Lt46
Cape Cod, Ma.
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Joined: 10/15/2002
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Don't worry Jaybird, you're not alone. My Atwood calls for an air pocket as well.
Peter & Dawn
97 Winnebago Adventurer 37RW
91 R2500,454 Chevy Suburban
96 Prowler 27X SOLD
Yamaha EF2800I
IAFF L-792
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DutchmenSport
Between Anderson, Pendleton, & Lapel, Indiana
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Joined: 10/10/2006
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PeterL wrote:DutchmenSport wrote:Air pocket: if you filled the tank without bleeding out the air from the tank, yes, you could have had an air pocket. You simply turn on the hot water faucet until it quits spitting air. THEN you turn the electric power on.
If you turned the electric power on (that little toggle switch) before water was in the tank, yup... you burned up the heating element.
If you turn on the little toggle switch, you should hear the heater begin to "cook". I always listen for that little humming sound to know it's started heating. If you don't hear that, the electric heating element may be burned out.
Check your breaker and make sure its not tripped.
If all else fails, see if it heats on Gas.
One more thing? Make sure your shower and outside shower, if you have one, is turned off with the knobs, not just at the sprayer head. If you leave the knobs on and the head off, the hot water will backfeed into the cold line and never get hot.
Good luck!
Hmm, I'm pretty sure I followed all the above carefully... When I refilled the system, I bled off the air until the hot water tap ran with no spitting or bubbles.
The shower valves were off throughout the process...
The only thing I can think is that somehow I neglected to get ALL the air out of the tank and thereby caused the element to burn out. I find that hard to accept however, because I let the water run a long time, after all the air came out..
Are the heater elements near the top, or the bottom of the tank?
Would running on a bumpy road with the tank empty have possible caused extra strain on the element?
How hard is it to replace an element?
Thanks for all your help, folks
I feel like I'm hyjacking this thread. Heater elements are easy to replace. The hardest part is finding a socket that fits the nut. Simply unscrew the wires and remove with a socket wrench.
Heater elements can be found at Lowe's. Double check and make sure they are for 110 and not 220. You can remove your's first and take it with you to Lowe's and match the length of the heating element. Should work just fine. Or, if you prefer, contact your RV dealer or Camping world. When our's went out (actually ours over heated and never shut off, causing wires to fry), I replaced it and the wires and picked up an extra heating element, which I've never had to use yet. But I'm ready just in case.
Here's a photo of my old element. This was a couple years ago:
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
2006 Keystone Springdale Model 263DBL
Weight 4985, Carrying Capacity 2575, Hitch 560, Length 30'
Width 8', Height 10' 6"
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sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
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Joined: 04/13/2003
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Everyone knows that by design all water heaters have an air pocket above the water to allow for thermal expansion. If you fill your WH by opening up a HW faucet until the water runs without air bubbles there is still an air pocket in the WH tank. You cannot get rid of it and you wouldn't want to anyway.....
Chrysler Systems Engineer (Thermal Systems)
2003 Damon Challenger 348 Class A - F53 Triton V10
Posted by Macintosh
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PeterL
Ontario Canada
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Joined: 01/26/2004
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DutchmenSport wrote:
I feel like I'm hyjacking this thread. Heater elements are easy to replace. The hardest part is finding a socket that fits the nut. Simply unscrew the wires and remove with a socket wrench.
Heater elements can be found at Lowe's. Double check and make sure they are for 110 and not 220. You can remove your's first and take it with you to Lowe's and match the length of the heating element. Should work just fine. Or, if you prefer, contact your RV dealer or Camping world. When our's went out (actually ours over heated and never shut off, causing wires to fry), I replaced it and the wires and picked up an extra heating element, which I've never had to use yet. But I'm ready just in case.
Here's a photo of my old element. This was a couple years ago:
No Hijack at all... that is the info I need! With further examination, the heater I have is a Suburban Model SW6PE, and in looking at my handy RV parts catalog, I see they have two different "Universal" water heater elements. So.. it looks like I might be able to do this job myself.
We don't have a Lowes here in Ontario, at least not close to home, but I'm gonna try Home Depot and Rona. If they don't have one, I'll buy from my local RV dealer and pay his ridiculously huge markup... sigh...
I think I'll tackle this job tomorrow or the next day.....
Thanks folks
Its got wheels on it for a reason.
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RRyall
SW PA
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sch911 wrote:Everyone knows that by design all water heaters have an air pocket above the water to allow for thermal expansion. If you fill your WH by opening up a HW faucet until the water runs without air bubbles there is still an air pocket in the WH tank. You cannot get rid of it and you wouldn't want to anyway..... Well, obviously not everyone knows. 
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PeterL
Ontario Canada
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Joined: 01/26/2004
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Well, on further examination of the heater... it appears that the electric element on my unit is behind the propane works.
It looks like I may have to disassemble a bit of the propane system in order to get at the electric element.
So... I'm going to talk to a couple of friends who maybe have more experience at this than I...
Have any of you folks had to remove propane parts to get at the heater element? How did that go?
Thanks
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You can't take the Fisherman out of this Camper
Ontario, Canada
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Joined: 04/09/2004
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Peter.. before you go to the trouble of replacing the element.. check the wires going into the element with a voltmeter to see if you have power at the element. If not.. then your problem is elsewhere!
1960's: Tents.. 1970's: Soft top & Hard top P/U.. 1980's: 17' RV.. 1990's: 24' RV.. 2000's: 2002 Cougar 276EFS & 2005 Laredo 29GS; 2002 GMC 2500HD Ext Cab 4x4; (Nfld/Labrador-Yukon/NWT/Alaska-Gaspe', Que./Florida!!)
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PeterL
Ontario Canada
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You can't take the Fisherman out of this Camper wrote:Peter.. before you go to the trouble of replacing the element.. check the wires going into the element with a voltmeter to see if you have power at the element. If not.. then your problem is elsewhere!
Yup... I was just reading the service manual for this heater and that's my first step... it looks like the wires for my unit are behind a black rubber or plastic cover held on my three screws.. I can get at these, so I'm gonna try that first and see if I can find where the wires are attached to the element.
If anyone wants the service manual for these heaters, let me know, I have a PDF file of it.
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nbounder
Arizona mountains
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Joined: 11/26/2006
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Funny thing - someone on another WH thread sounded off about how much bad info there is on WH air pockets here on this forum . ..he was in error. Seems the same thing occured here - someone sounded off on how we should NEVER have an air pocket in the heater...wrongo! The factory manuals say different! Where is all this BS coming from - China??
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javaseuf
California's Gold Coast
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Joined: 03/30/2005
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Jaybirdsdu wrote:Hot water heaters need to have an air pocket to make the pressure to push the hot water out. Read your owners manuel to see how they say to replenish air pocket for your particular heater!!
ah, no.
The air pocket's ONLY purpose (and yes, air pockets in RV water heaters are needed)is to allow the water to expand when it heats so the pressure/temperature release valve doesn't activate.
It's the supply water pressure from the pump or city water that creates the pressure to move water through the water heater.
I sometimes have to wonder how some come up with these replies and information.
I realize many are trying to help but please verify your information BEFORE posting.
Steve
2007 Springdale 291RKL
2009 F150, 5.4 ltr.
1986 Palomino Hard-Side PUP
"Nobody knows how we got to the top of the hill, but since we're on our way down, we might as well enjoy the ride". ("The Secret Of Life", James Taylor).
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