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Topic: Hot water heater only works on gas? (Read 238 times) previous topic - next topic
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Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reading through this nifty companion. If I understand correctly, the hot water heater only works on gas, not electricity?

Thanks
Jacob
1989 TK
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #1 –
Yes, propane (and some butane) only.   RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #2 –
"If I understand correctly, the hot water heater only works on gas, not electricity?"

Yes, and that is a darned shame. Why burn your own propane when you have shore power, it would cost $0.00?  ::)  My previous HR TT had the combo model and whenever I plugged in I automatically had hot water, which was pre-paid with the campground fee.  :o

In 2004 when I was doing my homework on the LD I learned that the gas/electric water heater was the very same physical dimensions as the gas only version. If LD would have split for a short length of Romex and a Ckt Breaker it would be a no brainer.

I tried my best to convince Steve Newton of that wisdom but my words fell on deaf ears!   :(
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #3 –
Well Steve, it is more a problem with electric service. The A/C and the microwave take up most of the 30 Amps service. To run electric for the water heater, and convection/microwave combo would need 50 Amp service. The generator would need to be 5500 watts, to run that extra demand.     You can add a Hott rod electric heater that screws into where the drain plug goes. It has  its own thermostat IIRK, and a plug. So you could run the electric water heater by turning off the converter and not running the microwave. Many (ok, at least some) people do just that. Or you could run a 110vAC cord over to the pedestal, if it is set up for 50Amps. That extra duplex plug at 110VAC on the pedestal is a 20 Amp adjunct. If you have 50 Amps plugged into the motorhome you can't use that plug also.    Hybrid Hott Rod Lightning Rod RV water heater electric conversion kit 110...
Looks pretty easy to install.   RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #4 –
"Well Steve, it is more a problem with electric service."

All suggestions taken at face value, Ron.

Seems strange that my 1994 Holiday Rambler AlumaLite with 30amp service was able to turn on the water heater automatically when ever I plugged into shore power and I do not remember one instance of any problems when I used the microwave over the ten years that I owned the rig!   ::)
Steve S.
Lazy Bones & Cedar
2004 30'IB (Island Bed)
Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery
Live for the day!
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #5 –
Quote from: Lazy Bones  - 
"If I understand correctly, the hot water heater only works on gas, not electricity?"

Yes, and that is a darned shame. Why burn your own propane when you have shore power, it would cost $0.00?  ::)  My previous HR TT had the combo model and whenever I plugged in I automatically had hot water, which was pre-paid with the campground fee.  :o


Most, if not all of the combo models that I have had in the last 12 years had a switch for either elec water heat or gas on the control panel.  We used electric 95% of the time, we plug in 99% of the time.  This switch made it simple to shut off the water heater whenever we had a/c running and were going to use the micro.  Actually kept the elec water heater off most of the time, since it doesn't take very long to heat 6g hot enough for a good shower
2006 RB
2017 MB
LD alumni
 
Re: Hot water heater only works on gas?
Reply #6 –
Back in 1994 Steve, did you have air conditioning? A 13,500 btuh runs about 22 amps. With the aftermarket electric heater rod at 6 Amps, that's 28 Amps. Pretty close to 30. That A/C is the 'Gorilla in the house'. If you aren't running it, then of course you've got plenty of Amps to run a water heater, converter, and a microwave (not with the convection added in). The water heaters with electric heat built in are 1400 Watts, about 13 Amps.
     My old '99 vintage microwave takes about 9 Amps. Newer microwaves with inverter power, up around 1100 Watts for cooking, would be about 1500 Watts load or 13 Amps.
     Here is a 6 gallon water heater with motoraide. Heated by waste heat from your engine, It's already hot when you stop driving. It has electric also. Running the hot water line from the engine to where the water heater is... probably why you don't see very many of these.  Suburban Rv Water Heater, w/Motor Aid, 6 gal..  RonB
RonB (Bostick) living in San Diego
Original owner of "Bluebelle" a '99 TKB