Dometic WH-6GEA Troubleshooting (Reset Button, Parts List)
The Dometic WH-6GEA is a water heater and it is one of many components that can fail on you. Unfortunately, the failures with this model come early in your ownership which means you have to find an approved repair center that is not booked up.
There will be many reasons why this brand and model of water heater is not working. For some owners, it could be the thermal fuse, and for others, it could be the control panel. Either way, you may have trouble finding an authorized repair center that has time for these little repairs.
To learn more about this problem just continue to read our article. It explores the issue so you have the best information available to fix this water heater when it fails on you. Take a few minutes to see how this information helps you solve a problem.
Dometic WH-6GEA Troubleshooting
WH-6GEA Not Working
This water heater model is not exempt from all the sources that stop other water heaters from working. The first place to check would be your power supply. There are different power points that could be the source of your problem.
To start, check your battery to make sure it is charged up, even a propane water heater needs electricity. Then move on to your battery disconnect switch if the battery is okay. Make sure that is in the right position.
Following that, check to see if you are connected to shore power and that a breaker did not trip. Follow that power point up with checking the fuses. These can blow all the time without looking like they blew.
You will need a meter to check the fuses as well as for checking the control panel. This may be the source as it and the thermal fuse have been the most common option for other owners.
However, finding the source is only half the battle when you are under warranty. The other half is finding an authorized repair shop that has an open spot to work on the problem for you.
Dometic WH-6GEA Troubleshooting
The above information is part of the troubleshooting operation you may have to do. Those are the most common sources for why a water heater does not work. They are your first components to check to see what is wrong.
The manual’s first option is to check the thermostat. Something we did not mention in the previous section. This is a key component and it can fail quite easily. But not in the first few months of ownership, like what happened to some owners.
The next place to look would be the electronic ignition module. This can get quite dirty and may interfere with the performance of the water heater. But it is not just cleaning that will solve your problem.
You need to inspect the electrode to make sure the porcelain is not cracked. If it is, you would have to replace the whole module. Then, of course, you should check the wiring.
Bad wires, crossed or loose wires can cause a whole lot of trouble for your water heater. Make sure everything is in top shape and connected correctly. Tighten up any loose connections and make sure no loose strands are touching anything else.
One good thing about the manual is that you can see a wiring diagram with ease.
Download a Dometic WH-6GEA Manual
This is a product that is still in production so finding a manual to download is going to be fairly easy. To get you started, here is a link to our go-to manual website. It takes you to the table of contents and you will find a download link at the end of that table.
Another website that lets you view and download the manual is found at this link. It has a different design to it but it is easy to navigate and the images are very clear.
Then, the best source for any manual for an appliance made by Dometic would be to go to Dometic itself. You can view the manual at this link and it has download capability with the tool on the top right-hand side of the document.
These three options should get you a good start in finding a manual for this water heater model. There will be other sources to try but Dometic may be the only free option out there.
Dometic WH-6GEA Reset Button
There is some bad news. The Dometic WH-6GEA water heater model does not have a dedicated reset button. The good news is that you can still reset this appliance using another button.
This button is called the control switch and it can either be a single or a dual type of switch. Then this switch is usually located on the wall near the water heater. The exact location will be determined by your make and model of RV or trailer.
Once you find the control switch, the reset process is quite simple. Step one has you turning it off for 30 seconds. Step two has you turning it back on after 30 seconds have elapsed.
Step three has you testing the water heater to make sure it reset. That is all there is to it. If it doesn’t reset the first time, try again. Then if it doesn’t reset the second time, it is time to check for failed parts.
The situation that causes you to reset the water heater is the safety feature called the water heater lockout. This safety feature is designed to protect against any accidents and it has several sources:
1. Thermostat failure
2. No Ignition
3. Overheating
Dometic WH-6GEA Temperature Adjustment
If you own a Grand Design 22RBE then this unit does not have a mixing valve. That means you may not be able to cool the hot water to get it down to the right temperature.
According to Dometic, this water heater is supposedly set to heat water to 140 degrees F and the emergency cut-off is supposed to kick in at 180 degrees F. That is quite hot to handle.
The solution that we came across was to replace the non-adjustable thermostat with an adjustable model. That way you can lower the temperature of the water before you get scalded.
If your water is heating to above 140 degrees F, then you probably have a faulty thermostat and the only solution is to replace that device. Owners have contacted both Grand Design and Dometic and that is the information they were given.
Also, another source for the high temperatures would be that the thermostat lost contact with the water heater. When that happens, then you will get incorrect readings. Inspect the water heater and thermostat to make sure proper contact has been established.
Dometic WH-6GEA Parts List
For a list of parts, you can go to the manual. That booklet has several parts lists for different areas of the water heater. The unfortunate aspect of this list is that the company did not provide a model number for any of the parts it listed.
For those parts, you have to scroll through the manual and look under every diagram it contains. Or there is a simpler way to get both the name of the parts as well as their model numbers.
All you have to do is click this link and it will take you to both. The bad news about this option is that the diagram is not very clear and you may have trouble identifying the shape of the part.
There is also a diagram of the access door and a table for the few parts that are included in that part of the water heater design. Once you get those model numbers, you can order the right part from an authorized dealer or repair center.
WH-6GEA Control Board
The model number for this part is MPD 93305 which is always good to have when you need to order a new one. It seems that the control board may be one of the more common failures with this water heater model.
Some people confuse the source of their problem with the thermal fuse and replacing that part doesn’t always solve the problem. You have to replace the control board to solve your water heater issue.
This is not hard to do but Dometic prefers that any work done on their water heaters should be done by authorized repair centers or dealers. The trouble with this preference is that many of the dealers are booked up months in advance and it is not practical to wait that long.
Your only option would be either to fix the heater yourself, which is not a good idea or take it to an independent repair shop and see if Dometic will reimburse you for the cost. This option needs to be approved by either the RV brand or Dometic before you do it.
You can see the control board in this diagram. It is number 11 and it is found in the component location section of the manual.
WH-6GEA Thermal Cut Off
This device is necessary when you own an electric water heater like the WH-6GEA. Its job is to protect the water heater and your RV from any water heater flare-ups that may take place.
But this little part seems to blow very quickly once you take ownership of your new RV, etc. It is a common problem and one owner simply removed the fuse during the day and plugged the wires together without the fuse to solve his problem.
That is until he got home and ordered a pack of thermal fuses to replace the broken ones. One of the reasons why this part blows so often and so quickly is its design. It seems that it may be too close to the flame tube which may overheat the fuse and causes it to blow.
The owner we just mentioned, bent everything he could away from the flame tube and has reported not having a problem since he made that adjustment. This fuse seems to be a Dometic component only as other brands do not have it nor have this problem.
One final word on that solution. It may not work for everyone as other owners have done this and found no relief.
Dometic WH-6GEA Anode Rod
According to Dometic, this water heater does not require an anode rod. However, in its burn unit, there is an electric heating element that may serve almost the same purpose. At least for heating the water inside the tank.
What this design does is make this water heater model low maintenance and hassle-free. That is unless there is a problem with the burn unit. That may make you feel a lot better after you see the price to replace the burn unit.
This component of the water heater can run you almost $500 at Amazon and over $600 at Dometic’s website. It is not a cheap part to replace but for the money, you are supposed to get extended hot water times as well as a quick water heating process.
Those benefits may help soothe any pain you feel in your wallet after replacing this unit. One touch of bad news, we have seen this product sell for almost $1000 at one online retailer.
It is better that the thermal fuse blows than have an irreparable problem with the burn unit.
Dometic WH-6GEA Bug Screen
There is a bug screen available for this water heater model. However, it is often marketed as a Camco-Dometic bug screen, giving the impression it is a universal design.
This screen model is supposed to keep out larger flying insects and rodents, as well as other small critters that like to make nests inside RVs. From the looks of it, it does not seem to keep out smaller bugs that crawl around everywhere.
The dimensions of this screen are- 3 ½-inches (L) x 3 5/16-inches (W) x 1/16-inch (thick) and weighs about 1 pound. It's easy-to-install design makes this preventive step very easy to take and it should be over in a matter of minutes.
The Camco RV Insect Screen # CAM42150 is the product that is recommended that you buy when you own the Dometic WH-6GEA water heater. Hopefully, it is small enough to keep more than flying insects out of your water heater compartment.
Dometic WH-6GEA Drain Cap
In the diagram above, the drain cap’s location seems to be between parts #7 & 13. At least the design is the same as what we saw in one outlet’s diagram of the drain cap.
This is a small plastic part and that same outlet is selling it for roughly $18. Walmart has the same drain cap but for a slightly cheaper price. That retail store is selling it online for $15.60
The issue with this drain cap is that it Is not a plug. That means you may see some drops of water leak out of this part from time to time. If you do see some water leaking out, you should add some more thread tape or plumber’s putting to the threads.
Another problem is that since this cap is made of plastic, it can deform under the heat the water heater emits. This happened to one owner already. Some owners went to brass fittings to solve the leaking problem.
They were not that concerned with two unmatched metals working together on this task. The fittings seemed to do the job and did not melt due to the heat.
WH-6GEA Dimensions
The size of this water heater model is not that large. It should fit in several small places if the need arises. Over all this appliance measures 21 x 14 x 14 inches.
Other specs include a 10,000 BTU rating, 1400 watts of electric input, electric ignition, and an aluminum tank. That last component is the reason why there is no anode rod inside this water heater model.
When the tank is built out of aluminum there is no need for that device. The reasoning behind that construction is that aluminum resists corrosion making an anode rod redundant.
But you would still need to drain and flush your water heater to help it resist corrosion. Aluminum will still corrode eventually and having an anode rod is better than not having one. At least in some owners’ opinions.
Some Additional Words
This Dometic WH-6GEA water heater is supposed to be one of the best and most modern water heater appliances you can buy. Unfortunately, that status does not prevent it from having fuses blow frequently.
That is one of the most common problems you will find with this water heater model. According to many owners, the thermal fuse blows just as soon as you take your RV out for a camping trip.
In other words, this will happen many times within the first year of ownership. So there are still some bugs in the system that Dometic needs to work out.
