Suburban Nautilus IW60 Hot Water System

[bnboeholt]

Just got this installed into our Airstream and our technician used the existing controlled (ie: switched) +12V gas line from the factory which sits next to the 120V line for electric operation of the old gas/elect hot water tank. The line voltage was disconnected/capped and both switches are under a double gang plate in the bathroom.


Interested in the optional controller for this unit and would like to place it where the existing original HWT switches were located.

The questions I have are as follows:



1) the IW60 wiring diagram shows the controlled +12V switch and an additional (2) white wires for connection to the controller. The diagram does not specify what voltage for the white wires and I'm curious if I can get a constant +/- 12V at the switch location from below and connect this to the white wires - is this all that's needed (ie: re-use the existing wiring in the wall).


2) is the controlled +12V (ie: switched) wiring still needed or does the controller replace this?


Seeing on some threads that the controller does not provide a positive OFF from 12V and that disconnecting the unit from 12V is sometimes needed for purging and such. If that's the case - I was thinking about deriving a switched +12V control point down below for this, but the question still remains - what do the (2) white wires need to see and can I repurpose the wiring up to the actual switch location.


I hope this makes sense to somebody and after writing all this - I can't help but wonder if maybe it's way too much work for a fancy control unit and a simple ON/OFF control switch might just be the better path, but such is the life of always trying to upgrade things.


Anybody have experience with this unit and the controller...and more importantly - what actually works in the end?



thanks in advance....

[Old-Biscuit]

According to the wiring diagram Fig 11 Pg 11
The 12VDC +/-wires going to terminal block on the module board should be 20 GA wiring
The 2 White wire from 12VDC terminal block to On Demand Control Center should also be 20 ga

An On/Off switch should be on 12VDC+ before wired to terminal block on the module board


Manual
https://www.caravansplus.com.au/pdf/...lus-manual.pdf

[bnboeholt]

yes - I'm aware of the wiring types and have the same diagram. My question has more to do with whether you still need the +12V switch if you have the controller and what voltage do the 2 white controller wires need to see. My goal is to be able to use the existing 2 wires at the existing switch location. I'm thinking the best thing to do would be to divert the switched +12V down below at the unit and makeup a new switch, connect the exist +12 switched wires to the controller up top in the bathroom and then divert and land them where the 2-white wires go on the unit control board - in which case I guess it doesn't matter what voltage the white wires need to see...as long as they connect to the controller. I think that would (should) do the trick