12 v water heater problem

[gto19]

Hey guys I'm dry camping right now and when I turn on the heater 12v switch the dsi fault light turns on .the light is above the switch. I didn't Even know it was there until yesterday when it lit . The manual says the light will illuminate and this indicates a lockout .press the 12v switch twice to reset the ignition board .the light will turn off if I press the switch twice and will heat my water. Do you guys know why this light is coming on . The manual does not go into depth except says consult a qualified tech .and I don't have the actuall water heater manual

thanks guys

[Diplomat Don]

gto19.......Mine will do this every so often when it hasn't been used for awhile. Often you can open up the water heater cover and disconnect some of the slip on connectors and reconnect. You also need to make sure everything is clean around the burner and there aren't any spiders building a web in the one inch gas tube.

Lack of use is usually the culprit.

[EngineerMike]

I'm not sure what "dsi" means but if it is the red light on a water heater switch panel, that is the indicator that the heater went thru the obligatory start up routine but could not get the flame sensor feedback needed. If all is working correctly in the sensor, it means no flame ignition. Unit shuts off propane if it has this condition for safety reasons. Most common problem is there is no propane in the line yet (hasn't been used for a while, and the tank is still pushing propane thru line to the unit). Usually if that is the case you can cycle it a few times & the propane will arrive at the heater, you'll get ignition, and be in biz. After lack of propane, check for insect debris interfering w/igniter, after that check to see if propane solenoid valve is working.

[Sixpack98]

DSI is Direct Spark Ignition. You might try isolating the problem. There are several inter-related things that can cause the problem. No spark, no gas and no flame. Probably more but those come to mind. The above posts are good troubleshooting tips and sometimes my DSI light will come on if the coach has been parked for awhile. Going through the start up procedure a few times allows the lines to fill with gas and the unit will start.

If the tips in this thread you might try the following to narrow down the possible culprit:

Take off outside cover
With someone inside, have them go through the start up procedure while you listen for spark. If no spark recheck the connections.
If spark but no flame it probably is a gas supply problem. Could be a regulator or heater gas valve
If spark and flame and the unit shuts down it probably is a thermocouple that senses a flame. Could also be the control board. Could also be a connector problem as mentioned above.

good luck

[gto19]

You guys are amazing

[RVhauler]

Word of caution. don't touch the ignitor wiring while trying to light the heater. packs more jolt than a sparkplug. been there and done that.

[nodine]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gto19 You guys are amazing

I recently had a similar problem with my LP function of the water heater. When we first turned on the 12 volt function the water heater would light and heat the water up to temp. After sometime when the temp cooled down and the DSI tried to ignite the heater it would fail and the fault light would illuminate. I did all the usual things like clean the burner and check for insects. After reading the manual I got a clue about how touchy the flame sense circuit can be. It seems the circuit board detects the presence of the flame by measuring the small voltage generated by the flame between the electrode and ground or it senses the change in impedance. I am guessing hear based on my knowledge of electronics. At any rate, there is no thermocouple like most LP appliances to detect the heat from the flame and keep the gas valve open. After studying this I cleaned the electrode but that did not fix the problem. I then purchased a new electrode and the paper that came with it said to make sure the air gap was 1/8 inch. It was not on either the old or new. I set the gap and installed the new electrode and all seems to work fine now.

Bob

[mahon1993]

Had a similar problem with mine. Did all the usual things but also discovered that the 12 volt ground, on mine a green wire, didn't look so hot. Replaced the sta-con and re-grounded to a better spot on the frame of the heater. All is good.
Greg

[The Utzes]

I'm having the same problem on an on-going basis - since day one I believe. The heater will try to ignite three times and then show fault. I opened the cover to see what was happening and it worked fine. After several of these cycles, I replace the probe on advice of Atwood. No change. My current solution is a chain on the cover so it can sit partially open when I use gas to heat the water. Obviously, this is not a solution for on the road but I don't normally use the shower while we're traveling. Early on I had it serviced by an RV service facility who charged to much, said it was a bad ground, and didn't improve the situation.

[katoommaster]

GTO
My recommendation would be to take an air house from your front compressor / RV air supply and blow out the unwanted dust from the dirt roads / camping areas you go too at the pannel out side the RV

Also check with Emile he is pretty handy when it comes to RV repairs LOLOLO

["007"]

If your dry camping and your 12v battery is loosing charge you may not have enough power from battery to operate your control board for HWH.

[itdave]

I have had this problem but the DSI light was coming on in both the 12 Volt (LP mode) and the 120 volt mode. It was only happening when it was raining. I went through and cleaned up all the electric connection and the problem seems to be resolved however I have not been a heavy rain since.

[bullydogs1]

I had the DSI fault light come on every once in a while...then on our last trip it came on and I reset it and the heater went POOF and it melted the thermo-fuse...this also disabled the electric part as well..had to call mobile tech as I saw it burnt but didn't want to run it without the thermo-coupler..Once that was replaced and a nest cleaned out of the tube..works well.the nest was the culprit that made the gas LP difficult to light thus melting the coupler and putting both modes to lockout.