Electric Water heater

[trtog7]

New RV has Electric Water Heater Manual says over 30 amps Can it not be used on 30 Amps.

[wa8yxm]

The rules according to Reddy Kilowatt

There are "Big Ticket Items" these include
Air Conditioners
Water heater
Microwave
Electric space heaters including electric fireplaces

And MAY include under some conditions: The converter

These items all pull over 10 amps (In the case of the converter if it is big enough and the batteries are hungry enough)

Then there is the Fridge, I call a medium load. Also coffee pots. toasters and the like (NOTE: some of these kitchen things can be big loads)

And "Small items" Televisions, Radios, The converter if the batteries are full up. They more or less do not count.

On the kitchen stuff. Read the label over 1000 watts is a big load,

Now the rules

20 amps: 1 big load
30 2 big loads
50 All you can eat.


NOTE: This assumes GOOD 30 amp service, The park I am in now it depends on the site how good it is.

[Airmon]

I've got a similar WH.

You're fine to run it on 30A, but like dougrainer wrote, you're going to pop the breaker on the 30 Power receptacle if you run almost any other high power item ( A/C, Microwave ) at the same time.

If it really bugs you, you can get an RV Energy Management System that will monitor how much power you're using and trim the load by removing power from specific items when the load goes above a certain point.

I have on in my coach and when I'm on 30A service, if I have the A/C and the water heater on, if I turn on the Microwave the EMS automatically cuts power to the water heater. When the Microwave goes off, it returns power to the WH.

The one I have isn't made any more, but here's a similar thing - http://www.intellitec.com/index.php/products/Energy_Management/Smart_energy_management_systems/Automatic_energy_select_switch

[wa8yxm]

Why would it say "over 30 amps" Typo of course.

[AllegroD]

Our Atwood 6 gal Gas/elec ATWOOD GC6A410E works fine on 30 amp. On 50 Amp we have runt the 13.5 & 15k BTU AC with the electric water heater with no problem. Do not see you having a problem on 30 amp unless you run 2 AC & Elec WH. If all three com on at once, something might open, like the post CB.

[Old-Biscuit]

trtog7 wrote:
It is 2013 Allegro 35QBA

50A rig?
IF yes........you can use an adapter that allows you to plug into a 30A power receptacle.
You will be limited to 30A total load so that means you can not run everything that you would be able to run when using a 50A power receptacle.

Yes you can run the WH while on 30A......just may not be able to run A/C or microwave at same time.
Just takes a little load management when you are a 50A rig and plugged into 30A service.

We are 50A......we use 30A many times. We can run WH, fridge, TV, the 12V DC items, have converter charging batteries and are OK.
But if we want A/C or microwave we just run WH on propane (or turn it off until needed).

Not a big deal :B

[trtog7]

It is 2013 Allegro 35QBA

[DryCamper11]

dougrainer wrote:
4. If they state OVER 30 amps service to use Water heater on 120, then you are given GOOD advice. The reason is---The Roof AC will pull about 15 amps--refer-3 amps- power converter/Inverter/charger-1to 4 amps. That gets you to 21 to 22 amps. IF you try to use the water heater OR the Microwave on 30 amp service, you will trip the pedestal breaker. The manual is just stating the obvious for when you operate on 30 amp service. If on 30 amp service, run the Water heater on LP. If on 50 amp service, you can run everything in the RV. Doug

I suspect you are right about why that warning is there. However, if it's a standard RV water heater, then I think that manual warning is much too simplistic. I've got all the appliances/devices listed above with only a 30A service and I certainly use my electric WH (1400 W = under 12A). It's just necessary to balance the power usage to stay under 30A total. If I'm not simultaneously using both the AC (13A) and the microwave (9A), I can use the 12A needed for the electric half of my WH.

I do a lot of dry camping/boondocking and I prefer to save as much propane and water as possible, so I often leave the WH off completely. When I want small amounts of hot water, we use the hot pot. It's a waste of water to run the heated water through the lines and throw away the unheated water in the lines, and I hate running out of propane before the end of a 3 week vacation. When we want to shower, or need lots of hot water, we crank dual propane and electric on the WH, which heats the 6 gallon tank in minutes. I agree that leaving the WH always on electric with a 30A circuit while camping in the heat needing the AC is going to be a problem.

[dougrainer]

1. Which manual? The Water heater or the RV general manual?
2. NO RV water heater pulls more than 11 amps on 120. They do not put Marine Water heaters in RV's
3. If you have the Tiffin you posted just 4 days ago as your RV, then you have no problem at all. If not the Tiffin, what year/model are you buying?
4. If they state OVER 30 amps service to use Water heater on 120, then you are given GOOD advice. The reason is---The Roof AC will pull about 15 amps--refer-3 amps- power converter/Inverter/charger-1to 4 amps. That gets you to 21 to 22 amps. IF you try to use the water heater OR the Microwave on 30 amp service, you will trip the pedestal breaker. The manual is just stating the obvious for when you operate on 30 amp service. If on 30 amp service, run the Water heater on LP. If on 50 amp service, you can run everything in the RV. Doug

[Old-Biscuit]

trtog7.........

Relax. Either you have misread the info, the info is incorrect OR you have purchased one of them high dollar ALL electric MH's with residential fridge, electric WH, 110V AC 2 stage furnace etc. In that case you will NEED to use 50A power source minimum.

What rig have you purchased?

[skipnchar]

That is very rare as MOST RV water heaters are duel fuel with a (lower amp) electric setting along with an LP gas mode. That heater if specs are correct would work only in RV Parking lots and would not be suitable for camping in most campgrounds and totally out of the question for boondocking.

[downtheroad]

DryCamper11 wrote:

downtheroad wrote:
Not sure about the, "Over 30 amps."???
But, yes you can most certainly use your WH on a 30a hookup.

Why would you say that? If the manual says it takes over 30A, I'd expect it to take over 30A and eventually blow a 30A breaker.

Because it's true.

[DryCamper11]

smkettner wrote:
AFAIK all are 1400w and will run fine on 20a 120v.
Unless it is a marine version made for 240 volts?

Even the Atwood marine version I saw that ran on 240VAC was only 1500 watts. When I first saw this post, I thought it must be a residential WH installed in some giant bus conversion - electric only - or perhaps an instantaneous residential unit. If it's Atwood and intended for a typical 120VAC/propane RV installation, I can't see how it could need more than 1400 watts.

[DryCamper11]

trtog7 wrote:
It is an Atwood and no idea of model number as we do not have unit yet and paperwork does not give number Why would they save more than 30 instead of 50 amps

The common Atwood RV type WH is 1400 or 1500 watts. That's less than 15 amps. I would be very surprised if your WH actually requires more than 30A. That's 3600 watts.

It's not impossible - a home WH of 80 gallons might be 4500 watts, but that's eight times bigger than a large 10 gallon RV type WH, and 13 times bigger than the common 6 gallon unit.

I'd double check your WH manual, and if the manual says that it can't run on a 30A circuit, then call Atwood once you have the model number, so you can verify.

[time2roll]

AFAIK all are 1400w and will run fine on 20a 120v.
Unless it is a marine version made for 240 volts?