tank water heater

[Branderson]

a cpl weeks ago, i embarrassingly wrote that I didn't know where the water heater was.  Well, I found it...it's in the bay next to the fresh water tank.  I guess I never noticed it before. 

It's electric and works great unless my wife showers before me of course!

[kyle4501]

Leaving a tank water heater on all the time will use more energy than if you only turn it on when needed.

The hotter it is, the faster it looses heat to the surrounding environment - So, if you let it cool down during periods of non use, you aren't paying for as much lost heat.

I think I would start with optimizing the insulation - then worry about turning the heater off & on. . .

[Tony LEE]

We don't turn our water heater on and off in our house so why would we do that in our mobile house. It stays on 24/7 stationary or on the road.

[eagle19952]

We don't turn our water heater on and off in our house so why would we do that in our mobile house. It stays on 24/7 stationary or on the road.

same here, mine is an all electric coach with a 36 hr battery inverter capability to maintain refrigeration, entertainment and microwave.

in extreme climate heat or AC my electric consumption is $160.00 worst case on the pole.

i can sustain my needs in 3-4 hrs gen time in National parks with generator restrictions for weeks. for example, i do Death Valley in October/November  or the Tetons/Yosemite in May.
and I do July in AZ on the pole.

there is no free lunch.

[lostagain]

We turn on the propane water heater when we leave home, and leave it on for the duration of the trip. I have turned it off some times, and forget to turn it back on, frustrating. The little bit of propane we would save, if any, is not worth the trouble.

JC

[windtrader]

If your primary mode is boondocking with an electric water heater, then less energy is used turning the heater on and off as needed. Less energy is used since the water does not keep it constantly at temperature.

If you are on the pole or running gas heater, it's less of a concern. If you constantly battle house batteries from running down and running the genset the fewest hours to keep the house bank full, then this tactic works.

[Scott & Heather]

Agreed if you're boondocking turn the electric water heater off. But we are fulltimers. We'd never turn our water heater off...we need hot water every day for showers, dish washing and laundry.


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