Water heater dead on AC

GeorgePal · 09-06-2023, 12:46 AM

Hello all! 2015 Thor ACE 30.1. Hot water heater on 110vac never worked since I got it. Propane works fine. It's a model GC6AA-10E. I have the manual, and can see the 110 relay and element are at the back of the heater. I removed the 2 drawers in the coach where there is some ducting, wiring, and the bypass valves, but I do not see the rear of the water heater. So I need to pull it out from the front and disconnect the gas to get at the back of this thing? The wh breaker is on.

**16ACE27** · 09-06-2023, 12:50 AM

If you can't get to it from the inside then pulling the WH is the only other solution.

The Gritz Carlton · 09-06-2023, 02:15 PM

Mine never did in the 35SF. I just used propane 100% of the time. That was the only method for years in previous campers. Lots of prowlers flip switches while they're on the lots and the element gets fried quickly. It's also easy as an owner to do this by mistake and not know it. I would just use the gas side. I turned it on in the mornings during bath times then right back off. It will hold warm water all day for hand washing, etc.

**EA37TS** · 09-06-2023, 02:41 PM

Have you made sure the electric weld meant isn’t fried from folks turning it on without water. If it didn’t work when you bought it that would be the first check.

Did you buy new or used?

GeorgePal · 09-06-2023, 04:39 PM

I bought it used, one previous owner. The gas does work very well, but I am an electrical kind of guy and will have no problem fixing it if I can get access to it. But, if i really have to disconnect everything and pull it out of the bay just to change the element or press the reset, I may just shrug and use the gas.

I am hoping another 2015ish ACE 30.1 owner might clue me in on the best way to access it. I will dig around behind the closet drawers again. I need to put the bed slide out to access those drawers, and that is not trivial where I store the unit. I am parked on a slope with the nose pointing downhill. The front tires are on 6" ramps which gets me near to level, but i need to raise the front 2 or 3 more to get the bubble centered. I put pads under the jacks and just barely make it before the extension runs out. I have done it, but I don't like it.

ghnl · 10-10-2023, 12:28 AM

I guess I am in the same boat. Water heater did work on elec but not on our most recent trip.

I poked around in the rear bedroom but soon realized the water heater is in a compartment below the floor level. It'd be nice if the back side of the compartment had an access panel but a quick look did not reveal one.

Anyone have any advice other than 1) remove entire water heater or B) use it on propane only ?

ghnl · 10-20-2023, 01:59 AM

I removed the water heater this afternoon. As I read here, Thor did make all the connections long enough that once the 20 or so screws around the front perimeter were removed I could slide the unit almost all the way out. I did disconnect the propane supply hose but probably did not need to do that.

The 12V wires were the shortest - more accurately they were secured up inside the compartment. Once the unit was 3/4s of the way out they can be disconnected (make notes as the wire colors are not a perfect match) then the unit was removed. I sat it on a shop stool to disconnect the hot & cold water connections and 110V wires (motorhome not connected to shore power of course).

I then carried the unit over to some saw horses I set near my garden hose. Note that even after draining the tank there will be a gallon or more to slosh out all over your sneakers...

I removed the heating element (1 1/2" socket) and flushed out the tank. A significant amount of crud & dirty water came out (we bought the RV used in Oct 2021). The old heating element was cruddy & rusty so I replaced it. The relay looked OK externally so I left that alone.

I re-installed the unit, filled it with water and flipped on the 110V switch. A couple of hours later still no hot water... I should have at least tested the relay.

Final observation - with the 110V power on I noticed that the circuit board is making a squealing sound - not terribly loud but I can hear it when I am near the outside of the water heater. Is that an indication that the circuit board has failed? It does operate on propane.

JimOIB · 10-20-2023, 12:33 PM

Have you checked the breaker in the distribution center? The water heater typically has its own 15amp breaker. Thor has a nasty habit of not labeling it.

ghnl · 10-20-2023, 01:19 PM

Yes. None of the breakers are tripped. I did switch them off & back on again to be sure.

JimOIB · 10-20-2023, 03:17 PM

And bypass valves in the correct position? I know you’ve probably already done those checks but doesn’t hurt asking. If you feel the T&P valve is it warm to the touch?

Just checked my coach, it makes a high frequency buzzing when heating on electric.

ghnl · 10-20-2023, 03:27 PM

Bypass valves in the correct positions. The pressure relief valve does not get warm.

To reiterate, the 110V heater was working at the beginning of September then not working on our next trip a couple of weeks later.

I'm going to remove the unit again and check the relay. (after kicking myself for assuming it was OK...) My fear however is that the circuit board is kaput. I don't recall the squealing noise back when the 110V heater was working (but I can't say for sure it was or wasn't making that sound).

ghnl · 10-20-2023, 10:52 PM

The plot thickens. (I hope the Original Poster doesn't mind the 'thread jack'...)

I removed the water heater. The relay works - with the switch set to 110V the yellow wire to the relay triggers the relay and the 110V contacts have continuity. But the 110V wires from the motorhome have no power (actually, my meter read ~ 3VAC?!?). I traced the 110V romex to where it goes under the floor to the circuit breaker panel under the bed. The circuit breaker has 122 VAC coming out.

We have had a mouse get in the motorhome last year and there was evidence he or she had been in the compartment under the bed. I thought maybe it had chewed on a wire. I tied a string to the romex (thinking I might need to replace it) and pulled the cable through. There was no evidence of a defect. I then followed the cable and discovered it did not go directly to the circuit breaker panel but instead to an "Automatic Energy Select Device" A quick internet search found this: https://intellitec.com/wp-content/up...-00714-000.pdf

Quote:

Intellitec's Automatic Energy Select Device is designed to be used in RVs to share the power available from a single circuit breaker between two large loads.

Now I need to figure out if this device is faulty...

ghnl · 10-20-2023, 11:10 PM

And, P.S., I contacted Dinosaur Electronics to ask if the squealing sound I noted might indicate a failing circuit board (telling them it was an Atwood circuit board - not one of theirs). I got a reply a few hours later telling me that is not likely - the sound may be normal.

I have also emailed tech support at Intellitec (makers of the AES Switch) to ask if there are any tests to confirm the switch is faulty. Since it is Friday evening I don't expect a reply until next week.

ghnl · 10-26-2023, 07:44 PM

To close the loop, Intellitec did reply and confirm that the checks I was able to perform meant the AES was likely faulty. They suggested that a burnt out/shorted heating element may have caused the switch to fail. I had already replaced the heating element but I cannot say if a failed heating element caused the switch to fail.

I ordered a replacement AES from Amazon and it arrived today. With shore power disconnected I replaced the switch and now everything works as it should.

**16ACE27** · 10-26-2023, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghnl

To close the loop, Intellitec did reply and confirm that the checks I was able to perform meant the AES was likely faulty. They suggested that a burnt out/shorted heating element may have caused the switch to fail. I had already replaced the heating element but I cannot say if a failed heating element caused the switch to fail.

I ordered a replacement AES from Amazon and it arrived today. With shore power disconnected I replaced the switch and now everything works as it should.

Thanks for coming back with your solution. Maybe it will help others as well as the OP.

ChrisLongUSA · 03-14-2024, 04:57 PM

Same problem with exact same model of WH.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f8...tml#post407882

You'll have to pull it. Water connections may be a nightmare when pulling. I converted the bunks space to a little office and access to the WH gets no complaints from me. It's a pain but do it right and you'll only have to do it once !

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