hot water heater

[nephi007]

howdy Have an Atwood DSI gas only 6 gal water heater. After use for bathing in the morning and dishes we turn it off till the next time which is for evening dishes. wondering if it is better to just leave it on ir turn it off after use. it's just the wife and me. Thanks!

[profdant139]

We turn it off right after showering in the evening. We do not leave it on all day. That has nothing to do with cost -- propane is very cheap. But we boondock a lot and we try to conserve propane so we don't run out. A tank of propane lasts us about a month of camping.

[72cougarxr7]

I have an Atwood 6 gallon propane only pilot model.
When not using water, the main burner seldom kicks on, and when it does it is only for a few minutes.
Seems like you would not really save any propane turning it off for the day, as the burner would have to run a while after being off all day to reheat the tank.

IE, leave on all day, burner kicks on 3 times through out the day for 5 minutes each time, OR, turn off WH in morning, fire back up in the evening, and the burner runs 15 or 20 minutes to reheat the tank.

[snowpeke]

If your trying to save a few pennies turn it off, but geezzz just leave it on until you finished your camping trip!

[TurnThePage]

Mine is gas only. We leave it on once we reach destination. Between it, the fridge, and making coffee, one propane bottle typically lasts all summer.

[C_B_]

Hot water heater was never on electric for 10 years in my Cardinal.

Hasn't been on electric in the Cedar Creek in 4 years.

It gets turned on,on propane when we leave so water is hot when arriving at campground.It gets turned off when we get home.


I've got better things to be concerned about (is the beer still cold in the cooler) than using propane at the cost of $0.04 per minute when the burner is on to keep water hot.



C.B.

[w8lpn]

I generally just leave mine on, unless Im going to be away for awhile like others posted. It doesn't use much gas just to leave it on.

[troubledwaters]

If you can't handle the extra $0.50 a day it takes to run the WH full time then turn it off when you don't need it. Otherwise leave it on and make life simpler.

[DownTheAvenue]

The question, does the burner run more during the day to keep the water hot, or longer having to heat up the water again after it was off all day.

I bet there is not enough difference to matter.

To settle the issue, if you turn off your water heater at home during the day, do it in the RV. If not, then don't do it in the RV.

Don't be a hypocrite.... do the same in the RV as at home!!!! LOL!!!!

[darsben1]

Use in Morning then off till evening.
Definitely off when we are gone far away from the rig for more than a few minutes

[Hondavalk]

I just leave mine on. The fewer things I have to remember to do the better.

[Old-Biscuit]

I use mine just like the one in house......ON

WE like HOT water when we want HOT water not 'oh wait I have to turn on WH'

Water heater has a t-stat control.
Heats water to 140*F/shuts off then heats again when temp drops to 110*F.
If not using then water will stay above that 110*F temp for long time then only heats until it again reaches 140*F

We like the convenience of having HOT water when we want HOT water.
Besides.....it doesn't cost that much in propane

Atwood 10 gal WH uses a 10,000 btu/hr burner-----1 gal of propane contains 91,600 btu's
I would have to run water heater for TOTAL of 9 hrs burn time to use up 1 gal of propane. At $2.50 gal I am NOT going to worry about it

In your case...6 gal WH
8,800 btu/hr burner....10 hrs 40 minutes TOTAL run time to use 1 gal propane

[downtheroad]

When we are camping, ours is on...
either electric or gas or (both for faster recovery).
electricity is free and propane is inexpensive.

[enblethen]

Turn it off!
Water will remain hot for several hours.
Turn it on 10-15 minutes before needing hot water.

[SoundGuy]

nephi007 wrote:
Have an Atwood DSI gas only 6 gal water heater. After use for bathing in the morning and dishes we turn it off till the next time which is for evening dishes. wondering if it is better to just leave it on ir turn it off after use. it's just the wife and me.

If I happen to remember I turn the WH off during the day when we really don't need much hot water, but often I forget anyway. 😛 It's no biggie either way as the WH uses so little gas overall and water in the tank remains quite warm for the entire day.