Suburban Igniter Clicking With No Spark
The Short Answer: Clicking at the exterior door with no flame is the DSI board trying to spark. No spark at the electrode is cracked ceramic, a melted high-voltage lead, or a dead board — not a reason to drain the tank. Shut the LP bottles, confirm water in the tank, watch one spark trial with fuel off, and replace only the electrode if the ceramic is gone. Smell propane? Stop.
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Search Intent & The Real Problem
You came for a how-to on swapping a Suburban igniter. Fine. First decide whether the igniter is actually the failure. SW6DE, SW10DE, SW12DE, SW16DE and other Phase 3 DSI units have no standing pilot. The board dumps high voltage to a ceramic electrode, opens the gas solenoid, and looks for flame on that same rod. Click-no-spark is electrode or wire. Spark-no-light is fuel. Light-then-die is sense, ECO, or a dirty tip.
Sister diagnostics: Phase 3, SW10DE, Atwood clicking. Atwood/Dometic electrodes and boards are not Suburban parts.
What other guides get wrong
They tell you to drain the heater, wrap the igniter in PTFE tape, and hunt for a residential pilot. Suburban RV DSI electrodes thread or screw into a burner bracket — they are not a pipe fitting. They mix Atwood boards with Suburban 232307-style electrodes. They also skip the gas-off spark test, so people buy a $40 electrode for a $200 board, or spark next to an open bottle.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Prove DSI, a full tank, and which half is dead
- What to look for: “Phase 3” or DSI on the door. Bypass valves in the heat path, not winterize. Steady stream at a hot faucet — no sputter. Electric switch off so you do not dry-fire the 120-volt element (~1400 W / ~12 A on a 10-gallon).
- Required tools: Flashlight, the cabinet diagram.
Gas dead + electric hot means stay on the LP/ignition path. Both dead is usually empty tank, bypass, or ECO — reset procedure.
Step 2: Decode the click before you order parts
| Sound / sight | Meaning | Next |
|---|---|---|
| No click | Switch, 12 V, fuse, ECO, board | Power and ECO — not an igniter |
| Click, no spark at the tip | Cracked ceramic, burned lead, board | Spark test, LP off |
| Bright spark, no flame | Bottles, regulator, solenoid, spider nest | Fuel path; electrode is fine |
| Lights, then drops | Dirty rod, gap, flame sense, ECO | Clean/regap or stop cycling |
| Delayed bang | Air or weak LP, not a “bad igniter” | Shut down — do not purge fittings |
- What to look for: Which row you actually have — no click vs click-no-spark vs spark-no-flame. Guessing the part from the Amazon title is how you buy a board for a cracked ceramic.
- Required tools: Ears and eyes at the exterior door, bottles closed for the spark look.
Coach voltage under ~10.5 V makes boards click like they are possessed. A converter or battery at 12.6 V rest is the baseline.
Step 3: Spark test with fuel off
- What to look for: Bottles closed. Interior gas switch on for one trial. A sharp blue-white snap at the electrode tip, about a 1/8” (3 mm) gap — a business card, not a pretzel. Spark jumping to the bracket or chassis = cracked ceramic. No spark at the tip, board clicking = lead or board.
- Required tools: Eyes. Interior switch. No screwdriver shorted across the rod “to test the board.”
Kill the switch after one look. You are not trying to light anything.
Step 4: Replace the electrode — not the tank, not the board (yet)
- What to look for: White ceramic split or carbon-tracked. Insulation melted back from rollout. Common Suburban DSI electrode assemblies are in the 232307 family — match the bracket and the spade to your serial, not a random Amazon photo. One or two screws, one high-voltage lead.
- Required tools: LP off, 12 V off, 120 V off. Screwdriver. The exact electrode. No PTFE, no drain hose.
Do not drain the tank to change an igniter. Do not strip and restab a heat-crisped lead; replace the lead or the board harness. Set the gap to ~1/8” after it is mounted. Do not file the tip to a needle.
Step 5: Re-test, one live trial, then stop
- What to look for: Spark test again with bottles still closed. Then open bottles, one ignition trial. Clean blue flame, board holds, no bang. Still spark / no light = solenoid, regulator, or a burner full of webs after storage — that is an RV-tech job, not a second electrode.
- Required tools: None on the flares. If it bangs or you smell LP, bottles off, done.
A new electrode that still will not spark with 12 V proven at the board is the board (often a 520204-class Phase 3 control), a blown board fuse, or an open ECO. That is not another igniter.
When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro
Stop at a propane smell, a heat-damaged harness, gas-solenoid replacement, a board you cannot match, and any delayed ignition bang. You may confirm water, confirm 12 V, spark-test with fuel off, and swap a cracked electrode with the bottles closed. You may not loosen LP fittings, “purge air,” or keep clicking a flooded burner. A mobile RV tech is cheaper than a coach fire from a fifth trial.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I replace a Suburban water heater igniter? A: Bottles closed, 12 V and 120 V off, access the burner, unplug the high-voltage lead, swap the ceramic electrode (match the Suburban part to your serial), set ~1/8” gap, spark-test with LP still off. Do not drain the tank. If it still will not light, hire an RV tech.
Q: Why is my Suburban water heater clicking but not lighting? A: The DSI board is trying. No spark is the electrode, lead, or board. Spark with no flame is LP, the solenoid, or a blocked burner. Do not keep cycling it.
Q: Can a bad igniter be the ECO or the board instead? A: Yes. No click at all is power or ECO. New electrode, proven gap, still no spark is the board or harness. Electric working with gas dead does not mean the tank is bad — the 120-volt element is a separate circuit.