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Old 07-27-2016, 12:05 AM   #1
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Suburban SW6DE Water Heater Reset

Hey All,

Something I found out recently after my water heater failed to lite on propane . Mine is strictly propane but all the SW6 models have the same feature and control boards. I lit the WH on Friday night on arrival used it for dish clean up and then shut it down. Saturday went to it again and no lite switch off and back on a few times still no lite/ LED not illuminating and no gas flow etc. Checked reset switch at the WH good, Check fuses good, check connections good gave up on it till I returned it was only a weekend trip.

Talked to Reese who I have to say Is a pretty nice guy to do tech support on a couple of year old unit and I am not the original owner. He suggested it might be the control board but check the actual switch and led setup first. I did they were fine ordered a new control board.

Upon receipt of the new control board install and tada ... no lite / led ..remove new board and put old board back. Hmm ok start digging on the net really deep find out it is possible the fuse on the temperature sensor unit might have blown. I dismantle the reset cover to get at it ( note you have to bend the blow off valve diverter to remove the cover with out messing with the gas control system) nope fuse is good. I dismantled the cover on the thought of even if it isn't blown I will clean te contacts etc. Back to the net...

I found hidden down deep in another RV Forum that if your unit fails to lite 3 times in a row baring an over temp or gas issue of some type which would only require you to reset it on the water heater itself the controller will lock out totally if it fails to lite and not trip the reset on the WH. In order to undo this lock out you have to drop all power 120/12v ( Flip The Breakers too Doesn't hurt) wait 5 min and turn it back on Tada all fixed. So there you have it if you think your control board might have fried baring no fuses blown gas issues etc try dropping all power wait and turn it back on see if it resets then.

For those who wish to dissect the technical details of this post have fun. The fix worked and no new parts had to be installed but lol I do have a new control board and temp sensor unit now just in case... LOL

Cypher

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Old 07-27-2016, 01:35 AM   #2
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Good info on resetting the lockout mode.

By the way, the gas only model is a SW6D. The SW6DE is gas and electric.
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Old 07-27-2016, 04:30 AM   #3
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Good info on resetting the lockout mode.

By the way, the gas only model is a SW6D. The SW6DE is gas and electric.
Yes mine is gas only but they all share the same control board if you look at the manual the part numbers for each models control board is the same. I didn't want people to skip the post since it didn't say the most common model number

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Old 07-27-2016, 07:05 AM   #4
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Good info to know, Cypher, thanks for posting. All of my units have the gas only water heater.
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Old 07-27-2016, 07:13 AM   #5
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Thanks for posting this. Another reason to continue reading this forum! When I find these I print them out and file with the important Escape notes.
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Old 07-27-2016, 07:28 AM   #6
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another reason to make sure your unit has the master cut off switch for 12v also.....
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Old 07-27-2016, 07:45 AM   #7
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Good info to know, Cypher, thanks for posting. All of my units have the gas only water heater.
Hi: cpaharley2008... Is the water heater not lighting a good enough reason to order another trailer? Alf
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Old 07-27-2016, 08:30 AM   #8
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Hi: cpaharley2008... Is the water heater not lighting a good enough reason to order another trailer? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
Normally it is when my propane needs refilling, but I'll use any excuse.....
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Old 07-27-2016, 10:36 AM   #9
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Hi: Cypherian... No chance of this happening to me. I don't use the water heater... cause I'm in hot water all the time!!! Alf
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Old 07-27-2016, 11:20 AM   #10
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Is the two way hot water tank worth the $200.00 option price? I would do a lot of camping where there are no hookups. I just automatically checked it on the list but now that I think about it I wonder if I will use that feature enough to justify the extra cost and complexity.
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Old 07-27-2016, 11:28 AM   #11
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Hi: Cypherian... No chance of this happening to me. I don't use the water heater... cause I'm in hot water all the time!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

LOL For the last few days over here on the East Coast there is no need for water to be hot ...It is hot enough that just stepping outside in shorts and a t shirt you start sweating just standing there! Glad I am heading to Maine soon :} < Why isn't this a truck or an SUV ? Does anyone tow an Escape with a car ? :}

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Old 07-27-2016, 11:28 AM   #12
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Is the two way hot water tank worth the $200.00 option price? I would do a lot of camping where there are no hookups. I just automatically checked it on the list but now that I think about it I wonder if I will use that feature enough to justify the extra cost and complexity.
2 way is probably not worth the $ if you will hardly ever use it. We have the 2 way and for the amount of times I do use the electric I could just a well put it on gas. I only turn it on to heat up the tank then turn it off, maybe 15 minutes a day of run time. If you leave the HW on all the time it may well be worth the cost.

Not really a big deal either way, what's another $200.
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Old 07-27-2016, 11:29 AM   #13
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Is the two way hot water tank worth the $200.00 option price? I would do a lot of camping where there are no hookups. I just automatically checked it on the list but now that I think about it I wonder if I will use that feature enough to justify the extra cost and complexity.
I'm wondering the same thing and leaning toward not worth it. I don't have electrical backup on my home water heater.
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Old 07-27-2016, 11:44 AM   #14
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I'm wondering the same thing and leaning toward not worth it. I don't have electrical backup on my home water heater.
My opinion is I will change it over to a two way eventually. Why since I use mine similar to others turn on use turn off. I like the ability to have a back up IE the weekend this occurred I had no hot water I would use electric if available and if it doesn't work switch to gas. Though , yes in my case because of the total lock out it wouldn't have helped to have both. If your on the fence and want to reduce cost for now have Reese run the wire and breaker and the wire for the inside switch . Then if you decide later to do it you can very easily. I spoke with him about installing one when I first got the unit and he explained the hard part would be running the power wire from the breaker behind the shower and over but after that it is straight forward.

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Old 07-27-2016, 01:08 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SFDavis50 View Post
Is the two way hot water tank worth the $200.00 option price? I would do a lot of camping where there are no hookups. I just automatically checked it on the list but now that I think about it I wonder if I will use that feature enough to justify the extra cost and complexity.
I would think if you don't spend half the time hooked up, it may not be a good value for you.

There are a number of members on FiberglassRV, that have successfully added a Hott Rod to the hot water heater. Perhaps you'll find in the future you'd like to do the same:

Hott Rod Water Heater Accessory - PPL Motor Homes


The above link is to show you what I mean, it may not be the Hott Rod you need for your water heater.
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Old 07-27-2016, 01:22 PM   #16
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Originally Posted by SFDavis50 View Post
Is the two way hot water tank worth the $200.00 option price? I would do a lot of camping where there are no hookups. I just automatically checked it on the list but now that I think about it I wonder if I will use that feature enough to justify the extra cost and complexity.
If I were in the market right now I'd probably do it, but the propane only tank is fine. We just use more propane. Keep in mind that the $200 price difference represents mainly labor and wiring. The actual part price difference between the propane only and the propane/electric model is under $50.

http://www.adventurerv.net/suburban-...w6de-p-83.html

http://www.adventurerv.net/suburban-...sw6d-p-81.html
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Old 07-27-2016, 01:51 PM   #17
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We have the 2 way and like it because:

a. For the times we have hookups we don't HAVE to use propane and the water is always hot (we leave the outside on/off switch on all summer).

b. Like has been mentioned here, turn on both at the same time and you can take a leisurely shower and not run out of hot water.

But that's just us.
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Old 07-27-2016, 03:12 PM   #18
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I'm wondering the same thing and leaning toward not worth it. I don't have electrical backup on my home water heater.
No, but do you have a six-gallon water heater at home, and do you fuel it from portable 20-pound tanks that you have to take somewhere to get refilled? The comparison with a home appliance is thought-provoking, but to me the situations are wildly different so a different choice is reasonable.
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Old 07-27-2016, 03:27 PM   #19
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The daily amount of propane for a 1 hour use in am or pm of use seems minimal compared to an oven/stove or using the refer on propane while under tow.
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Old 07-27-2016, 03:41 PM   #20
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The daily amount of propane for a 1 hour use in am or pm of use seems minimal compared to an oven/stove or using the refer on propane while under tow.
I would think that the water heater uses substantially more propane per minute/hour than the fridge because it's basically running a burner full blast to get the water hot quickly. The fridge flame is tiny. Although, as you said, you're running the fridge 24/7.
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