White Hawk 25DSRL Water Heater Questions

[Elefantdude]

Hey All,
Looking for some answers for a few questions regarding our new Jayco White Hawk 25DSRL Summit Edition TT. We went over most of the features of the trailer when we bought it, but now that we are actually parked, hooked up and practically living in it now, some questions regarding the hot water heater came up.

The TT came with an Atwood GC6AA-10E (Gas/Electric) 6 Gallon DSI Water Heater.

So we are hooked up and as we enter our TT, there is a switch console door on the shelving to the right, with a mirror and keyholders. Behind the switch console door, there are a couple of switches that say:
Water Heater - LP Gas
Water Heater - Electric
And there is a LED between the switches that say DSI/FLT.

Sorry for my ignorance but here goes:

Since we are hooked up to city electric, do I still need to turn on the LP Gas Switch or does the electric switch work without having to turn on the LP Gas switch? The TT Manuals really do not go over that switch console very good

I had them both on the first day we hooked up and it appeared that we had hot water, but not much. It did not last long. We are also hooked up to city water, so no fresh water and water pump needed. I had them on all day yesterday and the hot water did not last very long. Whenever I turn on the hot water faucet in the kitchen and bathroom, it starts out cold, then gets warm, then hot. Question is, I do not know how long it will last. It is a 6 Gallon tank, so you figured it would be enough for a quick shower. It wasn't.

So I turned off the LP Gas Switch just now and just kept the Electric switch on. There still is some hot water, bit the true test will be when my better half comes home and wants to take a nice hot shower. We will see!!!

Oh, what does the DSI/FLT LED mean if it is on/off, are there different colors? Right now it appears to be off, but the Water Heater Electric switch is on.

Any comments, suggestions, ideas, tips are welcome.

[Elefantdude]

I did find this in the manual as well:

"GAS/ELECTRIC COMBINATION FUNCTION
GAS OPERATION. When the gas switch is turned on, the unit will make three
attempts to light. If for any reason there is no ignition, the unit will
lockout and the red lockout lamp will illuminate. If the thermostat fails,
the ECO will also lockout the unit, requiring resetting. Determine the
reason for no ignition, correct it, and reset the gas ignition sequence
by turning the switch off, then on.
ELECTRIC OPERATION. When the electric switch is turned on, the relay at the
rear of the unit will close and pass 110vac to the element. If the thermostat
were to fail, the ECO will open and lockout the system. To correct,
check the thermostat to assure good contact with the tank and
reset the control by turning the electric switch off, then on.
GAS/ELECTRIC OPERATION. The unit can be run in both gas and electric
modes simultaneously for quick recovery. note: if the gas fails to
ignite, the gas mode will lockout, but the lockout lamp will not illuminate
since the electric mode is still operational. Should you notice
slow recovery, indicating the gas is not working, turn the electric
switch off. The lamp will then illuminate indicating a lockout has
occurred on the gas side. Correct the problem and turn the switches
back on"

[redenbacher]

We have the same unit. When we stay at a campground with electric, we use it so that our campground fees are making our hot water. If we want a lot of hot water (they say it makes 30 gals in an hour), we can turn both on. If we are staying without electric, then the propane would make the hot water. The electric takes longer than propane to generate so you have to be patient. Trailer water heaters do not generate the hot water like your house. We always have enough hot water but you have to be frugal with water use.

[Elefantdude]

Thanks for the response, Dan, Christine and Molly! Yeah, we Christy just took a shower and kept the water on and the hot water lasted for 2 minutes. That was with just the Water Heater - Electric turned on. I will try it with both the LP and Electric switch turned on tomorrow.

[Filthy-Beast]

Showers in a camper typically are get wet, water off, soap up, water on, rinse off. This makes the hot water and your holding tank last longer.

[DJL1967]

I usually run both elec and propane but the first thing I did when we bought our Whitehawk was to change out the shower head with one that has a shut off. This makes turning the water on/off much easier and we conserve our precious hot water. Next mod is the bathroom faucet.

[Elefantdude]

I agree Filthy-Beast. But some people are creatures of habit. Time to retrain, now that we are full-time RVers :-) Thanks for the input!

[Elefantdude]

Thanks, DJL. What beand and model showerhead did you upgrade to?

[redenbacher]

I got thinking about your issue and your followup post. Something is not right. The hot water should last much longer than that. I'd look at your valves. I'm wondering if they turned one of the valves wrong. To get to them, open the door under the sink. There is a kick panel under the shelf that is attached with 2 phillips head screws. Take that off and look at your valve setup. The cold water goes into the top of the heater and should be on. The hot water comes out the bottom and should be also on. Then follow the lines and make sure the hot water is entering the rest of the trailer. If you've not had experience with these valves, if the handle is in line with the hose, it is open. I'd take a picture and post it for you but mine is in off-site storage right now. You should get much more than 2 minutes of hot water out of it.

[Elefantdude]

Hi Dan,
Here is a picture of our Hot Water Setup under the sink: The top and bottom valves were vertical and seemed to be in a closed position. I turned them counter-clockwise to supposedly open them - to a horizontal position to align them with the hoses. I turned on the kitchen faucet and lots of air was coming out. I did not know if that was normal. There was no hot water either. So I put them back to the way they were. Here is a picture of what it looks like now:

[bedrck46]

Originally Posted by redenbacher

The cold water goes into the top of the heater and should be on. The hot water comes out the bottom and should be also on.

Are you sure about where the cold and hot lines go I was always under the impression that the cold enters the bottom and the hot exits the top

[bedrck46]

It looks wrong in your picture If the handle of a valve is in line with the water lines then you have flow if the handle isn't in line in other words the handle is 90 degrees opposite the lines then the valve is closed From the looks of the handles in the picture it appears that the handle on the left is open that is the bypass and it should be closed. The bottom handle looks like it is in the open position and that would be correct. The top handle is in the closed position and need to be in the open position. Also if you look on the sty foam you should see it marked Hot and Cold

[TNCraig]

From the pictures it looks like you water heater is bypassed. The top and bottom valves should be open and the valve between them closed. Since you are in AZ I am thinking the hot water you are seeing is from your supply hose sitting in the sun. Also with the heater bypassed there may not be any water in the tank and your electric element could be burned out.

[Elefantdude]

Thanks for the response, bedrck46. I was playing around with the valves. The valve on the left seemed to feed into the kitchen sink. It was 90 degrees at first. When I lined it up with the hoses, it shut off the water to the kitchen sink. With that said, I think all the valves are correct?

[bedrck46]

Hope this helps

[Elefantdude]

Thanks, I will see if I can match that picture :-)

[redenbacher]

OK. I'm a visual person and that is much better. The top one is closed. That is the water inlet. Turn that one 1/4 turn so that the knob is in line with the water line. The one on the bottom is the outlet and is also closed. Turn it 1/4 turn to open. The one on the short hose connecting the two is a bypass valve. It is open now but should be closed. Turn it 1/4 turn. The last one that is attached to a short piece of clear plastic tubing is used once a year to suck RV antifreeze into the line and is closed. It should always be closed except when winterizing (which you Tempe folks may not have to do). I can't tell but it looks like the valve by the water pump is also closed. It should be open to use your electric water pump when you are not hooked to city water supply and using your internal water tank. It looks to me that the dealer did not prep the trailer as they should have. The air you experienced is normal. Your fix was correct except you need to turn that bypass valve off too.

[Elefantdude]

Hot DAMN!! I think that solved the problem, bedrck46!!! I pretty much matched the pictureand turned on the hot water faucet in the kitchen. First lots of air and some water came out, then the water started getting colder. Then BAM! Scalding hot water! I turned it off and turned on the cold water. That was fine as well. Checked my bathroom sink, we had hot and cold water as well!!! The true test will be a hot shower :-) Thanks for the picture and input from all y'all!!!

[Elefantdude]

By the way, bedrck46, where did you find that picture? I noticed the bottom picture showed some anti-freeze wording. Is that the setup it should be for winterizing your plumbing? Maybe that is how it came from the manufacturer and the dealership never told us to change the valves? If that is the case, I will let them know :-)

[Elefantdude]

You were correct as well, Dan! Thanks for helping out! RELIEF!!! HOT WATER!! I feel much better now.I will let the dealership know.