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  1. #1
    Left The Driveway
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    DSI Fault on Surburban Water Heater / Patience = Solution

    I recently tried using propane rather than electric to heat water in my 2018 Suburban water heater (model SW-12DEL).
    Every time I turned on the "GAS" switch for the water heater, the "DSI Fault" light would come on.
    I know I had propane because I was using it to fire up the refrigerator, stove and the gas furnace.

    After several failed attempts of turning the switch off and on, I decided to looked for my owners manual.
    Of course, I "always" read these first!

    After a few seconds of looking for the manual, I heard the gas burner for the water heater fire up . Turns out that it takes 10 to 15 seconds for this to happen after turning the switch on.

    I did not find an owners manual among all the documentation I was given.
    But looking online I did find and download the manual for the water heater. And sure enough, right there
    (see copy/paste below) at #7 is a NOTE regarding the time it takes for the system to fire up the heater.

    So, not to take anything away from all the other posters regarding DSI Faults and the possible solutions, but for myself it was just a matter of waiting several seconds after turning the switch on.
    I for some reason always expect instant results after turning a switch on.

    I hope this info is of some help to others.

    OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNlTS
    WITH DIRECT SPARK IGNITION GAS VALVE
    1. STOP: Read the safety information provided.
    2. Turn off all electric power to the appliance.
    3. Turn "OFF" gas supply.
    4. Wait five minutes for gas to clear the area. lf you smell gas then STOP! Follow
    instructions in item B of the safety information. lf you don't smell gas, go to
    next step.
    5. Turn "ON" gas supply.
    6. Turn on electrical power to the appliance.
    7. Turn switch marked "GAS" in Figure B to "ON" position. lf the burner does not
    light, the system will automatically attempt two more tries for ignition before
    lock-out.
    NOTE: Each ignition cycle will have a 15 second purge before spark cycle if
    system is a three try system.
    8. lf lockout occurs before main burner lights, turn switch to "OFF", wait five
    seconds and turn switch to "ON' position. This will restart the ignition cycle.
    The first start-up of the heater may require several ignition cycles before all
    air is purged from the gas lines.
    If the burner will not come on, the following items should be checked before calling
    a service person.
    1. Switch turned oft.
    2. Gas supply to heater is empty or turned off.
    3. Reset button on ECO is tripped. (see Figure 9)
    4. lf burner fails to light, call a Suburban Service Center or a local RV service
    agency.

  2. #2
    New Member
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    Dan and Judy are absolutely correct, patience is a virtue in this particular case. I have a 2022 Grand Design Transcend Xplor 221RB, and went through the same scenario where I had issues in getting propane to heat the hot water. I knew the water heater was full of water, I knew the stove worked fine so the LPG system was good, but when I flipped the Gas switch on for the hot water heater I immediately got an SDI Fault. My initial reaction was to shut everything down because I thought something was wrong. In reality, knowing that my heater had water in it and that my LPG system was working correctly, I flipped on the Gas switch for the heater and got the SDI Fault, but this time I let it go for ~30 seconds, then the system locked out, so I flipped the switch off and waited ~20 seconds, then flipped the Gas switch on again, same result, so waited another ~20 seconds with the switch off, and on the third try I got the SDI Fault alert initially but after a few seconds the alert light went out and the water heater (on propane alone) started to heat the water. About 20 minutes later I had scalding hot water from my faucets and showers, and never saw the SDI Fault alert again. Thanks to Dan and Judy for pointing me in the right direction and helping me overcome two days of frustration.

  3. #3
    Site Team Soundsailor's Avatar
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    Aug 2021
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    Thanks for posting this, may help another.
    Stephen and Judy
    2022 Reflection 150 Series 260RD (Stella)
    2017 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (Blue)
    Traded - 2018 Forest River Rockwood Minilite 2104S

  4. #4
    Rolling Along
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    Quote Originally Posted by TomD1247 View Post
    Dan and Judy are absolutely correct, patience is a virtue in this particular case. I have a 2022 Grand Design Transcend Xplor 221RB, and went through the same scenario where I had issues in getting propane to heat the hot water. I knew the water heater was full of water, I knew the stove worked fine so the LPG system was good, but when I flipped the Gas switch on for the hot water heater I immediately got an SDI Fault. My initial reaction was to shut everything down because I thought something was wrong. In reality, knowing that my heater had water in it and that my LPG system was working correctly, I flipped on the Gas switch for the heater and got the SDI Fault, but this time I let it go for ~30 seconds, then the system locked out, so I flipped the switch off and waited ~20 seconds, then flipped the Gas switch on again, same result, so waited another ~20 seconds with the switch off, and on the third try I got the SDI Fault alert initially but after a few seconds the alert light went out and the water heater (on propane alone) started to heat the water. About 20 minutes later I had scalding hot water from my faucets and showers, and never saw the SDI Fault alert again. Thanks to Dan and Judy for pointing me in the right direction and helping me overcome two days of frustration.

    What’s an SDI fault?

  5. #5
    Site Team Redapple63's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bungy View Post
    What’s an SDI fault?
    He meant DSI fault. A typo is all.

    Bill
    2019 GMC 3500 SRW Sierra Denali Duramax
    2020 Reflection 315RLTS

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