Hot water heater power relay

[Michael Bulriss]

Thanks Ralph,

I sent your explanation on to him. He did not want to bypass any safety devices. Is that a common Bird wire job. I do not remember any power relays when I changed the hot water heater on my 83.

Mike Bulriss

1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan"

toasty San Antonio, TX

Sent from my iPhone

On Aug 1, 2011, at 11:34 PM, "Ralph L. Fullenwider" <"rlf47@swbell.net"> wrote:

Mike:



The 12vdc is supplied from a hot source, but what your friend is looking

for is the red or black wire that is hooked to the ground source which is

the water from the water heater it's self. It is connected to a sensor

(plastic plug with a screw in it held by jb weld usually) at the out put

side of the water heater piping in a brass T fitting. when water is in the

piping it supplies the ground via the water and pulls the relay passing the

110 vac to the ecu and heating coil. tell your friend he can by pass the

ground but that defeats the safety, which is what it was intendeed to do to

begin with



Safe travels,



Ralph and Charolette Fullenwider

"84FC35 "Ruff Diamond"

Duncan, Oklahoma



At 04:27 AM 8/2/2011 +0000, you wrote:

>A friend with a 1986 PT40 called with a weird power problem to his hot

>water heater. He says the 110V power is routed through a relay in the 110

>power line before the normal on/off switch. It appears the relay is one

>of those 12V switched relays which controls the 110 power. He has not

>been able to trace it to see where the 12V leads go to. The relay appears

>to be stuck open now and he gets no power to the hot water heater. If he

>by-passes the relay, and turns the on/off switch on, he gets power and hot

>water.

>

>I do not remember having that set up on my 83, nor on my 91. Does anyone

>have a power setup like that for their hot water heater power? What is

>controlling the 12V power source? An over temperature switch/sensor

>somewhere? Or is this some prior owner's undocumented "upgrade"? He is

>concerned about just bypassing the relay without knowing what it is for.

>

>Thanks for any ideas.

>

>Mike Bulriss

>1991 WB40 "Texas Minivan" (with hot water)

>San Antonio, TX (balmy triple digits are us)

>

>