DSI fault on new Atwood 6 gal Propane heater

[jmatteis]

SO I had already removed the thermo cutoff and put the wire directly on the board. Same thing. Are you saying to reverse the two brown wires? That won't cause any issues?
What is that switch for? The other thing is, the ignitor doesn't even try to click or anything, it only pumps fuel for a few seconds, no clicking, nothing, the shuts down, so something is telling the board that something isn't right.
Seriously stumped.

[sundancer 87]

Each switch has two terminals. The right terminal had the thermo fuse on it. Take that wire without the fuse and put it on the left terminal after you remove the wire that is there.
For testing purposes it won't hurt anything to see if the heater will fire and stay on more than three seconds.
Do the same with the other switch.


One switch is a thermostat, when the water gets hot it will open the circuit and shut the flame off. When it cools off it will close and heat the water again when needed.
The other switch is, I believe, a high limit switch. It would prevent the water from over heating.
The igniter probably won't activate until it sees a signal from the control board. If the switch is open it's telling the board the water is hot and there isn't a need to create the flame.


You can remove the switches to see if the back is all cruddy and test them at the same time. You can activate them by putting them in a pot of hot water or touching a flame top them. You'll hear the snap of it opening.
This is the same switch that controls when your residential furnace fan comes on and goes off.

[franktafl]

Check for an obstruction in the exhaust. I had the same issue and it was a dirt sober nest way in the intake and exhaust tube.

[persistent]

The OP can light the gas using an external spark source. That means the built in igniter is not working. No amount of clearing burner obstruction is going to make any difference.

Burner will not stay lit means burner temperature sensor is not working.

Together they say ignition sequence logic or controls are not working. There may be a bad board, blown fuse, or wires disconnected.

DSI light turns-on means power to system is there. I recommend trouble shooting by someone with access to parts and service manual.

[jmatteis]

That's the plan, I have exhausted any logical items that I can fix, it is under warranty so if it's a bad board, etc, I'll let the pros diagnose and replace it.
Just wish that authorized shops offered mobile service, as we are not super close to any.

I have checked the 2 amp fuse in the heater. As far as I can tell all the fuses inside the trailer are good...

[KECoats]

They make a small brush on a long spring shaft to be pushed into the gas tube to clear out insect webs. Insects are drawn to propane and will spin webs in the gas tube. Webs are commonly known to cause the flame to not burn.

[jmatteis]

There's nothing in the tube, it's all clear. Contacted Keystone, they put me in touch with the closest warranty shop, called them and they think it may be the control board itself, as the ignitor doesn't even try to fire, and the flame sensor does nothing to keep the flame going if I ignite it with a lighter.
Nice thing is, I can take this board off, bring it to him, and swap for the new one, then try it before having to tow the actual camper 60 km to the shop. Although if it doesn't work, it gets winterized and put into storage and taken to the shop in April!

So, tomorrow morning, I'll throw "classic vinyl" on on XM and cruise to the shop, and come home to swap it out...
Fingers crossed

[lcv800]

Good luck. It will bug you all winter if you don't solve the issue before winterizing!
Rusty

[jmatteis]

It may but they wouldn't be able to get me in til December and I'm not towing it through the snow then worrying about storage etc besides if it doesn't fix it they'll book me in mid April and do it there, so I know it'll be fixed regardless, before I need it.

[jmatteis]

So good news. It was the control board. Put the new one in and it fired right up no issues.

Now to figure out how to male the water hotter. There is no temp setting on mine. I left it running to heat the tank. But didn't run the water for a couple of hours. When I did it didn't seem overly hot, like if I ran the hot water in the shower alone it would only be warm. Would the burner kick on under use and start to heat the water more?

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by jmatteis

So good news. It was the control board. Put the new one in and it fired right up no issues.

Now to figure out how to male the water hotter. There is no temp setting on mine. I left it running to heat the tank. But didn't run the water for a couple of hours. When I did it didn't seem overly hot, like if I ran the hot water in the shower alone it would only be warm. Would the burner kick on under use and start to heat the water more?

Good deal! The heater should fire up again as the cold water enters the tank and makes the switches work.
The switches in the ECO control the heat for 'our' safety. You might want to remove them and check the backside for corrosion.

[jmatteis]

I have to check tomorrow. I've read as well that the bypass could be open. Failing that I'll check the rest as well.

[sundancer 87]

Didn't even think about the by pass valve. I guess I zoned in on the corrosion on the valve body which could lead to problems at the tank/switch contact.
At least it's heating so the rest should be simple.

[lcv800]

If you have an outside shower, make sure that both hot and cold are turned off, not just off by the nozzle sprayer, otherwise it's mixing and all you'll get is warm water.
Rusty

[jmatteis]

No outdoor shower. Looks like it's not a bypass thing as mine has a weird bypass, only one valve that just prevents water from going in the cold side of the heater. I'm confused to say the least. I guess it's just so water can be drained for winter because if I use the bypass valve then it appears water would go up to the hot water line and back into the heater, no? Or is there a check valve?

[jmatteis]

Actually just wondering if it's a shut off totally? And if I turn it off no water goes into the heater? How would I get antifreeze to the hot water lines?

[pctomlin]

My hot water bypass is set up exactly the same. Shuts off cold water supply to the water heater and bypasses cold water to the hot water line. Whether filling the system with antifreeze or blowing dry with compressed air, the hot water tank is drained as the very last step. Water in the hot water heater tank prevents antifreeze from filling this up and wasting a bunch of antifreeze.
Make sure you get some antifreeze into the black and grey tanks so your dump valves are protected, also the p-traps. Another area that is forgotten is the water line, flush valve for the toilet.

[jmatteis]

Originally Posted by pctomlin

My hot water bypass is set up exactly the same. Shuts off cold water supply to the water heater and bypasses cold water to the hot water line. Whether filling the system with antifreeze or blowing dry with compressed air, the hot water tank is drained as the very last step. Water in the hot water heater tank prevents antifreeze from filling this up and wasting a bunch of antifreeze.
Make sure you get some antifreeze into the black and grey tanks so your dump valves are protected, also the p-traps. Another area that is forgotten is the water line, flush valve for the toilet.

Ok so for that intake line though, will there not be some water left in it since it’s downward sloped from the water heater?
This video I found has a similar bypass and they drain it first. I understand not wanting to fill the water heater with antifreeze but even if open my hot water lines and pump or blow out the lines, will gravity not pull water out of the tank anyhow?
https://youtu.be/xi6x_c-FRg8

[pctomlin]

That would be one small area that would need to be addressed. After clearing everything you could reopen the cold water supply and blow this into the hot water heater after it was drained or push some antifreeze through to the water heater. My instructions said to drain the water heater as the last step. I don't think there is any right or wrong way as long as you get all the water out of the lines, antifreeze in the right places.

[jmatteis]

Just found information on it and there’s a check valve on the hot water output hence the single diverter. I think next year I redo it all with a nice 3 valve system.