Have a 2002 Wildwood TT with Suburban 6 gallon hot water heater with propane heat. Camper set up permanent in campground with 110 v power. Need to replace hot water heater and thinking about going with Suburban propane/electric DE model, but not sure what electrical needs I will need to make to go to an propane/Electric model. Will I need to run a new electrical line, and will an electrical switch inside the camper be required? Figured someone on this forum has already done this and could instruct. Thanks in advance..
I'll have to check next time we go down to campground. The one we have now does have a electric spark ignitor, but not sure if there is electrical box behind the heater. I don't remember seeing one. There is one behind the frig that is close to the heater.
Have a 2002 Wildwood TT with Suburban 6 gallon hot water heater with propane heat. Camper set up permanent in campground with 110 v power. Need to replace hot water heater and thinking about going with Suburban propane/electric DE model, but not sure what electrical needs I will need to make to go to an propane/Electric model. Will I need to run a new electrical line, and will an electrical switch inside the camper be required? Figured someone on this forum has already done this and could instruct. Thanks in advance..
To utilize an electric element, you will most likely need a separate circuit that can provide 12 amps, as the Suburban heating element is 1440 watts.
1440 watts/120 volts= 12 amps. Most RV pre-wired circuits are for 15 amps, so if you use one already in use for other things, then you may likely trip the circuit breaker when using a heating element..hence it's need for it's own dedicated circuit.
This FAQ actually has wiring schematics for the gas/electric Suburban water heaters that may help you.
To see if you have a gas/electric WH open the outside access panel and look for a switch in the lower left corner. Sometimes the switch can be a little difficult to see.
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Richard & Jill
2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS Classic Super Lite
2018 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab Z71 4WD All Star Edition
Camping since 1989, Seasonal since 2000.
Car Shredder Op/Tech, Scrap Metal Recycling - retired
I'll have to check next time we go down to campground. The one we have now does have a electric spark ignitor.
The spark igniter is 12v DC, not 110v AC.
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Dan-Retired California Firefighter/EMT
Shawn-Musician/Entrepreneur/Wine Expert
and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
I know my current water heater is not electric. You have to basically light the pilot light then the burner will kick on to heat the water. It does have a 12v ignitor that has never worked right, thus you have to light the pilot light with a little grill lighter. But it's 18 years old and rusty and time to replace. Just trying to decide which Suburban model will make lighting easier and if we could put in a DE model that has electrical too. But it sounds like I would need to run a dedicated electrical line from the circuit panel to the new heater. But the newer model with ignitor has done away with the pilot light issue thus that may be the better way for me to go and just forget the DE model and just use propane. Just trying to make "lighting" the water heater easier for my wife when she goes down by herself sometimes. Be nice to just flip a switch and it lights automatically..
If your RV has a 30 amp panel and you want to add a water heater that includes an electric element, (120 AC), then you might consider creating a separate circuit that would plug directly to the 120 AC outlet on the campsite pedestal. This would mean you would plug up your 30 amp connection as normal, but when you wanted to use the electric side of your water heater you would also plug up the dedicated cord for the water heater to the 110/120 outlet.
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AS Rabbit
2016 Wildwood 195BH
2009 Silverado 1500
2011 Flagstaff 831 RLBSS
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