The ordinary Suburban WH in our 5er has only ever been run on gas, never by 120v. On gas it has the same operating options for when to turn it on and off as a pilot light model, but I like it a lot better than the pilot light one in the 1981 truck camper. The 5er one is so easy to operate, but it does need a battery for its 12v controls. Phooey on the pilot light one.
You can run one in a remote cabin with a 12v battery maintained by a simple solar set-up. On gas, they are the same for having to get the propane tank refilled.
I can't compare with an Atwood, but the anode change every so often (years for ours) is no big deal in the Suburban.
