Cruisers Forum
Main Forum => General Discussion => Topic started by: bftownes on October 13, 2018, 07:28:26 am
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We took delivery of our 3100 on September 27. Just returned home from a 1000 mile, two week, shake down trip. We are very pleased, but still adjusting to downsizing from 40'. I have a couple of questions and will post in separate topics.
Our second stop was a Thousand Trails park where only 30 amp service was available, so I ran the water heater on propane. All worked great. Our next stop was another Thousand Trails park where we had a 50 amp site. The water heater would not ignite on propane. I can hear the igniter clicking. The fridge was working fine on LP and I even lit the stove to make sure gas was flowing properly. The water heater works fine on electricity.
I have already spoken to Dave Ponsler, who said to get it fixed. Before I spend their money, I am wondering if there is something I may have missed. What else is there to check? What is the problem? It is an Atwood, 6 gallon WH.
Cheers :)(:
Barry T
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Found this: Atwood troubleshooting (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/atwood_water_heater_troubleshooting.html)
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Found this: Atwood troubleshooting (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/atwood_water_heater_troubleshooting.html)
Thanks, John
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Apparently Atwood has been purchased by Dometic. My Atwood links take me to the Dometic website.
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Bad board.
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Bad board.
So you ended up having a bad circuit board? Did a new one solve your problem?
Don't be too quick to throw away the original circuit board. A young circuit board failure is often a failed solder joint. Inspect the board closely for anything that looks the least bit suspicious and re-solder it. A hairline fracture in the solder will do it. Some hairline cracks can develop during initial assembly at the Atwood-Dometic factory.
Some years from now if the replacement board burns up, a repaired board will save your day, and quickly. You can also use the old circuit board for parts to replace individual electronic components.
It is remarkable how many times I have repaired electronic items around the house that had failed solder joints, from coffee makers to garage door openers, to vintage stereo receivers. If you don't know how to solder, it is very easy to learn quickly. A 40 to 60 watt soldering iron, solder, and flux will cost all of about $30. Don't buy anything less than 40 watts. Watch some You-Tube videos on how to solder.
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Bad board.
So you ended up having a bad circuit board? Did a new one solve your problem?
Don't be too quick to throw away the original circuit board. A young circuit board failure is often a failed solder joint. Inspect the board closely for anything that looks the least bit suspicious and re-solder it. A hairline fracture in the solder will do it. Some hairline cracks can develop during initial assembly at the Atwood-Dometic factory.
Some years from now if the replacement board burns up, a repaired board will save your day, and quickly. You can also use the old circuit board for parts to replace individual electronic components.
It is remarkable how many times I have repaired electronic items around the house that had failed solder joints, from coffee makers to garage door openers, to vintage stereo receivers. If you don't know how to solder, it is very easy to learn quickly. A 40 to 60 watt soldering iron, solder, and flux will cost all of about $30. Don't buy anything less than 40 watts. Watch some You-Tube videos on how to solder.
Ron, the board has been ordered and is on its way to the repair guy. I am confident he knows what he's doing and his diagnosis is correct. On a side note, I was listening to him on the phone to Atwood (I did not that Dometic had acquired Atwood or maybe it always has been the case) and the service to him was very good. When I asked him about Dometic, he was pleased with the way they treat him, help him and pay him for warranty issues.
I will keep the board as you suggested. You may recall some of my former posts about not being very handy. I'm pretty good at figgering out stuff, but electronics, boards, etc cause me to become "anxious" and seek my "safe place" :lol
Thanks, very much, for your reply.
Barry T