Water heater - Always on or only when needed?

[kantonburg]

So on my last camping trip a neighboring camper (older gentlemen in his 60s) gave me a tour of his camper. I noticed his water heater wasn't on and he said he doesn't turn in on till about an hour before he needs it. He camps by himself. He mentioned it'll save the water heater in the long run especially since they're so expensive to replace.

What about you guys? Not necessary or worth while to leave it off?

[gspot01]

I do what the old guy does. Don't know if he's right--haven't had mine that long--but I don't see much point in wasting the propane to keep the water warm.

[dalford]

Never gave it much thought. As far as use cost goes if you are running off AC that is part of your site fee. Propane is your cost. As far as longevity goes I camp a min of 50 nights a year. So it's only on 50 days out of the year. My unit at home is on 24-365. The on/off switch may wear out before the heater.

IMHO just turn it on when you get there and turn it off when you leave unless dry camping..

[Cigarman]

Same here. I turn it on and leave it on. I like the convenience and would probably forget to turn it on until right before I needed it.

[raspivey]

Originally Posted by dalford

IMHO just turn it on when you get there and turn it off when you leave unless dry camping..

I used to think that until I realized it was using more propane to heat it up between uses than just letting it maintain the heat. I just leave mine on all the time when camping.

[timfromma]

I shut mine off at night mostly because the switch glows bright blue and annoys me when trying to sleep.

[spock123]

Like at home, my hot water heater stays on all the time. In a FHU campground the electric hot water heater is on


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[blwnsmoke]

I use the electric for my hot water. Plus to remember to turn it on before showers.. or before needing to wash dishes would be too annoying and we would forget.

[dukeboone]

If I'm on hookups I leave the water heater on (unless I turn the water supply off, which I do when I leave for an extended period). If I'm dry camping I leave the water heater off until I need it, it seems to heat really fast on propane, and I really don't need it to maintain the hot water all day long.

[RVDon]

I stayed in my previous FR RV for 2 yrs straight and left it on all the time(electric) and only had one issue with it, had to replace the thermostat once. I believe it was $10.00 and 10 minutes to fix.

[Ford Idaho]

On, as long as I am there I turn the water off if I will be away for long so the water heater is turned off in the event of a leak.

[WFD]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

On, as long as I am there I turn the water off if I will be away for long so the water heater is turned off in the event of a leak.

Interesting concept I never thought of. We also turn water spigot off if leaving for a few hours, but never gave thought to shutting off water heater when shutting water off....I also question how long the switch will last with the constant shutting off.

[spock123]

I leave the water spigot on all the time just like hot water heater. I sleep at night and when I wake I want hot water to wash up, my face, DW likes the water to be hot when she wakes up. Me I like to sleep late, I sure don't want to go outside and turn the water spigot on or listen to DW about why the water is cold.


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[hdmtnrider]

Just came back today from a 5 day camping trip to the lake and we turned ours on Sunday and off today when we left the site.

[RSchleder]

I think one thing to consider is once the water is hot even leaving it on, unless it's cold outside, it really doesn't run that often or very long.

[WFD]

Originally Posted by spock123

I leave the water spigot on all the time just like hot water heater. I sleep at night and when I wake I want hot water to wash up, my face, DW likes the water to be hot when she wakes up. Me I like to sleep late, I sure don't want to go outside and turn the water spigot on or listen to DW about why the water is cold.


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Only time I shut the spigot is if we are away a long time so as not to come back to a leak inside...at night we leave it on.

[gspot01]

One time I was camping at 8000 feet and turning on the water heater caused the CO alarm to go off. After reading the manual, you're supposed to have it rejetted if camping at elevation due to incomplete combustion. Since then I've never been comfortable with having something combusting while I sleep even though most of the time I camp below 500'. As a result I just g turn it on 30 min before I want to shower. That's the only time I need/want hot water.

I suppose if I had electric it would be a non-issue.

[NMWildcat]

Zowie... Another item to add to my list of RV subjects that folks over think We never turned ours off when we had a tank, and we always ran propane and electric at the same time. Now we have tankless, non-issue😁

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by WFD

Interesting concept I never thought of. We also turn water spigot off if leaving for a few hours, but never gave thought to shutting off water heater when shutting water off....I also question how long the switch will last with the constant shutting off.

Perhaps I am overly cautious but it is an easy thing to do.

The water will stay hot for some time so if I turn the water heater back on when I get back the water is hot enough to use within a few minutes.

As for the switch wearing out, off and on may be harder on the contacts than on all the time.

[oldsmasma]

We use electric for hot water - not big dry campers. I control the hot water by the breaker. I generally only wash dishes once a day - after supper. I flip the breaker on just after supper and the water is hot by the time I have my after dinner coffee. I flip the breaker off before bed just in an effort to conserve a bit and perhaps save the campground (usually Provincial Parks) a buck or two. Even after a cool fall night the water is still warm for washing up in the morning.