Thermostat And Manual Reset; Safety Warnings; Pressure Relief Valve - Suburban SW6D Installation And Operation Manual

SAFETY WARNINGS

W AR N IN G ! It is im perative that the w ater heater tank be filled w ith w ater
before operating the w ater heater. O peration of the w ater heater w ithout
w ater in the tank m ay result in dam age to the tank and/or controls. This
type of dam age is not covered by the lim ited w arranty.
W AR N IN G ! H ydrogen gas m ay result if you have not used this heater for
tw o w eeks or m ore. H YD R O G E N G AS IS EX TR E M E LY FLAM M AB LE . To
reduce the risk of injury under these conditions, open the hot w ater faucet
for several m inutes at the kitchen sink b efore you use any electrical
appliance connected to the hot w ater system . If hydrogen is present, you
probably w ill hear an unusual sound such as a ir e sc aping through the
pipe as the w ater begins to flow .
H ydrogen gas m ay be present even after w ater has been drained from the
tank. O pen faucet at sink and allow system to vent for several m inutes (5-
10 m inutes).
D o no t s m o ke or have any open flam e near the open faucet. D o not
attem pt to light pilot or m ain burner. O n D S I m odels, be sure the sw itch
is "O FF".
S hould overheating occur, or the gas supply fail to shut off, shut off the
m anual gas valve to the appliance before shutting off the electrical supply.
D o not use this appliance if any part ha s b e en subm erged under w ater.
Im m ediately call a qualified service technician to inspect the appliance
and to replace any part of the control system and any gas control that has
been sub m erged under w ater.
D o not alter the operation of your w ater heater n o r c hange the
design/construction of your w ater heater. Accessories are being m arketed
for R V products w hich w e do not recom m end. For your safety,
only factory authorized parts are to be used on your w ater heater.
P eriodically inspect the vent for obstructions or presence of soot. S oot is
form ed w henever com bustion is incom plete. This is your visual w arning
that the w ater heater is operating in an unsafe m anner. If soot is present,
im m ediately shut th e w a ter h eater dow n and contact your dealer or a
qualified service person.
W hen considering add-on room s, porch or patio, attention m ust be given
to the venting of your w ater heater. For your safety, do not term inate the
vent on your w ater heater inside add-on ro om s, screen porch or onto
patios. D oing so w ill result in p roducts o f com bustion being vented into
the room s or occupied areas.
N ever operate the heater if you sm ell gas. D o not assum e that the sm ell
of gas in your R V is norm al. Any tim e you detect the odor of gas, it is to
be considered life threatening and corrected im m ediately. Extinguish any
open flam es including cigarettes and evacuate all p ers o n s from the
vehicle. Shut off gas supply at LP gas bottle. (S ee S afety notice on front
cover of this m anual.)
N O TE : Alw ays open both the cold and hot w ater fauce ts w hen filling
vehicle w ater tank to allow air pockets to be forced out of the w ater heater.
W hen water flow s from the heater faucets, close both faucets.
W AR N IN G ! D o not store or use com bustible m aterials or liquids near or
adjacent to this heater. The appliance shall not be installed in any location
w here flam m able liquids or vapors are likely to be present.
B e sure the pow er is "O FF" to the w ater heater ignition system during any
type of refueling and w hile vehicle is in m otion or being tow ed.
The therm ostat on your w ater heater is not adjustable. It is a tem perature
sensing lim it designed to m aintain a w ater tem perature of 130 F (5 4 C ).
W ater tem peratures over 130 F (54 C ) can cause severe burns instantly or
death from scalds; therefore, be careful w hen using hot w ater. C hildren,
disabled and elderly are at highest risk of being scalded. Alw ays feel w ater
before bathing or showering.
Figure 13
T he tank in this water heater is protected by a m agnesium or alum inum anode to
prolong the life of the tank by absorbing the corrosive action of hot water. U nder
norm al use, the anode rod will deteriorate and because of this, we recom m end it
b e re p la c e d yearly. N O T E : W ater with high levels of iron and/or sulfate will
increase the rate of deterioration; therefore, m ore frequent replacem ent m ay be
req uired. If anode rod is m ostly eaten away, replace it with a new one. (S ee
Figure 12)
T o prevent a water leak when replacing the anode rod, a pipe thread sealant
approved for potable water (such as T eflon tape) m ust be applied to the threads
of the anode rod. Proper application of a thread sealant will not interfere with the
anode's tank protection.
O perating the w ater heater w ithout proper anode protection will decrease tank life
and will void your warranty on the tank. N O T E : T ank is drained by rem oving anode
rod (S ee "D rain and S torage" instructions).
T o extend anode life, drain water from tank whenever R V is not being used. A void
any extended tim e of non use with w ater in tank .
A lso, refer to section on winterizing.
W AR N IN G ! D o not replace the anode rod w ith any non-S uburban
accessory part, such as an "add-on" electric heating elem ent. Item s such
as these are not approved to be installed in S uburban products. They
could create an unsafe condition and w ill also void all w arranties.
T he tem perature and pressure relief valve is designed to open if the tem perature
of the water within the heater reaches 210 F, or if the water pressure in the heater
reaches 150 pounds. R ecreational vehicle water system s are closed system s and
during the water heating cycle the pressure build-up in the water system will reach
150 pound s. W hen this pressure is reached, the pressure relief valve will open
and water will drip from the valve. T his dripping will continue until the pressure is
reduced to below 150 pounds, and the valve closes. This condition is norm al and
does not indicate a defective relief valve.
W AR N IN G ! D o not place a valve betw een the relief valve and the tank. D o
not plug the relief valve under any circum stances.
You m ay experience water weeping or dripping from your water heater's P ressure
and T em perature (P & T ) R elief Valve when your water heater is operating. W ater
weeping or dripping from the P & T V alve does not always m ean the P & T V alve
is de fec tive . As water is heated, it expands. The water system in a recreational
vehicle is a closed system and does not allow for the expansion of heated water.
W hen the pressure of the water system exceeds the relieving point of the P & T
V alve, the valve will relieve the excess pressure.
S uburban recom m ends that a check valve not be installed directly at the inlet to
the water heater tank. This will increase weeping of the pressure relief valve.
W AR N IN G ! D o not rem ove or plug the relief valve.
O ne way to reduce the frequency of this occurrence is to m aintain an air pocket
at the top of the water heater tank. This air pocket will form in the tank by design.
H owever, it will be reduced over tim e by the everyday use of your water heater.
T o replenish this air pocket:
to flow from the valve until it stops.
will develop.
R epeat this procedure as often as needed to reduce the frequency of the weeping
of the P & T Valve. If the weeping persists after following this procedure, you m ay
elect to install an expansion or accum ulator tank in the cold water line between the
tank and check valve to relieve the pres su re caused by therm al expansion.
C ontact your local dealer for assistance.
M O D E LS : SW 6D , SW 6D E , SW 6D M and S W 6D E M (S ee Figure 13)
T he m odel water heaters listed above are equipped with a high tem perature lim it
as a cut-off device. Tem perature above 180 F will cause m anual reset button to
trip shutting down m ain burner.
T o activate burner, the water tem perature m ust be below 110 F, push reset button
to re-activate burner.
Figure 14
6
ANODE PROTECTION
Figure 12

PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE

WATER WEEPING OR DRIPPING FROM PRESSURE
RELIEF VALVE
1. T urn off water heater.
2. T urn off cold water supply line.
3. O pen a faucet in the R V .
4. P ull out on the handle of the P ressure R elief (P & T ) V alve and allow water
5. R elease handle on P & T V alve - it should snap closed.
6. C lose faucet and turn on cold water supply; as the tank fills, the air pocket

THERMOSTAT AND MANUAL RESET