seneca 37fs water heater and compartment doors

[Vrji]

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.

 

[Jmooney]

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.

 

[Jmooney]

HW tank bypass valves

 

[Jmooney]

HW tank pressure relief valve

 

[Jmooney]

HW tank burn tube "visitor"

 

[Jmooney]

Beyond these ideas, it could be the thermostat

 

[L98383]

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.

 

[L98383]

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.

 

[RVhiker]

... 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.

 

[Vrji]

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.

 

[bgermane]

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.

 

[Msturtz]

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.

 

[Vrji]

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.

 

[Bluestreak]

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?

 

[Rustic Eagle]

Might want to see if this will help in respect to mixing the hot and cold:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/showthread.php?p=196656#post196656

Bob