Why mount switch on Hot Water Heater?? - Montana Owners Club

carlson · 03-25-2005, 08:48 AM

Why did they mount the electric switch outside on the Hot Water Heater??
My last T----, had a wall mounted switch in the kitchen area for the electric side. It worked well, I changed out the switch to a lighted wall switch, so I knew when it was ON.

DrivesBGM · 03-25-2005, 09:15 AM

Carlson,

That was a neat idea to use a lighted wall switch to indicate that the hot water heater was getting electricity! Unfortunately, as you know, you'd have to install a wall switch between the AC breaker and the hot water heater to do this with the Montana.

In answer to your question, I think that a switch was installed on the outside so that when you wintrerize, you can turn this switch off. That way the hot water heater can't accidentially get turned on when it is empty and burn the element out.

Craig

Montana_738 · 03-25-2005, 10:33 AM

Hi Everyone,
My switch for the hot water heater is in the inside near the water pump switch and the holding tank level gauges. I thought they were all like that. That is kind of dumb to have it outside.

Bill

Glenn and Lorraine · 03-25-2005, 11:07 AM

Quote:

quote:That is kind of dumb to have it outside.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge on this one.

I have the 2004 2955RL and unlike the 2001 they have moved the switch to the outside.

I think it's like DrivesBGM said "I think that a switch was installed on the outside so that when you wintrerize, you can turn this switch off. That way the hot water heater can't accidentially get turned on when it is empty and burn the element out." You would be more likely to notice the electric is still on while you are removing the anode rod and thusly draining the heater. Without water in the heater the heating element could possibly burn up before you could get back inside to turn off the electric. That is the same reason they have that little clip for the switch. It is to be clipped to the switch when it is off so that it cannot be turned on accidently by some unknowing helper.

ronstan · 03-25-2005, 01:34 PM

accuprep I think the switch you are talking about is to turn on the propane side of the heater. Not sure but we have 3295 and that is the way it works

Montana_738 · 03-25-2005, 01:47 PM

You guy's are probably right. I just never saw a switch outside, of course I have a 2001. It sure doesn't sound very convienient though.
We have a check list to make sure everything is off, but we have these little rug rats that travel with us once in awhile, and they could certainly tuirn it on when we are not looking.

Bill

Charlie · 03-25-2005, 02:02 PM

Our 3295RK has the switch for the propane inside next to the water pump switch on the wall with the tank level indicators. Switch for the 110V element of the hot water heater is outside.

padredw · 03-25-2005, 03:27 PM

As noted above, the inside switch is for the propane heating. The switch on the water heater outside is for the electric heating element. Also as noted, that switch is obvious when the water heater is being drained.

In practice, when we re 'on the road' and water is in the system, we leave the electric switch on all the time. Of course it is off when we are disconnected from shore power, and is immediately on when we hook up at the camp site. This works well for us and we are not bothered at all that the electric switch is on the outside.

When we need hot water more quickly, we turn on the propane heater (which is beside the water pump switch), then turn it off to save our propane.

BTW, we always do turn off the electric switch for the water heater when we park back at home base. When we go on a trip, we turn it on at the first campsite. Works well for us.

Thunderman · 03-25-2005, 04:57 PM

My last 5er had a wall switch in the kitchen area for the electric water heater and a separate switch for propane. I found that much more satisfying than the switch outside. We tend to use the breaker inside for an off - on switch. Installing a separate switch inside is on my to do list.

carlson · 03-26-2005, 04:21 AM

Dave,
I like your idea on leaving the electric switch in the "ON" position when you are on the road. Again the only time it will be "ON" is when you are hooked to shore power.
This is why I like this forum set-up, as are able to share idea, thoughts and situation that we may of run into.
As I always remember the stupid question is the one that was never asked!!!

CountryGuy · 03-26-2005, 06:20 AM

Well, we sorta do what you guys are talking about.

Winterizing, turn the electric off, that is under the hot water heater cover, so we don't mess up that rod.

We usually heat with propane, rarely use the electric. I guess cause our previous unit did not have the electric and we frequent campgrounds where the power is poor, etc.

We do however, this little trick with Montana. When we "un-winterize" we turn it on outside under that cover. HOWEVER, we turn off the water heater with the circuit breaker, in our unit, there is one circuit breaker that is dedicated to ONLY the hot water heater. IF, we want the electric hot water heater, we turn that circuit breaker back on. When need for electric hot water is over, we turn the breaker off.

Just another way to heat the water!

Carol

Montana_1424 · 03-26-2005, 07:06 AM

I thought that most people ran it off of Propane most of the time, it sounds like that is the opposite. I am alwasy hooked up to power, yet I have never run my hot water off of electric, should I be doing that, does it save that much propane?
Also, if I am running it off electric, does that mean I leave the Propane switch on the panel with the water levels off, that would make sense to me, but just want to be sure.

Glenn and Lorraine · 03-26-2005, 08:06 AM

We only use propane when we are paying for the electric. This is the situation we are now in.
If we camp where the electric is free we turn off the gas and turn on the electric.
When we are on the move the gas switch is turned off.

Wordsmith · 03-26-2005, 03:24 PM

Our TT had an electric switch inside and we always used that as all of the state parks we visited had electricity. It was a bit of a shock to see the electric switch on the outside of the unit.

HamRad · 03-30-2005, 07:43 PM

kozzy45,
It took us a year to figure out that we had the electrical part of our hot water heater! So now when we are in a full hookup park that does not charge extra for electric then we turn off the propane (except for quick recovery). When no hookups or in a place where they charge a lot of electric then we just turn it off and use only propane. Sure nice to have both.

HamRad

sreigle · 04-08-2005, 01:50 PM

I suspect the electric water heater element switch is on the water heater because that's where the water heater manufacturer put it!

Keystone did not put it there. I think many of us would like to see Keystone add a switch inside the coach, though.

We also leave the switch on all the time, the one on the water heater itself. But ours is all by itself on one of the power panel breakers so we use that breaker to turn it on and off. If you leave it on all the time, be absolutely sure you have water in the tank. Otherwise you'll burn out that element in a couple of seconds if it's turned on and is not submersed in water. For that reason we run with ours off (at the breaker panel) when on the road. Just in case.

Our water gets far hotter on propane than on electric so we use propane most of the time. In the summer sometimes we'll use just electric unless we're paying for electricity. We'll use both at the same time when we need a quicker reheat, like when our granddaughters are with us and we all need showers.

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