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Old 11-26-2008, 03:47 PM   #1
2-in-the-woods
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Hot water heater

I had a rv repairman put in a new board on my water heater and when he was done he told me to leave the electric and propane on at the same time. Has anyone have any comments on this subject. He told me the propane will kick on when you do dishes or take showers and the electric will just keep the water warm. I am not sure about his comments.
 
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Old 11-26-2008, 04:07 PM   #2
rogue
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I only use the propane for the water heater (WH) when dry camping and have no 30 or 50 amp service. If I have electric, I use it only (no propane) to heat the WH. I know some use the propane for extra hot water when taking showers, but have not heard of any using both all the time. I'm sure if they do they will add their comments.
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Old 11-26-2008, 04:08 PM   #3
ehmcfarl
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I agree, that is the way I have mine set up and it seems to run exactly as he described. For all the time except when we take showers the electric element keeps plenty of hot water. When we all take showers the water in the tank tends to cool off more, and since propane has a faster recovery rate than the electric element we don't tend to run out of hot water like we do when we are running the electric element by itself.
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Old 11-26-2008, 04:32 PM   #4
Bill-N-Donna
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When we got ours we were told that it was ok to use both heaters. Either one seems to work efficiently by itself but it will heat up the water a lot faster when using both. I think it also helps when you’re hooked up to a sewer connection and a longer shower is desired.
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Old 11-27-2008, 12:50 AM   #5
Glenn and Lorraine
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If we have electric I use electric. If we have no electric I use propane. Rarely use both at the same time.
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Old 11-27-2008, 01:27 AM   #6
Delaine and Lindy
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We use electric most all time when hooked to 50 amp. However when we have those days when its hot and or wet when setting up I will use both for twice as fast heating the water, no it doesn't hurt to run both at the same time. Again its choice and it sure is nice to have. GBY....
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Old 11-27-2008, 01:33 AM   #7
Mrs. CountryGuy
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Propane if electric service is weak or MIA.

Electric if we are NOT paying for electric.

Both if we want to take showers and have lots of hot water.

IF we are paying for electric, here is something we tried last winter that saved us a LOT of propane, and a LOT of $$ on the electric bill.

Don't use the propane cept if you need a lot of really hot water fast. Then turn on till hot and turn off asap. Now, the electric, use it for most of heating the water. The trick is to only heat the water just before you will need it for showers and/or dishes, etc. The water stays HOT in that tank for hours (NOW, this will NOT work real well in Alaska or cooler climes in the winter, this is for Snow Birds and Winter Texans to try).

So, turn on the electric heater, get the water hot, turn off the heater. The water will stay hot for a number of hours, hot enough to wash your hands, for example.

It took a bit of adjusting our thinking caps, but this saved us a LOT of $$. Not all that inconvenient.

Think of it as "green" hot water!
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Old 11-27-2008, 02:44 AM   #8
exav8tr
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We only use the propane portion when we want a long shower or are boondocking, other wise it's electric. As I do not have an inside switch I leave it on all the time. Some have installed an on/off switch inside and some use the circuit breaker as a switch. I do not do either. I have not done the math as to which method (gas vs elec) is more cost effective as we usually have free elec where we go. I suppose if I was sitting somewhere for quite a while and paying for electric, I might have to crunch numbers to determine best method. It would seem to me, IMHO, that using both ALL the time is wasteful...But thank God we have choices....
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Old 11-27-2008, 03:24 AM   #9
SlickWillie
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C&P from the Suburban site:
[Fast recovery means more hot water and fewer cool water cycles. Six-, 10- and 12-gallon Suburban gas water heaters feature 12,000 BTUH input and a recovery rate of 10.2 gallons per hour - that's the fastest in the industry. Combination gas/electric models also use a 1,440-watt element to recover an additional 6.0 gallons per hour at campsites. For higher recovery, both the gas and electric element may be used simultaneously.]

I like the convenience of the electric feature, however, you can see the difference in recovery times. We have been turning the propane on this week as our youngest son is staying with us.
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Old 11-27-2008, 03:41 AM   #10
ols1932
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Only time we use propane with our water heater is when dry camping (boondocking). There is no necessity for using both at the same time unless you are desirous of rapid recovery (in the event the one ahead of you used all the hot water when showering). We have never run out of hot water (10-gallon water heater) and we both take showers in succession (can't do it concurrently).

Orv
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Old 11-27-2008, 04:41 AM   #11
Driftwoodgal
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We always run our hot water heater on electric. Not sure what it costs to run it, but we should have turned it on/off when we were in Harlingen. Our electric bill ran $194.00 for one month. Of course we were using the AC, but not both at the same time.

It was nice to have propane too, we used it when we were running on the generator.

Nice to know we can survive a power outage at home since we have the Montana. Really don't want to boondock in my back yard.

Colleen
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Old 11-27-2008, 05:29 AM   #12
2-in-the-woods
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Thank you all for your comments. I will use propane down here in the park in Texas as our electric is .17 cents kwh. I can switch propane off after shower, etc in the am and have fast recovery when needed
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Old 11-27-2008, 05:31 AM   #13
Delaine and Lindy
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It really does make a difference if your paying for the electric. We try to conserve what ever we are using. You may no realize it but your paying for the electric, doesn't matter if your metered or not its in the bill. Our hot water system is a 12 gal unit, we haven't ran out of hot water. I do wonder why some people use the RV park showers and not use their RV? GBY...........
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Old 11-27-2008, 07:05 AM   #14
ols1932
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Delaine and Lindy

It really does make a difference if your paying for the electric. We try to conserve what ever we are using. You may no realize it but your paying for the electric, doesn't matter if your metered or not its in the bill. Our hot water system is a 12 gal unit, we haven't ran out of hot water. I do wonder why some people use the RV park showers and not use their RV? GBY...........
A lot of them use their shower for storage! If I had to do that I'd buy a bigger RV!

Orv
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Old 11-27-2008, 01:26 PM   #15
Okie Guy
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I have always used both electric and propane. I also do most of my camping at a state park. I still use both when I am hooked up at the farm.
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Old 11-27-2008, 02:43 PM   #16
exav8tr
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Lindy, Another reason to use the CG Shower is those times when you are on elec and water only (no sewer). Sometimes I will use CG shower when I feel the need for a loooooooonnnnnnngggggggg hot shower. Many 1000 trails parks have elec and water only. Some Military Fam Camps also.
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