Wiring Steps When Installing The Fogatti Tankless Water Heater

Updated 01/02/2026 | Published 03/04/2023

Question:

My tankless fogatti water does not have a red wire it has a white wire, black wire and two blue wires. Is it for a 12 volt system?

asked by: Tracy O

Expert Reply:

The Fogatti RV Tankless Water Heater # LSB44FR is still a 12v system you'll just need to determine which wire, black or white, is the power and which is the ground wire. Each of these wires is typically labeled from the factory so you never need to guess but I reached out to the manufacturer since I haven't ran into one with a white wire instead of a red wire to confirm and was able to determine that the white wire is your ground and the red wire is your power.

The two blue wires will run to the two wires on your controller/thermostat so that it can communicate with the main unit.

expert reply by: Kevin C

Kevin H.

12/31/2025

So if the thermostat is only 2 wires all it does is make contact when it reaches the set temp. Then why is it a problem if they touch each other when the unit has 12 volts?

Kate F.

12/31/2025

@KevinH Great question! Even though the Fogatti water heater runs on 12V, the two blue thermostat wires are not carrying 12V power. They are a low-voltage communication circuit between the control board and the thermostat. The board sends a small signal through those wires and expects it to come back in a specific way, so they are not meant to be treated like a simple on and off switch. If those wires are tied into a 12V circuit or allowed to touch a powered source, it can damage the thermostat or the heater’s control board and cause faults or erratic operation. That is why the blue wires should only ever be connected to the Fogatti controller, while the black and white wires handle the actual 12V power and ground. What kind of camper is this on, and what was your most favorite trip of 2025?

Kevin H.

12/31/2025

@KateF. It's a Winnebago Journey. No trip last year. I have 2 grandsons living in it in my backyard. When their father died they had nowhere to go. I have a question about the heater still. We are trying to see if it works while remodeling the bathroom. If the thermostat just makes contact between bother the wires then to test the heater to see if it's still functioning properly. The 2 t stat wires can be connected and the heater should fire, yes?

Kate F.

12/31/2025

@KevinH To answer your question, yes, for testing purposes only, you can temporarily connect the two thermostat wires together and the heater should attempt to fire, as long as the unit has proper 12V power, propane, and water flow. Just make sure you’re only touching the two blue thermostat wires together and not introducing 12V power to them. Once you confirm the heater powers up and operates, you’ll want to reconnect a proper thermostat or controller for normal use. That is awesome you took your grandsons in, I am very sorry to hear that they lost their Father. I have 2 granddaughters and I know I would do anything in the world for them.