding all the sinks and shower and for some reason my pump underneath the kitchen sink, it just keeps running, so either I have to pull one of the wires on the pump or I have to shut off the pump with the button which works for the batteries and other things, so I’m kind of confused, cause I didn’t touch anything else except just the water heater and this trailer isn’t going anywhere for a long time, but I did change the pressure release valve and cleaned the anode best I could, cause it wasn’t too bad, I also tried pressing the reset buttons, but I didn’t have any luck, unless it’s stuck in place pushed down and didn’t pop back up and that switch right behind the baffles which has a cotter pin on it, what’s that switch for, I flushed it too and it had a lot of crap in it too, but even the water pressure seems to cut back too, I appreciate your response and nothing leaks anymore too, glad for that and the propane line coming in had a slow leak, but I fixed that Aloha
💯👏🏽🤙🏽
@@craigcho6797 If the fresh tank was filling, but not the water heater, the most likely cause is probably a valve or two being in the wrong position. Most RVs have water heater bypass valves for winterizing, and many also have freshwater tank fill valves. If any of those are flipped in the wrong direction, the water doesn’t go where it supposed to. Sounds like you’re in pretty good shape now though!
@@RVgeeks This morning when I woke up, nothing was working, lights, the plugs for charging my phone, and the refrigerator was off, so I crank up the generator, cause we are plugged into a Honda generator, so anyway everything is good at the moment and I was also thinking that if the batteries were low cause we been having rain most of the week, that I thought maybe that’s why I was having those problems and so now that I’m running the generator all the faucets and shower has good normal pressure and the pump under the kitchen sink finally shuts off and I walked to the other side which is the ohana and that box that reads the incoming electricity from the solar panels is finally reading numbers, but for that side I have a bigger generator for my washer and dryer and when I’m not using the washer or dryer I can turn off the generator and everything normally runs off the batteries and solar, also when both generators are off the rest just run’s off solar and batteries, while the generators are running, I’m gonna go and see if the heater will kick on and if it does then I pretty much know the answer, why I had problems yesterday. But I really appreciate you guys and hopefully everything runs smoothly again for at least 10 more years, but I’ll definitely keep your page for the next problem hopefully not but I thank you guys so very much and if you folks ever come to the big island of Hawaii, you should get in touch with me, then I can either tell you where to go and not, or I can be your guide mahalo guys, Aloha
good job.
Thanks Joe! :)
I've had to do this 3x in 3 yrs
but you didn't show how to test it.
Setting the thermostat to 120 will save electric and propane.
Hi Tina! On a regular household water heater, that would be true. But the thermostats installed on RV water heaters aren't adjustable. They come set to a preset temperature. The good news is that RV water heaters are very well insulated and very efficient. Our 12-gallon heater can bring a tank of water up to temperature in about 15 minutes (on propane) and it will stay warm all day! Plus, since they do heat up so quickly, we often leave ours turned off... and just turn it on in time for it to heat the water for doing nighttime dishes and showering, so we save a lot of energy that way.
In the words of Ina Garten, How easy is that? :-)
110 sounds hot enough for me
Hey Randy! 110 is plenty hot enough for a shower for sure. The problem is that with the temp that low, you end up using almost pure hot water (very little cold mixed in) and the second person taking a shower is more likely to run out of hot water with such a small tankful available. ;-)
RVgeeks Oh i get that. When i lived in my fifth wheel i lived alone so didnt worry much about the shower. Used the campground shower mostly