17' Series Hot water service question
- Thread starter Chris Daly
- Start date
Just remember when you pack up camp to turn it off at the power point, that way when you set up at the next camp you turn it back on AFTER you connect to water or turn your water pump on, saves cooking the thing.
Thanks guys, I had it on last night to test it, after about 25 minutes it was still heating. Had the shower nice and hot though. How long does it take to heat up and shut off?
They are just like a big kettle so about 25 -30 and it will shut down until the temp drops or you use some, water and external temps play a big part. A good read of the manual is handy as it is reasonable informative compared to many other manuals, thats for a Suburban one anyway........especially about checking the anode , every 6 mths is a good idea to make sure its still there, they can last 6 mths or 18 mths just depends on the water..........a few threads on here about anodes as well.
You will find Gas will usually cook the water quicker and generally with gas you turn it on about 15 mins before you want it and turn it off when finished otherwise your just wasting gas, likewise with the 240 if you are running it at home or at a mates just have it on when you need Hot or it will be on and off numerous times during the day/night and is just like boiling the kettle every 40 mins, chews a prestigious amount of electricity in a 24 hr period believe me, when we lived in the van plugged into our meter box I very quickly went to gas for when we wanted hotters, the meter was very quickly rotating with the HWS on 240.
You will find Gas will usually cook the water quicker and generally with gas you turn it on about 15 mins before you want it and turn it off when finished otherwise your just wasting gas, likewise with the 240 if you are running it at home or at a mates just have it on when you need Hot or it will be on and off numerous times during the day/night and is just like boiling the kettle every 40 mins, chews a prestigious amount of electricity in a 24 hr period believe me, when we lived in the van plugged into our meter box I very quickly went to gas for when we wanted hotters, the meter was very quickly rotating with the HWS on 240.
Last edited:
Thanks drover it shut off! Beautiful! I just didn't wait long enough. Another 2 questions.
Does the stored water automatically siphon into the hot water service for usage?
What if u ran your water reservoirs dry and turned on the hot water service, I have no way of telling how much is in the water tanks.
Thankyou
Does the stored water automatically siphon into the hot water service for usage?
What if u ran your water reservoirs dry and turned on the hot water service, I have no way of telling how much is in the water tanks.
Thankyou
The van only has one plumbing system, with both mains pressure and your water tanks (via the 12v pump) feeding into the same system which includes your HWS. You shouldnt turn your HWS on when its empty on either 240v or gas, youll damage it. The HWS must be full before you turn it on. You can check that your HWS is full before you turn it on by opening one of the hot taps. If water comes out of your hot tap the HWS is full so your safe to turn it on.
I always switch my HWS off when I break camp, and switch it on again only after Ive set up camp. That way it always reminds me to be conscious of the state of the HWS, the water source and water levels in the tanks.
If you dont have a water tank gauge, you can check the level of the water tanks by looking at the clear pipe connected to the bottom of the water tank under the van, the level of water in that pipe is the level of water in the tank. Checking the pipe is more accurate than any gauge anyway.
Last edited:
Couple more pointers:
When you set up camp, HWS Off, plug in power turn it on, turn fridge On then connect up and turn on water, run hot water tap to get any air out of HWS tank THEN turn HWS On..................
If no power or mains water, then turn on 12v pump, run hot water tap to clear air usually run that water into kettle to save it, then your ready to fire it up on Gas when needed......
You can tell when your out of water the pump will cycle all the time and it's time to turn a tap... The gauges are handy but not all that accurate and if you are a bit OCD will drive you nuts.......
.If pump does a quick cycle every so often them hunt down a drippy tap or joiner as your dropping line pressure somewhere.
If your water supply is fed by both tanks at once refit them so they are isolated from each other and connect to the pump via individual taps and have separate fillers, that way you have some reserve or don't loose all your water if something breaks.
Just remember to turn it Off when you break camp, like a kettle if no water in HWS tank the element will burn out unlike a kettle they are flamin costly.
When you set up camp, HWS Off, plug in power turn it on, turn fridge On then connect up and turn on water, run hot water tap to get any air out of HWS tank THEN turn HWS On..................
If no power or mains water, then turn on 12v pump, run hot water tap to clear air usually run that water into kettle to save it, then your ready to fire it up on Gas when needed......
You can tell when your out of water the pump will cycle all the time and it's time to turn a tap... The gauges are handy but not all that accurate and if you are a bit OCD will drive you nuts.......
.If pump does a quick cycle every so often them hunt down a drippy tap or joiner as your dropping line pressure somewhere.
If your water supply is fed by both tanks at once refit them so they are isolated from each other and connect to the pump via individual taps and have separate fillers, that way you have some reserve or don't loose all your water if something breaks.
Just remember to turn it Off when you break camp, like a kettle if no water in HWS tank the element will burn out unlike a kettle they are flamin costly.
Thanks everyone for the advice, I've found out lots of info, I rang jayco and asked but they didn't seem to know/care about answers, thanks again.
Thats how you can tell you rang the right number
