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04-25-2022, 03:25 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 369
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Debating leaving water pump and water heater on
We have a Cottage permanently setup on our property. The trailer has a solar system and 500-amps of lithium batteries. Right now we leave the power on when we're not their so the fridge is always cold upon arrival. Currently I turn the water pump and water heater off when we leave.
I'm contemplating leaving the pump and electric water heater on too. The reason is when we get their it always takes the water heater 2-3 hours to get up to temp. So it would be nice to not have that wait. Are there any concerns to leaving the water pump and water heater on all the time?
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04-25-2022, 03:32 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: ALASKA (World's Biggest Campground)
Posts: 6,705
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I take it you don't have CW?
__________________
'07 K3500 Silverado LT Crew Duramax (LBZ)
2016 Salem 27RKSS
1984 CHEV SCOTTSDALE K20 2GCGK24J0E1XXXXXX (Chevrolet Legends-Class of 2019)
"...exhaust fluid? We don't need no stinkin' exhaust fluid"
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04-25-2022, 03:35 PM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Northen IL
Posts: 8,313
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
We have a Cottage permanently setup on our property. The trailer has a solar system and 500-amps of lithium batteries. Right now we leave the power on when we're not their so the fridge is always cold upon arrival. Currently I turn the water pump and water heater off when we leave.
I'm contemplating leaving the pump and electric water heater on too. The reason is when we get their it always takes the water heater 2-3 hours to get up to temp. So it would be nice to not have that wait. Are there any concerns to leaving the water pump and water heater on all the time?
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We are on a seasonal site and always turn the water heater off when we leave for the week. No reason to keep the water hot while we aren't there.
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04-25-2022, 05:08 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 369
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Quote:
Originally Posted by D W
I take it you don't have CW?
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CW?
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04-25-2022, 05:17 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 359
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Leaving the water pump on is dangerous. Should your plumbing spring a leak inside, you’ll have a flooded trailer when you return.
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2006 Dynamax Isata IE 250
420 Ah batteries
400w Solar
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04-25-2022, 05:23 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,349
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I had a toilet valve leak slowly and if I hadn't caught it the black tank could have overflowed. Not worth the risk.
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04-25-2022, 05:30 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2016
Location: ALASKA (World's Biggest Campground)
Posts: 6,705
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
CW?
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City Water
__________________
'07 K3500 Silverado LT Crew Duramax (LBZ)
2016 Salem 27RKSS
1984 CHEV SCOTTSDALE K20 2GCGK24J0E1XXXXXX (Chevrolet Legends-Class of 2019)
"...exhaust fluid? We don't need no stinkin' exhaust fluid"
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04-25-2022, 05:52 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 2,310
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We turn off the water (CW) , pump and Hot water heater before leaving for any amount of time.
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XLR Thunderbolt 300X12HP
2014 Ram 3500 DRW
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04-25-2022, 06:39 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 5,054
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I turn off the pump anytime we leave the trailer for more than 5 minutes. I see no reason to turn off the wh if you are willing to pay the bill for leaving it on. A leak with no pressure from the pump is unlikely to cause the wh to drain, in the unlikely event that the wh did drain, you would end up with a fried heating element though.
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04-25-2022, 06:58 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 9,194
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
I'm contemplating leaving the pump and electric water heater on too. The reason is when we get their it always takes the water heater 2-3 hours to get up to temp. So it would be nice to not have that wait. Are there any concerns to leaving the water pump and water heater on all the time?
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The main danger of leaving the water pump on would be if you have a leak. Then the water pump would continue to pump water into the rig until it was empty. Some water pumps shut off automatically when the water level is low, but some do not.
Also, if you had the water heater on electric, that would continue running even when the water was depleted and burn out the electric element in the water heater.
Only you can determine the risk you're willing to take.
__________________
2015 Dynamax REV 24TB class C
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04-25-2022, 07:41 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 369
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All good points, I値l keep turning it off after we leave. Thanks!
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04-25-2022, 09:32 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Space Coast of Florida
Posts: 4,018
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
All good points, I値l keep turning it off after we leave. Thanks!
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When you return turn on electric and propane. Both will come on and heat the water quickly. Once heated, turn off propane.
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2016 Siverback 33IK, Towed 50K+ mile
2018 Ford F-350 Lariat 6.7L V8 Diesel 4WD Crew Cab
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."
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04-26-2022, 01:21 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2022
Posts: 18
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You can always consider replacing the hw heater with an on-demand one. I know some people prefer the tank but I'm pretty happy with the on demand hot water heater in my Forest River. Looks like the 2022 Cedar Creek Cottage has a tankless water heater option so they should make one that fits.
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04-26-2022, 01:32 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,651
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
All good points, I値l keep turning it off after we leave. Thanks!
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Probably best to turn the pump off "before" you leave. Don't know of a reason for the water heater to be turned off though. It's not like it's going to be emptied with no one there.
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04-26-2022, 01:46 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 1,213
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"stuff" happens even when you are home. My friend got up to go to bathroom. Realized he was standing in water. It was actually more than water. hehe
Apparently his wife used the bathroom sometime in the night. Did not totally flush or something. Apparently the toilet stuck open and kept running water very slowly. Filled up the black tank with water, P*E, toilet paper and T***S. And kept going. 
What a mess! 
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04-26-2022, 03:39 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: North of Seattle, WA
Posts: 17,327
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bubbles
Probably best to turn the pump off "before" you leave. Don't know of a reason for the water heater to be turned off though. It's not like it's going to be emptied with no one there.
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One overlooked item with water heaters is that the longer the heating element runs the sooner it will fail. Both chemical interaction with tank and anode that's accelerated by heat, as well as electrolysis caused by the inevitable electrical leakage from an energized element, makes a good case for turning heater off if not needed for any length of time.
Regardless of whether you pay for the electricity or not, you definitely WILL pay for any damage to, or failure of, the tank.
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"A wise man can change his mind. A fool never will." (Japanese Proverb)
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2018 Flagstaff Micro Lite 25BDS
2023 f-150 SCREW XLT 3.5 Ecoboost (The result of a $68,000 oil change  )
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04-26-2022, 04:46 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 7,651
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanMike
One overlooked item with water heaters is that the longer the heating element runs the sooner it will fail. Both chemical interaction with tank and anode that's accelerated by heat, as well as electrolysis caused by the inevitable electrical leakage from an energized element, makes a good case for turning heater off if not needed for any length of time.
Regardless of whether you pay for the electricity or not, you definitely WILL pay for any damage to, or failure of, the tank.
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I suppose the element will eventually fail. My home water heater element has been heating the water continuously now for 16 years. The one in the MH is the original since new (2012) and powered 6 months a year. Can't wait for it to expire. The element could fail the first time it is powered or it could last many years or never fail. That's the way of electrical thingy's. It is the OP's decision of course to make I just stated my opinion and it's just that an opinion and we all know everyone has one.
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04-27-2022, 04:52 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 578
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Remote Control
I would never take the risk of leaving the water or heater on during a long absence.
The above suggestion of a tankless heater might be the best solution. If you don't want to go tankless, I would consider the item linked below if an immediate hot shower upon returning to the rig was of paramount importance.
At a glance, it looks like it would work for an RV, but that would require some study before purchase, and you would have to be sure to either leave the water on or ensure that it is OK to turn on the heater before turning on the water.
https://www.amazon.com/Aquanta-Netwo...07F5SSHPD?th=1
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2006 FR Salem 32SRV-LE 5th Wheel Toy-Hauler
2006 F250 Superduty 6.0 Lariat 4x4 Off Road
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04-27-2022, 05:20 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2021
Location: SW Florida
Posts: 373
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Turned my water pump on, just to see if it works. Never turned it on again. I might after every few months turn it on just to keep things working,
Best advice is when u not using it for hrs turn them off. When we set up. Hook up water, i turn the elec water heater on, When i need it it's always hot.
A leak can happen anytime. Waiting an hr more could save you thousands of $$ plus the time to clean up mess
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2017 Titan XD 5.0 Diesel 2018 Indian Roadmaster
Disabled Vet, IT Guy SW Fla.
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05-02-2022, 06:35 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 339
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SacRV
We have a Cottage permanently setup on our property. The trailer has a solar system and 500-amps of lithium batteries. Right now we leave the power on when we're not their so the fridge is always cold upon arrival. Currently I turn the water pump and water heater off when we leave.
I'm contemplating leaving the pump and electric water heater on too. The reason is when we get their it always takes the water heater 2-3 hours to get up to temp. So it would be nice to not have that wait. Are there any concerns to leaving the water pump and water heater on all the time?
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I would not leave water pump on all the time. If a leak developes, it will just keep pumping water to and out of leak.
The water heater will burn a lot of power keeping it on for days on end when not using it. I知 not sure how big (how many amps your solar system is, or how efficient it is). For 500ah of batteries, you should have 1000w of solar.
Is your water heater a residential or RV water heater?
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