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Old 05-25-2014, 07:57 PM   #1
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protecting my hot water heater on tank water

I know the hot water heater must have water in it before turning it on. When I am running on tank water and pump how do I make sure my hot water heater does not go dry and damage the element as I run out of water?
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Old 05-25-2014, 08:44 PM   #2
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I don't know of any trick to it. Just have to be careful to watch your water tank level and shut the water heater off when low / out. Easy to forget. But as far as I know there is no safety to prevent you from running it out and burning it up if you leave it on.
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Old 05-26-2014, 05:55 AM   #3
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protecting my hot water heater on tank water

The pump supplies cold water pressure. When you hear the pump running, the fresh water is gone. The hw tank however is still full.
No damage. Just turn it off until you get more fresh water input.
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Old 05-26-2014, 05:56 AM   #4
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The pump will lose suction and water will quit flowing out the tap before you can empty the tank.

We've found that our water heater will stay hot over night so we turn it on long enough to heat the water and then turn it off. If we need more hot water we turn it back on and in just a few minutes we have hot water again.
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Old 05-26-2014, 07:29 AM   #5
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The pump will lose suction and water will quit flowing out the tap before you can empty the tank.

We've found that our water heater will stay hot over night so we turn it on long enough to heat the water and then turn it off. If we need more hot water we turn it back on and in just a few minutes we have hot water again.
Thank you for that information. So the pump will not draw the water down below the element? Is emptying water past the element only possible when you manually drain, by using the plug?

That is a good point about turning it off overnight. How about adjusting the temperatur on the heater; I haven't figured out where or if the temp can be adjusted. It is too hot for kids.
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Old 05-26-2014, 08:15 AM   #6
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I never knew that. Good to know if I am understanding correctly that the water heater would have some left over water in it when the fresh tank is empty. I always assumed running the hot water out would draw the water heater content too low and potentially damage it if left on.
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Old 05-26-2014, 08:24 AM   #7
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That is my thought also. I would like to know for sure that the elements are protected so that you only expose them when you manually drain the tank.

Regarding draining the hot water tank, do you drain it after each outing or only if you are not going to use it for a couple weeks?
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Old 05-26-2014, 08:40 AM   #8
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If you have doubts, experiment.
Leave the element off, run the pump dry of onboard water. Then pull the water plug and watch 6 or 10 gallons drain out.
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Old 05-26-2014, 08:49 AM   #9
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I may be wrong. But if you were to drain out your fresh water tank. Then if, for some reason you ran the hot water only out of the tap. Wouldn't this drain the hot water tank?
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Old 05-26-2014, 08:59 AM   #10
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Not without water pressure.

Turn the city water off at your house. Do you drain the water heater by turning a tap on? Same principle. The pressure is what delivers the hot water.
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Old 05-28-2014, 12:33 PM   #11
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Thank you for that information. So the pump will not draw the water down below the element? Is emptying water past the element only possible when you manually drain, by using the plug?
The pump pushes water to the water heater from your fresh water tank so it will not suck water out of the water heater. When water quits flowing from the tap turn off the water and turn off the pump. Since no more water is available there is no need for the water heater to continue heating water so turn it off as well. If you are connected to city water you should never run out of water, though the water heater may not keep up with the flow and you'll just get cold water.
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Old 05-28-2014, 12:56 PM   #12
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I heat the water when I arrive at my trailer and then turn it off....I'm at a seasonal site so I have no worries about running the water heater dry, however would your tap not give you the needed information when using fresh water....no water from the tap means you ran out of water, so turn of the water heat if it is on!
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Old 05-28-2014, 02:35 PM   #13
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That is my thought also. I would like to know for sure that the elements are protected so that you only expose them when you manually drain the tank.

Regarding draining the hot water tank, do you drain it after each outing or only if you are not going to use it for a couple weeks?
I fill my water heater in the spring for my first trip of the season, and I drain it in the fall when I winterize the rv. Nothing harmed by leaving water in it. It's a water tank.
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Old 05-28-2014, 03:53 PM   #14
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A Suburban brand wh has a anode rod in the drain hole that will deteriorate. That is why I drain my tank. I inspect mine several times a year.
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Old 05-29-2014, 07:45 AM   #15
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Your hot water tank CANNOT go dry unless you open the low point drains or the hot water tank valve.. Once the FW holding tank is dry it will not pump air into the system..
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Old 05-29-2014, 07:59 AM   #16
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A Suburban brand wh has a anode rod in the drain hole that will deteriorate. That is why I drain my tank. I inspect mine several times a year.
I still got 2-3 seasons out of the anode rod. It's a $15 piece when you replace it. No big deal. I replaced mine once in the five years I owned that unit.
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Old 05-29-2014, 10:19 AM   #17
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Depends on the water you leave in there. My first one lasted 2 1/2 yrs.
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Old 05-29-2014, 10:28 AM   #18
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snip.... The hw tank however is still full.
No damage. Just turn it off until you get more fresh water input.
X2

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Old 05-29-2014, 11:13 AM   #19
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I commonly drain my water heater tank if I do not plan to use it for a few weeks. I also only typically use water heater if we have an electric site. To protect the electric element when it is drained, I flip the circuit breaker to ensure that the electric heating element does not accidently powered up and burn out if the tank is dry.
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Old 05-29-2014, 11:44 AM   #20
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Which is the scam saying you have 86 gallons of fresh water capacity. Try getting the 6 out when your 80 is gone
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