burning hot water heater?

[MommieMara]

Ok so we are out camping in our 28 bhbe. Used the hot water heater many times this season. I fired it up this time on electric and ended up with smoke coming out the grate on the side where the hot water heater it. It left light black charing on the grate. Thing is the water heater had water in it. I have been running water via the pump for a day before turning the hot water heater on. Soon as we saw the smoke we turned it off. I turned on the hot water in the camper and nice hot water came out further proving there was water in it? Any thoughts on what's up? Also noticed my water pump is making a knocking noise that I haven't heard before. Are these things related? Made an appt since we are under warranty. Bummed I have no hot water.

[need-a-vacation]

Did you open the water heater door? If so, where was it smoking from? Haven't seen it happen when on electric that I remember, but on gas I have had balck smoke out of the water heater exhaust due to crap being in the burner area, possibly a nest of some sort.

Could the gas have been turned on as well by accident??? Or maybe even being on electric it burned some crap inside the gas burner area???

[klpoppe]

Does anything appeared fried on the water heater? (fried electrical connections?)Last fall I flipped on the WH and had about a dozen stink bugs inside the burner and it threw out some smoke... Let's just say they live up to there name while being BBQ'd!

[MommieMara]

Black soot in the exhaust pipe. Everything else looks fine. Aside from all the soot I don't see signs of a fire or anything burning. I had hot water when I opened the tap so there was water in it

[MommieMara]

I am now wondering about bugs. The stink bug invasion started here again 2 weeks ago. I hope its that simple. whatever burned smelled BAD

[need-a-vacation]

Sounds like it was bugs and or a nest inside the "burner heater tube". Open the wh door, while standing and watching have someone turn on the wh propane on.