Forgot to turn Water Heater Electric off when I closed up, is WH on now?

Hi.

I forgot to turn the water heater electric switch off when I closed up this morning to leave the campsite. This is the first time I had a hookup and don't have this in my mental checklist yet.

The TM is now parked in my garage (ready for my next trip with full water in the fresh water tank, in the water heater, and a charged toilet) with the plug in the wall to keep the battery charged.

Is the water heater on also? If so I will unplug from the wall, otherwise I will leave it in.

Thanks.

-Ed

[mcgyver210]

Quick Answer Yes it is on if the TM is plugged up.

Also just so you know if you turn the electric element on with WH empty you will need a replacement.

[rtcassel]

If your water heater was empty and powered with electricity at any time, the heating element is burned out and you do not have hot water in your trailer at this time. If you did not empty the water heater, then you have hot water now if you did not turn off the switch.
You can briefly open the valve under the trailer that drains the water heater and see if hot water comes out. On my 2720SL it is the valve in front of the streetside wheel that looks like the two valves behind the wheel; the other valve (in front of the wheel) drains the fresh water tank.

Thanks for the info. I got out my stepladder and crawled across the top of the parked TM to reach the plug to unplug it (it's a snug fit in the garage :-). This might help me remember to flip the switch off next time :-).

The reason there was some doubt in my mind about the closed behavior of the TM was based on it sensing when it was open or closed for the 12v lights. I guess I can now assume it is only magic for the 12v side of things.

Thanks.

-Ed

[mcgyver210]

Because of the possible consequences I always replace the snap pin into the on\off switch for the heating element this simple task reminds me to turn it off.

[Bill]

Ed -

Sorry to add more complexity, but unplugging the cord is not necessarily a good idea. If the charger is not powered up, the various parasitic loads in the trailer will drain the battery within a few days, and that is not good for the battery. If your TM had the battery on the tongue, you could simply disconnect the battery, but in a 2720SL, the battery is closed up in the rear compartment, inaccessible without opening the trailer.

Unless you are going to be camping again within a week, I would plug the cord back in. Yes, you will burn a bit more electricity by keeping the water hot, but not much. And it is a lot cheaper than replacing the battery.

Bill

[Bill]

Ed's experience is not uncommon. For those who do this often, you might consider installing the super-duper-automatic-water-heater-turner-offer-switch. When you unplug the AC cord from the outlet, the water heater turns off. When you plug power back in again, the water heater stays off until you push a button on the front apron of the kitchen sink. Actually, this mod was developed by member jimair1548 and me at the same time, so I can't take all the credit. But it does work nicely.

Some info here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2483
and here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6009

If anyone is interested, I can repost the construction details. You must be comfortable working with household electricity and wiring to undertake this mod! If you are not, please don't try it!

Bill

[mcgyver210]

Originally Posted by Bill

Ed's experience is not uncommon. For those who do this often, you might consider installing the super-duper-automatic-water-heater-turner-offer-switch. When you unplug the AC cord from the outlet, the water heater turns off. When you plug power back in again, the water heater stays off until you push a button on the front apron of the kitchen sink. Actually, this mod was developed by member jimair1548 and me at the same time, so I can't take all the credit. But it does work nicely.

Some info here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=2483
and here
http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6009

If anyone is interested, I can repost the construction details. You must be comfortable working with household electricity and wiring to undertake this mod! If you are not, please don't try it!

Bill

Ever since your original post I was trying to find more info just as I gave up & decided to return to the post to ask you for more details.

LOL might have known you wouldn't leave us hanging LOL

Hi Bill.

I, for one, would be interested in the details. I have been wondering how I could bring all the test points, monitor lights, etc... out to the edge of the vehicle or in a NEMA box on the tongue so I can manage all the "hidden" electrical stuff in the trailer. For example, I had a battery fuse out the night I took my trailer home and slept in a very cold trailer that night. Now I wonder every time I put the TM in the garage if the battery is really charging. Or is everything really turned off. Or...

Some of this, I'm sure, comes from experience, some of this from a good checklist, and some of this from bringing management relays and switches outside the vehicle :-).


-Ed

[Bill]

Ed -

Let me get the diagrams posted. In the meantime, there is another (easy!) solution to your immediate situation. It was suggested by another member (sorry, I don't recall who) a couple years ago. The solution is to get yourself a small trickle charger, and connect it through the 7-pin Bargman plug that you normally plug into the tow vehicle. The trickle charger then mimics the tow vehicle's charge line, and will keep your battery up.

I don't like trickle chargers, and don't normally recommend them, but in this case, one will get you through to the next time you open your TM. You should monitor the battery voltage, again at the Bargman connector, and if it gets above 13.6 or so, disconnect the charger for a couple days.

Diagrams posted at http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...php?albumid=74

Bill