Electrical problem - new for me

[JeffO4297]

Sigh, one more lesson learned the hard way

[camp4528]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

Sigh, one more lesson learned the hard way

You are very much helping out us soon-to-be’s with this thread.

The water heater heating element is fairly inexpensive and easy to replace from the outside. Might be worth replacing it as a proactive thing.

Also I have found the Escape Youtube videos very helpful for theoretical learning (soon-to-be) and they may help you too with the trailer systems. Here’s the link
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCdauP0Tq5LC0nKVxB6wYrWg

[tdf-texas]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

Sigh, one more lesson learned the hard way

In case you need one,

https://pdxrvwholesale.com/products/...watt-520900%20

[JeffO4297]

Thanks for the pep talk Camp!
I appreciate knowing that maybe this event will be learning and not super expensive. I hope so.
I did take out the wasting rod when I drained everything, but I assume the element is a different thing.
Checking the videos now
Thanks again

[JeffO4297]

Originally Posted by tdf-texas

In case you need one,

https://pdxrvwholesale.com/products/...watt-520900%20

Thank you so much for that link.
I will be ordering one to put in this winter.
At that price I won't wait to test it.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

Thank you so much for that link.
I will be ordering one to put in this winter.
At that price I won't wait to test it.

Buy the water heater element removal wrench at the same time...and maybe a spare element so you never leave it on again!

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

...

Follow up question; before I turned off the breakers there was power to the trailer for a while. Did I damage the hot water heater element?

My early experience has been exactly like yours. I was trying to power the bare minimum of electronics in my Escape 21 by using a skinny extension cord. Unknown to me the empty water heater was turned on. After a couple of days (!!!) with stuff barely working I figured out what the problem was and turned off the WH. The element did not burn out and is still in use 5 years later. Why? My guess is that because the wimpy extension cord was dropping the voltage so much that the element just couldn't get hot enough to reach the damage point. Dodged a bullet that day.
--
Alan

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

Buy the water heater element removal wrench at the same time...and maybe a spare element so you never leave it on again!

Excellelnt advice. I did exactly that and my current element will of course never burn out now. I think it is called the "Law of Spare Parts".

--
Alan

[JeffO4297]

Originally Posted by Ian and Sue

Buy the water heater element removal wrench at the same time...and maybe a spare element so you never leave it on again!

I will do that. I've got several spare parts around just in case the other one fails.
It seems to work really well.

[JeffO4297]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

My early experience has been exactly like yours. I was trying to power the bare minimum of electronics in my Escape 21 by using a skinny extension cord. Unknown to me the empty water heater was turned on. After a couple of days (!!!) with stuff barely working I figured out what the problem was and turned off the WH. The element did not burn out and is still in use 5 years later. Why? My guess is that because the wimpy extension cord was dropping the voltage so much that the element just couldn't get hot enough to reach the damage point. Dodged a bullet that day.
--
Alan

I can only hope my experience is like yours.
Thanks Alan

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

I did take out the wasting rod when I drained everything, but I assume the element is a different thing.
Checking the videos now

The Escape authored hot water heater video is too basic and won’t show you how to replace the heating element.
This should help...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wBwrOO1h_E0

[JeffO4297]

Thanks for the video link.
I've got parts on order - very reasonably priced.
It looks like a rather specialized tool is needed to extract the element, but that too is reasonable.
This has been quite an education, from batteries to water heaters. Wow.
I appreciate the Escape community and your willingness to help

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by JeffO4297

It looks like a rather specialized tool is needed to extract the element, but that too is reasonable.

The “special” socket with the thin wall they sell is not a bad thing to have I suppose. Honestly though when I replaced ours I took a normal 1-1/2” socket and pushed hard enough to flex the thin sheet metal surround inward enough to grab the element. Same with the reinstall. Maybe not the “right” way but got the job done. Haven’t had any problems.

[Iowa Dave]

Drop cords
When I was in the parks department one thing I did was coordinate the City Christmas tree. Before LED bulbs we ran 950 C-9 bulbs on 4 twenty amp Circuits running 4 10-3 100 foot drop cords. Due to my predecessors being a little tight with the dollars it wasn’t always that way and calls about all or part of the lights being out was a daily occurrence. A dope addict stole all four heavy cords late one night. He cut the ends off and too them to a metal recycler and sold them for the copper in the cords. We replaced them the next day and put out the stolen metal notice to all the recyclers within about a hundred miles which was SOP. The recycler he had used was less than a block from the police station. He stole our cords again the next night and took them to the salvage guy. The salvage guy said “wait here a minute while I call my boss, I think I can get you more money for these since you didn’t cut the ends off. He called the detectives and the officer walked across the alley and about 75 yards to the recycler. The thief waited patiently right up to the time they put the cuffs on him. We got all our cords back and put new ends on the first set. They somewhat rehabbed the guy and we got restitution for a couple years and had no more trouble. We started pinning the cords down in about 6
Places with 24 inch pieces of rebar bent with a 6 inch hook on it. The light Bill went from 200 dollars for about 40 days to the minimum meter charge when we switched to LEDs in about
2006. A Christmas Parkie story by:
Iowa Dave