Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE OWNER'S CORNER FORUMS > National RV Owner's Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-12-2009, 01:00 PM   #1
MP
Junior Member
 
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 12
When plugged into electricity is it best to leave the water heater on all the time, or turn it off and on when hot water is needed? Which way is better for long life of the water heater?
MP is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 02-12-2009, 01:36 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376's Avatar
 
National RV Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: San Jose, Ca.
Posts: 1,334
Being we full time, we leave ours on all the time, unless we are traveling, (not in the coach), then we turn it off. It hasn't seemed to hurt it yet and have been doing it this way for three years. It cycles off and on by demand. On occasion I even turn on the lp and electric at the same time to aid in the recovery time if back to back showers are needed.
__________________
Rick and Julia
2005 Dolphin 5376, W24, Solid Body Paint, Koni FSD's
Looking for a new toad
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2009, 02:10 PM   #3
MP
Junior Member
 
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 12
We do not full time, but we do spend time at places for 1 to 3 months at a time. This is when I am wondering if it is best to leave, or not leave, the water heater on all the time.
MP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2009, 02:33 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376's Avatar
 
National RV Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: San Jose, Ca.
Posts: 1,334
I would leave it on when you are using the coach during your 3 month stays. I would turn it off when you park and store the coach. No need to have hot water at the ready then. When stored, I would run all systems at least once a month.
__________________
Rick and Julia
2005 Dolphin 5376, W24, Solid Body Paint, Koni FSD's
Looking for a new toad
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2009, 03:27 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
GaryKD's Avatar
 
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wellington, Florida
Posts: 13,599
Hi MP,
The coah HWH is treated the same as the stick house HWH. I see no difference in the coach HWH and my house HWH. Set it and forget it. When not using the stick house, I turn the HWH off. The same is true for the coach.

When a boost is needed, like previously posted, I use the propane in addition to the electric. This combo provides a really nice recovery time.
__________________
Gary
2005 Newmar KSDP 3910 + GMC ENVOY XUV 37K lbs Moving Down The Road
The Avatar Is Many Times Around The USA
Nobody Knows Your Coach Like Somebody Who Owns One Just Like Yours
GaryKD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2009, 12:43 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
DAN L's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 2,976
if you have the workhorse- winnebago supplemental water heater system that routes engine coolant through a heat exchanger in the water heater, turn off the electric heater element while driving and leave it off until the water in the water heater runs cool.
the engine coolant will heat the water to 195 deg and the "eco overheat switch" will trip and then the electric element will not work until you reset it on the backside of the water heater. if the electric switch is off, this will not happen. it is a real pita to reset.
__________________
01 WINNEBAGO 35U W20.8.1L 5sp allison SW Wa,. Good Sam, SKP. RVM 198 AMSOIL fluids. BANKS ecm program. SCAN GAUGE II w/ Ally temp. 2 LIFELINE GPL-6CT AGM Batts on their sides. Michelins, TST tptts. K&N panel air filter. AERO mufflers. TAYLOR plug wires. ULTRA POWER track bar. KONI fsd shocks, toad '21MB GLA FWD on dolly
DAN L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2009, 02:24 AM   #7
paz
Senior Member
 
paz's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Full-timers - Home is where we park it.
Posts: 4,722
The electric heater will not heat the water up nearly as fast as propane. If you turn it off, you will need to turn it back on well in advance of when you anticipate needing hot water. For that reason, it's better to just leave it on when operating the water heater on electricity. Ours has been on almost continuously now for almost 3 years of full-timing.

Just remember to turn off the electric heater if you drain the water heater for any reason - like to inspect or replace the anode rod (if you have one), to clean the sediment out of the water heater, or to winterize. The heating element will burn out in seconds if it is turned on and not submerged in water.
paz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2009, 08:51 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
bdpreece's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Yuma Arizona USA
Posts: 2,993
When using propane I turn it off. With electricty I never turn it off unless we are leaving the coach for a few days then I normally flip the breaker or disconnect the electricty anyway just as a safety precausion.
__________________
Brian, Loretta & Lucy (Golden Retriever)
2008 HR Endeavor 40 PDQ , ISL 400
2010 Dodge Ram 1500 Toad
bdpreece is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2009, 11:03 AM   #9
MP
Junior Member
 
National RV Owners Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 12
Thank you for all the help, I think I know what to do now.
MP is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2009, 11:24 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376's Avatar
 
National RV Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: San Jose, Ca.
Posts: 1,334
Your welcome. You got the same answer three times. Seems like a would be ok to leave it on.
__________________
Rick and Julia
2005 Dolphin 5376, W24, Solid Body Paint, Koni FSD's
Looking for a new toad
Rick 2005 Dolphin 5376 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Electric hot water heater Ron and Patti Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 10 05-16-2007 08:41 AM
Electric Water Heater mrschwarz Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 15 08-25-2006 05:29 PM
Water Heater on Electric Golden Gopher RV Systems & Appliances 7 06-11-2006 06:44 PM
Water heater electric heater replacement dirko Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 5 10-20-2005 09:53 AM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:33 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.