Atwood Water Heater Reset Button Location
The Short Answer: The Atwood/Dometic reset is the ECO on the thermostat behind the exterior door, not a button on the DSI board. Fill the tank, bypass off, 120 V off, one firm press. Gas lockout is a switch cycle. A thermal fuse is not a reset — you replace it after you find the heat. If the ECO trips again, hire an RV tech.
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Search Intent & The Real Problem
You searched “Atwood reset button.” Three different parts live in that bay, and YouTube treats them as one. Dual-fuel G6 / GC6 / G10 / GC10 / WH-6 / WH-10 boxes (now Dometic) have a resettable ECO on the electric thermostat, a DSI lockout you clear by cycling the interior gas switch, and a one-shot thermal cutoff in the 12-volt path that does not click back in. People mash the red button on an empty tank after winterize, or they hunt for a Suburban-style board button that is not there.
Whole-box tree: Atwood troubleshooting. Why electric died: Atwood electric. This page is the button — where it is, when a press is legal, and what is not a reset. Suburban is a different thermostat — Suburban RV reset.
What other guides get wrong
They draw one red button and call it “the Atwood reset” for gas and electric. Gas DSI lockout is not that ECO. They tell you to jumper the brown thermal link “just to test” — Dometic thermal fuse. They skip bypass valves, so you reset a tank that still has no water. And they paste house-tank keep resetting onto a 6-gallon that dry-fires in minutes.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Decide which “reset” you actually have
| What failed | The control that exists | Not a reset |
|---|---|---|
| Electric dead, gas still heats | ECO / high-limit on the 120 V thermostat, exterior door | A button on the DSI board |
| Gas clicks then dies or goes silent, electric still heats | Cycle the interior gas switch 15–30 s | Holding the electric ECO |
| No tick at all after a sooty fire | Thermal cutoff — one-shot fuse | Pressing anything |
| Both dead | Fill the tank and set bypass to normal first | Any click on an empty vessel |
| Standing-pilot antique Atwood | Door lighting card | An electronic ECO for gas |
- What to look for: Atwood or Dometic on the door badge, not the coach decal. Forest River / Keystone / Thor skins still use this box — Forest River. Photo the thermostat before you press.
- Required tools: Flashlight, the model sticker (G6A, GC6AA, GC10A-10E, WH-6GAE and cousins).
Suburban SW6DE / SW10DE parts do not thread onto this thermostat. Wrong ECO, melted harness.
Step 2: Water in the tank — before any button
- What to look for: Three-valve bypass in the heat path, not winterize. Open a hot faucet until you get a steady stream, no sputter. Residual water in the lines is not a full 6- or 10-gallon. Electric switch off until that stream is solid so you do not dry-fire the ~1400 W / 120 V element.
- Required tools: Cabinet diagram, a hot tap.
Winterize plus the interior electric switch left on is the usual crime. That is a dry-fire, and the ECO did its job. Resetting dry is how you buy the element and the thermostat as a pair — element swap.
Step 3: Find the ECO and press it once
- What to look for: Exterior access door. Thermostat strapped to the tank jacket. Red or black reset in the center of the back of that thermostat — you press toward the tank until it clicks. 120 V off. Tank confirmed full. One firm press. Restore shore power or the generator. The jacket should warm in 10–20 minutes on electric.
- Required tools: Finger. Pedestal or coach breaker off while the cover is open.
Do not hold it in. Do not tape it. If it will not click, you are on a gas-only jacket with no electric thermostat, or the button is already latched and your problem is 120 V, the switch, or the element.
Step 4: Gas DSI lockout is a switch, not that button
- What to look for: Interior gas switch off 15–30 seconds, then on. You should hear a spark trial at the exterior door. No spark with bottles closed (spark-only look) = igniter, wire, ECO, thermal fuse, or board — not a longer ECO mash. Spark, no light = LP, solenoid, or a blocked burner — clicking but not lighting.
- Required tools: Ears at the door. LP off if you only want spark.
Five lockout clears in a morning dumps unburned LP into a small bay. One cycle after the tank is full. If it lights and dies, stop.
Step 5: When the reset does nothing, or it trips again
| After one legal press | Meaning | Next |
|---|---|---|
| ECO will not latch / pops in minutes | Grounded element, welded thermostat, still empty, or 120 V brown-out | Stop. Tech. ~1400 W / 120 V element is about 10 Ω with power verified dead — not house-tank 12–13 Ω |
| No 120 V at the coach | Pedestal, GFCI, converter | Not an Atwood part |
| Gas silent, ECO fine | Thermal fuse open, 12 V dead, board fuse | Thermal fuse |
| Heat-discolored wires | Dry-fire aftermath | Do not restore power |
- What to look for: Bathroom GFCI. Park pedestal that sags under the element (~12 A). Coach battery under about 10.5 V — boards act drunk. Water at the element threads is a leak, not a reset.
- Required tools: Receptacle tester. Meter only with 120 V and 12 V proven dead.
Repeated ECO clicks are a missed diagnosis, not a stiffer finger. Same physics as a house tank that keeps needing a reset.
When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro
You may fill the tank, set bypass, kill 120 V, press the ECO once, and cycle the gas switch once. Stop if the ECO will not stay latched, wiring is browned, the tank weeps, you are tempted to jumper the thermal fuse, or DSI sparks next to a propane smell. Board, solenoid, and dry-fired harness work are RV-tech jobs. A mobile tech is cheaper than a fifth ignition trial in a closed bay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where is the reset button on an Atwood water heater? A: On dual-fuel Atwood/Dometic tanks, on the electric thermostat/ECO behind the exterior access door, on the tank jacket. Power off, tank full, press once. Many DSI boards have no customer reset — gas lockout clears by cycling the interior switch.
Q: Why does my Atwood reset button keep tripping? A: Empty tank, bypass still in winterize, a grounded element, a failed thermostat, or a weak pedestal. Reset once after the tank is full. If it opens again, hire an RV tech. Do not hold the button in.
Q: Is the Atwood thermal fuse the same as the reset button? A: No. The ECO is resettable. The thermal cutoff is a one-shot 12-volt fuse for rollout or overheat. Replace the fuse after you find the heat. Never jumper it.