hot water heater switch confusion

On our system, when you light up the control panel, the water heater switch is second from the left at the bottom of the screen. You touch the button and it will light up a lighter color of blue and show the words: Propane, Electric, and Both. Tap on one of them, and what you pushed will begin. If all is working properly, you can leave it alone and it will function that way till you touch the panel again at which time the light will go darker and the heater will shut off.

Like stated above, the switch for the electric function is ouside; open the heater outside panel and look for a black rocker switch I've got the same water heater and it's the dumbest setup I've ever seen. No reason why both switches can't be inside

2edgesword wrote:
If there is only one switch I would have to imagine it's not electric OR propane but electric AND propane meaning when the switch is off you're going to get neither electric or propane.

Never heard of any water heater with just one switch controlling both functions - makes no sense at all.

bob2194 wrote:
The hot water heater is both electric and propane. I only have one switch. My older TT had 2 switches, this one has only one one and its electric, off and its propane.

If you have a gas / electric water heater with only one switch inside the trailer then it's a Suburban SW6DE whereas your previous water heater with 2 switches inside the trailer was an Atwood. That one inside switch when switched on means the water heater is running on gas, the switch that turns on the electric heating element is on the water heater itself, accessed by opening the outside water heater hatch. It's a rocker switch with a pin through it so you don't inadvertently turn the electric element on when there's no water in the tank - do that and you'll instantly burn out the element.

If there is only one switch I would have to imagine it's not electric OR propane but electric AND propane meaning when the switch is off you're going to get neither electric or propane. Of course the one conclusive way to know is Googling the model number and see if there is information online.