Question about gas/electric water heater
I recently bought a 1995 Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite and have been getting it cleaned up and get everything in good working order after it has sat unused for more than 5 years. The outside looks 20 years old, but the interior looks amazing.
The one thing I haven't figured out is the water heater. The owners manual says it is gas only, but I discovered an electric element on the tank under the sink. (I found it after looking for a reason that the trailer was drawing 28 amps with only the air conditioner on.)
What I would like to find out is what switches the electric element on. The PO had the trailer plugged in for the 3+ years he owned it, and had no water in the tanks. I filled the fresh water tank and the water heater and eventually got the gas to light and now that works fine. I turned off the gas switch, but the next day the water was still steaming hot so I was worried that the switch was bad, but now I know the electric element was working. From what I have read, the electric element should have burned out if it had been on with no water, but the breaker was on and the switch on the water heater was always on, and it still works. So is there some other trick to get the electric to go off and on?
(Sorry about the long post)
The one thing I haven't figured out is the water heater. The owners manual says it is gas only, but I discovered an electric element on the tank under the sink. (I found it after looking for a reason that the trailer was drawing 28 amps with only the air conditioner on.)
What I would like to find out is what switches the electric element on. The PO had the trailer plugged in for the 3+ years he owned it, and had no water in the tanks. I filled the fresh water tank and the water heater and eventually got the gas to light and now that works fine. I turned off the gas switch, but the next day the water was still steaming hot so I was worried that the switch was bad, but now I know the electric element was working. From what I have read, the electric element should have burned out if it had been on with no water, but the breaker was on and the switch on the water heater was always on, and it still works. So is there some other trick to get the electric to go off and on?
(Sorry about the long post)
