Problem with Atwood Gas HWS

The thermocouple has possibly carked it

This is a probe which goes into the pilot light flame, and normally if this is operational, it will register whether the pilot light is alight and will allow gas to flow. If the thermocouple reads that the gas pilot light is not going will shut off the flow to prevent gas explosions. If the thermocouple is dead it won't allow gas to flow.

You have gas, but have you checked and the regulator is working and delivering gas to other appliances.

Best to get a gas fitter to check it out.

A few years ago I had trouble with the fridge not running on gas but delivering gas to other appliances. The gas fitter worked out that the regulator had let a bit of water into the gas pipes, which had pooled at the lowest point which was the gas line to the fridge

On the Attwood Hot Water System there is a thermal fuse which hardly cracks a mention in any of the paperwork. However, if this fuse blows the HWS will not work at all. Not even the ON/OFF switch inside the van will light up.

You can check the integrity of the thermal fuse just like any other fuse with a multimeter set to continuity.

Camec supply a replacement pack of two of these fuses at about $30 (which gives them a profit margin of about $29 !!).

Now here is how to save some money. The original thermal fuse is rated at 99 deg C. It has a male and female spade fitting and a plastic tube covering.

Go to any Dick Smith store and get their thermal fuse, part number P7984. This is rated at 96 deg C (close enough). It costs $2.98 !!!

After searching for a couple of days I found the correct crimp terminals. They are 4.8mm spade fittings. I have only found both the male and female fittings at Jaycar. Part #s PT4522 and PT4518. (The Jaycar thermal fuses are nowhere near the correct rating so you will still have to get the fuses from Dickies).

CRIMP (not solder, for obvious reasons) the spade fittings onto the correct ends of the fuse by copying the original.

Get a plastic drinking straw and cut the correct length off and slip over the assembled fuse and fittings.

And there you have it. You can make up heaps of these as spares for less than $4 each.

Go to this website:

Site Link

There is a photo of the inside of the HWS. You can see a clear plastic tube above the abbreviation T'Stat with a pink spade fitting. That's the thermal fuse. Take it off and test it for continuity.

If it has blown get the parts above and make your own of pay Camec huge dollars for an original.

cheers, hope this helps