The model is SW10DE, and yes it has the electric option. With that being said, can the electric switch be left on for long periods of time or should it be turned off after use. Thanks for the help.
To my knowledge, all the electric hot water hearers in at least the newer GT models can left on as long as there is water in them. That being said, if the tank is empty (you have drained it) you must turn off the tank or you will ruin it. Additionally, when stored even with water in the tank, it should be turned off to conserve battery life.
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2021 Forester 3051
2017 Ford Focus Toad
To my knowledge, all the electric hot water hearers in at least the newer GT models can left on as long as there is water in them. That being said, if the tank is empty (you have drained it) you must turn off the tank or you will ruin it. Additionally, when stored even with water in the tank, it should be turned off to conserve battery life.
The electric heater portion of the Suburban hot water heater is totally independent of the DC/propane portion. The only commonality is the water in the tank.
The electric element being left on (outside black switch) and has no effect on battery life because that circuit does not use battery power at all. (see attached wiring diagrams.
If the propane is turned off and the gas switch is left on, the water heater will attempt to light 3 times, then shut down. The board will remain powered and in this case, if the battery is left connected, it will deplete the battery slightly faster that normal since the other parasite loads (propane detector, clock, etc) will be depleting it anyway.
If you have no water in the tank, NEVER have either system turned on since damage to the water heater will occur; just to different systems.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
Ken and Terry
2018 Sunseeker 2430S-CD, nicely modified and carried by a 2017 Ford E450 Sport
Former Georgetown 330TS owner for 10 years with more mods than I can count, pushed by our 2017 GMC Terrain
The model is SW10DE, and yes it has the electric option. With that being said, can the electric switch be left on for long periods of time or should it be turned off after use. Thanks for the help.
Al, in answer to the "can it be left on all the time" question. Yes it can. The element is the same as the one in your home hot water heater (except smaller and 110VAC instead of 220VAC).
If you drain the tank though (just like at home) it has to be off to keep from frying the element.
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Lou & Freya the wonder dog
2008 GMC Sierra 3000HD Allison Duramax
2019 Flagstaff 8529FL
If you don't drain your tank you will have sediment build up and your sacrificial anode will be eaten away. I drain every time! I open both drain lines and I unscrew the anode to get the last gallon or so out of the heater. Else the anode corrodes away as its supposed to. Once a year or so I use a shop vac with a small hose duct taped on to suck out all the crud in the heater. Lots of stuff shows up. All that stuff will ultimately jam up your faucets if you don't do maintenance. Been there on the RV and also on a home I owned.
There is a prior thread in this forum on anodes. I put in several photos and how to explanations as did others. Check it out. I imagine a search on anode will get you there.
That also brings up another point. If you are a new owner with little experience working your way through all the old pages of this forum will save you headaches and maybe thousands of dollars in repair expenses. I know I learned tons when I did it. I may not be smarter now but I sure know more of what to do and what not to do.
I try to post constructively here just to pay back all the folks who helped me. Pay it forward!
This is a conversion unit.
It is an aftermarket work around for a propane only water heater.
I thought the same thing but it also has a off/on switch on the hot water control outside.The swt. seem to be frozen tho,so I was thinking that something went wrong and this was added.
I'm not familiar with all the units out there but some have two switches to control the electric hot water tank. All tanks have the switch located on lower left behind the exterior panel. Some units also have a switch inside the camper usually in the bathroom. Mine was a standard 110 switch and plate but the switch was red and glowed when it was on. Why do that??? So you can control the electric element from inside. Our second camper only had one switch on the tank. If you are plugged in, you have hot water. So if you plug in at home to keep the batteries charged you would probably want the electric element off. Also don't do as I did. I brought the camper home and plugged it in because the batteries were dead. I forgot to turn the tank element off and proceeded to winterize it. I got lucky because there was enough water at the bottom of the tank to keep the element from burning out. If dry it takes about 2-3 seconds to burn it out. If you the tank is OK you just have to replace the element. HD or Lowe's units (110-V) are at least half the price and work just fine. JMTCW (Just My Two Cents Worth)
TeJay