I need HELP!!!: 2017 171. Hot water won't stay lit.

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2017 171. Hot water won't stay lit.

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Forum Name: I need HELP!!!
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Topic: 2017 171. Hot water won't stay lit.

Posted By: clickscrazy
Subject: 2017 171. Hot water won't stay lit.
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 12:11pm

I did notice a bunch of what seems like ash back in there. I took the blower and blew it all out.

It will ignite, and burns for a few seconds, then cuts out.

Propane flow at stove seems fine.

What is the next step? Check valve of some kind, thermostat, connections?

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Replies:

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 1:01pm

1 - If there is air in the gas line, it could just be having a time starting. Assuming that the furnace is "close by" (like it is on our 179), I would try to run the furnace. If that works, then it's not a gas delivery problem.

2 - I believe there is a thermocouple that senses whether the igniter worked. The WH will try 3 times (IIRC) to light. If it doesn't sense heat, then I believe it will give up until you power cycle it. If the thermocouple is bad, then it would display the behavior you describe.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 1:01pm

Does it work if you go outside and turn on the electric (make sure first there is water in the tank)? Does the red light next to the inside switch stay lit? These are two basic items to check

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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 2:38pm

Furnace works great.

Dsi fault stays lit after it loses the light 3 times.

I will test the electric now to see if the heater works at all.

Manually keeping it lit does not work. Keeps shutting off.

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 3:09pm

Ok. I turned on electric, and water heats up fine.

Tried propane again, but still no go.

Any other tips before I contact Suburban?

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: Larry-D
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 3:30pm

Could be the controller board. Our larger tt had the same symptoms when we brought it home. I replaced the board after checking the other things, solved the problem.

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 3:39pm

Could you tell me where the board is located and we you got it from?

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 23 Dec 2018 at 4:08pm

I had the same problem. Worked on electric but not propane and DSI light stayed on. Had to bring to dealer for repair but never found out what was wrong with it. It was under warranty. Sorry cannot be of more help.

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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel

Posted By: Pete Brayton
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2018 at 6:37am

I had enough gas/pressure in my one propane tank to keep my stove lit but, not enough to light the water heater. I don't know if this could be your problem.

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2021 Rpod 196
2013 Ford 150 V8

Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2018 at 7:16am

When we were low on propane the stove worked but the furnace did not. When I switched to a full tank of propane everything worked.

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2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018-
2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019)
2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014)
Middle Tn
2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab

Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2018 at 10:03am

We experienced the same thing when we first had our 177. Fortunately another camper told us to switch tanks which we did, and the problem was taken care of.

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God's pod
'11 model 177
'17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost
Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake
"...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free."

Posted By: CharlieM
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2018 at 10:22am

Another possibility is a faulty propane regulator. That has been reported. It is possible that the gas pressure is sufficient for the low output stove burners but insufficient for the higher output WH and furnace. Fortunately the regulator is inexpensive and easy to replace. If a recently filled propane tank doesn't fix the problem, and your TT is out of warranty, I'd consider a new regulator.

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Charlie
Northern Colorado
OLD: 2013 RP-172, 2010 Honda Pilot 3.5L 4WD
PRESENT: 2014 Camplite 21RBS, 2013 Supercharged Tacoma 4L V6 4WD

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2018 at 10:50am

Another possibility is a faulty hose. There is a valve in the connector that attaches the hose to the tank. It can go bad. We had that happen. The symptoms were much the same. a new regulator did not fix the problem. Replacing the hose did.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2018 at 10:37pm

I have a new full tank of propane. Stove and furnace work

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 26 Dec 2018 at 7:07am

Does the stove flame drop to very low when the furnace runs or does it stay steady? If the flame on the stove is reduced when the furnace runs, look at the hose and/or regulator. If it is steady, that would rule them out.

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 28 Dec 2018 at 9:02pm

Will test that.

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 1:44pm

Local place doesn't have an appointment until Mid Feb. Any other ideas?

So far:

My tank is new.

Stove works.

Furnace works.

It is looking like its a circuit board issue.

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: StephenH
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 2:33pm

Contact Forest River to see if there is an authorized repair place near you that might be able to address this earlier.

Danielle Beber

Phone: (574) 642-3119 Opt. 2

Fax: (574) 970-6811

Email: http://www.forestriverinc.com/DirectContact.aspx?CID=161 - dbeber@forestriverinc.com

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StephenH
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,...

http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=7712 - ouR escaPOD mods
Former RPod 179
Current Cherokee Grey Wolf 24 JS

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 3:09pm

Here's the service manual if you want to keep at it further.

http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Suburban_Water_Heater_Service_Manual.pdf

Reading the DSI troubleshooting section it looks like it could be the flame sense electrode. There is a 6.8 second trial period after the burner is lit. The electrode sends a few microamp signal to the DSI control board when it senses the flame is lit and if not it will go through the lockout cycle. A regular multimeter won't measure currents that low, but short of buying a microammeter there are a couple of suggestions of things to try including cleanup of any crud and corrosion and assuring proper grounding.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: Wepod
Date Posted: 22 Jan 2019 at 4:20pm

Sounds like the control board. I had thr same problem last year with our 2017 pod. Luckily it was still on warranty and it was replaced for free. I got it repaired on a trip in Utah at a local rpod dealer they said they had done several so far that year so there may have been a "bad batch of boards" took all of about half hour to do.

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 23 Jan 2019 at 4:31am

If you're out of warranty and want to fix it yourself the circuit boards are about $75 on Amazon and the electrodes are $15.

The troubleshooting guide points you at the electrode first and has some cleanup instructions. I'd suggest doing that first especially since you've already had crud in there. If that doesn't work then the next step is probably just to replace the board, as others here have suggested.

The comments on Amazon and various RV websites seem to indicate that there have been a lot of issues with these boards, some folks having replaced them more than once. There is an aftermarket board that seems like it might have a better reputation, cost is only a few $ higher.

https://www.dinosaurelectronics.com/

If it was me, I'd replace the electrode while I was in there, its only another $15 and apparently bad electrodes can sometimes kill the circuit boards.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: clickscrazy
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 7:22am

Pod is out of warranty, but suburban HWH is still under.

Just trying to decide if its worth dealing with it or should I just buy the board.

If the HWH works on electric, would the electrode still be bad?

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2018 R-Pod 171
2014 VW Touareg TDI

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 7:30am

The electric and gas are completely independent systems so the electrode could be bad and have no effect on the electric side of the water heater.

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 11:25am

There is no "electrode" for the gas part; only electric. There is a sacrificial rod to prevent electrolysis though. The sacrificial rod does not directly affect operation.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 12:08pm

Yeah GlueGuy, there is. They call the DSI device an electrode. It also acts as a flame sensor. I agree that the terminology is somewhat misleading.

https://www.amazon.com/Suburban-232258-2-Prong-Electrode-Assembly/dp/B003G9IYQY?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_5

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold

Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 1:26pm

Oh. You're (and they) calling the igniter an electrode. Sorry, not how I think about it.

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bp
2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River
2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost

Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 27 Jan 2019 at 1:43pm

Me either. Just trying to use the same name they are. Maybe they call it that because it also functions as a flame sensor?

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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold