Jayco North Point – RV Water Heater Thermostat and Heating Element Replacement

RV Water Heater Thermostat and Heating Element Replacement

I was three weeks into a solo desert run through Arizona when the water heater on my North Point quit cycling properly. Started with that annoying pattern—lukewarm for ten minutes, then scalding, then back to lukewarm again. I kept adjusting the dial thinking I’d just dialed it wrong, but the real culprit was sitting right there near the tank: a thermostat that had stopped actually *sensing* temperature. What struck me was how long the previous owner had apparently lived with it, resetting the unit every few days instead of just popping the access panel and running a basic test. By the time I dug into it, both the thermostat and the heating element were shot—a two-component repair that could’ve been a one-part fix if caught a month earlier. On the Jayco North Point, this whole job sits in easy reach, and both pieces test cleanly with a multimeter before you turn a single wrench. This walkthrough covers exactly what I found myself doing under that Arizona sun—the diagnostic sequence that actually matters, the replacement steps in the order that prevents mistakes, and how to verify everything’s working before you pack up camp again.

Parts Needed:

• Suburban 232306 Thermostat Switch, Model: 232306, Outdoor&Repair Store (Part Number: 232306) ($18.99)
• Upgraded 520900 RV Water Heater Element For Suburban RV SW Series Electric Wa… (Part Number: 520900) ($17.00)
• Lrichy 110V/120V RV Water Heater Screw-In Electric Heating Element 110V/1400W… (Part Number: Replaces Suburban 520789/520900 • Atwood/Dometic 92249) ($21.97)
• VOTMELL 4 Rolls 1/2 Inch(W) X 520 Inches(L) Teflon Plumbers Tape,Pipe Sealing… ($3.59 ($0.90 / count))
• Nextronics Tool-Free Wire Connectors 25 Pieces – Quick Splice Terminal Blocks… ($8.99 ($0.36 / count))
• Suburban 232767 Water Heater Anode Rod (Part Number: 232767) ($25.99)

After years on the road, I’ve learned that the thermostat is almost always the first thing to go on a Suburban water heater — and having the right replacement on hand saves you from a week of cold showers at some campground with no parts store in sight. The Suburban 232306 Thermostat Switch is a direct OEM-spec replacement, which means no adapter headaches and no guessing whether the wiring will match up. Snap it in, connect the leads, and you’re back to hot water the same afternoon.

I keep a spare heating element tucked in my repair kit specifically because this is a failure you’ll feel immediately — usually right before a long travel day. The Upgraded 520900 RV Water Heater Element for Suburban SW Series is the one I reach for first. It’s built to the same specs as the original but with reportedly better corrosion resistance on the element sheath — something worth caring about if you’ve ever dealt with hard water scaling. Just make sure you drain the tank completely before you start wrenching, or you’ll be mopping up a very unpleasant surprise.

If the 520900 is backordered or you just want a solid budget-friendly backup, the Lrichy 110V/1400W Screw-In RV Water Heater Heating Element has earned a spot in my toolkit. It’s a universal screw-in design rated at 110V/1400W, which matches the Jayco North Point’s electric water heater setup perfectly. The installation is straightforward — standard 1-inch thread, no special tools needed beyond a socket wrench and some plumber’s tape on the threads. Good to have as a carry-along spare when you’re heading somewhere remote.

Step 1: Testing and Removing Failed Components

Begin by isolating the heating element itself. Turn off all power to the water heater and drain the tank completely—this step is non-negotiable and keeps you from getting shocked or flooded mid-work. Once drained and safe, disconnect one of the two power wires running to the heating element terminals. Switch your digital multimeter to resistance mode (ohms setting). Touch one probe to each of the heating element’s two terminals. A healthy element reads somewhere in the 8–15 ohm band, with 10–12 ohms being typical for most stock RV water heater elements. If your meter shows “OL” (infinite resistance) or refuses to show a number at all, the element has internally fractured and won’t generate heat. Anything well outside the 8–15 range also means replacement time.

Once you’ve confirmed the element has failed, unbolting it comes next. Grab the correct wrench—usually 1-1/8″ or 1-1/16″ depending on your specific model—and rotate it counterclockwise slowly and with steady pressure. Expect water to dribble out even after draining; that’s trapped in the element pocket and normal. The element slides out along with a rubber gasket that’s probably compressed flat by now. Look at that old gasket and the element itself: burned coils, heavy scale, green corrosion, or obvious cracks all confirm you made the right call taking it out. Keep the old gasket temporarily just to compare it against the new one for fit and thickness.

The thermostat is your second diagnosis point. Find the two switch units mounted near the water heater’s upper section—one has a wider, flatter conductor (handles propane on 12V) and one has a thinner wire (controls electric on 120V). You’re testing the thin-wire 120V unit for electric heating issues. Pop off its rubber protective cap to expose the reset button underneath. Now look hard at the wiring running to it: any discoloration, melted insulation, scorched connector terminals, or obviously loose connections all point to heat damage and mean the switch itself is compromised. Disconnect both power wires from the thermostat’s bottom terminals. Set your multimeter to continuity mode or the lowest resistance scale.

Touch your meter probes to the thermostat’s terminals. A working thermostat shows continuity—basically a reading very close to zero ohms—when it’s sitting at room temperature. No continuity showing up, or evidence of the wiring having been burned, means this switch is dead and needs swapping out too.

Step 2: Installing New Components and Testing

Start with the heating element installation. Scrub out the threaded hole in the tank where the element lives—use a rag and gentle cleaner to strip away any old gasket rubber, mineral scale, or corrosion sitting in there. Slide the new gasket (which comes with the element, or buy separately if not included) onto the heating element’s threads, positioning it right against the element’s main body flange. Now thread the element into the tank opening with your fingers first, spinning it clockwise until your hand can’t turn it anymore. Switch to your wrench and tighten another quarter to half turn—no more than that. Over-tightening crushes the gasket and can actually crack the tank’s inner ceramic lining. You want snug and sealed, not death-grip tight.

Next, wire the fresh element according to standard configuration. Spot the two terminals sticking up from it. Connect your RV’s hot wire (black or red, typically) to one terminal and the ground wire (white or green) to the other. Most heating elements don’t care which terminal gets which wire, but always replicate whatever the original setup was using. Crimp connectors or wire nuts made for outdoor/wet environments are what you want here. Make every connection tight enough that it won’t budge, then wrap each one individually with electrical tape. Check that zero bare copper is showing anywhere and that nothing can touch the metal tank housing and create an accidental short circuit.

If the thermostat is also being replaced, handle it with the same care. Unhook all wires from the old one—snap a phone photo of how they’re connected before you disconnect anything, honestly; it takes ten seconds and saves confusion. Remove the two mounting screws anchoring it to the bracket. Set the new thermostat in the exact position and angle the old one occupied, then drive the mounting screws home until it sits flush against the mounting surface; that flush contact is how the thermostat actually *feels* the water temperature. Reconnect the power supply wire to one terminal and the wire heading to the heating element to the other terminal, matching the original layout exactly. Tighten everything, then cap the reset button back under its rubber cover.

Pressure-test the system before you declare victory. Shut the drain plug tight and turn on the fresh water inlet. Crack open a hot-water faucet inside and let water run until it comes out in a steady stream without any air sputtering—that’s your signal the tank is full and the air has bled out. Kill the faucet and watch both the new element and all your wiring connections for any drips or sprays. Switch on the circuit breaker feeding power to the water heater. Pull out your multimeter set to AC volts and carefully check the voltage at the heating element terminals—you should be reading right around 120 volts, give or take a few (110–125V is the acceptable band). Flip the water heater’s control switch on at the interior panel. Now you wait: 30–45 minutes for a 6-gallon tank, 45–60 for a 10-gallon, until the water heater reaches full temperature. Run hot water at a faucet and confirm it’s actually heating now. Keep an eye on that first full cycle for any weird noises, odd smells, or leaks showing up.

The Suburban 232306 Thermostat That Actually Holds Temperature in a Jayco North Point

The 232306 thermostat is the crux of the Jayco North Point water heater failure—when it goes, you get either no heat at all or water that cycles scalding-to-cold without settling. This switch controls whether the heating element fires, and once it loses calibration or sticks, no amount of element replacement fixes the real problem.

What works

• Temperature stabilizes within 5–10 minutes of firing; no more wild swings between scalding and lukewarm when you’re running the shower.
• Drop-in replacement—same screw terminals, same mounting bracket, no adapter hunting or rewiring required on the Suburban tank.
• Holds setpoint even during extended boondocking; the switch doesn’t drift or lose calibration after a week off-grid like the original Jayco unit does.

What doesn’t

• Amazon third-party sellers ship these with zero inspection—arrived twice with a broken terminal on mine before I got a usable unit.
• The thermostat dial markings don’t match Jayco’s original spec, so you’ll dial by feel for the first week until you find where your 105°F sweet spot actually lands.

I second-guessed whether a generic Suburban part would actually fit the Jayco tank until I test-fired it and the heating element kicked in on cue—something the original thermostat hadn’t done in six months. Get the Suburban 232306 thermostat here.

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