Water Heater....leave on or as needed?

CharlesinGA wrote:
RV water heaters have a fixed (generally) thermostat setting that is around 130°F which is dangerously hot. This is a closed system and heating water in a closed system builds pressure. In an RV it is relieved either by the pressure relief or to some extent by expansion of the the plastic/pex tubing used in the construction of the rig (similar to the way a garden hose holds pressure, and when you open the nozzle the hose actually shrinks in diameter somewhat)

My 6 gal heater heats water very quickly when I turn the 120V on, or same with propane, or super fast with both. I can heat the water and take a shower and turn it all off, and the next morning have all the hot water I need for a "wake up" shower or dishes or whatever.

This is all totally different than a house, where you have (typically) a 40 or 50 gallon tank heater and a 3850 or 4200 watt heating element, which gives you typically, 80 to 100 watts per gallon of heating capacity, vs the 6 gal/1500 watt RV heater which gives you 250 watts of heating capacity per gallon.

There is no good reason to leave the water heater on all day if you are out and about and not using it, but several safety reasons for turning it off (think runaway thermostats, fire, instant scalding water the moment you open the faucet, etc)

Charles

I see no difference. They both have thermostats that allow water to heat to set temperature. RV water is hotter to allow it to last longer a recover quicker. I leave them both on and allow the thermostats to control the temperature.
If I thought my water heater were a fire hazard I'd get rid of it, not just turn it off.