Atwood Water Heater Manual Reset & Troubleshooting Guide-Step By Step

Atwood is a widely accepted manufacturer that makes gas & electric combination water heaters for RV. The best part about the Atwood water heater is its safety mechanism.

This feature cuts off the electricity if the heater gets too hot or senses a power surge. 

Then, you need to reset it to operate the water heater again. And that’s a real pain in your neck. Right? 

Today, we will share the Atwood water heater manual reset guide and let you know how to reset your RV water heater easily.

The most interesting fact is that we won’t limit this guide to resetting the heater. We will also break down RV water heater troubleshooting tips like:

• Why Atwood Water Heater Has No Gas
• Why Atwood Heater Won’t Light or Stay Lit
• Atwood Water Heater Not Working On Electric or Gas 
• Why Heater Has No Spark On the Electrodes
• Burner Flame or Sooting
• Pilot Outage When You Release the Knob or Button
• Pilot outage
• Temperature issues
• Smoking, or soothing issues  

So, take a cup of coffee and dive deeper into this article. 

Atwood Water Heater Manual Reset-Step by Step

Follow the below steps to reset your Atwood water heater with ease:

• First off, make sure you turn the unit off.
• Use a socket wrench and pull out the nuts by holding the thermostat junction box cover to the back and remove the cover.
• Search for your RV water heater reset button that is in red or white color. You can find the red button close to the circuit board.
• Use your finger and push the reset button until you hear the click. The top of the reset button will remain flush with the side of your RV gas water heater.
• Return the junction box cover to its place and screw it with nuts. 
• Finally, turn on your water heater. And it’s all to reset your RV water heater.

Atwood Water Heater Troubleshooting Manual

Your Atwood water heater will start malfunctioning over time due to prolonged use and poor maintenance.

These will bring several issues like the main burner won’t ignite or staying lit, pilot outage, no hot water, smoking or soothing, no gas, not working on gas or electricity, no spark on electrodes, and so on. 

In this chapter, we will reveal the reasons behind these heater problems with their simple solutions which is also applicable to Atwood gc10a-4e troubleshooting as well.

Here is the Atwood water heater troubleshooting guide for you:

1. Heater Has No Gas

Your Atwood water heater may lock out if there is no gas flow. Here are some potential reasons behind this issue-

• An issue with the solenoids on the gas valve
• Clogged orifice or main burner tube
• Loose or bad wire connect on E.C.O, solenoid valve, or wiring harness

Read: How to deal with the Atwood furnace ignition lockout fault

Solution:

Fix those issues by following the steps below:

• Replace the faulty solenoid valve with a new one. 
• Clean both the orifice and the burner tube with an air compressor or an attachment brush.
• Secure wire connections on E.C.O., solenoid valve, and wiring harness.

2. Atwood Water Heater Won’t Stay Lit/Keeps Shutting Off

Sometimes, you may find your RV water heater fires up and then goes out.

This shutting-off issue happens for the following reasons.

• A bad thermocouple
• Defective control board
• Defective or issues with pilot assembly
• A faulty gas valve/poor gas supply

Solution:

To light up your water heater again, go ahead with the following steps.

• Replace the existing thermocouple with a new one
• Change the pilot assembly
• Get a new gas valve and ensure enough gas flow
• And if the control board is defective, then replace it

Note: Changing the gas valve will require a lot of elbow grease and you should have electrical knowledge. You can check out a youtube tutorial to learn how to change the gas valve.

3. Atwood Water Heater Not Working On Gas Or Electric

If your Atwood water heater doesn’t give you hot water, we bet your heater has a failed thermostat & a defective control board.

Solution:

For an easy fix to those problems, do these:

• Change the thermostat
• Get a new control board

Note: Replacing the control board is not a piece of cake if you don’t know how to change the control board. Regarding this, you can watch this tutorial to replace the control board.

4. RV Water Heater Has No Spark On The Electrodes

The following reasons may be responsible for not having any spark on the electrodes. 

• Electrodes may connect with the main burner loosely
• Loose wire connection in electrodes porcelain
• Build deposits on electrodes
• Faulty circuit board

Solution:

To fix these issues, do the followings:

• Fasten the electrodes to the main burner
• Replace the electrodes
• Remove the deposits from the electrodes
• Change the circuit board

5. Erratic Burner Flame Or Sooting

A low or little amount of gas pressure, imperfect or faulty main burner alignment & clogged burner orifice are responsible for soot build-up.

Plus, poor gas supply, blocked U-tube, or improper air adjustment could be the culprit behind the issue.

Solution:

Now, let’s learn how to fix soot build-up in your RV water heater by following the below steps.

• Make sure you position the inlet pressure at least 11″ W.C. with two or more gas appliances running to increase the gas pressure. 
• Adjust the valve and align the main burner flawlessly
• Clean the burner orifice with an air compressor or a brush. Ensure you don’t enlarge the orifice when cleaning. 
• Change the existing gas supply with a new one
• Adjust the air shutter of your main burner in a way so that it remains 1/4 way open. 

6. Pilot Outage

If you notice your heater pilot outage and your RV water heater not working, the following are the probable culprits:

• You didn’t set the gas pressure correctly.
• The thermocouple and gas control magnet of your water may be weak.
• You fail to adjust the air properly.
• The water heater pilot flame gets clogged.
• The ‘U’ tube of your heater may get blocked.

Solution:

• Make sure you set the pressure to a minimum of 11˝ W.C. with two or more appliances running.
• Replace both the thermocouple and the gas control magnet.
• Adjust the air shutter 1/4 open (approximately).
• Clean the water heater pilot light or replace it if required.
• Clean the U tube and remove the block.

7. Pilot Outage When You Release The Knob Or Button

Sometimes, you may find the pilot outage after releasing the heater knob or the button.

The main causes behind this problem are:

• The thermocouple is not hot enough.
• Loose thermocouple
• Defective gas control
• Weak thermocouple

Solution:

• Before releasing the thermocouple, hold it for 30 seconds.
• Tighten the connection enough.
• Replace the gas control
• Change the thermocouple

8. Heater Main Burner Will Not Ignite

When you find your heater pilot light works but the burner is not igniting, the following are the reasons:

• The main burner orifice may get blocked or clogged.
• Defective gas control.
• ‘U’ tube gets sealed by dirt.
• There is a block in the main burner.

Solution:

• Clean the orifice or replace it if needed.
• Change the faulty gas control panel into a new one.
• Clean the U tube.
• Remove blockage from the main burner.

9. Insufficient Water Temperature

The main reasons behind the insufficient water temperature are:

• The temperature selector may not remain in its place.
• You place the bypass levers improperly.
• The burner gets clogged partially.
• Improper air adjustment.

Solution:

• Reposition the temperature selector 
• Position the bypass levers properly
• Eliminate the blockage from the burner
• Adjust the air shutter approximately 1/4 open

10. Smoking & Soothing

You can face smoking & sooting issue with your Atwood water heater.

The causes behind these issues are:

• Poor gas supply
• You fail to set the gas pressure properly
• Improper main burner alignment

Solution:

• It would be best if you change the gas supply.
• Set the gas pressure to 11 (minimum).
• Realign the main burner 

FAQ:

Conclusion

From this guide on Atwood Water Heater Reset Manual, you have learned why you need to reset the heater and how you can do that. 

Plus, we have broken down the troubleshooting guides and provided you with easy solutions as well. As a result, now you can quickly figure out any specific issues with your RV water heater and fix those. 

If the above guidelines fail to solve your problem, let us know by commenting in the comment box below. We’ll be back soon to you with a solution.

Alternatively, you can hire a certified technician.