New to me 2006 Kestrel - First time out and had a couple of probs - Advice needed

[Ginzie]

Hi All, I bought a new to me 2006 Kestrel 2 weeks ago that is in amazing shape. The camper looks only lightly used and the elderly seller says it was garage kept most of its life..

I did all my purchase tests on shore power as the battery was low (water heater, heater, fridge...) and everything worked perfect for the short time I ran it.

I took the camper out for the first weekend and while camping some things stopped working.

The furnace worked flawlessly the first night but would not start the second night. The fan would start but when it tried to ignite it would shut down. I didn't realize until after the weekend that the first night I was on my generator and the second night I was on battery power (which is completely charged up) so I am going to test it again this weekend to see if it works on the generator but not batteries and go from there.

Is there something I should know or a switch I need to flip to change from generator power to battery power? (my old camper had a switch that needed to be thrown) Maybe someone has some advice.

Talking about switches. I can not figure out what the white one with the safety clip through it in the attached pic located by the entrance and below the fridge is for and the seller had no clue. Anybody have this switch and can clue me in on its function?

Next issue - The water heater - When started it did heat the water but after about 10 mins or so the pressure relief valve did its job and popped. I checked the temp of the water and it was very high even though I had the temp at its lowest setting. I think this means I need to change my thermostat? Anything else I need to be aware of?

Last prob is the outside shower. When I turn the knobs (with the water pump on) I get an initial burst of water then nothing. Both the hot and cold sides of the sink work perfectly but nada on the shower and after riding all day I really need a shower! Another one where I have to ask if I am missing something?

by the way I did look over the manual but did not find the answers...

Thank you in advance for your help!
Greg

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Could that switch be for the outside light? Can you re post the pictures larger?
Nice camper and welcome to the "cult"
Frank

 

[Ronin]

I believe the white switch turns on a fan located near the top of the frig compartment to help move hot air out the upper vent. If you look at where the frig is from the outside you'll see 2 vents. You should be able to see the fan through the upper vent if it's similar to my Hawk.

 

[billharr]

On your heater read this thread on the heater's sail switch.

 

[Old Crow]

On the water heater--

If your water heater is an Atwood, this Atwood Water Heater Troubleshooting manual may help. It's a little confusing to read but has a lot of good info.

If the pop-off is merely dripping, you may not have an air-gap at the top of the tank. If you're not already done so, you might go through the air-gap establishment procedure and try again. If the problem persists, the thermostat could be bad but perhaps it's just not making good contact with the tank wall. The thermostat and Emergency Cut Off kits are inexpensive enough that you may want to just go ahead and replace them. (here's the 91447 one on Amazon)

Also, there are a number of pretty good videos on Atwood water heaters on YouTube. Here's one on changing the thermostat and ECO:

 

[Ginzie]

I believe the white switch turns on a fan located near the top of the frig compartment to help move hot air out the upper vent. If you look at where the frig is from the outside you'll see 2 vents. You should be able to see the fan through the upper vent if it's similar to my Hawk.

Thanks Ronin! You were spot on. Yup there's a fan and the switch fires it up. I'm guessing its good to use on hot days to help cool the fridge components...

On your heater read this thread on the heater's sail switch.

Thanks Bill. Very confusing but there was a lot of great info. Looks like i"m doing some reading on my heater and water heater this weekend.

On the water heater--

If your water heater is an Atwood, this Atwood Water Heater Troubleshooting manual may help. It's a little confusing to read but has a lot of good info.

If the pop-off is merely dripping, you may not have an air-gap at the top of the tank. If you're not already done so, you might go through the air-gap establishment procedure and try again. If the problem persists, the thermostat could be bad but perhaps it's just not making good contact with the tank wall. The thermostat and Emergency Cut Off kits are inexpensive enough that you may want to just go ahead and replace them. (here's the 91447 one on Amazon)

Also, there are a number of pretty good videos on Atwood water heaters on YouTube. Here's one on changing the thermostat and ECO:

Very cool Old Crow! The pop off is not dripping. It was dry until it popped and then once the pressure was done it stopped. I'll review the manuals and videos and see if I get anywhere.

Thank you everyone for the info! The only thing left to figure out now is the outside shower operation and I'm sure I'll find that in the manual.

 

[Old Crow]

Uh-oh. I just realized the photo you posted isn't a photo of an Atwood water heater. That appears to be a Suburban. You may want to find the make and model number label and include that info in searches for the manual, troubleshooting info, and parts.

A quick search came up with Suburban manuals here and here , both of which have thermostat and ECO info around page 12 in each.

You will also want to check/clean connectors and plugs, of course. You might also call around to local RV dealers to see if they have a board tester for the control board.

It may be useful to check temperatures as it heats up. The pressure-relief valve isn't supposed to go off until something like 210 degrees and thats not supposed to happen because the ECO should have cut off at something like 180. Not to mention the thermostat cutting out at 130 or so. The sensors may not be making good contact or may be bad or the board may not be interpreting them correctly because of its own connections or a problem with it.

 

[Mr.Beazler]

Hey Ginzie, what kind of truck do u have that kestrel in ? Looks sweet