Electric Hot Water heater question - Montana Owners Club

dmaxmountaineer · 10-02-2009, 03:03 PM

I'm new to the whole 5th wheel world but i'm catching on quick. My question has to do with the hot water heater. I have a 2010 326rlt Gas and Electric Water heater. After searching the forums i read that i could heat with both. My question is... Once the switch on the outside is on, why doesnt the switch on the inside control the water heater? I want to use electric whenever possible. Is the switch on the inside of camper just for the propane turn on? Do i have to go outside everytime when i want to shut the hot water heater off when using electric? Any help on this would be great! - Peter

garyka · 10-02-2009, 03:06 PM

There's a breaker on the power panel for the hot water heater.Thats the one I use when I want to use electric.There is also a switch on the outside inside the panel where the hot water heater is.

dmaxmountaineer · 10-02-2009, 03:18 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by garyka

There's a breaker on the power panel for the hot water heater.Thats the one I use when I want to use electric.There is also a switch on the outside inside the panel where the hot water heater is.

I just thought that there had to be a switch or i was just doing something wrong. So i need to use the breaker for electric hot water? And the switch near the water meter reading area is for propane turn on?

I know about the switch outside, but i want to avoid going outside, taking off the little panel, and flipping the small switch.

Exnavydiver · 10-02-2009, 03:29 PM

To answer your Question in your first post, yes the switch inside on the panel is just for the gas. Once you turn on the outside switch the electric heating element is working until you shut off the switch or breaker. Using the breaker as a switch can cause the breaker to fail earlier than it should. It is designed to shut off the power when there is a high current situation, not as a switch... Dave

dmaxmountaineer · 10-02-2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Exnavydiver

To answer your Question in your first post, yes the switch inside on the panel is just for the gas. Once you turn on the outside switch the electric heating element is working until you shut off the switch or breaker. Using the breaker as a switch can cause the breaker to fail earlier than it should. It is designed to shut off the power when there is a high current situation, not as a switch... Dave

Thats exactly what i was thinking. So then the only way they designed this is to go outside and shut it off when using electric?

H. John Kohl · 10-02-2009, 03:36 PM

There is the black switch on the heater that should have a hole visual when the black rocker switch is in the off position. You put a lock pin in the hole to prevent you from turning on the hot water heater when it is winterized (without water).

Many of us want to turn off the hot water when we pack up and then turn it on when we set up. That way, when at home we are not heating water for nothing. It is not recommend to use the circuit breaker as a power switch because each time it is tripped it weakens it a little bit.

Turn on the black switch outside on for the electric hot water heater. Then if you want to accelerate the hot water recovery then turn on the red light for the propane. When you are back to normal operation just turn off the propane red light.

I hope this answers your question.

BB_TX · 10-02-2009, 04:05 PM

When I park and do my hookups, one part of my routine is to turn on the switch at the water heater for electric and the inside switch for propane. And I leave them both on. Part of my routine when getting ready to leave is to turn them both off. Electric keeps it hot when not in use and saves on propane that way. With both on, it seems also to give much better recovery time.
And it also eliminates the noise of the water heater turning on and off on propane at night when it is cold.

scductman · 10-02-2009, 04:17 PM

On my 06 I took out the panel and went right up the wall and added a paddle switch for the water heater and marked it. all you have to do is break the leg going to the heater and then you can leave the one on outside. as dave said I dont like to use a breaker as a switch. very easy job. I dont know about the new panels like john has that would be nice.
bobby

dmaxmountaineer · 10-02-2009, 04:23 PM

I Just checked and i only have 2 red switches near the water reading area. One says pump, the other says htr. I tried using the twich with the propane tanks turned off and it did nothing. The hot water won't be on all night, just whe i need to take a shower.

Jim Dickey · 10-02-2009, 07:09 PM

As Bill stated you will need to turn the heater on outside to use electric heater and the inside switch for gas.

ols1932 · 10-02-2009, 10:25 PM

This is an interesting thread. On our 2000 Montana there is a breaker in the breaker panel designated for the water heater. With the outside switch turned on, I control the electric portion of the water heater through the breaker. In our case it stays on all the time except for when dry camping. Then we have the breaker off and the inside propane switch turned on.

Orv

dmaxmountaineer · 10-03-2009, 03:40 AM

Thanks guys... One other question... Does anyone know... roughly... how much propane the fridge uses, lets say, if i leave it on all night? I'll be using the generator as much as i can, but i might have to use propane. Also, does it use up alot when heating the hot water? The last thing i want to do is use up all my propane. Should i not worry about it? Most of my trips will be maybe 2-3 days. I also have dual tanks.

ARJ · 10-03-2009, 03:40 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by dmaxmountaineer

I Just checked and i only have 2 red switches near the water reading area. One says pump, the other says htr. I tried using the twich with the propane tanks turned off and it did nothing. The hot water won't be on all night, just whe i need to take a shower.

The RED switch that says "heater" is used to heat the water with propane only. The outside switch on the heater heats the water on electric only. You can use electric AND propane together to prolong the amount of available hot water.

Many people have installed a switch in the electrical circuit inside the coach which goes to the heater thereby making it more convienient to turn the heater electricity on and off.

It may be best to use a lighted switch so you have an indication of when the heater is running on electric.

Tom S. · 10-03-2009, 05:34 AM

Asking about propane use is kind of like asking about gas mileage. There are so many things that will effect it - how cold you keep the fridge, how full the fridge is (a full refrigerator is cheaper to cool than an empty one), how many times you open the fridge doors and what the temperature outside the fridge. The big user of propane is the furnace on cold nights! Still 60 pounds of propane will go a long way.

ols1932 · 10-03-2009, 05:59 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by dmaxmountaineer

Thanks guys... One other question... Does anyone know... roughly... how much propane the fridge uses, lets say, if i leave it on all night? I'll be using the generator as much as i can, but i might have to use propane. Also, does it use up alot when heating the hot water? The last thing i want to do is use up all my propane. Should i not worry about it? Most of my trips will be maybe 2-3 days. I also have dual tanks.

I can't tell you how much propane the refrigerator or water heater use, but I don't thing it is an abnormal amount. We dry camp a lot and have the refrigerator and heater on propane. The refrigerator is on all the time but the water heater is only on when we want hot water. It heats so quickly that there is no need to leave it on all the time.

Orv

dsprik · 10-03-2009, 07:06 AM

Propane usage: With fridge, HW heater on gas and the furnace running, you can use up a 30# bottle in about 3-4 days (fridge does not use anywhere near what the WH and the furnace go thru - and be aware of any recall on the fridge for your shield protection). That's the fastest use our 3400 has used propane and that is in 20 degree weather - just for your reference.

As to the electric switch for the HW heater... I use the inside breaker to turn the electric on and off (I don't have the new panel). The outside switch is a little more inconvenient, but the main reason is that, yes, the breaker switch does weaken with use. However, I probably switch it on and off 5-6 times a year.

AND... that little black switch (a cheap product - surprise...) outside on the water heater also will fail. Trying to replace THAT one is NOT a good experience. I can replace the breaker switch in the breaker panel much easier. With limited use and a new 20 amp replacement breaker in the drawer, this is no contest for my situation.

As others above have mentioned, though. This breaker will weaken with much use and so you must balance any decision against that...

The Old Fogies · 10-04-2009, 12:22 PM

The conv1nce panel inside ours has three red switches. One is for gas, one for electric and one for the pump.

SlickWillie · 10-05-2009, 02:50 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by dsprik

AND... that little black switch (a cheap product - surprise...) outside on the water heater also will fail. Trying to replace THAT one is NOT a good experience. I can replace the breaker switch in the breaker panel much easier. With limited use and a new 20 amp replacement breaker in the drawer, this is no contest for my situation.

Yep, I always used the switch on the heater. Last time I tried to turn it on, it took several tries. I'll be using the breaker from now on. Although designed for current overload, I've seen breakers used to switch lights on and off in industrial settings. Never seemed to cause a problem. That water heater breaker is cheap, and easy to change.

You may also like: