Can I run my Hot Water Heater - Fiberglass RV
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Old 06-21-2009, 03:50 PM   #1
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I just found out the place we are going to has electric hook up but no water hook up.
Can I run my hot water heater or is it better to just boil water for whatever. How will I know if there is enough water in my hot water tank to keep it from going dry?
What do you boon dockers do?????
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Old 06-21-2009, 04:42 PM   #2
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Quote:
I just found out the place we are going to has electric hook up but no water hook up.
Can I run my hot water heater or is it better to just boil water for whatever. How will I know if there is enough water in my hot water tank to keep it from going dry?
What do you boon dockers do?????
As long as you [b]fill your fresh water tank and use your water pump, you will have the water in the water heater replenished also. Just got to monitor the level in the fresh water tank, and fill it when needed. There will probably be a shared water spigot in that campground somewhere, just not a separate one at each site.

We will run into the same situation at Babler State Park next month, and I'm not worried about it...
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Old 06-21-2009, 04:45 PM   #3
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If your water tank runs dry, your water pump will make a rapid-fire noise like a machine gun only not as loud. Your water pump needs to be on if you are not hooked up to city water and have the water heater on.
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Old 06-21-2009, 06:14 PM   #4
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Ok, fill fresh water tank, watch to make sure there is plenty of water in it, and if I hear a funny noise, run and turn off the hot water and refill.
Sounds simple. THANK YOU!
They have shower facilities, so I will not need a lot of hot water, just wanted to have it available if it could be done, being as I have the water heater .
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Old 06-22-2009, 12:25 AM   #5
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Unless you drain it (as you might for winter or to make a plumbing repair) you have to push/pump fresh cold water in to get water out of a full water heater, so it won't ever run itself dry.
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Old 06-22-2009, 07:42 AM   #6
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Karalyn, ditto the other responses. You might find that that as a functionality of your water heater it may not ignite on a dry tank...
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Old 06-22-2009, 07:48 AM   #7
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Headscratch, so... I'm hearing as long as the fresh water tanks have water in them, and you turn on the fresh water pump... mine is located right at the sink area... that will fill the hot water heater or at least put water into it?
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Old 06-22-2009, 10:22 AM   #8
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Donna,

Your hot water tank should fill from either the city water connection or the water tank ( with the pump turned on ).

The hot water tank will not drain until you take out the drain plug.

As long as the hot water tank controller's are working properly, you can leave the propane or electric on without any water flow.

Hope I didn't confuse you more than you were. LOL

Bill K

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Headscratch, so... I'm hearing as long as the fresh water tanks have water in them, and you turn on the fresh water pump... mine is located right at the sink area... that will fill the hot water heater or at least put water into it?
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Old 06-22-2009, 10:53 AM   #9
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Headscratch, so... I'm hearing as long as the fresh water tanks have water in them, and you turn on the fresh water pump... mine is located right at the sink area... that will fill the hot water heater or at least put water into it?
Almost. Just as you have to open a hot water valve to let the cold water into the hot water tank so it will push hot water out through the faucet, you have to open the hot water valve to let the air out of the hot water tank so it will fill with water. You have to let the air out to get the water in, and once the tank is full of hot water that stream of hot water only comes out of the faucet because fresh (cold) water flooding in through the inlet in the lower part of the hot water tank pushes hot water out the outlet at the top.

In other words something has to go into the tank to get something out.

At the other end of the equation when you run out of fresh water and there is no water to pump into the tank to force the hot water out, that hot water can't get out (and make the tank run dry) unless you replace it with something else. The only way for that to happen is if you open a hot water tap somewhere in the trailer so air can get in and open a cold water tap that's below the level of the hot water tank so water can get out. When that happens gravity pulls water out the bottom of the tank and air gets sucked in, but you still have to let something in to get something out.

I don't know about everyone else, but if I turn a tap and nothing comes out, I turn the tap off, turn the water pump off, and go out in search of water to refill the fresh tank.

For sake of argument, let's say I did leave the hot water faucet valve open when I ran out of water. In the only faucet/valve in our trailer that's located below the level of the water heater is the foot-valve that flushes the toilet. The foot valve only stays open when my foot pushes it down for a few moments at a time, nowhere near long enough to drain a six-gallon hot water tank.

Which is why I never worry about our filled water heater running dry.
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