FWC Fleet Hot Water tank - Burning smell

[Kerschbaumer]

2017 Fleet - bought used but in mint shape. Never had luck getting the hot water tank working.

Turn on the switch and flame ignites but quickly developes a burning smell and black smoke coming out of the exhaust. Tried best I can to look down the chamber but dont see anything.

Tried to let it run for a bit in case it was a twig or leaf that had fallen in there and needed to burn off but it just doesnt feel right.

Any thoughts?

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

My guess is you have a spider web/nest in the burner tube, and it isn’t burning properly . They are attracted to the smell of propane.

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Maybe try this . . .

 

[Kerschbaumer]

Great stuff - thanks - will dig into this and report back.

On a seperate note and maybe a question for a new thread - dometic 3 way fridge igniter - mine died and oem replacement looks expensive and hard to get - can i just use simlar piezo from gas fp or bbq?

 

[Stan@FourWheel]

Kerschbaumer -- Can you post a picture of what your refrigerator looks like inside the exterior vent (if your controls are outside, but inside the exterior vent cover) ?

Or a picture of the front of the refrigerator, if your controls are only inside on the front of the refrigerator ??

Great stuff - thanks - will dig into this and report back.

On a seperate note and maybe a question for a new thread - dometic 3 way fridge igniter - mine died and oem replacement looks expensive and hard to get - can i just use simlar piezo from gas fp or bbq?

 

[Kerschbaumer]

Thanks all for the information. Had a quick look - flame is yellow which I now know should be blue. Moving the baffle doesnt change the flame colour which suggest to me maybe a blockage - will have to dig into it on the weekend.

For the fridge - here is a pic - it is a Dometic RM 2193. Spoke to Canadian FWC vendor and they said I need to order from the US and would cost over $100! - there must be another way.

Shoot- how do I attach an image? asked to paste in a URL - I dont have an online photo whatever.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Thanks all for the information. Had a quick look - flame is yellow which I now know should be blue. Moving the baffle doesnt change the flame colour which suggest to me maybe a blockage - will have to dig into it on the weekend.

For the fridge - here is a pic - it is a Dometic RM 2193. Spoke to Canadian FWC vendor and they said I need to order from the US and would cost over $100! - there must be another way.

Shoot- how do I attach an image? asked to paste in a URL - I dont have an online photo whatever.

You can upload from your computer. First, press the more reply options button next to the Add Reply button. You should see a box to attach files. Select “Choose File” and go to the picture that you want and click on it. Then press “Attach This File”. When it is loaded, position the cursor where you want your picture to appear in the post. Then select “Add to Post”. Do a preview to see how it looks, if good… select “Add Reply”.

Caveat: this isn’t elegant, and often the orientation can be wonky. There’s a pinned thread in member support on how to fix that.

 

[Kerschbaumer]

Here is picture of back of fridge - thanks for the help

Would be nice to get rid of 3 way fridge and have simple 2 way running on solar.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I’m not a tank style water heater fan, but I have one in my Northern Lite. If and when I choose to use it, I always take a length of string trimmer nylon, and poke all around the burner tube, then blow it out with air. That usually is all it takes (YMMV) to clean out the spiders and web.

Good Luck! Be careful to not burn wiring… don’t ask how I know.