Hot water question

[mj0528]

I was using the fresh water tank and I was taking a shower. Water ran about the time I was finished. I got to the water heater and turned it off pretty quickly. Can this ruin the hot water element? Does water stay in the hot water tank even though the fresh tank was empty?

[rockfordroo]

You should be OK. If there's no water in the fresh water tank to push out the water in the hot water heater, the water in the HWH will stay there.

The water in the HWH is usually considered to be "unusable" in terms of determining how much water you can carry. For example, FR may tell you that you have a fresh water capacity of 32 gal, but 6 of that is in the HWH, so you really only have 26 gal that are "usable."

[mj0528]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

You should be OK. If there's no water in the fresh water tank to push out the water in the hot water heater, the water in the HWH will stay there.

The water in the HWH is usually considered to be "unusable" in terms of determining how much water you can carry. For example, FR may tell you that you have a fresh water capacity of 32 gal, but 6 of that is in the HWH, so you really only have 26 gal that are "usable."

Gotcha, that's what I was hoping for. I could hear the heater going when I got out of the shower so scared the crap out of me

[bikendan]

Navy showers are a standard procedure for RV showers.
Are you using the shutoff valve on the shower wand, during showering?
If you're running the shower continuously, it's no wonder you ran out of water.

[Scrapper]

If you hear the WH going then you heating with LP. You cannot hear anything if you are using the electric element. If you hear the burner going you will not burn out the element.

[mj0528]

Good info! Thanks!