Hot water heater question

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Hot water heater question

May 07, 2014, 12:07:17 pm

We have a 1999 U270. We are about to take it out for our first outing since we have been "playing" with it at home first. In the lower compartment next to the water heater is a thermostate setting and a plug -in with a short wire. I assumed this plug in gave the ignitor on the heater power to start?? My question is there any reason for me to keep this conection plugged in if we are operating the heater with electricity and not gas. Was not sure if it had any impact on the thermostat?? Thanks for anyone's help. Dick

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #1 – May 07, 2014, 05:46:55 pm

Dick,
Thermostat, "plug -in" (outlet?), and short wire don't sound familiar next to water heater. A photo would help a lot. Might be something the PO (previous owner) added.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #2 – May 07, 2014, 11:25:38 pm

Your maybe are looking at the wire for an electric heater or light bulb to keep the water heater bay warm by light bulb or small heater.

I have added them on both sides to use 200 watt heaters to keep them warm, when on camp electric, and not wanting to use my propane furnace to heat the bays.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #3 – May 08, 2014, 02:47:17 am

Is that why my u295 has an ac receptacle next to the water manifold, for plugging in a heater? I never could figure out whet it was doing there. I don't do cold.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #4 – May 08, 2014, 05:56:36 am

Dick, your water heater is self contained and it's operation is controlled from inside the coach. As Dave said someone may have installed a thermostat and heater to keep the wet bay from freezing, it's fairly easy to remove the cover from the water manifold and take a look see. But it should not have any control or connection to your water heater.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #5 – May 08, 2014, 09:12:20 am

Quote from: Tom Lang – May 08, 2014, 02:47:17 am

Is that why my u295 has an ac receptacle next to the water manifold, for plugging in a heater? I never could figure out whet it was doing there. I don't do cold.

Nor do we without cause. We had traveled to KC MO for family hospital visitation. We got snow and 10 degrees. We spent all but one night plugged in camping. The one night that got to 10 we spent on the Freightliner service lot awaiting our morning appointment. The plug in the wet bay and on the maniblock wall worked for the two thermo cubes, and the two 200 watt heaters. In both bays I used an extension cord to get the thermo cubes down at floor level. My remote temp senders were located just above the floors to keep me informed about the heaters and bay temps, on my readout in the galley.

Deputydick,

In case you have not been under and behind the bed skirt, the electric water heater wall switch is located on the bed platform front wall of my 98 U295. This controls the electric element on the water heater, and has a red light to let you know the power is on. You should also have a second wall switch, for the block heater from the duplex plug on the engine side of the bed platform.

And while you are crawling around, with a flashlight, try to locate all the switches and duplex plugs that you might have missed so far.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #6 – May 09, 2014, 10:00:11 am

When I figure out how to attach pictures I will do that. But two wires run from plug in to the heater and the thermostat is for the heater since it has settings from 110 to 160 degrees.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #7 – May 09, 2014, 11:02:50 am

Here are photos of the connection.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #8 – May 09, 2014, 01:17:18 pm

That control does not look like the original, I think. Has the control board been replaced with an aftermarket board, Dinosour ? perhaps ?
If so it may be a different connection than the original which is not uncommon with after market boards.
Gary B

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #9 – May 09, 2014, 01:43:38 pm

Dick from the pictures that looks like "hott Rod" water heater element someone has installed in the water heater drain do the wires go to the plug in the drain? I don't know if 1999 U270 come with a factory installed electric element (installed in the back of the WH), with the switch located on the base of the bed SW marked Water heater. It's possably that unit has failed and rather than remove the water heater to replace it, the PO installed a heating element in place of the drain plug.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #10 – May 09, 2014, 02:07:04 pm

Dick,
We have a 1999 U270 and we have A/C hot water heater with the switch at the based of the bed. We don't have any of the funky wiring in the bay that your pictures show, though.

Linda

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #11 – May 09, 2014, 02:25:53 pm

I agree with Bruce, in that is an add-on after market Hot Rod 120-volt heating element screwed into water heater drain plug hole.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/hott-rod-water-heater-conversion-k it-6-gallon/47672

These heaters need a thermostat that can sense tank temp to know when to turn off & on heating element.

Also the heater and thermostat needs to be plugged in or connected to a 120-volt outlet that is NOT on the inverter.

Some, but not all Foretravel water heaters came with built-in electric heating elements. Your setup needs to be examined to understand how heater is powered.

New heaters, like the Atwood model we installed ourselves, can be purchased with built-in 120-volt heating elements that are controlled by same thermostat that turns on & off the gas valve.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #12 – May 09, 2014, 02:47:04 pm

The wires do run to what I thought was the drain plug and to the thermostat. If it is a hot rod element then just plugging it in would operate it or does switch under bed have any impact? Thanks folks for the help.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #13 – May 09, 2014, 03:53:34 pm

Looks just like our "hotrod" that replaced the drain plug. Since it was installed aftermarket, the switch may be anywhere. Just put a tester on the leads and turn on switches until you see juice at the heater. Our switch was hidden inside of a bathroom cabinet.

They work well but slowly compared to the gas. Great to use if plugged in at an RV park.

Pierce

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #14 – May 09, 2014, 11:37:45 pm

Quote from: deputydick – May 09, 2014, 11:02:50 am

Here are photos of the connection.

Your two photos show a switch on the right side of the water heater mounted on the grey wall material. It looks like the switch that my Hot Rod came with that I installed on my old 93 U225 that did not have an electric option.

What is not very clear is whether the black wires with the wire nuts are attached to the Hot Rod. The rod has to be hooked to the power coming from the thermostate that should be stuck to the outside of the waterheater tank somewhere. Best look at the instructions for installing the Hot Rod. Then it looks like you could plug the extension cord end into the wall plug.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #15 – May 10, 2014, 09:12:32 am

The thermostat should have been mounted on the tank but you have to pull the tank out to do that. It's worthless where it's at.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #16 – May 10, 2014, 10:05:11 am

Quote from: Gayland Baasch – May 10, 2014, 09:12:32 am

The thermostat should have been mounted on the tank but you have to pull the tank out to do that. It's worthless where it's at.

You can plug into the wall plug and you should see a drop in voltage when you flip that switch. If you have not driven the coach then the engine will not have heated the tank yet.

You could remove the grey wall panel, and check to see that the Hot Rod thermostat was mounted to the tank wall with peel and stick. I just had to just cut a small section of insulation to reach the tank wall. There is no need to remove the water heater tank to check or install the aftermarket thermostat. The front of your water heater looks normal, with the controls and the thermostat that only controls the gas function. The way the Hot Rod was installed was a simple. When I did another coach, I had to route wires for the switch to somewhere inside, and then also find a source of 120v. Your's is all together there on the right side of your heater, switch, and power.

If you ever have to replace your waterheater, you could buy a 3 way unit upgrade.

What may be confusing to you is that U270 were the lower costing models, and each model had more added features. Further, Foretravel would custom build and add things, and then over time owners added upgrades. For example take the way water gets into your tank. Some of us have valves we turn on and off somewhere in the coach, but some coaches had an electric fill valve. Another example is turning on you 12 volt water pump, U270 models had a single switch, but my U295 has 3, galley, bath, and a wet bay switches.

It seems to take most of us a year to figure it all out. After 3 years with the two coaches, I am beginning to not feel like a newbie to the amazing Foretravel experiences.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #17 – May 10, 2014, 11:07:05 am

Quote from: Gayland Baasch – May 10, 2014, 09:12:32 am

The thermostat should have been mounted on the tank but you have to pull the tank out to do that. It's worthless where it's at.

Can't see where the thermocpouple is, may be on the tank.

Roland

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #18 – May 10, 2014, 11:27:28 am

Quote from: Roland Begin – May 10, 2014, 11:07:05 am

Can't see where the thermocpouple is, may be on the tank.

Roland

The Hot Rod instruction say to mount it on the tank wall, after removing a section of the insulation, using the sticky tape on the thermocouple.

Re: Hot water heater question

Reply #19 – May 12, 2014, 11:59:22 am

My wife and I tried out the coach for the first time this weekend in a local COE park. It was great and everything worked as it should except water heater over heated on electric so the thermostat is not installed correctly or is defective. It did fine on gas. Give me a few more years and I will have this thing figured out!! Thanks for all the help evryone!

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