Dummy me. I left the water heater on!

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Mopar1973Man

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Yea... In a hurry I winterized the RV and everything and parked it, plugged it in. 24 hours goes by I come back to the RV site here and think to myself did I turn that off? Oh Crap! Out the door haul tail to the RV and sure enough the water heater switch was on! The tank was warm to the touch yet so I'm going to assume the water heater is undamaged? (hoping).

My first good RV blunder...  D'Oh!
 
Guess you won't know until next year.  Good luck.

If I were designing a water heater with an electric element, I'd run the power through a pressure switch, but no one ever asks me and I'm not a design engineer.
 
I've left mine on several times and never burned it out, maybe I was just lucky

The older I get, seems to blunder more often.
 
Came back from boondocking in the old Coachmen once and left it on.  Couple days later I'm outside and hear this strange noise......yep, water heater burning up my costly propane.  ;D
 
Frizlefrak said:
Came back from boondocking in the old Coachmen once and left it on.  Couple days later I'm outside and hear this strange noise......yep, water heater burning up my costly propane.  ;D

Wasn't the propane side I left on but the 120 VAC heater...  ::)

 
If it was in electric mode and the tank had been drained, I would expect that the element has burned out. If it did not, count yourself very lucky.

If in LP mode, your chances are better. There is some risk of having burned a hole in the bottom of the tank over the burner tube, but this does not seem to be a severe risk.
 
I think that if the part is accessible I would buy one and carry it with me.  Sometimes that kind of oops is not immediately fatal, but will strike you when it is the most inconvenient.
 
SargeW said:
I think that if the part is accessible I would buy one and carry it with me.  Sometimes that kind of oops is not immediately fatal, but will strike you when it is the most inconvenient.

Ohhhh yes.....that sort of thing strikes at the most inopportune time possible.  The odds of a delayed failure are directly proportionate to how far you are from civilization. 
 
Mopar
This sounds like a good application for an inexpensive water pressure switch. The water heater would remain inactive (unpowered) until the water pressure reaches 30psi.
OR
Anytime you lose pressure for any reason your water heater would remain without 12dcV and become inactive.

I think I might try making this modification. Hope you don't mind we learning from your misfortune.
Kamper Dave
 
We have a grandson not much younger than Mike  :)
 
Arrgh... Another busy day!  :p :-[

Not gone to ask how old....

I'll tell you... Oct. 26, 1970 = 42 Years old...

Something about crawling out in cold RV crammed under a kitchen cabinet in the dark trying to ohm test a heater element just seem to get low priority...  :eek:
 
I traded campers this year. They hooked everything up to show me all about it, and left the switch on. I pulled it home and put power on it. Two weeks later we went camping. No hot water. Used the gas that trip, then changed the element and anode after I figured out what happened. The switch on the water heater is inside the compartment with the heater on the Flagstaff, instead of inside on the wall! Not my favorite feature. I was told it was built this way so you don't leave it on and burn the element out.  :-\


OBider


 
I was told it was built this way so you don't leave it on and burn the element out.  :-\

Not sure about that thinking!! heh, heh

Mine has both, one inside and one outside on the Suburban tank
 

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