Black Soot from Water Heater

[BMelhuish]

I have a 2000 Holiday Rambler 5th Wheel Alumascape. It has a LP/Electric Atwood water heater that I only run on LP. At the end of my trip this week I noticed a black soot stain from the water heater that was not there before the trip. I know because I washed the trailer. I last used the water heater on another trip about a month ago without incident. My trip was 5 days. I do not know when during this time that this happened. I only use the water heater at the end of the day for showers and dishes. I shut it down when I leave in the morning.

The stain did not appear bad enough to conclude that it had been on going for all 5 days. I haven't had a chance to thoroughly check this out. Before I dive into this and start cleaning and adjusting air/fuel mixtures, I had a question. I know that low LP pressure is also a cause. During the trip one of my bottles ran dry while the water heater was on. Can the bottle running dry cause a low pressure situation and thus the problem? Lastly, any tips on how to remove the stain? The paint on the side that this happened is a bit oxidized. I used some Simple Green and got most of it off, but I would like to remove the rest.

Thanks,

 

[KenHwy61]

I have run out of propane and never had soot issues like you describe. If the flame does not look right, I would clean out the burner tube first. Could be an insect or something got inside. To remove the soot stain, you could try something like "Goof Off" cleaner. That cuts through just about anything. Just test it somewhere out of sight to be sure it won't take your camper finish off as well. Good luck!

 

[BMelhuish]

I think Goof Off will remove the finish especially since it's oxidized. Since our "bug season" is basically all year, I'm betting on the bug too. I just want to clean up the mess and avoid future issues. Simple Green was all I had while in the campground. Thanks.

 

[BMelhuish]

Black Streak Remover and Bug and Tar Remover did not work. Reliable took it right off.