suburban water heater issue

[Sportsmaster#1]

I have a camper with a 6 gallon suburban water heater, gas model SW6DE. Sometimes it will have the indicator light come on and the heater will light only to go out in a minute or so. Then it has no reset indicator light and will not attempt to restart. There is power at the fuses but everything else seems without electric power. The high low indicator has no power on top or bottom when it goes out. The switch to turn it on and the indicator have now power to them after it goes out. Like we blew a fuse, but there is power at and past the fuse. Later after it sets a few hours, or after we move the camper down the road, it may work again for a minute or two then goes dead. Any ideas?

[outwest]

Sounds like the safety cut off kicking in. Might be a silly question, but did you open the hot water faucet in the tub until all the air was out, so that the water tank was filled?

[hankpage]

X2 on the high limit switch ... Is the tank filled with water?? by-pass open?? There are two circles on the black rubber disk near the burner .. they say reset on them ... only one actually works but try pressing both of them. If you hear a click it was tripped. How old is the trailer??? Have you used the water heater before?? I have no idea what you mean by "high low indicator", I have never seen one on an rv. Maybe a little more info will help someone answer your question. What model KEYSTONE trailer do you have??? JM2¢, Hank

[Sportsmaster#1]

Yes, there is water in the hot water tank. Thanbks

[Sportsmaster#1]

Thanks, Because both you and Outwest suggested it might be a flow issue I started back at that point. Sure enough there is a second flow valve tucked up behind the water lines which controls the flow out of the hot water tank. This valve was nearly closed. When I opened it the problem was solved. The hot water was there but could not flow out. I am curious how I was getting water out of the hot water side of the faucets, but that aside, the problem was solved. Thanks to your assistance, and insistence, that I start at the beginning again. Sportsmaster#1

[poop]

I believe this to be the gas/electric model. The switch inside is for gas only. The electric switch is outside on water heater. If you have the inside switch in the on position at the same time as the electric switch, it will keep trying to start with gas, but will fail. Use one or the other but not both.

[poop]

The electric switch is a black toggle switch.

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by poop

Use one or the other but not both.

Poop -
Many members, including myself, have used both at the same time without any problems. Using both provides for faster heating of the tank and comes in handy for "back-to-back" showers or periods where there is a steady demand for hot water.

[Steve S]

Originally Posted by poop

Use one or the other but not both.

I use both all the time and I've never had a problem. It comes in handy when two people need to shower and get ready to leave. I've found that when the lp kicks in it takes about 10 mins for it to heat up the tank.

[chuckster57]

Another vote for both when electric is available. I advise it to new owners during a walk through with one caveat: if your at home and plugged into a standard 15 amp outlet getting the fridge cold and battery(s) charged for a trip, make sure it's OFF.