Suburban RV Water Heater Reset Button [One Click Fix]

There are three ways to reset your Suburban RV water heater. You can either use the reset button or the ON/OFF switch or the hot water faucet.

To reset the water heater using the Suburban RV water heater reset button, locate the rubber cover on top of the thermostat and press and hold the reset button(s) for a couple of seconds until the heater restarts.

For the ON/OFF switch, turn the switch to the “OFF” position and wait for 30 seconds. Then, turn it back to the “ON” position to complete the reset.

Finally, for tankless or On Demand water heaters, turn off the hot water faucet and wait for 30 seconds before turning it back on.

That’s it! Your Suburban RV water heater is now reset and ready to use again.

In this article, I’ll provide you with a comprehensive guide on how to reset your Suburban RV water heater, so you can get back to enjoying your travels with a functioning water heater.

Suburban RV Water Heater Reset Button

The reset button on the Suburban RV water heater depends on the type of water heater you’re using and there are mainly two types of them.

1. Tank-type Suburban RV water heater
2. Tankless or On-Demand Suburban RV water heater

Both the tank type and the tankless types can be reset in three ways.

1. Manually reset using the reset button(s)
2. Using the ON/OFF switch
3. Using the On-Demand control center

I’ll cover all of them in the following sections. So, keep following.

How To Reset Suburban RV Water Heater Using The Reset Button?

To manually reset the Suburban RV water heater using the reset button, follow the steps below.

Step 1: Locate The Reset Buttons

The reset buttons on the Suburban RV water heater are located on top of the thermostat inside the outdoor unit of the water heater.

You’ll find a rubber cover on top of the thermostat with two reset buttons in the tank-type water heaters.

As you can see in the above picture, the left switch is for electric power, the right switch is for LP gas.

On the other hand, for tankless or on-demand water heaters, there is a single reset button located on top of the ECO switch inside the control panel. Follow the picture below for a clear understanding.

Step 2: Press And Hold The Reset Button

Once you’ve found your RV water heater reset button following the ways I mentioned, you need to press and hold the reset button(s).

But how long to press the reset button on the water heater? Well, you need to press and hold the reset button(s) for a couple of seconds. You can release the reset button once you hear a humming noise which indicates the water heater just restarted.

[Pro tip: Always use your hand and never use any tool to push the reset button(s)]

How To Reset Suburban RV Water Heater Using The ON/OFF Switch?

To reset the Suburban RV water heater using the ON/OFF switch, follow the steps below:

01. Locate The ON/OFF Switch.

There are usually two ON/OFF switches available regardless of the type of water heater. One is located inside the RV and the other is located inside of the outdoor unit.

However, the first may look different depending on the type of water heater.

The following pictures illustrate the indoor unit ON/OFF switches’ appearance based on the type of water heater.

You’ll find the above-displayed switch in the following Suburban RV water heaters:

• Only electric water heater
• Only gas water heater
• Tankless or On Demand water heater

The above-displayed switch is available only in the hybrid (both electric and gas) types of water heaters.

Finally, if your water heater is a tankless one and you use an optional On-Demand control center, the leftmost switch will work as an ON/OFF switch.

Now for the outdoor unit, you’ll find an ON/OFF switch located in the bottom left corner as shown in the picture below.

Now that you’ve located the switch, it’s time to reset the water heater using the ON/OFF switch.

02. Restart The Water Heater

To restart the water heater, turn the respective switch to the “OFF” position and wait for 30 seconds. You can use either of the indoor or outdoor switches to do that. After 30 seconds, turn the switch to the “ON” position to complete the reset.

Your Suburban RV water heater is now successfully reset.

How To Reset Suburban RV Water Heater Using The On-Demand Control Center?

If you have a tankless or On Demand type RV water heater, you can reset it using the On Demand control center.

To reset using the On Demand control center, turn off the hot water faucet and wait for 30 seconds. Then, turn the hot water faucet on to complete the reset.

What Makes The Reset Button Trip On Suburban RV Water Heater?

The reset button in a suburban RV water heater is a safety feature that trips and shuts off power to the heating element when the water temperature reaches an unsafe level. For Suburban RV water heaters, it’s 180°F. This can occur due to the following reasons:

• Faulty thermostat.
• Faulty Heating Element

Now, let’s get into the details.

01. Faulty Thermostat

There is a thermostat in the water heater that controls when the heating element should turn on and off. If the thermostat fails to turn off the element and the water temperature continues to increase, the reset button will trip to prevent the water from getting too hot.

How To Fix:

The reset button is a failsafe device that cuts power when the thermostat fails to do so. In such a situation, you need to press the reset button to restore operation.

If pressing the reset button restores operation, it indicates that the thermostat may have failed to cut power to the heating element, allowing the water temperature to reach the highest limit.

In that case, you need to inspect the thermostat and replace it if necessary.

How To Test A Water Heater Thermostat?

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to test a water heater thermostat for continuity:

Step 1: Turn off the power to the water heater from the main electrical panel and ensure that it’s completely switched off.

Step 2: Check if the reset button on the thermostat has tripped. If it has, reset it. But if it hasn’t, remove the cover from the thermostat by unscrewing the screws holding it in place as shown in the picture:

Step 3: Use a multimeter and set it to measure continuity. With one lead of the multimeter, touch the upper left side (Electric) terminal next to the reset button. Then, use the other lead to touch the other terminal on the bottom left side.

Look at the below picture closely to understand the touchpoints:

The multimeter reading should be close to zero if there is continuity. Repeat this test for the right side (DC/Gas) terminals as well.

Step 4: Based on the test results, if any thermostat is found to be faulty, it should be replaced with a new one that matches the specifications of your RV water heater.

How To Replace The Thermostat On The Suburban RV Water Heater?

To replace a Suburban RV water heater thermostat, follow the step-by-step guide below:

# 1: Follow steps 1 & 2 of the previous section.

# 2: Carefully disconnect the wires connected to the thermostat.

# 3: Unscrew the thermostat from the water heater tank.

# 4: Install the new thermostat by aligning it with the screw holes on the tank and securing it with screws.

# 5: Reconnect the wires to the new thermostat, ensuring they are properly connected.

# 6: Replace the cover on the thermostat and secure it with screws.

By following these steps, you should be able to successfully replace the thermostat on your Suburban RV water heater.

Once you have completed the testing and replaced any faulty thermostats, reconnect the wires following the correct connections and restore power to the water heater.

Remember, safety is crucial when working with electrical components, so always be cautious and ensure that the power is switched off before beginning any testing or repairs.

02. Faulty Heating Element

The heating element is responsible for heating the water in the tank. A malfunctioning heating element can lead to the water temperature rising too high, which can trip the reset button.

However, as you’ve already known the thermostat’s job is to cut off the power when the water temperature gets too high.

So, a faulty heating element alone cannot cause the reset button to trip as the thermostat should cut the power when necessary. But if either the thermostat alone or both the heating element and the thermostat fail, the reset button trips.

How To fix:

First of all, you need to make sure if the heating element is faulty or not.

So, here are the steps to test the heating element on a Suburban RV water heater:

Step 1: Turn off the 120-volt system of your RV to avoid electric shock.

Step 2: Locate the heating element, which is located on the front within the exterior water heater compartment as shown below:

Step 3: Remove the heating element cover by unscrewing using a flathead screwdriver.

Step 4: Use a multimeter to check the heating element without draining your tank or removing the element.

Step 5: Set your multimeter to ohms and place your leads on the metal plates/screws of the heating element.

A good heating element should show 10 Ohms of resistance. If the multimeter reading is more than +/- 10% of the mentioned resistance, it means that the heating element is bad and needs to be replaced.

Now the question comes, how to replace the Suburban RV water heater heating element?

As you’ve already turned the power off and accessed the heating element in the previous section, replacing the heating element is now quite simple as follows:

Step 1: Drain the water from the tank by opening the pressure relief valve and removing the anode rod.

Step 2: Use a wrench to unscrew the old heating element from the tank.

Step 3: Clean any mineral deposits or debris from the threads of the tank and the new heating element.

Step 4: Apply Teflon tape to the threads of the new heating element to prevent leaks.

Step 5: Screw the new heating element into the tank and tighten it with a wrench.

Step 6: Refill the tank with water and check for leaks. If you get any leakage, you can check out our solution guide on how to fix Suburban rv water heater leaking issue in detail.

Step 7: Turn on the 120-volt system of your RV and test the new heating element by running hot water from a faucet.

Note that if you are not comfortable testing the heating element yourself, you can seek help from a professional RV technician.

Here are some important things to remember about the reset button in the Suburban RV water heater:

• The reset button is a high-limit resettable thermostat that is several degrees above the high limit of the thermostat.
• If the thermostat fails to turn off the heating element before the high limit has to trip, one of the two devices is not working properly.
• If both (electric and gas) power switches are on but the electric element is not heating the water, press both reset buttons on the back of the water heater to restore operation.

Note: To activate the burner, the water temperature must be below 100°F-110°F depending on the water heater model. If the temperature is above this limit, the manual reset button will trip, shutting down the main burner. Wait for the water temperature to cool down before pressing the reset button.

How Do You Know If Your Suburban RV Water Heater Needs Reset?

You’ll know if your Suburban RV water heater needs reset if any of the following occurs:

• The reset light is on as shown in the picture.

• The manual reset button is tripped.

But how do you know if the manual reset button is tripped or not? Well, if your water heater has stopped working and you hear a click while pressing the reset button, it indicates that the reset button was tripped.

In contrast, if you don’t hear a click, that indicates the reset button hasn’t tripped and the underlying problem is something else.

• Your Suburban RV water heater is not working or is not heating the water.

So, if you don’t find the issues mentioned above and your RV water heater still isn’t functioning, your Suburban RV water heater needs troubleshooting.

How Long Does It Take For A Water Heater To Heat Up After Resetting?

The time it takes for the water heater to heat up after resetting depends on the size of the water heater and the temperature of the water. On average, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours for the water heater to heat up completely.

The following table shows the time it takes to heat up the water for the most common tank-type Suburban RV water heaters:

On the other hand, tankless Suburban RV water heaters heat up quickly after resetting since they don’t have a recovery time.

Once the water heater reaches its desired temperature, the ignition cycle drops to 5 seconds from the initial 7 seconds. As a result, hot water can take about 10-20 seconds to flow after you turn on the faucet.

However, the time it takes the hot water to reach the faucet depends on the water line length and the cold water temperature.

FAQs:

Final Words:

So, there you have it, all you need to know about the Suburban RV water heater reset button.

In short, knowing how to reset your Suburban RV water heater using the reset button is crucial for troubleshooting.

If you experience issues with your water heater, such as no hot water, it may be necessary to reset it.

You can also reset the water heater using the ON/OFF switch or the On-Demand Control Center.

The reset button can trip due to a faulty thermostat or heating element. To identify if a reset is needed, look for signs like no hot water or abnormal behavior. After resetting, the water heater typically takes some time to heat up, depending on factors like tank size and power source.

Remember to consult the manufacturer’s instructions for your specific model.

Finally, if you’re not getting enough hot water, I recommend you to read our comprehensive guide on Suburban RV Water Heater Not Getting Hot Enough.