Leaving hot water tank turned on

[das]

This past weekend, we left our hot water tank turned on all weekend. Our old TT just had a gas hot water tank but the new one has both gas/electric. Was much easier to leave the electric element on instead of using up my gas and turning it off and back on when we need it. Who leaves their tank turned on all the time?

[rbpru]

My propane water heater is on all the time at home, no problem. In the RV it is on as needed. It turn it off for the same reason I turn off the lights when not needed.

[John___Angela]

We are full timers. We turned ours on 12 years ago when we started full timing. Hmmmm...come to think about it, I wonder how long this Atwood us going to last. :). Any takers??? 🙂

[CavemanCharlie]

I didn't read all 5 pages of this thread. I went camping a week before memorial day. I left my camper at the park so I would have a good spot on memorial day weekend. Besides why pull it all the way home and then pull it 70 miles back to the same park a few days later.

Anyway, I forgot and left my propane water heater on for a week. No harm done, except for the waste of propane.

[bfast54]

JPeyton wrote:
Waste of electricity to leave it on all the time. Plus sometimes they get a bit too hot and if the overheat censor fails it will start hissing out the relief valve. Plus wasting your element.

So......then do you turn your Water Heater off at your sticks snd Brick...?????..and just turn it on "when you use it"???????:h


Same thing................:S

I turn my Electtic element on when I set up, and turn off when I break camp...( I do not have a 30 amp outlet yet at home base.)
Future project.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Consider "breaking out" the water heater circuit and giving a dedicated shore power cord. I do the same with the converter for low power situations.

SALEM1 wrote:
One thing that has not been discussed is the total current drawn when using the WH on electric while the A/C is running on a TT 30 amp service. That's my situation in the Florida summer.

The manufacturer's electric specs are:
Suburban 6 gal with electric element draws 12 amps @ 120 volts.
Dometic Brisk II 15K BTU A/C draws 13.2 amps on the compressor and 2.7 amps on the fan all @ 120 volts.
My WFCO 55 amp converter normally draws 5 amps with a few lights on.

All these amp ratings are with 120 volts. In most cases, campground power will be much lower which will increase the amp draw.

If you do the math, the total amps with the WH electric element on and the A/C running @ 120 volts is 12 +13.2 +2.7 +5 = 32.9 amps. The main breaker will start heating up and will trip if the campground service breaker doesn't trip first.

I do use the WH on electric but only at night when the A/C is not running as much.

[mosseater]

schlep1967 wrote:
Simple math to me. It takes less energy to heat 10 gallons of water up 5-8 degrees 10 times a day than it does to heat 10 gallons of water up 40 to 50 degrees 2 times a day. This is assuming the water only drops to the temp of the inside of the trailer. If you are actually using the warm water you are introducing cold water into the bottom of the tank. You will need to heat that up as much 60 to 70 degrees.

I believe we have a winner. Those of you who think you're saving energy by having to heat almost the entire 6 gals. when you need it are not considering the on time of the element or gas. If the water stays within the differential setting, it only runs for a bit then the thermostat shuts it off. It's the same reasoning they recommend lowering the thermostat only a few degrees in your house so you don't have so much time under load for your system, only short bursts. Generally speaking, that is more efficient that long runs to reheat the entire area from scratch. Same with a water heater.

[SALEM1]

One thing that has not been discussed is the total current drawn when using the WH on electric while the A/C is running on a TT 30 amp service. That's my situation in the Florida summer.

The manufacturer's electric specs are:
Suburban 6 gal with electric element draws 12 amps @ 120 volts.
Dometic Brisk II 15K BTU A/C draws 13.2 amps on the compressor and 2.7 amps on the fan all @ 120 volts.
My WFCO 55 amp converter normally draws 5 amps with a few lights on.

All these amp ratings are with 120 volts. In most cases, campground power will be much lower which will increase the amp draw.

If you do the math, the total amps with the WH electric element on and the A/C running @ 120 volts is 12 +13.2 +2.7 +5 = 32.9 amps. The main breaker will start heating up and will trip if the campground service breaker doesn't trip first.

I do use the WH on electric but only at night when the A/C is not running as much.

[Old-Biscuit]

Wishbone51 wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:

pappcam wrote:

Why would anyone bother turning off the water heater, especially if you have electric hookups that you've paid for?? :h

I have the best possible motivation, to keep DW happy. No logic about energy use or time spent waiting can trump that. She can be a light sleeper and can hear it cycle overnight if left on.

How does she hear the electric element turn on/off?

I've never heard the propane cycle on from inside the trailer.

Propane.....yeah can hear ours, can hear neighbors, sometimes can hear ones down the way if open area.
I can hear the click of spark electrode on ours.
Course 30 yrs of operating boilers I hear things others don't.....nature of the beast I guess

[Wishbone51]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:

pappcam wrote:

Why would anyone bother turning off the water heater, especially if you have electric hookups that you've paid for?? :h

I have the best possible motivation, to keep DW happy. No logic about energy use or time spent waiting can trump that. She can be a light sleeper and can hear it cycle overnight if left on.

How does she hear the electric element turn on/off?

I've never heard the propane cycle on from inside the trailer.

[Old-Biscuit]

BubbaChris wrote:

pappcam wrote:

Why would anyone bother turning off the water heater, especially if you have electric hookups that you've paid for?? :h

I have the best possible motivation, to keep DW happy. No logic about energy use or time spent waiting can trump that. She can be a light sleeper and can hear it cycle overnight if left on.

How does she hear the electric element turn on/off?

[dadmomh]

On from set up to break down. Never a problem.

[atreis]

On first thing in the morning, then off after breakfast. On again before dinner, then off after the dishes are done. Primarily, this is to keep it from waking me up overnight. It also saves electric/propane.

[BubbaChris]

pappcam wrote:

Why would anyone bother turning off the water heater, especially if you have electric hookups that you've paid for?? :h

I have the best possible motivation, to keep DW happy. No logic about energy use or time spent waiting can trump that. She can be a light sleeper and can hear it cycle overnight if left on.

[Huntindog]

When I want hot water, I go outside and rub some sticks together to start a fire. Then I walk down to a stream and get some water in a pot, bring it back and heat it up.
This saves the maximum amount of propane or electricity, and keeps my water heater in new condition so the next owner can enjoy it... I even get a premium price for my used TT with unused appliances.
A penny saved is a penny earned.:R:B

[Old-Biscuit]

rockhillmanor wrote:
Off.

Only takes one time for the thermostat to go out and it becomes a boiler bomb. Been there done that. Almost burned up the whole side of my RV.

Remember this is not your res hwh that is in the basement. It's right smack up against the walls. You couldn't even hold your hand on the side of my MH the wall was so hot.

And no those relief valves do not always work. And after having the mobile RV repair out to fix HWH......he said the RV relief valves almost always fail to open.

Now that is paranoia and RV Tech hogwash.
RV water heater uses the exact SAME T&P Relief Valve as residential water heaters.......buy them at Lowes/Home Depot/ACE etc.

T-stats......preset for higher water temp than residential BUT still use 2 t-stats just like residential water heaters do, normal temp and a high temp.

BOTH t-stats have to fail and T&P has to fail before water heater can begin to become a boiler bomb (I operated boilers for 30 yrs.)

Hogwash......