Question water heater issues

[625hibiscus]

I have a 2021 Forest River Forester 3051S (not sure if the year/model are relevant to the question). I should have bugged out to warmer weather a week ago, but am waiting for an appointment at the dealership on 10/20 for some warranty work. The nights have gotten pretty chilly (low 20s and upper teens) although by late morning the temperatures are back into the upper 40s, low 50s.. I disconnect the water hose at night and until 2 nights ago things seemed ok.

The water heater can run on electric or propane and I've been running it on electric. But, I started hearing gurgling, so shut the heater off (and the gurgling stopped). A while later I turned it on again and the gurgling started again, so I shut it off. After the weather warmed up the next day, I started investigating a little more. Everything seemed to be ok, there was water in the heater (opened the relief valve a little). Though the breaker did not appear to be tripped, I shut it off and on, and the water heater seemed to start and run. But yesterday morning after connecting the water, it did not seem to start, so I turned the electric switch off, and turned on the propane. It fired up and seemed to cycle ok, but the next time it called for heat, I could hear the igniter (for lack of maybe the proper term) start, but then it shut off. It did that a couple of times. And yes, there is propane, as the stove works.

I checked the breaker and it seemed ok. I pulled the 2 amp mini fuse from inside the water heater compartment on the outside of the coach and went to town for a tester and possible replacement fuse. A couple of people tested the fuse and it tested ok (even though it looked a little blistered) and there was not a 2 amp mini fuse to be had in town so I put the fuse back in.

One of the dealership service guys that happened to answer the phone said I could have both the electric and propane switches on at the same time (I thought that was weird) but I turned them both on. The water heater seemed to heat, but this morning I noticed the fault light was on the "convenience center" panel.

Oddly enough, I've also had issues with the outlets in the bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and under the dining table. Every so often, the breaker trips. Which, I attributed to running the little "milk house" heater, along with either the vacuum or toaster oven. I can remember to not run those items at the same time, but this morning, I just had the heater going when the breaker tripped.

The outlet and water heater may be two separate issues, but maybe not? Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions for how to limp this coach along until next week when I can get it in for its warranty appointment?

 

[Gronk]

First thing, yes, you can run the electric and propane on your water heater at the same time. Recovery will be much quicker that way. Far as the propane side, you probably need to check the gap on the spark rod. From the end of it there should be about 1/8" gap for the spark. The light on your control panel is there to tell you that the propane tried to light but couldn't. For the element, did you have pressure on the system (water pump on) when you heard the gurgling? It is possible the electric element was hot enough to cause the water to boil. With pressure (pump on or city water) it takes more to make water boil.
For the breaker tripping, there *may* be a staple piercing a wire that is beginning to show itself, or a weak breaker, or your heater may be failing, or........ You see where this is going. All those outlets are on the same string as the bathroom one which is the first one and has all the rest daisy chained for GFCI protection through out. Since this is a 2021 trailer, it should be under warranty, BUT, with the way things are it may take a long time for the repairs to be made.

 

[Dona40]

I agree with Gronk. Because you mentioned that the fuse was blistered, It might be worth looking for loose connections or a possible short. There is not a great deal of care by the assemblers on an RV. Makes don't matter.