Carver water heater not working on gas

[DocMartin]

This is in my Autosleeper Talisman GX (2000 model). It works on 230v but not on gas. When I switched it on I got a red and a green light. That's how it was every time I tried it. All the gas taps are on, at least all the ones I know about - some under the sink and another next to the fridge. I turned it on once again and got the red and green light but still it didn't work, then I noticed there were no lights at all. There is 12v to the back of the switch panel but I can't get to the heater as it is under the seat and I can't get to it so don't know if there is a fuse under there. There are some glass fuses above the door but they are all ok. Any idea what I need to do now?

 

[jeffmossy]

Can you hear it clicking for about 5 seconds when you turn it on ?

 

[DocMartin]

No, it doesn't turn on - no lights on the push button panel.

 

[mr brown]

take the outer vent off to get access to the burner area . there's an aluminium plate held by 2 screws ,remove this and you'll be able to see the burner itself . check it's not rusted out or choked up with crud . get someone to attempt lighting it . you should be able to see one of the electrodes sparking ,and hopefully hear the gas coming out . if no spark ,the electrodes may need a bit of a clean with fine sandpaper .

 

[DocMartin]

I already took the cover off, there is no spark and no gas. Burner is in good condition, spark electrode is good too. It seems that there is no power from the switch panel.

 

[mr brown]

i think there's 2 mini glass fuses in the switch itself

 

[DocMartin]

There are no fuses in the switch. I assume there must be a fuse within the heater unit which is in the 12v line but I can't see how the heater comes out. The water pipe connections are not apparent, nor is the gas connection.

 

[mr brown]

the only suggestion i have left ,is the fitter may have left enough slack in the wires and pipes to undo the screws and pull the heater out . all the connections are about 6'' behind the front.but i'm almost certain there are no fuses in the heater PCB

 

[snapster]

Has it ever worked on gas?

 

[DocMartin]

Has it ever worked on gas?

It must have at some time in it's life but not since I bought it a few days ago. The lights worked on the switch when I first tried it but they don't now unless I apply a voltage to the appropriate places on the circuit board.

 

[mariesnowgoose]

Aha! Glad I found thus thread ...

We've also had an identical problem. Been away for our very first proper sleepover trip in our old Autosleeper Executive this last weekend.
Sounds like the same set up as DocMartin as it has the same controls and a Carver Cascade Rapide Plus water heater?

Thanks for the useful tips mr brown, I'll check out all your suggestions in the next few days.
Just need to get me horsepiddle trip tomorrow morning out of the way first.

 

[snapster]

I would check the state of your leisure battery first as a low battery will stop the water heater firing up.

A few years ago, we had a problem with our Carver water heater in our old Swift Royale where it would fire up, then shut down after a few seconds. It got progressively worse with the ( I think) red light coming on and failure to light, then eventually it stopped working altogether, no spark, no gas valve opening
I looked online for a replacement burner unit but the only one I could find, new, was a compatable unit called “ Henry”
it came with a new wiring harness and wall switch, so I bought one.
I swapped it all over and it worked fine, for a while ( the water was much hotter than the old one too) , till I noticed a burning smell coming from the boiler area.
I took the burner out and most of the casing had melted and the heat from it had started to burn into the floor under the boiler.
I contacted the seller who told me to get in touch with the importer, which I did, but they did nothing, ignoring all my emails and the customer service and tech dept was always unavailable when I rang.
So, I gave up with them and got my original burner refurbished.
If you find you need a new burner, don’t buy a Henry unit. They are dangerous cheap Chinese rubbish, I‘m pretty sure I was only a few minutes away from a serious fire.

I used arelectronics to repair my old unit. This is them....
https://www.arelectronics.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d23_Carver-Cascade-Gas-Burner-Repairs.html

 

[alwaysared]

I would check the state of your leisure battery first as a low battery will stop the water heater firing up.

A few years ago, we had a problem with our Carver water heater in our old Swift Royale where it would fire up, then shut down after a few seconds. It got progressively worse with the ( I think) red light coming on and failure to light, then eventually it stopped working altogether, no spark, no gas valve opening
I looked online for a replacement burner unit but the only one I could find, new, was a compatable unit called “ Henry”
it came with a new wiring harness and wall switch, so I bought one.
I swapped it all over and it worked fine, for a while ( the water was much hotter than the old one too) , till I noticed a burning smell coming from the boiler area.
I took the burner out and most of the casing had melted and the heat from it had started to burn into the floor under the boiler.
I contacted the seller who told me to get in touch with the importer, which I did, but they did nothing, ignoring all my emails and the customer service and tech dept was always unavailable when I rang.
So, I gave up with them and got my original burner refurbished.
If you find you need a new burner, don’t buy a Henry unit. They are dangerous cheap Chinese rubbish, I‘m pretty sure I was only a few minutes away from a serious fire.

I used arelectronics to repair my old unit. This is them....
https://www.arelectronics.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d23_Carver-Cascade-Gas-Burner-Repairs.html

That's who I used to get the PCB tested on my Truma, very professional and they did it while I waited.

Regards,
Del

 

[Lee]

There is a reset button, it is,a small microswitch on the right side of the heater, as you look at it from the back it's near the front, which is where the burner is and it's underneath or at least low down on the body of the burner. Be aware it's a quite small microswitch.
I hope ghis helps.

 

[DocMartin]

There is a reset button, it is,a small microswitch on the right side of the heater, as you look at it from the back it's near the front, which is where the burner is and it's underneath or at least low down on the body of the burner. Be aware it's a quite small microswitch.
I hope ghis helps.

I can't see any microswitch from the burner end, the other end has the red reset switch but that's only for the electric heating. I presume I will have to take the unit out to see it.

 

[Lee]

The button is between the two green wires that go towards the burner end of the heater.
The button isn't very easy to locate.

 

[snapster]

Taking the burner unit out is easy, just a couple of screws holding the metal plate cover and another couple of screws holding it in place and of course, the wiring plug. There is a glass type fuse on the circuit board that you should check. I didn’t have a reset button (or can’t remember seeing one) on mine.

 

[in h]

The ones I've seen with this problem have simply suffered a lot of corrosion in the burner area. Take the plastic cover off from outside, take the metal plate off and clean all the rust away. At that point, you may have fixed the problem, but if not it is easy to see what might be wrong, because it is a VERY simple burner arrangement.
Only after doing that would I start looking at the other bits, because these things did suffer a lot from corrosion.

 

[DocMartin]

The ones I've seen with this problem have simply suffered a lot of corrosion in the burner area. Take the plastic cover off from outside, take the metal plate off and clean all the rust away. At that point, you may have fixed the problem, but if not it is easy to see what might be wrong, because it is a VERY simple burner arrangement.
Only after doing that would I start looking at the other bits, because these things did suffer a lot from corrosion.

I already have taken the plate off, the burner is not rusty. the problem seems to be electrical ie, no lights on switchpanel, gas valve not being energized, no spark.

 

[in h]

I already have taken the plate off, the burner is not rusty. the problem seems to be electrical ie, no lights on switchpanel, gas valve not being energized, no spark.

It isn't the burner that rusts: it's the bits round it, but it does sound like your problem is elsewhere