homelesshartshorns Posted October 25, 2022 Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 2000 Suncruser, my question is the electic side of my hot water heater has quit. Is there only an element to change or is there a thermostat to consider? I know the element is in the back of the unit but wonder if there is a thermostat. The gas thermostat seems to work ok....? Quote Still seeing Places we have never seen before and others that we thought we would never see again! . homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com) George Hartshorn | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Schneider Posted October 25, 2022 Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 (edited) 26 minutes ago, homelesshartshorns said: 2000 Suncruser, my question is the electic side of my hot water heater has quit. Is there only an element to change or is there a thermostat to consider? I know the element is in the back of the unit but wonder if there is a thermostat. The gas thermostat seems to work ok....? Depends on the make and model of the water heater. In 2000, most water heaters used separate gas and electric thermostats. But there are some (mostly newer units) that use the same thermostat for both gas and electric operation. In either case, you should be able to measure the voltage on the heating element to see if the thermostat is calling for heat. If there's 120 volts across the heating element's terminals the next step is to shut off the power, disconnect the wires going to the heating element and test the element itself. You should see around 10 - 20 ohms across the terminals. If there's very high resistance or no continuity the element has burned out. Edited October 25, 2022 by Lou Schneider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted October 25, 2022 Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 Could also be the wiring, I once found the twist on connection between the RV and the water heater was charred from a poor connection, ultimately severing the connection itself. Reconnected it and all was good again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homelesshartshorns Posted October 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 1 hour ago, Lou Schneider said: Depends on the make and model of the water heater. In 2000, most water heaters used separate gas and electric thermostats. But there are some (mostly newer units) that use the same thermostat for both gas and electric operation. In either case, you should be able to measure the voltage on the heating element to see if the thermostat is calling for heat. If there's 120 volts across the heating element's terminals the next step is to shut off the power, disconnect the wires going to the heating element and test the element itself. You should see around 10 - 20 ohms across the terminals. If there's very high resistance or no continuity the element has burned out. Thanks for the advice.... Quote Still seeing Places we have never seen before and others that we thought we would never see again! . homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com) George Hartshorn | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homelesshartshorns Posted October 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 6 hours ago, dartmouth01 said: Could also be the wiring, I once found the twist on connection between the RV and the water heater was charred from a poor connection, ultimately severing the connection itself. Reconnected it and all was good again. I think your right on! I wiggled the wires around under the pannel and got some warm water. I think I will make a project out of this tomorrow and lub each connection I can see. Quote Still seeing Places we have never seen before and others that we thought we would never see again! . homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com) George Hartshorn | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat & Pete Posted October 25, 2022 Report Share Posted October 25, 2022 (edited) In case you didn't know : Electrical connections should be bare metal shiny clean and scratch tight . And , lube is for bearings and things that move , not electrical connections . Edited October 25, 2022 by Pat & Pete Quote Goes around , comes around . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homelesshartshorns Posted October 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 Ok so just wiggling makes it happen.... Quote Still seeing Places we have never seen before and others that we thought we would never see again! . homelesshartshorns | Trying to spend the last Dollar on the Last Day! (wordpress.com) George Hartshorn | Facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dartmouth01 Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 Probably a loose connection, and most likely at a wire nut. The connection fairly close to the body of the heater or enclosed behind a cover on the heater, so you may have to pull out the heater. I just pulled out the WH out of my current heater and this is how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) 13 hours ago, homelesshartshorns said: Ok so just wiggling makes it happen.... If the connections is of the spade type you can tighten them with a pair of pliers. If you are dealing with connections to a circuit board, just work them on and off several times, use contact cleaner on them or you can even use a typing eraser if you have one. Don't forget to remove all power before you work with them. Edited October 26, 2022 by Kirk W Quote Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrknrvr Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 If there is wiring on the rear of the hot water heater then it is most likely a Dometic unit. If the front of it has a PCB that has two plug connections on it, then the front thermostat controls both gas and electric heating element. How do you turn the electric heating element on. If it is a small 12vdc wall switch, then the wiring to that switch could be the problem. The 12vdc switch controls a relay that operates the 110 vac. Then it goes through its own thermostat controls on the rear of the heater . That area on the rear of the heater that has the wiring is a pain to work on. Most of the time the wire nut has a connection problem as the water heater most likely has stranded wire. The power feed wire will be solid wire. Putting those wires together with a wire nut does not work the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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