How to Ignite an RV Gas Water Heater

There is nothing worse than having to shower or wash dishes with cold water in your RV. Some models may offer a few conventional methods to ignite the water heater, but most have the manual override method, which is most successful. Lighting a water heater for an RV is very much like lighting the pilot for a home gas or propane water heater.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

How to Ignite an RV Gas Water Heater

1. Turn the propane tank(s) to the open/on position.

2. Locate and open the water heater access panel on the side of the RV.

3. Turn the red gas knob to "pilot" and depress it to warm up the pilot. Hold it for several seconds, and you should notice a small blue flame emanating around the pilot terminal. Once the pilot is warmed up enough, allow the red gas knob to lift up to its normal position. If the pilot is warm enough, the blue flame will remain. If it is not warm enough, it will extinguish itself and need to be restarted.

4. Turn the gas knob to desired water temperature displayed on the red gas knob. The burner should ignite immediately.

Tips & Warnings

• If the automatic ignition for the pilot is inoperable, you could try to warm up the pilot by depressing the red gas knob while holding a flame to the pilot terminal (with a long-stemmed barbecue lighter). Once the pilot is lit, continue to hold the knob down until the pilot is warm enough.
• If the system fails to light, do not continue immediately. Allow the propane vapors to evaporate before retrying. RVs stored over the winter months can be subject to insect or spider infestations in the gas lines, which can cause low propane output that prohibits the pilot to light effectively. Try the manual method only if you have to, and use a long barbecue lighter. If you still cannot get the water heater lit, bring the RV to an authorized service center for an inspection of the propane system.

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