Casita Water Heater - Firing up but not Hot

[nosniv]

We have a 2010 Casita Spirit Deluxe that we've owned for a couple years but only recently started using the plumbing. We're preparing for an extended summer road trip and having an issue with the hot water heater using propane.

The unit is firing up on propane and running for about 5 minutes. Once the unit cycles off I turn the hot water on at the sink faucet and it will warm up to lukewarm for about 20 seconds then revert back to the temperature of the source water.
Unit does not fire up again unless you toggle the on/off switch on the cabinet of below the dinette.

Would appreciate any suggestions or additional troubleshooting steps.

Couple additional notes -
Using city water connection not onboard tanks.
water heater bypass valve is open
propane tanks are full
I have not attempted to heat using the electric option as I plan to check the anode condition

Thanks!

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by nosniv

We have a 2010 Casita Spirit Deluxe that we've owned for a couple years but only recently started using the plumbing. We're preparing for an extended summer road trip and having an issue with the hot water heater using propane.

The unit is firing up on propane and running for about 5 minutes. Once the unit cycles off I turn the hot water on at the sink faucet and it will warm up to lukewarm for about 20 seconds then revert back to the temperature of the source water.
Unit does not fire up again unless you toggle the on/off switch on the cabinet of below the dinette.

Would appreciate any suggestions or additional troubleshooting steps.

Couple additional notes -
Using city water connection not onboard tanks.
water heater bypass valve is open
propane tanks are full
I have not attempted to heat using the electric option as I plan to check the anode condition

Thanks!

Are you sure the tank is full. Sometimes the bypass is hidden and you don't see it. Mine was on the backside of the pipe. Could be an airlock. Try opening the pressure relief valve with the city water on to make sure tank is full and let some water come out. If the flame goes out then it could be the sensor.

[nosniv]

I did a little troubleshooting and removed the anode and the tank had plenty of water come pouring out.
After putting the anode back in place I turned the water supply back on and noticed there did not appear to be any water filling the tank.

So I switched the valve from "Open" to "Bypass" and then the water started filling the tank.

There was a small leak from the water line into the water heater so I suspect the previous owner must have attempted to repair and put the bypass valve back in incorrectly.

So long story short, my water heater appears to be working properly now although the water was a bit lukewarm and was sputtering when coming out of the kitchen sink but hopefully the water will be warm enough to keep the wife happy on our summer journey.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by nosniv

I did a little troubleshooting and removed the anode and the tank had plenty of water come pouring out.
After putting the anode back in place I turned the water supply back on and noticed there did not appear to be any water filling the tank.

So I switched the valve from "Open" to "Bypass" and then the water started filling the tank.

There was a small leak from the water line into the water heater so I suspect the previous owner must have attempted to repair and put the bypass valve back in incorrectly.

So long story short, my water heater appears to be working properly now although the water was a bit lukewarm and was sputtering when coming out of the kitchen sink but hopefully the water will be warm enough to keep the wife happy on our summer journey.

Sputtering will quit when the air purges from the tank. While filling the tank open the pressure relief valve and let it stay open until the water spurts from it. Close the valve and fill up the rest of the way. The water should be very hot if the tank is working right. Did the flame stay on? If not then it isn't working right. Another thing you might check is look under the dining area seat pulling up the cover to the top of the water heater. There should be a white plastic connector on it. There are several wires that attach to it. Look for any loose wires. Since the electric cord winds up in the same area sometimes the cord will pull the wires loose or pull the connector apart. This happened to us once. So be careful when winding up the cord and make sure it doesn't get up over the water heater.