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12-28-2018, 03:56 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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Hot Water Heating
In a recent post (Weekends at Whistler: Final Update), I mentioned that the first 2 cups' of water from the kitchen tap are close to hot when we first turn it on in the morning, or at the end of the ski day. We believe this results from the lines, which run from the driver's side to the passenger's side of the trailer, under the floor, capturing and storing the heat generated by a small (375 watt) heater that we keep in the open area between the two rear bench seats.
This has led me to wonder whether we might run additional lines along the inside of the bench seats, coiling or flaking them, so that we have more than 2 cups of hot water in the winter. Can we tap into the cold water line after it exits on the passenger side, extend it by 15 feet or so, flaking it in the passenger-side bench seat? Years ago, before we had plumbing in our summer cabin, I coiled a 50' garden hose on the granite and had more than enough boiling hot water to do dishes and shower. I was thinking that we might do the same in the trailer.
Can you think of any down-side to doing this? Or any precautions we should take?
We have huge amounts of excess storage capacity under our rear bench seats, which will never be used; multiple feet of water line, storing the heat generated by the space heater, would be a good use of the space.
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12-28-2018, 06:21 PM
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#2
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Commercial Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon
Trailer: 2014 Escape 21 - "Felicity"
Posts: 2,945
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
We have huge amounts of excess storage capacity under our rear bench seats, which will never be used; multiple feet of water line, storing the heat generated by the space heater, would be a good use of the space.
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Sounds like a fine plan to me!
__________________
Charlie Y
Need custom storage to your design? Don't drill holes!
www.RVWidgetWorks.com
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12-29-2018, 12:12 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
Posts: 1,584
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
In a recent post (Weekends at Whistler: Final Update), I mentioned that the first 2 cups' of water from the kitchen tap are close to hot when we first turn it on in the morning, or at the end of the ski day. We believe this results from the lines, which run from the driver's side to the passenger's side of the trailer, under the floor, capturing and storing the heat generated by a small (375 watt) heater that we keep in the open area between the two rear bench seats.
This has led me to wonder whether we might run additional lines along the inside of the bench seats, coiling or flaking them, so that we have more than 2 cups of hot water in the winter. Can we tap into the cold water line after it exits on the passenger side, extend it by 15 feet or so, flaking it in the passenger-side bench seat? Years ago, before we had plumbing in our summer cabin, I coiled a 50' garden hose on the granite and had more than enough boiling hot water to do dishes and shower. I was thinking that we might do the same in the trailer.
Can you think of any down-side to doing this? Or any precautions we should take?
We have huge amounts of excess storage capacity under our rear bench seats, which will never be used; multiple feet of water line, storing the heat generated by the space heater, would be a good use of the space.
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Do you have the two-way water heater?
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12-29-2018, 07:08 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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I understand the concept, but I don’t think this is a good bang for the buck. You have stated you have full hook-ups. Why don’t you just flip the hot water heater on (propane or electric if you have the dual mode model) when you get back from skiing? It heats the water pretty quickly. If you have the dual mode you can use both propane and electric simultaneously.
On edit: In reading your other thread I see you bypassed the hot water heater for simplicity. I assume you are concerned with freezing of the hot water tank when not in use.
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12-29-2018, 09:11 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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That's exactly it. Unless we keep the water in the tank hot at all times, it could freeze up. Unlikely, given that it is inside, but the insulation that keeps the water hot also prevents the heat inside the trailer from warming up the water while the heater is turned off.
In our Casita, we had dual propane-electric controls, but both were inside the trailer, and we could quickly switch off the electric heat in the tank when I was cooking, or otherwise loading the electrical circuit. We had asked Escape for this option, but it's not available. And it is just too big a nuisance going outside in the winter to muck about with the electrical switch on the water heater.
Why not then use the propane, you ask? Because we are gone during the week and need full tanks to back up the space heaters in the event of a power failure.
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12-29-2018, 09:22 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Why not leave the electric on in the water heater, it should cycle on/off as needed. Throw the o/s switch once and leave it on.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-29-2018, 11:34 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: North Van., British Columbia
Trailer: 2014 Escape 19, sold; 2019 Escape 21, Sept. 2019
Posts: 8,743
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Or turn the circuit breaker off. I know, you shouldn't use a circuit breaker as a switch but a few uses isn't going to kill it.
Ron
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12-29-2018, 11:47 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
Posts: 1,584
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
Why not leave the electric on in the water heater, it should cycle on/off as needed. Throw the o/s switch once and leave it on.
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I’m with Jim. Why not just leave it on? You’re only burning electricity. Which presumably is not metered, even though leaving it on full time wouldn’t actually use much. Alternatively, adding an interior electrical switch would be just as easy as adding all the plumbing that you’re proposing.
Others and myself could walk you through adding an electric switch if you’re interested.
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12-29-2018, 01:00 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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Yes, maybe just leave it on electric while you are there for the weekend and then throw the bypass valves and drain while you are away. Maybe a combination anode / drain would make it more convenient for you? Obviously you would have to trim your skirting or otherwise create an opening to access the water heater on the exterior.
https://www.amazon.com/NW-Leisure-TS...73279860&psc=1
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12-29-2018, 01:52 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Port Townsend, Washington
Trailer: 2010 17B “MATT”, then 2017 19 “Lilly”
Posts: 1,584
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Elisabeth, I take it that you leave the space heaters on during the week while you’re away, no? Otherwise your whole plumbing system would be in danger of freezing, not just your water heater, which you bypassed to avoid it freezing, right? If all this is true, then I’m back to just leaving the water heater on (electric) all the time. It won’t freeze, won’t use nearly as much juice as your space heaters, and is probably a lot safer than leaving space heaters unattended.
Another aspect of this, do you have tank heating pads to keep your fresh tank from freezing?
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12-29-2018, 02:54 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sclifrickson
Another aspect of this, do you have tank heating pads to keep your fresh tank from freezing?
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I don’t think that is a factor. His Whistler thread says he has a heated hose so he is connected to city water. No water should be in the fresh tank.
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12-29-2018, 03:02 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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I would recommend a camera inside that is connect to your phone to determine if power ever goes off just to check the inside in case.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-29-2018, 03:08 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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Also I would have the propane furnace on a digital thermostat if it isn’t already and set it to a temperature below what the electric heaters would maintain, but above freezing potential. If the power trips or is lost from the utility you still have the propane furnace acting as backup. For a while if on batteries only and possibly infinitely if you have a solar panel that isn’t covered with snow.
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12-29-2018, 03:24 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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maybe too cold for propane, I think below -0- there are issues.....
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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12-29-2018, 04:30 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cpaharley2008
maybe too cold for propane, I think below -0- there are issues.....
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I’m no cold weather propane expert but I think it has to be much colder than that to keep the propane all liquid. Like closer to -40F.
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12-29-2018, 04:42 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Baytown, Texas
Trailer: 2017 21' Escape - upgraded version
Posts: 2,697
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Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
That's exactly it. Unless we keep the water in the tank hot at all times, it could freeze up. Unlikely, given that it is inside, but the insulation that keeps the water hot also prevents the heat inside the trailer from warming up the water while the heater is turned off.
In our Casita, we had dual propane-electric controls, but both were inside the trailer, and we could quickly switch off the electric heat in the tank when I was cooking, or otherwise loading the electrical circuit. We had asked Escape for this option, but it's not available. And it is just too big a nuisance going outside in the winter to muck about with the electrical switch on the water heater.
Why not then use the propane, you ask? Because we are gone during the week and need full tanks to back up the space heaters in the event of a power failure.
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Take a look at this thread - a number of us have added a switch to control the electric hot water heater from the monitor panel. Really convenient to control the hot water heater as both propane and electric are controlled from the panel after the mod.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f8...day-11959.html
__________________
Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Engineers believe in fixing it so that it never breaks.
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12-29-2018, 08:40 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Burlington Twp., New Jersey
Trailer: 2010 Escape 19
Posts: 7,123
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rubicon327
Also I would have the propane furnace on a digital thermostat if it isn’t already and set it to a temperature below what the electric heaters would maintain, but above freezing potential. If the power trips or is lost from the utility you still have the propane furnace acting as backup. For a while if on batteries only and possibly infinitely if you have a solar panel that isn’t covered with snow.
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egraham just realized based on your previous post that you are already doing this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by egraham
Why not then use the propane, you ask? Because we are gone during the week and need full tanks to back up the space heaters in the event of a power failure.
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12-30-2018, 10:39 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Seattle, Washington
Trailer: Escape 19'
Posts: 105
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We are up at Whistler for two weeks and I cannot respond easily. Will do when we get back. Thank you all and happy new year!
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