Water Heater Wiring

[CTMedina]

Hello, I have a Jayco Jayflight 28BHS. So is this a travel trailer or a "lighter" one? I have been reading thru post on tankless water heaters and I installed one recently, well half installed it. I had the atwood tank WH previously, but I guess the previous owner did not winterize it and when I first went to hook up the water, it was like Niagra falls under the kitchen counter! I feel like such an idiot for not noticing. The tank had huge gaps in it. I could have just looked under the counter and seen right thru the old WH.

Now I have a gen2 or maybe 3 Girard tankless sitting under the counter. Water lines are connected, and propane is connected, but I cannot figure out the power. I know the AC120 line is not used for this. It was used with the previous water heater so that is safely wire nutted and taped and tucked out of the way. Also the breaker is turned off. I have 4 wires that were coming from the wall that I believe were connected to the old water heater as well, but I did not take pictures or write down anything before I removed the old WH.

Wires are green, red and white, red, and gray. I found they go to 2 switches on the main panel. They are labeled electric and propane. When I flip the switches on, I can see 3-5v on my tester. I have the negative lead from the tester hooked to the green wire and I probe the gray and red and white and I get a reading. Right now I only have the trailer connected to a 120 15/20 amp circuit. But I am only testing the water heater so I am not pulling much. The new WH has red and black and 2 blues. According to thier labels, blues go to the remote control panel. The red and black are + and -. If I connect the green to the - and either of the 2 other wires with juice, I get nothing on the small control panel.

Do I just need to find another 12v source? All the videos of installs I have seen have different color wires than the ones I do. The first time I had the power switch on the WH flipped off, but even in the on position I get nothing. Could I have a bad control panel? Should I hear something? If the solenoid is locked up will it not power on at all? The tester I am using is just like a test light, but also has a small display that shows some voltage.

I really don't have money to take it to a dealer or repair shop. I think I am on the right track, but not sure.

Thanks for any help yall can provide. So far the TT has worked well. Me and my wife lived in it for 2 months over the summer. It was not for fun, but because we had to. Maybe I will share the sad story later. We were in Texas so I really did not need the water heater. Even at night, the water came out nice and warm.

[muckinfuss]

My suggestion...skip the Utoob stuff....go to RVupgradestore and download both the Operation Manual for the installation process and the Service Manual if you haven't done so already. Clear instructions in both regarding what voltage goes where regardless of wire colors (which will be a moving target as you already discovered). The service manual will keep you from pulling out your hair 700 miles from home.

[CTMedina]

Thanks, I downloaded them, but that doesn't help me find a 12V dc source. I will look thru the convertor manual to see what I can find there. Thanks for the suggestions I will definitely check out that site for more stuff to upgrade.

[TheDangerDay]

Originally Posted by CTMedina

Hello, I have a Jayco Jayflight 28BHS. So is this a travel trailer or a "lighter" one? I have been reading thru post on tankless water heaters and I installed one recently, well half installed it. I had the atwood tank WH previously, but I guess the previous owner did not winterize it and when I first went to hook up the water, it was like Niagra falls under the kitchen counter! I feel like such an idiot for not noticing. The tank had huge gaps in it. I could have just looked under the counter and seen right thru the old WH.

Now I have a gen2 or maybe 3 Girard tankless sitting under the counter. Water lines are connected, and propane is connected, but I cannot figure out the power. I know the AC120 line is not used for this. It was used with the previous water heater so that is safely wire nutted and taped and tucked out of the way. Also the breaker is turned off. I have 4 wires that were coming from the wall that I believe were connected to the old water heater as well, but I did not take pictures or write down anything before I removed the old WH.

Wires are green, red and white, red, and gray. I found they go to 2 switches on the main panel. They are labeled electric and propane. When I flip the switches on, I can see 3-5v on my tester. I have the negative lead from the tester hooked to the green wire and I probe the gray and red and white and I get a reading. Right now I only have the trailer connected to a 120 15/20 amp circuit. But I am only testing the water heater so I am not pulling much. The new WH has red and black and 2 blues. According to thier labels, blues go to the remote control panel. The red and black are + and -. If I connect the green to the - and either of the 2 other wires with juice, I get nothing on the small control panel.

Do I just need to find another 12v source? All the videos of installs I have seen have different color wires than the ones I do. The first time I had the power switch on the WH flipped off, but even in the on position I get nothing. Could I have a bad control panel? Should I hear something? If the solenoid is locked up will it not power on at all? The tester I am using is just like a test light, but also has a small display that shows some voltage.

I really don't have money to take it to a dealer or repair shop. I think I am on the right track, but not sure.

Thanks for any help yall can provide. So far the TT has worked well. Me and my wife lived in it for 2 months over the summer. It was not for fun, but because we had to. Maybe I will share the sad story later. We were in Texas so I really did not need the water heater. Even at night, the water came out nice and warm.

Well what did you find out?? I'm dealing with the exact same problem.