Quick electrical question

[TCNashville]

My water heater won't fire on gas. I have to test the Thermal Cut Off circuit to see if it's good. I have no shore power where the camper is stored, so I must go off the battery. I just bought a new Multimeter to test the circuit [really nice gadget to have and I'm very new to this]. My question is, when you're on battery power, does the converter change the DC voltage to AC? This could be a really dumb question but I need to know so I know how to set the voltmeter. BTW, I e-mailed Atwood about the problem and I will be on the phone with them during testing. Atwood has been nothing short of fantastic in their support. Kinda nice to see a company stand behind their products that way. Another quick question, my deep cycle battery measures 12.59 volts, is that normal? Thanks for any help, Terry

[Grumpy]

No, all your12 volt is DC. Getting the water heater to work on the battery should be no problem.

[Doug]

12.59 volts on your battery is normal and fully charged
The converter actually changes the 120V to 12V when plugged into shore power.
Otherwise, your 12V comes from the battery

[TCNashville]

Thanks, I was wondering how that worked. Probably should have my owners manual with me here instead of at the camper. I think I'll put it in the truck. Should've bought one of the Multimeters a long time ago.

[Camping Couple]

If you get a multimeter......I recommend a Fluke 333. I use it at work everyday and its a great simple meter. You can use to check amperage, DC volts, AC volts and ohms. They are about $100 - $150.

Mark

[bklabar]

check to make sure your burner tube isn't clogged with spider webs or other insects.

[nevercominhome]

Originally Posted by bklabar

check to make sure your burner tube isn't clogged with spider webs or other insects.

+1

[David472]

Also, there is a small blade style fuse in the water heater control board. Near the burner tube, on the outside access panel. You can use your multimeter set to ohms to see if the fuse has continuity, or is open circuit (blown).