17' Series Hot water system problems

[becdan]

Hi guys. Having a few issues with the hot water in our expanda outback 17.52.2.

Have been using gas with no problem since we had the van until a friend ours pointed out it can also use 240v. Which all worked fine. But then when using a generator for our aircon it kept tripping out the genny. It seems that when we plug into power now the water is staying on 240 even when external switch is turned off.

The 3.5kva genny has powered the aircon fine before this and also the internal red light for the water heater isn't working anymore.

Any gurus out there that could help with this will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers Dan

 

[Rockape]

Hi,
Firstly you may have a damaged HWS control board or blown the fuse for the 12v supply to your HWS. The light gets its power from the control board, which gets its power from the 12v supply in your caravan. The 240v switch located on the HWS connects directly to the 240v supply via a plug. ( I just looked at the wiring diagram )
If you find that the HWS is running with the switch off, then you may have a faulty switch. I usually switch my HWS off from the power point in the caravan that it's plugged into.
Good luck.
Cheers
Nick

 

[Drover]

The external switch sounds like it has failed, they are only a dodgy little plastic thing which can break , I removed mine when it failed, joined the wires and sealed the hole as trying to get a new switch back in position was just a mongrel, I always turned the HWS on/off from the power point anyway.........Running an AC as well as a HWS on a genny is a bit harsh on the Genny !!!!
To test the gas make sure the HWS is cold, turn on the switch and the red light should come on and the burner should start up in about 20 seconds, if no red light I would check circuit with multi meter after checking that a wire hasn't become disconnected.......there may be a fuse somewhere I just can't recall.....

 

[Bellbirdweb]

The hot water is 1440w, so running both AC and HWS on a 3.5kva genny will be maxing it out.

The startup current on the AC would cause it to trip if the total load didn't do it.

I can run both on my genny but it's a 5kva and it's working pretty hard.

I'd have a look at the external switch for a fault and then only run the HWS on gas or mains.

 

[becdan]

Thanks guys.ill try unplugging it. Do you know where I can find the plug for the 240 hot water? The gas hot water is working fine but the red light isn't.

 

[becdan]

The hot water is 1440w, so running both AC and HWS on a 3.5kva genny will be maxing it out.

The startup current on the AC would cause it to trip if the total load didn't do it.

I can run both on my genny but it's a 5kva and it's working pretty hard.

I'd have a look at the external switch for a fault and then only run the HWS on gas or mains.

Yeah I thought that might have been the case. The aircon ran fine off the genny before this issue.

 

[Bellbirdweb]

Thanks guys.ill try unplugging it. Do you know where I can find the plug for the 240 hot water? The gas hot water is working fine but the red light isn't.

Not sure on a 17, but you should find it in a cupboard inside not far from where the HWS is located. It will just be a regular power point with a plug in it.

The red light on the gas will only come on when it's not burning to show you that it's not ignited. Usually only when you first turn it on, or of you have forgotten to turn on the has bottle or it runs out with it switched on.