Issues with Propane Appliances

[ehedgespeth]

Hello all. I tried searching but unable to come up with anything.

This weekend we went camping and had several odd issues with things not working. We went a few weeks ago and everything was fine. All we have done is move the camper to different locations.

We were plugged into 110 not trying to run off of a battery.

• There was no spark to ignite the water heater. (control panel light comes on)
• The water pump, although we don't use it would not turn on. (control panel light comes on)
• Our heater would not ignite. The heater would turn on for about 20 seconds blowing cold air and shut off.
• Our stove would not ignite. The stove would light if we shut the propane off, then it would burn what was in the line.
• Our CO2 detector was flashing green the first day and the second day it was steady green. If that matters.

One LP tank was full and the other a little over half judging by weight. Tried switching tanks many times. left them unhooked for several minutes.

I get home and a few things are different.

the stove works as normal now. I turn the propane on and it lights just fine.
Our water pump will start up as normal now as well.

• Still no heat or water heater.
• It seems like they aren't even trying to ignite
• The fuses all look good and there is a fuse on the water heater outside that looks good, but no "click."
• Everything appears to be plugged in. I don't see any nest or dirt that should be an issue.
• Neither one produces the clicking noise to indicate it's trying to spark.

Any ideas on what I might try? I don't even know what parts to try swapping out. It seems odd that both the water heater and heater would die at the exact same times. I have tried the reset switch on the furnace. I waited for a minute, ran the stove burners for a minute or so but still dead.

I do have a flashing red light on my furnace circuit board which may indicate a failed sail switch. Hard to know since they put a serial number sticker over what the fault codes indicate but that appears to be it from what I have found. I have a sail switch on order.

I still have no clue on the water heater.

I'm not very savvy with this stuff. It's a 2022 197BH Ameri-Lite Super we bought new. Nothing has been modified since we got it other than we did have to put a new radio in but that has been many many trips ago.

Thanks

 

[MV213]

There are people on here who probably know better than I do but I believe some of those devices work on 12 volts. So you need a good battery and the battery disconnect switch in the Not Disconnected position. When the rig is plugged in to shore power, the power panel charges the 12 volt battery. Also check all of the 12 volt fuses in the fuse/breaker panel. I don’t have any other ideas than that.

 

[Bike Dr]

Hello and welcome all the items are 12v and lp gas, my first thought by what you are describing is as mentioned make sure your battery is charged or charging. And secondly it sounds as if you are losing gas pressure, you should check the regulator to make sure you are getting the correct pressure as the regulators do fail. It sounds like everything mentioned is a gas problem.. I hope this helps..

LIFE IS GOOD!!!! LIVING IT!!!!

2005 41'4 Atrium SE CAT
2017 20' Diamond closed trailer
2014 Streetglide Special
2010 Mini Cooper or 04 H2

 

[Leisure Time Larry]

Hello all. I tried searching but unable to come up with anything.

This weekend we went camping and had several odd issues with things not working. We went a few weeks ago and everything was fine. All we have done is move the camper to different locations.

We were plugged into 110 not trying to run off of a battery. Is a good battery installed? One MUST be.

• There was no spark to ignite the water heater. (control panel light comes on) Control board and igniter operate from 12v, and/or board wouldn't ignite due to a propane flow issue
• The water pump, although we don't use it would not turn on. (control panel light comes on) Water pump operates from 12v battery
• Our heater would not ignite. The heater would turn on for about 20 seconds blowing cold air and shut off. Heater control board, igniter and blower run from 12v battery, and/or board wouldn't ignite due to a propane flow issue
• Our stove would not ignite. The stove would light if we shut the propane off, then it would burn what was in the line. likely a propane flow issue. And, when you say 'stove' what do you mean? Range burners, oven burner, or both?
• Our CO2 detector was flashing green the first day and the second day it was steady green. If that matters.

One LP tank was full and the other a little over half judging by weight. Tried switching tanks many times. left them unhooked for several minutes. Be sure you aren't tripping the safety on the propane valve by 1. Making sure all propane appliances are OFF inside of the RV before making propane connections, 2. Make sure the valve knob on the propane cylinder is fully OFF, 3. Make sure the line/regulator is properly and fully seated and properly connected to the propane cylinder, 4. Open the propane cylinder valve very slowly for the first 1/2 turn or so, once the valve gets backpressure you can open fully as fast as you want.

I get home and a few things are different.

the stove works as normal now. I turn the propane on and it lights just fine.
Our water pump will start up as normal now as well.

• Still no heat or water heater. make sure there is water in the tank, press the "Reset" button(s) in the outside panel, make propane adjustments listed above, make sure a good 12v battery is installed and that cutoff switches are properly ON
• It seems like they aren't even trying to ignite
• The fuses all look good and there is a fuse on the water heater outside that looks good, but no "click."
• Everything appears to be plugged in. I don't see any nest or dirt that should be an issue.
• Neither one produces the clicking noise to indicate it's trying to spark.

Any ideas on what I might try? I don't even know what parts to try swapping out. It seems odd that both the water heater and heater would die at the exact same times. I have tried the reset switch on the furnace. I waited for a minute, ran the stove burners for a minute or so but still dead.

I do have a flashing red light on my furnace circuit board which may indicate a failed sail switch. Hard to know since they put a serial number sticker over what the fault codes indicate but that appears to be it from what I have found. I have a sail switch on order.

I still have no clue on the water heater.

I'm not very savvy with this stuff. It's a 2022 197BH Ameri-Lite Super we bought new. Nothing has been modified since we got it other than we did have to put a new radio in but that has been many many trips ago.

Thanks

What voltage is your battery reading when not connected to 110v shore power? What is it when connected? Try suggestions listed above and report back. Good luck!

Also, here are some helpful propane videos...

https://youtu.be/bnOmC8h-yRM?si=mfLWVP8hQ_E60ZeL

https://youtu.be/Z-1kLrLis9U?si=xV44A6rp89s4ODxS

 

[ehedgespeth]

I checked my battery using a multimeter. When connected to 110v shore it reads 13.64. When not connected it reads 12.56. I have the same issue connected to 110 or not. I've tried with the battery switched on and off, connected to shore and not connected. Never get a click

I'm not sure how to check the regulator but I have our original one when we bought the camper. I switched to a dual one. I have the same issues with our original regulator which I assume should be fine.

I've tried 3 propane tanks, two of them full. two of them I have hooked up to our propane fire pit and they work fine. I made sure to have the heater, water heater (tank is full), furnace, range burners and fridge all in the off position before connecting the lp. I also made sure to open slowly.

It appears the fridge is not willing to run off of propane either. So far the only thing that works off of propane is our two range burners. The two burners is what i call a stove for whatever reason.

Anything that takes an electronic ignition will not work. Other than the fuses could there be anything else to check electronically? I've reset the breakers multiple times, checked the fuses many times. It's starting to sound like anything with a control board is somehow dead. Seems odd considering other electronics work. I use a surge protector at all times even when at home.

Appreciate all of the tips and videos but so far I'm still stuck. Thank you all

 

[Bike Dr]

Okay you also mentioned things were different when you returned home! Now I'm thinking a main ground connection possibly, is it possible for you to see where the main ground cable coming off the battery to the TT frame make sure its tight if something moved in travels and make sure all the connections are good clean and tight.. it's good you also mentioned a surge protector..definitely something else to check!!

LIFE IS GOOD!!!! LIVING IT!!!!

2005 41'4 ATRIUM SE CAT
2017 20' Diamond closed trailer
2014 Streetglide Special
2010 Mini Cooper or 04 H2

 

[Leisure Time Larry]

Okay, good info. The voltage tests show the power converter is charging the battery when plugged in to shore, and that the battery has a charge when not plugged in. A lot of folks aren't aware of the propane safety valves and get hung up by improperly connecting, etc., but it sounds like we can check that off for you if the range burners are operating normally.

Next, I'd want to confirm that electricity is getting where it is supposed to and returning to the battery like it is supposed to. Here's what I'd try next in addition to Bike Dr's good suggestion about the ground and connections:

1. Follow the positive cable from the battery on back too. Usually there is one, or a set of large amperage circuit breakers that you should find and make sure that they aren't tripped. (Since I'm not familiar with your particular RV, I'm not sure where to tell you to look.) They could be along the frame somewhere under the RV, they could be in a storage bay, etc. It's good that you find them and note their location. https://youtu.be/zmNrb7rpgEY?si=Z5LkbCSziUhGhAZi & https://youtu.be/gvPpgq8pdrc?si=hO9NqeckBF0G28PG&t=328

2. Is there 12v power at the fuse panel? Is it being sent out to the circuits and their loads? https://youtu.be/X8MDSYqY5yA?si=HQ4GuvxkUiIgSVk1&t=665

3. Is there power at the appliances? You said the fridge won't work. There is usually another fuse for that on the fridge itself. https://youtu.be/HgVMCiQ6WFc?si=SBvEMculiDT_rJT8

It is best to find and take photos of all of the stuff that may be important to you down the road, including the labels on each appliance. With the manufacturer and model numbers from the labels you should be able to Google that combination to find and download each manual. Then, you can go through each to understand how they operate, were installed and their Troubleshooting section for the specifics for your stuff. Best-

 

[ehedgespeth]

Good info from both here again and had not even thought about the battery cables but makes sense! I've checked the circuit breakers a few times but I suppose it's possible one could be faulty? Yep, now is certainly a good time to document things and will be doing so.

Appreciate all the good tips and links to videos. It may be a few days before I can get back to checking things out but I'll report back my findings. Thanks again to everyone!

 

[ehedgespeth]

Unfortunately it's not as simple as my ground. Everything still looks pretty good with the cables and the connections underneath. I'm not sure what could have changed to make the water pump now turn on but I have a feeling it must be related somehow. Thanks!

 

[ehedgespeth]

I had a little time today to look at some things. I forgot to check for a large amperage circuit breaker along the frame but I'll note to do that next. I imagine that's not the issue since the next step checks out but still good to note for the future.

I was able to confirm I have 12v power to the fuse panel. All lugs are getting the same amount of power. All circuit breakers check out. Everything there is normal. Very helpful video btw!

I skipped over the fridge check since it works fine on shore power. For now anyway. I decided to focus on the water heater for today.

I found a video testing power to the water heater control board and found there is no power getting to that board. So far I'm not finding a reset switch like the furnace has. I don't see any fuses other than the small fuse on the board which is good. I disconnected the board to check for power anyhow. The video didn't really say what to look for other than the basics already covered.

So, I need to find whats causing power not to get to the water heater. It's a Dometic WH-6GA if it matters.

There are cables of course ran throughout the camper that I can't see or get to but everything I can see all looks fine. It's a 2022 and basically a pavement princess as we don't really do any boondocking or anything. I assume it's possible a mouse or mice got somewhere but I don't smell anything and see no droppings. We are careful not to store food items especially over the winter. I'm basically still stumped lol but appreciate all of the help!

 

[ehedgespeth]

Potentially Solved!

Okay, I think I've solved my problem or solved half and tracked down the other half.

I didn't realize how power got to the water heater control board. I watched the video again and realized it goes thru the thermal fuse, to the T'stat then to the board. (y'all already know that of course.) Looks like my in-line thermal fuse is bad. I have one on order and hopefully that solves that.

The furnace turns out was the sail switch. So that is now working. I didn't expect it to work but I'll take it.

The refrigerator does run on lp. I think I was so aggravated I may have just forgotten to hit the gas button on the fridge. Tried it a few times and I think it's good.

It still doesn't explain why the range burners and water pump weren't working at the campground but worked at home. Also, it's odd that both the water heater and furnace had issues at the same time but worse things could happen I suppose.

Thank you all for the tips and information. Apologies for likely not explaining things in the best way but I do appreciate all of the help!

 

[Leisure Time Larry]

Glad you are getting it figured out. Thanks for the updates.

 

[ehedgespeth]

Final update. The thermal fuse fixed the water heater so looks like all is back to normal, for now. Appreciate all of the assist and tips everyone!

 

[Mike1931]

If it were me, I would set a couple of sticky traps with peanut butter in the middle of them. Some of the issues sounds lik could be Mickey Mouse at work!