Safety Warnings; High Altitude Deration; Anode Protection; Anode Rod - Suburban SW12D Installation And Operation Manual

B. Periodically inspect unit for soot. If soot is present anywhere on water heater,
immediately shut unit down and contact your dealer or a qualified service person.
Soot is a sign of incomplete combustion and must be corrected before operating
water heater. Areas to check would include:
I. Check for an obstruction in burner or the flue box.
2. Check the screen in the door lo see that no foreign material has accumulated
to prevent flow of combustion and ventilating air.
3. Check to be sure there is no flame present at burner orifice or burnerwhenever
main gas valve is closed. This can be checked by turning the OFF\ON switch to
the 'OFF" position.
C. Frequent checks should be made of the grommet on the gas inlet to assure
tight seal. (See 'Making Gas Connections").
D. Periodically check wiring and wlre connection to be sure wiring is not
damagedlfrayed and lhal all terminals and connections are tight and in
compliance with codes (See 'Making Wire Connections").
SAFETY WARNINGS
WARNlNGl It Is lmperatlve that the water heater tank be fllled with water
before operatlng the water heater. Operatlon of the water heater without
water In the tank may result I n damage to the tank andlor controls. Thls
type of damage Is n o t covered by the llmlted warranty.
WARNlNGl Hydrogen gas may result If you have n o t used thls heater for
two weeks o r more. HYDROGEN GAS I S EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE. To
reduce the rlsk o f Injury under these condltlons, open the hot water faucet
for several mlnutes at the kltchen slnk before you use any electrlcal
appllance connected to the hot water system. If hydrogen Is present, you
probably wlll hear an unusual sound such as alr escaplng through the
plpe as the water beglns to flow.
Hydrogen gas may be present even after water has been dralned from the
tank. Open faucet at slnk and allow system to vent for several minutes (5-
10 mlnutes).
I
Do not smoke o r have any open flame near the open faucet. Do not
attempt to light pllot o r maln burner. On DSI models, be sure the swltch
I
Is "OFF".
I
Should overheating occur, o r the gas supply fall to shut off, shut off the
manual gas valve to the appllance before shuttlng off the electrlcal supply.
Do not use thls appllance If any part has been submerged under water.
lmmedlately call a quallfled servlce technlclan to inspect the appliance
and to replace any part of the control system and any gas control that has
been submerged under water.
Do not alter the operation of your water heater nor change the
deslgnlconstructlon of your water heater. Accessories are belng marketed
for RV products whlch we do n o t recommend. For your safety,
I
only factory authorized parts are to be used on your water heater.
Perlodlcally Inspect the vent for obstructions o r presence of soot. Soot Is
formed whenever combustlon I s Incomplete. Thls la your visual warnlng
that the water heater I s operating I n an unsafe manner. If soot Is present,
lmmedlately shut the water heater down and contact your dealer o r a
quallfled servlce person.
When conslderlng add-on rooms, porch o r patio, attentlon m u s t be given
to the ventlng of your water heater. For your safety, do not termlnate the
vent on your water heater lnslde add-on rooms, screen porch or onto
patlos. Doing so wlll result I n products o f combustlon belng vented Into
the rooms o r occupied areas.
Never operate the heater If you smell gas. Do n o t assume that the smell
o f gas I n your RV Is normal. Any tlme you detect the odor o f gas, It Is to
be considered llfe threatening and corrected Immediately. Extlngulsh any
open flames lncludlng cigarettes and evacuate a l l persons from the
vehicle. Shut off gas supply at LP gas bottle. (See Safety notice on front
cover o f thls manual.
NOTE: Always open both the cold and h o t water faucets when fllling
vehicle water tank to allow air pockets to be forced o u t o f the water heater.
When water flows from the heater faucets, close both faucets.
WARNlNGl Do n o t store o r use combustible materials or llqulds near o r
adjacent to thls heater. The appllance shall n o t be Installed In any locatlon
where flammable llqulds or vapors are llkely to be present.
Be sure the power I s "OFF" to the water heater ignitlon system durlng any
type of refueling and whlle vehlcle Is I n motlon o r belng towed.
The thermostat on your water heater Is not adjustable. It Is a temperature
sensing llmlt designed to malntain a water temperature of I3O'F (54'C).
Water temperatures over 125.F (49'C) can cause severe burns Instantly
or death from scalds; therefore, be careful when uslng hot water.
Children, disabled and elderly are at highest risk of belng scalded. Always
feel water before bathln or showerin
.
CORRECT
-
INCORRECT
BLUE OR BLUEJORANGE
WELL D B N E D PAlTERN
YELLOW OR YELLOW1
ORANGE
ERRATIC PAlTERN
Flgure 10
HIGH ALTITUDE DERATION
Suburban's water heaters are certified by nationally recognized testing
laboratories for operation without modifications at alt~tudes up to 4.500 feet.
Operation above this elevation may require derating by 4 percent for every 1.000
feet above sea level. As an example, at 8.000 feet, the water heater should be
derated approximately 32 percent.
If the unit is not properly derated, lack of sufficient oxygen for combustion may
produce improper burner operation. Pilot outage caused by burner I~ft-off or
sooting from a yellow burner may occur indicating the poss~b~lity of carbon
monoxide. You may also notice a lack of efficiency In heating the water because
of incomplete combustion of the burner at these higher altitudes.
Consult with the local gas company, your dealer, an RV service agency or
Suburban Manufacturing Company for proper derating of the unit. Change-out of
the orifice (derating) should be done by the dealer or a qualified service agency.
NOTE: It is important that once the unit has returned to lower elevation (below
4,500 feet) this high altitude deration and pilot adjustments (if equipped) be
reversed for proper operation of the unit.
ANODE PROTECTION
The tank in this water heater is protected by a
magnesium
or aluminum anode to
prolong the life of the tank by absorbing the
corrosive
act~on of hot water. Under
normal use, the anode rod will deteriorate and because of this, we recommend it
be replaced yearly. NOTE: Water with high levels of iron andlor sulfate will
increase the rate of deterioration; therefore, more frequent replacement may be
required. If anode rod is mostly eaten away, replace it with a new one. (See
Figure 11)
To prevent a water leak when replacing the anode rod, a pipe thread sealant
approved for potable water (such as Teflon Tape) must be applied to the threads
of the anode rod. Proper appltcation of a thread sealant will not ~nterfere with the
anode's tank protection.
Operating the water heater without proper anode protection will decrease tank life
and will void yourwarrantyon the tank. NOTE: Tank is drained by removing anode
rod (See 'Drain and Storage" instruclions).
To extend anode life, dram water from tank whenever RV is not being used. Avold
any extended time of non use with water in tank.
Also, refer to section on winterizing.
WARNlNGl Do n o t replace the anode rod wlth any non-Suburban
accessory part, such as an "add-on" electric heating element. Items such
as these are not approved to be lnstalled I n Suburban products. They
could create an unsafe condltlon and wlll also vold all warranties.
NEW ANODE ROD
C
Y Y l l
-
-
ANODE ROD
75% CORRODED ANODE ROD
Flgure 11