Water heater switch

[Fr27davis]

Has anybody ever moved there electric water switch from the outside of the heater to the cab? I have a dual power suburban 6 gal heater, and do a lot of different types of camping, from boondocking to full hook ups, and I feel that I am going to break the latch going into and out of the water heater.

Also one more question, has anybody ran the coolant lines to there engine to get hot water while they are running, my truck they are not hooked up.

2013 Georgetown 35dds

Matt

[Sbryant]

I put an inline rocker switch for the electric water heater - connected to the circuit breaker - mounted on the circuit breaker cover. Used a lighted switch so I can tell when it's on or not.


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[Fr27davis]

Will to propane still work if the power is off?

[mark0224]

On mine there is an outlet on the inside that the water heater plugs into, I'm going to re wire it so it has a switch going to the outlet and just leave the outside switch on so I can just turn it on from inside. To answer your last question yes the gas works without the electricity it only requires the 12 v from the battery to ignite.

[Livin the Life]

Leave the on/off switch at the heater in the on position and just turn off the circuit breaker inside the panel when using propane to heat the water.

[WDK]

Originally Posted by Livin the Life

Leave the on/off switch at the heater in the on position and just turn off the circuit breaker inside the panel when using propane to heat the water.

Convenient idea but a circuit breaker is not meant to be as switch no matter how rare.....safer to take trouble and wire a switch in series.

WDK

[Filthy Beast]

Originally Posted by Sbryant

I put an inline rocker switch for the electric water heater - connected to the circuit breaker - mounted on the circuit breaker cover. Used a lighted switch so I can tell when it's on or not.


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Although mine is a fifth wheel, I just replaced the Girard on demand water heater with a standard Suburban 6 gallon gas/electric. I mounted a switch with indicator light in the cabinet under the sink. On the last fifth wheel I always used the breaker to turn it off. I will still use the breaker when I winterize so as to avoid turning it on before it is filled with water.

[Livin the Life]

No offense WDK, of course the circuit breaker should not be used like a light switch when entering and leaving a room on a daily basis but the occasional turning it on/off when not in use will not harm the breaker, that's what its for.

If one has the skills or money then certainly wire the switch in a convenient spot and use it.

In addition Fr27davis if your concerned about breaking your, I'm assuming plastic hot water heater access spring "latch", you could replace it with a metal one. They're pretty cheap.

But again, if you have the time, skills or money, go for the additional switch.

[Fr27davis]

Thanks everyone.

[WDK]

Originally Posted by Livin the Life

No offense WDK, of course the circuit breaker should not be used like a light switch when entering and leaving a room on a daily basis but the occasional turning it on/off when not in use will not harm the breaker, that's what its for.

If one has the skills or money then certainly wire the switch in a convenient spot and use it.

In addition Fr27davis if your concerned about breaking your, I'm assuming plastic hot water heater access spring "latch", you could replace it with a metal one. They're pretty cheap.

But again, if you have the time, skills or money, go for the additional switch.

No offense taken though the only reason the breaker should be turned off is for the safety or maintenance but using it as a switch at anytime is NOT what it is for....it's designed to trip that circuit when there is a current over load....the element is heated to the point where it bends and trips the breaker and the more you mess with the less serviceable it becomes....but we do a lot of things we are not suppose too.

WDK

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by Fr27davis

Will to propane still work if the power is off?

Yes it will still work as normal. It is a separate system.

I added a separate switch with a light for my electric.
When the switch is on the light is on.

[Cornelius]

Having the switch inside is very convenient. On my Georgetown 373 water heater is located in a basement area directly below the kitchen. There was already Romex wiring from the factory along with plumbing tubing between the two areas, so it was fairly easy to add the wiring for an interior switch to the kitchen cabinet.

For an added margin of safety, use a heavy duty 20 amp switch for this project instead of the more common (and cheaper) 15 amp light switch. Also use electrical tape to secure the wire nuts on the electrical connections so the don't vibrate off, and secure the Romex using wire ties.

As for your second question about using engine coolant for the water heater, Winnebago used to do this on some of their models. Also many boats have this type of water heater. It requires a water heater that has a built in heat exchanger coil, as the engine coolant water must be kept isolated from the domestic heated water.

[mark0224]

In my trailer I wired a switch to turn the outlet for the hot water heater. Only thing I wish I could have put the switch in a different place it ended up being in the bathroom, will just add it to the close up list.

[itat]

I've been searching for the switch that Iggy and mark0224 used and it looks like it's called a single pole/pilot light switch? I've seen 15A versions of this switch, but is there a 20A version? My TT is in storage...what amperage is the WH breaker?

Can you get a properly rated, lighted toggle switch from FR the same as the toggle switches in the control panel?

For those that just use the external switch on the WH itself, do you reuse the cotter pin after you turn of the electric element?

[Iggy]

Originally Posted by itat

I've been searching for the switch that Iggy and mark0224 used and it looks like it's called a single pole/pilot light switch? I've seen 15A versions of this switch, but is there a 20A version? My TT is in storage...what amperage is the WH breaker?

Can you get a properly rated, lighted toggle switch from FR the same as the toggle switches in the control panel?

For those that just use the external switch on the WH itself, do you reuse the cotter pin after you turn of the electric element?

If you can get the 20 amp version get it.
The difference between the 15 and 20 amp versions are the size of the main contacts and being it will be turned on and off many times the 20 amp version will be the best.

You still hook it up to the 15 amp breaker output to the new switch then to the water heater.
You will also need to bring a neutral up to the switch to make the light work.

[itat]

Thanks, Iggy.

Wiring it will be simple. I found a good explanation of how to wire it in here:
How to wire Cooper 277 pilot light switch

I just haven't seen a 20A version of the switch you used. I did find one where the toggle itself illuminates:
Amazon.com: Leviton 1221-PLR 20-Amp, 120 Volt, Toggle Pilot Light, Illuminated On, Req, Neutral Single-Pole AC Quiet Switch, Extra Heavy Duty Grade, Self Grounding, Red: Home Improvement