I need a course in R-Pod water Heater 1001

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   Hi-ho fellow podders... well, we did it.. took to the woods this past long Canadian weekend. had a great time and the new Rpod 172 was awesome...  even sorta figured out installing the r-dome... (still trying to figure out where to properly install the 6 clips that come down the side.. but that's for another thread ;-) )
my delema is figuring out the hot water heater... some people say its propane operater, and some say it's electric... and some say both... thus my confusion.. 
here is what happened... filled the water tank and turned on the hot water faucet until the air stopped spitting... turned on the switch on the panel infron the the sink and the reset light came on.. after about a min, the light went out... I am assuming that the water heater was on... using propane?? or AC??? not sure... none the less, the water never did get hot... not even warm... it didn't have a chill to it though, like the cold waer faucet.. I would say that it was maybe luke warm...I left it like this over night and the next day, the temp was still the same... 
is my electric element burned out?? do I have one? if I do, how does it affect propane operation... better yet, how do I distinguish between it being on propane or AC??

If someone has the time, can they educate me on the water heater?? is there a temp control somewhere that needs to be turned up??

in need of some serious education.... :-(

GoofieNewfie

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GoofyNewfie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Location: Newfoundland Online Status: Offline Posts: 25	Topic: I need a course in R-Pod water Heater 1001 Posted: 24 May 2010 at 8:32pm
	Hi-ho fellow podders... well, we did it.. took to the woods this past long Canadian weekend. had a great time and the new Rpod 172 was awesome... even sorta figured out installing the r-dome... (still trying to figure out where to properly install the 6 clips that come down the side.. but that's for another thread ;-) ) my delema is figuring out the hot water heater... some people say its propane operater, and some say it's electric... and some say both... thus my confusion.. here is what happened... filled the water tank and turned on the hot water faucet until the air stopped spitting... turned on the switch on the panel infron the the sink and the reset light came on.. after about a min, the light went out... I am assuming that the water heater was on... using propane?? or AC??? not sure... none the less, the water never did get hot... not even warm... it didn't have a chill to it though, like the cold waer faucet.. I would say that it was maybe luke warm...I left it like this over night and the next day, the temp was still the same... is my electric element burned out?? do I have one? if I do, how does it affect propane operation... better yet, how do I distinguish between it being on propane or AC?? If someone has the time, can they educate me on the water heater?? is there a temp control somewhere that needs to be turned up?? in need of some serious education.... :-( GoofieNewfie
	2010 RP-172 Tow Vehicle - 2003 Rendezvous

photog Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 13 Jan 2010 Location: Alberta Canada Online Status: Offline Posts: 80	Posted: 24 May 2010 at 9:30pm
	Hi GoofieNewfie, The water heater works on both, propane and hydro. To work on propane one needs of course propane, if the pilot light went out after you switched it on to propane the heater should be on and working, if ignition failed as a rule the light should come back on. On hydro it works only on 120 volts, not 12 volt battery power. You can run propane and hydro at the same time for quicker recovery. On hydro alone it is not all that quick in recovering. As an aside, while the pod is parked at home and plugged into hydro to keep the battery charged it is a good idea to switch the hydro to the water heater off, just in case that there is no water in the heater. This way the heating element wont get burned out.
	Heinrich and Elly 2010 Dodge Dakota Crew Cab 2010 Prime Time Tracer 205M

TerryM Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Location: Saint Augustine Online Status: Offline Posts: 1950	Posted: 25 May 2010 at 8:13am
	To use the electric to heat the water you need to turn on the switch shown in the picture. The red arrow is pointing to it. The inside switch is for the propane.
	RP-175 W/Lift Kit 2011 Ford F-150 4X4 Saint Augustine, FL: The first permanent European settlement in the USA: 1565

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059	Posted: 25 May 2010 at 11:54am
	Sound to me like the bypass valves aren't set correctly. Others have reported lukewarm water until they turned the valves. Find your water heater, and next to it will be 3 valves. One on the cold water line going in, one on the hot water line coming out, and one on a short pipe that runs between the hot and cold. In "normal" summer mode the hot and cold valve handles should be parallel (open) to the pipes, and the bypass valve should be perpendicular (closed) to the short pipe its on. In "bypass" winter mode (do this during the winterization process, described elsewhere here), everything will be opposite. Hot and cold handles will be perpendicular, and the bypass valve will be parallel.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

Brin Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 21 Dec 2009 Location: Manassas, Va Online Status: Offline Posts: 93	Posted: 25 May 2010 at 9:03pm
	We had this problem also this year. After winterizing the trailer last fall, we forgot to turn the bypass valve when we dewinterized/summerized this spring. On the first trip out, the hot water heater was warm, the pipe coming out of the heater was warm but the water in the faucet was barely warm. After showering at the campground showers and hiking up a mountain top, it dawned on Craig what the problem was. Once we got off the mountain, it was fixed in 30 seconds. Good thing too, as another shower was needed after coming off the mountain. I still prefer my cramped little pod shower over a public campground shower. Good luck
	Terri and Craig and Panzer 2009 - 175 RPod 2000 Ford F250 XLT Extended Cab Diesel

GoofyNewfie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Location: Newfoundland Online Status: Offline Posts: 25	Posted: 25 May 2010 at 10:03pm
	ahhh.. Thanks also Brin! I am 99% sure that I dont have the by-pass valve set right... and what you discribed about the touch temperature of the tank, hose and water, is exactly what I am experiencing... it seals the deal.. cant wait to get out to hthe pod to play with it again...
	2010 RP-172 Tow Vehicle - 2003 Rendezvous

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059	Posted: 25 May 2010 at 11:07pm
	Let us know what you find!
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual

GoofyNewfie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 14 Feb 2010 Location: Newfoundland Online Status: Offline Posts: 25	Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 6:49pm
	Hi Folks, Just wanted to let all know that I have fixed my water heater issues... the first issue was that I never had the by-pass valve turned to the 'off' position.... thus the cold water was mixing with the hot from the tank... the 2nd issue was that I found the on/off switch for the AC to the tank located inside the outside vent compartment... it was off and had a small cotter pin in it so that it could not be turned on until removed... I removed the pin and turned on the AC to the tank... BOY THAT WATER CAN GET HOT.... FAST!!! Thanks againfor all your help.. Mike
	2010 RP-172 Tow Vehicle - 2003 Rendezvous

barbanjoe Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member Joined: 21 Apr 2010 Location: Arizona Online Status: Offline Posts: 126	Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 10:24pm
	I have looked and only have the ac switch with the cotter pin in it . I even crawled under the pod and do not see the bypass valves, am I missing them? my pod is new feb 2010, and my water is hot only for short times and cools off.
	BarbanJoe 010 Rpod 171 02 Jeep 4x4 12 Ram 1500

techntrek Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group - pHp Joined: 29 Jul 2009 Location: MD Online Status: Offline Posts: 9059	Posted: 06 Jun 2010 at 11:03pm
	You need to find the inside compartment where the water heater is located. On the 171 it is under the rear bed's mattress, to the right. There are 3 screws. The WH and pump are both there, nice for winterizing.
	Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual