efficiency question of using propane vs electric water heater when at a seasonal site?

[rimmer]

which is better propane or electric for the water heater when staying at a seasonal sight? does one or the other have a better recovery time? i am new to this--i have a 2024 montana high country 381tb. when i say better i mean economically speaking. thanks!!

 

[AZ Traveler]

Brad,

I would depend on what you are paying for electricity and propane. If electric is included in the site rental it would be the cheapest. If you are paying for both, the cost difference will be pretty small - the water heater does not use much power.

 

[DutchmenSport]

It also depends upon how much hot water you use too. The size of your water heater can be a factor, as is the age, and insulation value it has. More water usage will result is more power to heat, regardless of heat source.

One thing to consider though, if you are paying separate for your own electric at your campsite, is the fact that you are allowed so much electric usage in your base price. When you go over that, you start paying more. So, if you are able to keep your total electric usage under that base amount, then definitely electric will be cheaper. The problem is though, that base amount is usually very unreasonably low and with even the most frugal electric usage, it's easy to go over that and then have to pay per KW actually used over the base allowance.

My mother was the most frugal person on earth, and I'm not kidding. For years, she was able to keep her electric bill at her house to just the bare base cost. Of course, she was fanatical about turning off lights and unplugging appliances, anything that had led lights was unplugged, and let's not get started on her unplugging the television when she wasn't using it! OMG! She used wind up clocks and washed her body with buckets of rain water she saved when it rained so the electric water pump would not run any more than ABSOLUTELY necessary! If she left the house for more than a day, she'd turn off the electric water heater, unplug everything except the freezer and refrigerator, including the water pump so it wouldn't arbitrarily run to keep the pipes pressurized, or if she had a sudden water leak! (which never, never happened).

But, she also met her objective. She almost never went above the base allowed amount of electric usage.

I suppose in a camper it could be done too... if you cooked on fire wood outside, washed in cold water, and didn't charge your battery with anything but solar.

Think about it though, folks who boondock do it ALL without paying an electric bill.

 

[Bourbon County]

There are a lot of "It depends" to factor in your question. Electricity rates if you are on a metered site, LP gas prices locally, and ground water temperature wherever you are located. Here's a spec sheet on a Suburban 12 gallon tank model, I would think other brands will be similar:

Direct Spark Ignition Porcelain Lined, Steel Tank Water Heaters, 12 Gallon for RVs & Campers - Suburban

12 Gallon Suburban Advantage Tank Water Heater with Direct Spark Ignition

suburbanrv.com

It shows a recovery rate of 10.1 gallons/hour on gas, and 6.1 gallons/hour on electric; the gas has a 65% faster recovery rate.

RV water heaters commonly have a fixed 130 degree thermostat, you can't adjust that. This is where the ground water (incoming water supply) temperature is important. If you are in south TX, FL, or AZ you might have 75 degree water, whereas if you're in WI, MN it might be 42 degree water. Does the water heater have to raise the temperature of that 12 gallons of water by 88 degrees or by 55 degrees? Obviously this will determine the length of time the burner and/or element has to run to achieve this.

Suburban specs show a 1440 watt electric element, this is one of the largest loads on your system, about what an AC is, you just don't have the surge or inrush when it starts. If you are on a metered site, electricity rates are likely regulated by the state's Public Service Commission. In addition to the base price per KWH, they usually have a fuel adjustment price that can vary a bit plus a daily or monthly service charge. The only one I'm familiar with is my utility which is $0.53/day; in other words, if I don't even turn a single light on, I still have to pay the $0.53 for the day. The 1440 watt element will burn 1.44 kilowatts per hour.

LP gas is unregulated and prices vary from location to location and there tends to be a lot of opportunistic dealers like the campgrounds that sell it. The 12,000 BTU burner will burn about 0.15 gallons of LP per hour. There's also a convenience factor that may or may not be important to you. The electricity will always be on, whereas you'll have to remove the tank load it up and drive to a dealer for refill. LP tanks tend to go empty at the most inopportune times.

The tank will take about 2 hours to heat on electric, and about 1 hour and 10 minutes on LP. You can run both at the same time and theoretically heat the tank in about 45 minutes. I normally turn both on when I first set the rig up and turn the gas off after that. I like to have some good hot water for a hand wash after handling the hoses, cables, etc. This probably won't apply to your case but could be used if 2 people like to shower within a short time period.

Here's a rough calculation comparison; I based it on 55 degree water supply and heating the entire 12 gallons to 130 degrees, and arbitrary prices for electricity and LP:

Electricity: 1440 watts X 1.96 hours=2.8 kilowatt hours @ $0.12 per KWH= $0.34

LP gas: 12,000 BTU X 1.19 hours @ 0.15 gallons (LP) per hour = 0.18 gallons X $3.00/gallon = $0.54

You can research electricity and LP prices for your location and do your own calculations. Electricity will probably always be a little cheaper but slower. If your electricity is included in your weekly/monthly rent at the site, it's a no brainer.

 

[jsb5717]

Again…it depends. Generally we have found that on electricity that the water is a little warmer and recovers a little faster than propane. We like it because it reduces the need to fill propane tanks as often. If you’re on a permanent site with a large LP tank then likely less of an issue. If electric is covered in the site price then that’s plus. If we find ourselves on a site that only provides 30a power, then we’ll often use propane and save the amps for microwave and air conditioner.

So…it depends.