Starting the pilot light for the water heater

bucko · 08-27-2015, 04:32 AM

First time I took my Jayco featherlight 16XRB out for a camping trip, I connected everything up, then turned on the propane valve at the tank. About 10 minutes later, I walked over to the hot water heater, moved the blue dial to the pilot light ignite position, then with one of those long shaft butane lighters, tried to light the pilot light. After a minute or two of no success, I turned the dial to the position on for the heater, and finally after about another minute, could hear the gas flowing, and got the "jet" flame going for the heater. Nice blue roaring "jet" flame.

Then I read here that it's best to ignite one of the stove top burners first to verify that propane gas is "flowing" towards the back of the camper.

My concern is the fridge. I plan to make another trip in a few weeks where I'll want the fridge to cool while I travel. If it takes this long to ignite the hot water heater (basically in the same lower area as the fridge), will it take as long for the fridge's "auto" feature to ignite and run off of propane? I know the fridges auto feature will shut off gas if it does not ignite after a try or two, and I have to repeat the procedure.

Any other tricks, such as turn on the propane and wait longer then 10 minutes?

tnchuck100 · 08-27-2015, 05:59 AM

The refrigerator uses very little propane so the gas flow is small. It may take several cycles of on/off to start the refrigerator. It MUST purge the air from the line. If you have run the stove you have done all you can to get most of the air out of the line.

mike837go · 08-27-2015, 06:01 AM

Waiting won't help.

Yes, light the stove first. You'll purge the most of the lines with that.

Then the fridge. It may take a bit, but the flow for the fridge is more than the pilots for the furnace or water heater. According to the manual, you may have to do 3 cycles on an electronically controlled fridge. In my old trailer, the first lighting of the fridge for the season (or tank change) would take 2 minutes of holding the pilot button and repeatedly pressing the piezo igniter.

I've done the trick where the BBQ lighter (or propane torch) fools the water heater control into believing the pilot and using the main burner to purge the line. Notice it takes almost 30 seconds for the flame to settle down.

tugboat95 · 08-28-2015, 08:37 PM

I guess I've been doing it backwards. I always start the hot water heater first. Takes about 3 minutes for the line to purge and fill with propane. But when it has gas everything else has gas as its the end of the line for my rig.

Isaacs · 09-10-2015, 07:23 AM

Sometimes I get fed up waiting for gas at the water heater. I use the butane lighter to heat up the sensor just above the pilot light. This makes the heater think the pilot is lit and allows the main burner to come on which will quickly purge the air.

bedrck46 · 09-10-2015, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tugboat95

I guess I've been doing it backwards. I always start the hot water heater first. Takes about 3 minutes for the line to purge and fill with propane. But when it has gas everything else has gas as its the end of the line for my rig.

I would say that you are not doing it backwards. It all depends on which appliance is on the end of the line and if that is what is last on your LP line then that would be the first thing I would light. Keep in mind though that the stove still would be the quickest way to purge gas from the line. So in your case if you were to light the stove first you still would have to let the HW heater purge the rest of the line.

In my TT the stove is the furthest away and the HW heater is the closest with the fridge in the middle. Buy lighting the stove first it will purge the main line but the other lines that tap off of the main will still need to be purged. Just won't take as long.

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