Community Forums

Hudgens · 07-04-2014, 10:59 AM

Bought a Jayco Precept 31ul in February 2014 and love it. Don't love the so-called water heater. It has never worked as advertised. Because it is an on-demand water heater, it is in a smaller compartment. Has anyone replaced one of these Girard units with any success? (Hopefully not a major modification!)

Skip426 · 07-04-2014, 11:23 AM

If the on demand was an option ? Then the space may exist to install a standard RV water heater. If the unit was only available with on demand, you may have problems.

Hudgens · 07-04-2014, 11:30 AM

I wish it had been an option, but it is a standard on the Precept. I have owned to other motorhomes with tank water heaters and never had a problem. At least I had "some" warm water; this thing has yet to give me even a gallon of warm water. I hope there is something else we can do besides fight warranty issues with this.

bobandshaz · 07-04-2014, 11:50 AM

Have you checked for blockage in the burner? Maybe blockage in the propane line? Damage to the burner? All water outlets not correct or only one? I have read issues with these units on shore water because of fluctuations in water pressure, but a good regulator fixed this. Most Jayco products we have looked at come with this type water heater. You may also want to search in the Class C or DIY

GOOD LUCK

Hudgens · 07-04-2014, 05:36 PM

Thanks for you thoughts on this. There's not a lot I can with it on the road as far as personal DIY. I've tried with and without a water regulator. Made sure I removed air from all lines. Guess this will be our first warranty claim.

RetiredUSMC · 07-06-2014, 09:52 AM

I am going through a similar issue on my rig, 2014 Greyhawk. The dealer tells me the problem is because of air in the water lines. Drain all the lines including the lowpoint water drains and outdoor shower if you have one. I'm not convinced yet.

They claim when they bleed all the air out of the water system it works fine. I'm not convinced. I've taken it back twice for that and other issues.

Last time in the shop they say they changed out the shower-head hose which had a crack in it. I haven't tested it since than..

I talked to the manufacture in Indiana and they are aware of the issue and claim to be working with the hot water heater manufacturer.

My plan is to hold their feet to the fire until I am satisified they have it fixed.

Bobs A Class · 07-17-2014, 04:30 AM

Good luck with Jayco. I'm attending the Jayco rally in Goshen with 100 other Jayco owners. Should be some interesting conversation with the Jayco people.

Saarf · 07-17-2014, 07:15 AM

Had a problem with my unit first time out. Turned out my pressure regulator was defective and actually stopping and starting the flow of water. The tankless heater does not like this as it detects the flow of water. It overheated and water was coming out the pressure relief and then tripped the ECO.

In the process found that the ECO unit tripped in the heater itself. There is a small reset on the ECO button.

I called Garard directly and they were very helpful. They had me jumper certain items to find the problem. So if you call them have some basic tools and a jumper (paper clip) available.

Unit is now OK, but agree it is not the same as a conventional unit.

I have purchased an adjustable pressure regulator for the input water supply as they are supposed to give better water flow than the inline preset regulators. Have not had the unit out to try it as it is at the dealer.
That is another whole story.

McGarrett50 · 07-17-2014, 09:45 PM

Saarf- Can you share the "another whole story" ? As they say, 'inquiring minds would like to know' Thank you. McGarrett.

Saarf · 07-18-2014, 07:06 AM

After a two month trip to Fl. I took the unit in for some minor warranty work. Basically the story is the dealer service dept issues and nothing to do with the Precept. However, here are a couple of the items I took it to them to fix.

The Precept mud flap system consists of two flaps. One in front of the tires and one to the rear. It also is connected to a metal roof protecting the floor in case of a tire separation. I know two people who have had tires separate and rip up the floor and whatever is above inside. these unit did not have the metal wheel well roof. Anyway, my mud flaps were screwed to angle iron at top and bottom. They had used #8 self tapping screws and they had been overtorqued and the heads broke off. One flap was dragging on the ground. I replaced the screws with 1/4 20 bolts and self locking nuts. I could not reach the top screws so had the dealer do all the rest. I did tell Jayco service about the issue.

Another problem was the windshield washer. On one side the unit would not spray water correctly and had to be replaced.

Rest of the items were nuisance items and probably would have not had fixed but it was there for service and under warranty.

The big problem was the Check Engine light. The dealer sent the unit to a chassis shop and they could not find the problem and said it needs to go to Ford. So the RV dealer makes an apt with the Ford dealer they use and the unit goes the day before. However, the unit sat in their lot for another week and when they went to work on it found that the Radio/GPS/Camera unit had been stolen from the dash. In the process they had broken the plastic console surrounding the radio. (only thing actually broken) It appeared like they had just unplugged all the connectors and took the radio. However, the techs are now working with Jayco as there are some loose wires and trying to identify them. current thought is they are just spares as the radio functions correctly. meanwhile the console piece has shipped and I might get it back next week. Oh, they did not find the source of the check engine light. I think it has something to do with filling the gas tank as that is when it seems to come on. I reset it by disconnecting the battery. Unit does run fine even when the light comes on.
TBD!
you may be interested that the radio system is $2000. Not sure if that includes all the cameras, which were not taken.

So that's most of my other story.

dm.akafun · 08-12-2014, 08:32 AM

Couple of things. Our '15 31 UL has the second edition water on demand system. So far it has worked. We have the dial in the bathroom that the first edition did not have and it is set on the lowest temp. setting. Once the air was purged from the system (by the dealer during setup) we have had an air tight water system. To make sure there is minimal air in the system, when I hook up to new water, I turn the water on and fill the hose........then I hook it to the RV.
Secondly, Saarf, really sorry to hear of your experience @ Ford lot. I had the front end alignment checked at Ford truck shop--referred by my Jayco dealer. Ford wanted me to drop it off and I said no, I'll bring it in and wait on it. Your situation just confirms that I am not leaving my Bertha on any of these lots.
Bobs C Class, wish we could be joining you this week in Goshen. A neighbor just returned from Goshen and the Forest River national rally last week.
I attended the Fleetwood Rally a couple of years ago and have to say Goshen Fair Grounds really hit the top of the list in hospitality.
Good day all,
Darrell

Hudgens · 08-13-2014, 05:51 PM

Quick Update from Hudgens (OP): We traveled from Missouri to Yellowstone with nothing but cold water. At Yellowstone (Fishing Bridge) we found a fellow named Jim who was their RV expert. I asked him to take a look at our unit (he had never serviced a Girrard tankless heater and had no manuals). In less than 5 minutes he asked us to check the water; it was very hot within a short time. What he pointed out as the problem was odd. (BTW, we have the 2014 unit with the control knob in the bathroom.)

I don't know the correct terms, so forgive my description...someone might can use this information, so I'll give it my best shot. On the outside of the RV at the water heater there is a tube (air exhaust?) with a metal "flapper" in it. The fix was to bend it slightly so it would not make contact with the grill at the end of the tube.

OK....but that's not all. We went on about our day and came back that evening all expecting our first hot shower of the trip. No hot water. Found Jim the next morning and he took a second look. Again...less than 5 minutes and we have hot water. He did not know why, but the fix was simple. Inside the unit on the left of middle is a round white disk. In the center of that is a round white button (not labeled at all). That button is a reset button. Go figure. We had hot water the rest of the trip. I'm not happy with the unit, but at least I have some ideas now for troubleshooting.

Saarf · 08-14-2014, 05:47 AM

That little round button is the ECO 'Emergency Cut Off' . Apparently your water got to hot, so the reset tripped.
As I stated above my also tripped, which was due to a bad water pressure valve on the input hose that was causing intermittent water flow.
Fred

Hudgens · 08-15-2014, 10:03 PM

I really don't want to fight progress on the tankless water heaters. In theory it is a great idea (except for boondockers watching water usage). For us it is a good idea.

The "rub" is that using hot water should not require a lot of thought and experimentation. RV dealers should test it thoroughly before adding it to their units. To take a shower in the Precept 31ul you essentially have to go to the bathroom and set the heat control knob to a setting that you have experimented to find that it works for you. Then you go to the shower and turn on the hot water to some other setting that various people have even marked on their shower. Then, for me, I add a little bit of cold water to fine tune the temp.

Someone will eventually get this right. It won't be this multifaceted. And the unit outside won't have to be tweaked either. And...water pressure and air in the lines? Aren't both of those variables at just about any campground? I know I sound negative (not my intent); I'm just saying this technology was not really ready for generalized RV use. It needed more work and testing to get it right.

I look forward to just that....someone getting it right....maybe on our next motorhome.