Water heater

[Dave-FUN]

During a recent trip my water heater did not provide constant hot water. I hooked up with campground water, allowed the system and heater to fill, turned on the hot water switch. The by-pass valve under the bed was turned off. The heater would kick on for a short while, heat up a small amount of water and then turn off. The heater would reignite sporadically but only for a short while and never long enough to heat water for a shower on an as needed basis.
Any ideas before I get involved in service world?
Dave
18FBS fun finder

 

[webslave]

Ignition doesn't appear to be the problem, so, the two major causes would be a) a spider web in the gas tube (spiders for some reason love the smell of LPG) or b) a bad thermocouple that is sensing an "over temp" condition and killing the gas flow prematurely.

I would start with verifying that nothing is living in the gas tube constricting the gas flow...that would also cause the system to abort the heating process. The gas tube (flame tube) should be open and clear of debris and when lit, should burn blue with very little yellow/orange flame along its length.

A "normal" length burn for a 6 gallon tank should be in the 5-10 minute range depending on ambient air temperature...