Water Heater Shut Off???

[RickLSmith53]

I searched my Lexi 255 GTS from top to bottom for a way to turn off the electricity to my water heater when stored, but plugged in. I live in an RV housing community in which all the homes have an RV Port, RV Garage, or are sitting on a landscaped RV Pad. So it is plugged in at all times. The only switch I could find was the one that fires up the W.H. on LP gas. This still strikes me as odd, because every RV I have owned that had an electric/gas water heater had both a switch for the electric, and one for the gas...? Well, it is an easy fix on the Lexi 255 GTS. The Converter/Circuit Breaker box is located under the bed. So I took the output from the water heater breaker and run it to a household style light switch I mounted also under the bed nearby. Then of course connected the output of the switch back to the feed to the water heater. I also placed a red lamp in the circuit so I can see when the water heater is running on ac. If you are not comfortable with electriciy and wiring you may want an RV repair center do this job. I just did not wish to wear out the heating element, or especially, waste all the electricity! Hope this is helpful.

[lindy]

Knowing the make or model of the water heater would make it easier. My elect/gas WH has the elect switch right on the water heater itself, it's behind the gas manifold you have to sort of bend down and then look up behind it to see the switch on mine.

[AREA51]

These comments are from the Berkshire Forum Forest River Forums > Motorhomes > General Motorhome Discussion > Berkshire Hot water tank - source switch
Forest River Forums > Motorhomes > General Motorhome Discussion > Berkshire Hot water tank - source switch

There should be an a/c on/ off switch on the actual Hw heater.
Open door and look in the lower left corner.
It's hidden so look close.
If you look at the Power switch located on the Hot Water Heater you will notice it has a small hole thru the rocker. This is for a small hairpin cotter pin that when stuck through the hole prevents the switch from being turned to the on position. When this is inserted it will avoid putting power to the heating element. Anytime the switch in the on position and the circuit breaker is also in the on position there must be water in the tank or the heating element will burn out. I make it a practice to avoid using the circuit breaker and always keep this switch in the off position until I hook up to water and shore power. I'm out of the coach anyway for the hookups and it only takes a second to flip that switch. I can only imagine the hassel to replace the heating element or the whole heater.
You can operate in both the A/C and gas mode at the same time, if fast hot water recovery is needed, we tend to use just propane when either boondooking or on the road and go to strictly A/C when using campground power.
The switch and red light indicator next to it in the power center is for propane operation.
McMaster-Carr

[TURBS]

Suburban style hw heater on off switch

[RickLSmith53]

I guess because I am now an "old fart", I need a red light looking me in the face to remember to turn it off! All RV's I have owned had it right on the main panel where the LP gas W.H. switch is... And had the red lamp to show if it was on. I guess I am spoiled and missed that feature.
Thanks,
Rick Smith

[TURBS]

My sabre has both switches inside .
Most fr products don't.






Turbs

[lindy]

RickLSmith53; Being an even older fart, what I do is I have a red tag I hang on the outside of the WH door when I turn the switch on while camping. Then during tear down I shut the switch off and put the red tag inside the WH ready for use the next time I turn the WH switch on. So far this has kept me from buring out the elect element being as I plug in the elect while trlrs at home but no water.

[TURBS]

Another option is to leave hw switch on and shut the breaker off in the distribution panel.
Again just don't forget!

Turbs

[Capt. Mike]

I clip a red plastic clothes pin on my water heater door to remind me to turn the electric power off when leaving a campground. I do the same thing with a red clothes pin on the antenna crank to remind myself to put the antenna down, too!

One of these days, as I get older, I'm gonna' have to clip a red clothes pin on Danforth.

[Capt. Mike]

Turbs,

Really like the two switches for the gas and electric oeration of the w/h on the panel of your Sabre.

Mike

[AREA51]

We had two plastic nametag type signs made. One engraved with HOT WATER HEATER SWITCH and the other with TOWED CAR KEY. We stick them on the dash when the Hot Water Switch is on and when we take the Key out of the Tow, keeps me reminded of what is what. We started doing this after we left an antenna in a Palm Tree at a Charleston Camp Ground and before we bought the Antenna warning sign.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Capt. Mike

Turbs,

Really like the two switches for the gas and electric oeration of the w/h on the panel of your Sabre.

Mike

Really makes it nice since the hw heater is on the ods of the camper!

Turbs

[RoadTrip]

we just made a check list (an idea from this forum), after the WH cover was recovered on the side of a rural road, after having been left loose.

Now I have my eyes on the new Rand McNally 7720 that apparently comes with checklists pre-programmed and customizable!

yah, more toys for me!

[Sirsea]

If I read the post correctly, Rick was telling us about the modification he did by adding another switch for the 120v side of the water heater. I plan to do this next time we go camping.

To RoadTrip...just got my new RVND 7720, it is really nice; hope to try it out soon. Bought direct and they had a $100 trade-in program in Dec..don't know if it is still going on but may be worth checking out.

[RoadTrip]

Originally Posted by Sirsea

To RoadTrip...just got my new RVND 7720, it is really nice; hope to try it out soon. Bought direct and they had a $100 trade-in program in Dec..don't know if it is still going on but may be worth checking out.

Thanks, but this'll be my first ever GPS, so I got no trade in.