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Old 05-31-2017, 07:02 AM   #1
Lin
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Water heater question

We are out camping this week in our new 19. We are plugged in to shore power. It seems that the heater is constantly on even when we turn the water heater switch off. We turned off the gas to see if it was just the electricity running it. Is it normal for the water heater to run even if the switch is on off? Is this a concern for the heater?
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Old 05-31-2017, 07:09 AM   #2
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Could it just be stored heat? The water stays long for a long time after you turn off the gas heat to it.
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Old 05-31-2017, 07:26 AM   #3
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Is it normal for the water heater to run even if the switch is on off? Is this a concern for the heater?
Linda, which switch do you mean? If you're talking about the inside switch, that's for propane mode. If you're talking about the outside switch (inside the water heater access panel) that's for AC power. If you mean that the heater is on even with the inside switch turned off, check the outside switch as well.


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Old 05-31-2017, 08:22 AM   #4
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Linda, which switch do you mean? If you're talking about the inside switch, that's for propane mode. If you're talking about the outside switch (inside the water heater access panel) that's for AC power. If you mean that the heater is on even with the inside switch turned off, check the outside switch as well.
These dual hot water heaters with separate switches located apart from each other continue to confuse people. If I'm not mistaken the new trailers have a switch for the electric and gas operation on the monitor panel. For the rest of us....

Inside switch with red fault light...propane gas operation only
Outside switch...electric element operation only
Not many people do it, but for faster recovery both fuel sources can be used simultaneously
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inside hot water heater switch - GAS.JPG   SW6DE outside switch for 120V element.JPG  
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Old 05-31-2017, 08:55 AM   #5
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We have one switch inside (2017 camper).
We just turned the outside switch off. We had thought that was the "bypass" switch"! We now realize that is more of a flip switch/toggle than the on/off button. I guess we are just fumbling through our learning curve! We will see if that solves the issue. We really do t need that much hot water. . Thanks for the quick responses, we knew it should have cooled down overnight.
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Old 05-31-2017, 09:17 AM   #6
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It's easy to forget the water heater is still on because the red light is only on while water is being heated up. When the light shuts off it means your hot water is now ready and the heater continues to keep your water hot. It's easy to forget that. Many of us have added a second light to remind us that the heater is on.
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Old 05-31-2017, 09:22 AM   #7
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Lin, It is a bit confusing. If your "outside switch" is "ON" the water will automatically default to shore power whenever you hook-up. If you are not on shore power and desire hot water, then turn on the "inside switch". This activates the propane mode. We keep water in our hot water heater during the entire camping season, therefore the "outside switch" is always "on". Our water heater activates immediately upon hook-up. When not hooked-up, the outside switch stays on, but the water is only heated by the inside 'propane' switch.
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Old 05-31-2017, 11:15 AM   #8
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I was confused initially too since I couldn't find the outside switch in the outside panel even with a friendly neighbor's help... until Titanizer pointed it out on this forum for me
Also, I used the breaker panel as an additional inside switch for the electric water heater.. leaving the outside switch on and use the breaker switch as on/off for electric mode, and the red light switch for gas mode
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Old 05-31-2017, 12:19 PM   #9
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I was confused initially too since I couldn't find the outside switch in the outside panel even with a friendly neighbor's help... until Titanizer pointed it out on this forum for me
Also, I used the breaker panel as an additional inside switch for the electric water heater.. leaving the outside switch on and use the breaker switch as on/off for electric mode, and the red light switch for gas mode
Using the breaker an an on/off switch probably not a good practice. This breaker is not rated for switching items on and off. Using it as such may lead to premature failure.
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Old 05-31-2017, 02:41 PM   #10
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Using the breaker an an on/off switch probably not a good practice. This breaker is not rated for switching items on and off. Using it as such may lead to premature failure.
It's really 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other.
True the breaker is not designed for switching under load and could lead to premature failure , but the unit switch is not much better and is known to go bad .
If you burn up the breaker you can drive to any HD , Lowe's or Menards and pick up a replacement , the same can not be said for the unit switch. Plus to replace the unit switch require you to remove part of the burner assembly and often the wires are short making the switch difficult to remove or to attach to the new switch .Changing out the circuit breaker is a much easier task IMHO.
If either one fails your still in the same boat . I added a 20 amp commercial rated switch to control my WH and just leave the breaker and the unit switch in the ON position.
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Old 12-15-2017, 06:59 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by MyronL View Post
It's easy to forget the water heater is still on because the red light is only on while water is being heated up. When the light shuts off it means your hot water is now ready and the heater continues to keep your water hot. It's easy to forget that. Many of us have added a second light to remind us that the heater is on.
Happened to just see this when glancing at the thread and wanted to clarify. The red light is only on for ignition. It goes out once there is confirmed ignition which is usually very quick. It does not stay on until the water is up to temperature.
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Old 12-15-2017, 09:27 PM   #12
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Happened to just see this when glancing at the thread and wanted to clarify. The red light is only on for ignition. It goes out once there is confirmed ignition which is usually very quick. It does not stay on until the water is up to temperature.
That's correct. When the light goes out it means the water heater has ignited - not that the water is up to temperature. Many of us have indeed modified the switch by adding an LED that stays on if the switch is on.
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Old 12-15-2017, 11:02 PM   #13
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For those with older Escapes, the current interior panels have both an illuminated (pilot light style) switch and a separate ignition light (‘DSI FLT’ in below pic) for gas operation. The pilot light stays on continuously when switch is on, but the ignition light only comes on during calls for ignition or in case of fault. Because the pilot light is built in, previous mods to add an additional light are no longer necessary.



I always meant to do the mod with our 2010 17, but never did. I wish our new 19 had the 120V electric switch on indoor panel as well, but Escape still isn’t doing that, at least as of this August. I did add an interior 120V switch (with pilot light) under the bed though.

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