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


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 05-04-2014, 06:50 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Noblesville
Posts: 12
seneca 37fs water heater and compartment doors

Taking our first trip in our new Seneca 37FS. We discovered before we left that the keyless entry didn't work and neither did the washer. But it was April and we could not get a service appointment anywhere in Indiana (where they make them). We had to leave, so we figured we'd do without those things. But the first time we tried to take showers, the water would go from hot (about ten seconds) to cold (about ten seconds) and cycled hot and cold constantly. After the third day, we had no hot water at all. Has anyone had a problem like this?

The other problem that we have been plagued with is problems with the latches on the compartment doors. When we drove our unit home, one of the compartment doors came open on the freeway. We finally were able to fix it by removing the latch and putting some shims behind it. But now that we're traveling, this has happened to two other compartment doors. Luckily, we had some little plastic pieces that we could use as shims and fixed them on the side of the road. We're lucky we didn't lose anything out of the compartments. There seems to be a problem with the way the latches are mounted. Anyone have any advice on this?

We are looking forward to enjoying our new RV, but these problems are getting in the way. We're really wondering if Jayco has any quality control at all.
Vrji is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2014, 06:55 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Aurora CO
Posts: 2,334
Many hot water systems have winter bypass valves. There are three valves that need to be turned. Two opened, one closed. The one that gets closed, prevents hot and cold water from being mixed.

Also, after filling the hot water tank, I always go use the pressure release valve and purge air from the tank

Lastly, over the winter, visitors tend to try to nest inside the burn tube. Open HW door and check for any obstructions.
__________________
Jim & Kim from Colorado

2014 Eagle 30.5 RLS
2015 Dodge 3500HD SRW 6.7L
Click on my profile for Mods and notes
Jmooney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2014, 06:59 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Aurora CO
Posts: 2,334
HW tank bypass valves
Attached Images
 
__________________
Jim & Kim from Colorado

2014 Eagle 30.5 RLS
2015 Dodge 3500HD SRW 6.7L
Click on my profile for Mods and notes
Jmooney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2014, 07:00 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Aurora CO
Posts: 2,334
HW tank pressure relief valve
Attached Images
 
__________________
Jim & Kim from Colorado

2014 Eagle 30.5 RLS
2015 Dodge 3500HD SRW 6.7L
Click on my profile for Mods and notes
Jmooney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2014, 07:02 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Aurora CO
Posts: 2,334
HW tank burn tube "visitor"
Attached Images
 
__________________
Jim & Kim from Colorado

2014 Eagle 30.5 RLS
2015 Dodge 3500HD SRW 6.7L
Click on my profile for Mods and notes
Jmooney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-04-2014, 07:03 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Aurora CO
Posts: 2,334
Beyond these ideas, it could be the thermostat
__________________
Jim & Kim from Colorado

2014 Eagle 30.5 RLS
2015 Dodge 3500HD SRW 6.7L
Click on my profile for Mods and notes
Jmooney is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 06:18 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
LSA376's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Placerville
Posts: 127
My 2014 Seneca tank less water heater would not work at all, I found the rubber propane hose completely crimped up under the coach from poor installation. Yours may not be as bad allowing enough propane to run the unit momentarily until the crimp restricts the flow to keep up with the burner assembly. Look for the junction block where the main hose from the tank splits to the water heater and furnace, the junction block is on the passenger side frame rail behind the rear differential.
LSA376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 06:21 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
LSA376's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Placerville
Posts: 127
I too had a compartment door open during our first trip home from the dealer, thought for sure I would find an empty compartment when I finally exited the highway! I found that if I slowly push the door shut by pressing on the latch until I hear it click it's good to go. Don't try and slam the doors, they will not completely latch.
LSA376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2014, 08:59 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
RVhiker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,643
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vrji View Post
... But the first time we tried to take showers, the water would go from hot (about ten seconds) to cold (about ten seconds) and cycled hot and cold constantly. After the third day, we had no hot water at all. Has anyone had a problem like this?...
I believe your Seneca has a tankless water heater. There have been many complaints about tankless water heaters in RV's; on the other hand, some people seem to love them. Most of the complaints have to do with uneven water temperatures. The solutions are varied; some people have removed their tankless heater, and installed a tank type version. But some people really like them. Best idea is to complain to your dealer and see what he says.
__________________
There's lots of advice and information in forums... sometimes it is correct. For example, all of my posts are made by a political appointee who got the job as a reward for contributions to my diesel bill.

2011 Jayco 28.5RLS; 2021 Chevy Duramax; Pullrite Superglide Hitch

RVhiker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2014, 06:01 PM   #10
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Noblesville
Posts: 12
I should have mentioned that it is a tankless hot water heater. I have read the comments and have inspected the propane line and no crimping of rubber line was found. I have tried the water relief valve and I inspected for pests. I have wiggled every wire just incase there was a loose wire. Nothing has worked.
Vrji is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2014, 08:38 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
bgermane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Ravalli County
Posts: 171
We too have the tankless water heater on our Greyhawk. When we bought ours, it was equipped with the first generation model. It did not have the adjustment knob that the Gen2 has now. It was simply a high/low switch. We have now switched to the Gen2, and have really enjoyed it. What you are experiencing sounds like limiting. If the temp is set too high, the high-heat sensor will trip and shut off the burner. After a few seconds, the water and sensor will cool, and the burner will reignite. The cycle will repeat itself again and again. Try turning the knob down to a lower temp setting. Jayco was useless when it came to resolving my issues with the original heater. Do yourself a favor and speak directly to Girard. They are very helpful and want you enjoy their product. It's possible that your problem is totally unrelated to this, but the issue I described is very common.
__________________
Brian, Mary, kids, beagle - Moose, and mutt - Maggie.
2012 Greyhawk 31FS
2013 Ford Explorer Toad
bgermane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2014, 12:16 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Renton
Posts: 517
We had the generation 2 tankless unit in our Greyhawk. We had nothing but problems including what you describe. I had the dealer install a 2 gallon accumulator which helped but did not eliminate the problem. The final straw came when I discovered that the internal piping was not tightened down - it was only finger tight! The tankless systems in RVs work differently from houses. They have a manual flame adjustment that you must futz with depending on the input water temperature and flow rate. The higher the flow and the colder the water the higher the flame needs to be. It isn't a thermostatically controlled system. What is happening is the system does have a high temperature cutoff which explains the scalding water. Girard advised me to not mix with cold water and to turn on the hot water and leave it on and adjust the flame to suit. The problem is any variation in flow eg washing dishes, hands etc would cause the temp to drastically change. In addition it is antithetical to conserving water. My unit only has a 32 gallon water tank! Jayco replaced it with a conventional gas electric DSI unit. I am very happy with the replacement.
__________________
Michael
Old setup:
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 LT with a 2004 Jayco JayFlight 29BHS
2014 Greyhawk 31FS with a 2007 Tahoe toad
New setup:
2014 Thor Palazzo 33.3 with a 2017 Ford Explorer toad
msturtz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2014, 09:25 AM   #13
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Noblesville
Posts: 12
Thanks to all!

I fixed the problem of the hot water heater not coming on at all. It came to me in my sleep to try turning on the low point valves and as soon as I did that the hot water heater fired. Still have the problem with mixing the hot and cold. Thanks for all the comments and help. It will be going in for warranty work in June up in BC.
Attached Thumbnails
image.jpg  
Vrji is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2014, 10:24 AM   #14
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: SF Bay
Posts: 97
I am sorry folks are having problems like these, but doesn’t anyone check the operation of these systems and features on their new and expensive rigs before they leave the dealer's lot?
__________________
2016 Rockwood 8329SS
1999 Ford E350 V10 Chateau (6.8L, 4.11 LS)
2013 Starcraft 266RKS
2005 Cedar Creek 31LBHS
2001 Sprinter 303BHS
1997 Mallard 33Z
1990 Starcraft Starmaster[/I]
Bluestreak is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2014, 10:48 AM   #15
Moderator Emeritus
 
Rustic Eagle's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Michigan
Posts: 9,424
Might want to see if this will help in respect to mixing the hot and cold:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/sh...656#post196656

Bob
__________________

2016 GM 2500HD 6.0L/4.10
2018 Jay Flight 24RBS
2002 GM 2500HD 6.0L/4:10 (retired)
2005 Jayco Eagle 278FBS (retired)
1999 Jayco Eagle 246FB (retired)
Reese HP Dual Cam (Strait-Line)
Rustic Eagle is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
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
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Jayco, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:53 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2002-2016 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.