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LEARN HOW TO RUN 2 RV A/Cs ON A 30 AMP CONNECTION
by Cheryl Teeple
(Clarksville Iowa)
How to Properly Maintain Your RV's Water Heater
We started the hot water heater, it started fine but there's black smoke coming out of the heater from the outside vent. It ran fine until it shut off cause the water was hot and it went out it did start back up when we turned the switch on again.
It hasn't been used for a long time. We're thinking it needs a good cleaning but can't figure out how to get the screen off. Just not sure about the black smoke coming out, it got on the side of the trailer also the water has a bad odor like rotten eggs only on the hot water we're confused and need answers.
ANSWER: Hi Cheryl, since you don't tell me the year, make or model of your RV nor the make or model of your RV's water heater, I am going to explain things in general terms about RV Water Heaters. First and foremost, the fact that you are seeing black smoke coming out of the water heater compartment is not normal and you should not try to run the water heater again until this problem is resolved.
The most common causes of the smoke in an RV water heater can be something as simple as a spider or other insect nest in the burner tube or burner chamber of your RV's water heater, or even the water heater running at too rich of a setting. My initial suggestion is that based on some of the questions you have asked me, that you take your RV in and have a Certified RV Technician inspect and repair the water heater.
If you do feel comfortable, you can do some routine maintenance on the water heater yourself to see if that resolves the problem. Just follow the steps below.
First, you have to get access to the water heater by removing the water heater cover located on the outside of your RV (pictured above). Depending on the type of cover used you may simply have to twist a little camlock ring and open the water heater door, on other types of covers you may have to remove some screws on the cover to gain access to the water heater.
The video below does a good job of walking you through the basics of the routine RV water heater maintenance process.
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LEARN HOW TO RUN 2 RV A/Cs ON A 30 AMP CONNECTION
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