Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Tech Forums > Keystone Questions
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 05-08-2012, 07:29 PM   #1
bobandmargaretsmithinOZ
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Bucasia QLD AUST
Posts: 3
Hot Water system issues

Hi imported our very own 272 BHS and love it however put the hotwater service on and it is no where near hot enough to shower under is there any way i can dial up the thermostat to make it hotter on electric do i have to turn the unit on other than turning the black switch in the heater box.
thanks bob
bobandmargaretsmithinOZ is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2012, 09:38 PM   #2
Festus2
Site Team
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Fraser Valley BC Canada
Posts: 7,015
Most Suburban HW heaters have a high temperature limit as a cut-off device. The limit is set at the factory; and, in ours, once the temperature reaches 180 deg F., the manual reset button (found on the exterior HW heater compartment) will trip shutting down the electric element or the main burner.
There is also a thermostat on the water heater that is not adjustable. It is designed to maintain a temp of 130 deg F (54 C). This temperature is plenty hot and can cause burns.
If your water is not being heated properly, I would get your HW tank checked out by someone qualified to work on it.

You can also use propane at the same time as you are heating with electricity but it doesn't make the water any hotter - it just heats up faster.

Once you have pressed in the black, rocker switch at the HW tank to the ON position, it will always work on electricity if you are plugged in. If you are not plugged in, then you will have to rely on propane to heat your tank.

Hope this helps and welcome to Bob and family from Down Under!
__________________
2008 Cougar 5th Wheel 27RKS
2005 2500 GMC Duramax
Festus2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2012, 09:46 PM   #3
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
B&MinOZ, Howdy;

Welcome to the forum ...... I'm thinking that you will need to be
'Plugged into 120 vac service to get the temp. of the water up
using the electric side. Is your AC electric 50 or 60 cycle ???
These are set up for USofA which is 60 cycle.
Try the propane side of the system. There should be a switch
near or as a part of the control panel (where the tank level indicaters are).

Keep checking back, someone with the same model as you have is sure to
check-in and get you squared away soon enough..

You can also check out the search function in the header.....

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2012, 04:49 AM   #4
geo
Senior Member
 
geo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1,000
Hankaye -

I think you have the answer, but it's the voltage, not the Hertz.

BandMinOz -

I know you had to replace and adjust a bunch, but did you change out the HW heater element? My guess is the heating element is still 120VAC.

Ron
__________________
2011 Alpine 3640RL (Beauty)
(Gone! Now replaced by Beauty3)
2016 Ford F-450 (The Beast)
Diesel 4x4, DRW, LB, CC
Comfort Ride Hitch
geo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2012, 07:30 AM   #5
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
geo, Howdy;

Just goin' back in the memory for when I lived in Italy for 3 years (Military service).
Most European systems (not sure about Oz or Anzac areas), used 50 cycle service...
We had converters to run stateside manufactured appliances.....

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2012, 08:49 AM   #6
geo
Senior Member
 
geo's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1,000
Hankaye -

Yes, you are very correct. Europe and Australia operate on 50 Hertz (cycles) at 240 Volts AC. However, the heating elements "don't care" that much for the differences in alternating current as they do voltage. You know, the old "volts times amps equals watts" stuff! I'm guessing here, but the hot water heating element, if from the States, would just not get hot enough to heat the water at 240VAC - or it would get too hot because of the increased voltage and burn out! The result of either outcome would be cold water.

When our guys (petroleum engineers and geologists) head out to our client offices, they always take plug adapters. In years past, we had to send special voltage adapters, but most of our equipment now is dual voltage. Thank God for progress!

Ron
__________________
2011 Alpine 3640RL (Beauty)
(Gone! Now replaced by Beauty3)
2016 Ford F-450 (The Beast)
Diesel 4x4, DRW, LB, CC
Comfort Ride Hitch
geo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2012, 11:19 AM   #7
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
geo, Howdy;



hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-09-2012, 11:58 AM   #8
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
From days long past.... <sigh> While in Eurpoe and Asia, most of the countries we lived in had 220 Volt 50 cycle power. In America the standard is 120 Volt 60 cycle.

American electric motors will run at 5/6th of their rated speed using a transformer (called a converter in Italy) which only reduces the 220volts down to 110 volts but does not affect the frequency (cycles). We had some problems with cooling those motors because they ran slower and the armatures overheated. Hankaye, remeber those spindle changes we had to do on the turntables and tape decks to compensate for the 50/60 cycle difference???

However, American heating elements, light bulbs, stoves, etc will all function normally as long as the voltage is reduced to 110 volts.

In the situation here, I'd guess that the hot water heater element was not changed out, first time it was plugged in, it overheated and burned out. Designed for 115volts and plugged into 220 volts) Replacing it with the appropriate voltage heating element should solve the problem.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 10:49 AM   #9
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
JRTJH, Howdy;

Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
From days long past.... <sigh> While in Eurpoe and Asia, most of the countries we lived in had 220 Volt 50 cycle power. In America the standard is 120 Volt 60 cycle.

American electric motors will run at 5/6th of their rated speed using a transformer (called a converter in Italy) which only reduces the 220volts down to 110 volts but does not affect the frequency (cycles). We had some problems with cooling those motors because they ran slower and the armatures overheated. Hankaye, remeber those spindle changes we had to do on the turntables and tape decks to compensate for the 50/60 cycle difference???

However, American heating elements, light bulbs, stoves, etc will all function normally as long as the voltage is reduced to 110 volts.

In the situation here, I'd guess that the hot water heater element was not changed out, first time it was plugged in, it overheated and burned out. Designed for 115volts and plugged into 220 volts) Replacing it with the appropriate voltage heating element should solve the problem.

Yep, sure do... and the annoying white line of static that traveled up the tv screen...

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 10:56 AM   #10
hankaye
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Arrey,
Posts: 2,368
B&MinOZ, Howdy;

Please keep us posted with your efforts to solve your efforts to solve your electrical problems...

hankaye
__________________
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949 ...

Home: 2008 Cougar 278 RKS
T.V.: 2004 F-250 4X4, Level III BulletProofed , Detroit Tru-Track Differential (915A550)
Dog: 2006 Border Collie (Rascal) aka Maximum fur dispersal unit. (08/04/2006 - 12/16/2017) RIP.
hankaye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-10-2012, 03:51 PM   #11
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
I had completely forgotten about that white line on the TV... We finally (when we saved enough money) bought a German TV just to get rid of that white line. No transformer, no white line, and we could watch German TV which was much more "progressive" than American TV (well, at that time)

But I digress.... Yes, OP, please keep us posted on what you do to solve your HWH problem...
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 04:40 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.