Water Heater question first timer.

[greenrya04]

We just purchased 2007 26BDSL hooked up nicely to seasonal and I have a question on what setting the water heater should be on. I am connected city water can I just run electric? And do a need pilot light?



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[sundancer 87]

Electric will be fine, just make sure there is plenty of water in the tank or the element will die if not covered with water.



Can you provide a clearer photo of the control board? That's the part where all the wires are connected.

[Occupant5143]

It's your choice which to use. I would rather use the park's electricity than burn the propane I have to pay for. On the other hand if your rig uses 30 Amps and you have the air conditioner going you might want to temporarily switch to propane to keep from blowing the circuit breaker during the heat of the day. Just be careful to ensure you have water in the tank before firing up the electric burner element.

[greenrya04]

We are on city water hook up do I still need to fill the tank?


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[greenrya04]

Originally Posted by Occupant5143

It's your choice which to use. I would rather use the park's electricity than burn the propane I have to pay for. On the other hand if your rig uses 30 Amps and you have the air conditioner going you might want to temporarily switch to propane to keep from blowing the circuit breaker during the heat of the day. Just be careful to ensure you have water in the tank before firing up the electric burner element.

What tank? We are on city water do I still need to fill the fresh water tank?

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[greenrya04]

Here is a photo should we fill the fresh water tank?

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[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by greenrya04

We are on city water hook up do I still need to fill the tank?


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The water heater tank needs to be filled prior to energizing with electricity.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by greenrya04

Here is a photo should we fill the fresh water tank?

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Much better photo, that tells me you have to manually light the pilot to use gas.

[Occupant5143]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

The water heater tank needs to be filled prior to energizing with electricity.

Just to be clear, the city water will fill the hot water tank for you (unless the winterizing bypass valves are set to bypass the water heater). Wait a few minutes after hooking up and turning on the city water and the tank should fill up on it's own. At that point you may turn on the electric heater. You should have either an 6 or 10 gallon system and boy will the water be HOT after running for a few minutes.

[greenrya04]

How do I know if the winterize setting is on? Water is coming out of the hot water but it is just not hot. How long does it take? Do I maybe have a fuse issue? If so I did not come prepared.....

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[Occupant5143]

Originally Posted by greenrya04

How do I know if the winterize setting is on? Water is coming out of the hot water but it is just not hot. How long does it take? Do I maybe have a fuse issue? If so I did not come prepared.....

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Somewhere inside your rig will be a service panel covering the innards of the water heater. Inside of the panel you will probably see three water shutoff valves (sometimes only two). These valves are used to either bypass the heater tank or allow city water to flow through. Take a look at this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBYcH3g-GIQ

One easy way to tell if you have water in the tank is to carefully pull the toggle lever on the pressure relief valve (the gizmo with the blue label around it) and see if hot water comes spewing out. If no water comes out you may need to check the position of the bypass valves to ensure water gets into the tank.
Good luck and enjoy your new toy.

[greenrya04]

What a great video, I think that was it! Will rest tonight and will post in the AM.

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[wahoonc]

You can use both gas and electric for faster recovery time. Also if you are running another high draw electric item like a microwave, or the air conditioning you may pop the campground breaker if you have the water heater on and it is drawing current. I typically switch mine on and and off as needed, in the summer months I will use gas for heating so I don't inadvertently trip the breaker when the A/C kicks in.

Aaron

[wildwest450]

Where do you guys camp with all these lame electrical outlets? I run my ac if it's over 70f ouside and have never tripped a breaker with the hot-water heater on electric.

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Much better photo, that tells me you have to manually light the pilot to use gas.

What am I missing? This looks similar to mine and it auto lights when you flip the switch.

[MartyG]

Personally, I actually prefer propane over electric for both the water heater and the fridge. I believe an actual gas flame does a better job of heating than an electric coil. I have already had to replace one burned-out 30 Amp RV plug, and also, propane is cheap here. ($10/20lb bottle refill). The water gets hotter faster, and the fridge colder.
Despite my "preference," in actual use I use both, for various reasons, at different times.

[MartyG]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Much better photo, that tells me you have to manually light the pilot to use gas.

No! That single, high-voltage wire coming from the module to the porcelain holder above the flame is indeed the ignitor lead. It should give a spark when demanded.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

Where do you guys camp with all these lame electrical outlets? I run my ac if it's over 70f ouside and have never tripped a breaker with the hot-water heater on electric.

NC State Parks...

My A/C draws upwards of 20 amps cranking 15+ running, water heater is another 11.6, fridge is 3-5, converter, plus anything else plugged in. It doesn't take long to eat up 30 amps of power. Also as the voltage drops it becomes even more of an issue. Unless the campground is full the voltage drops aren't usually an issue. Though I have had my EMS kick out and show voltages as low as 89 on occasion.

Aaron

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by MartyG

No! That single, high-voltage wire coming from the module to the porcelain holder above the flame is indeed the ignitor lead. It should give a spark when demanded.

Then where is the flame sensor wire? For many years all I've seen for DSI ignition is a much larger red wire for ignition.

[Occupant5143]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

NC State Parks...

My A/C draws upwards of 20 amps cranking 15+ running, water heater is another 11.6, fridge is 3-5, converter, plus anything else plugged in. It doesn't take long to eat up 30 amps of power. Also as the voltage drops it becomes even more of an issue. Unless the campground is full the voltage drops aren't usually an issue. Though I have had my EMS kick out and show voltages as low as 89 on occasion.

Aaron

I've had similar experiences on hot days at the park. I often see the voltage drop to around 105 Volts at times which just causes greater demand for current. And we aren't even talking about cooking dinner in the microwave yet. That's when the water heater gets switched over to LP mode.