water heater turnoff switch
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=2219
Printed Date: 14 May 2025 at 4:17pm
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Topic: water heater turnoff switch
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Subject: water heater turnoff switch
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 7:11am
| I have added camper antifreeze for the winter. However, I coud not find a turnorr switch for the water heater in the outside compartment. I open the valve to let the remaining water out after I added the antifreeze. If there is a switch, I can't find it. |
Replies:
Posted By: TerryM
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 7:35am
|
Somewhere on here is a picture showing the outside switch. I couldn't find it. But, the switch in the heater compartment is hidden behind something. It is pretty hard to see. Its a small rocker switch. Terry ------------- RP-175 W/Lift Kit 2011 Ford F-150 4X4 Saint Augustine, FL: The first permanent European settlement in the USA: 1565 |
Posted By: TerryM
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 7:40am
|
I did a bunch of searching in my pictures. The arrow shows the switch location. Terry  ------------- RP-175 W/Lift Kit 2011 Ford F-150 4X4 Saint Augustine, FL: The first permanent European settlement in the USA: 1565 |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 8:22am
| Thank you |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 8:25am
|
One other question. Assuming I find the switch would you know if I can turn the heat on using propane without burning out the water heater, assuming I emptied the water with the on/off valve. Thanks again
|
Posted By: sfish
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 8:31am
|
There is another toggle switch inside next to the water pump.That switch turns on the gas portion of the water heater. Make sure you dont turn that on. The furnace is just fine to use without water in the hot water heater. ------------- sjf |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 9:06am
| Is this switch inside the camper underneath the kitchen sink? |
Posted By: Hodge-PODge
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 9:54am
Terry, I can't see anything. Instead of a picture, I have a small blue square with a question mark inside it. Don't know if it's because I'm on a Mac at the moment. Will try my PC later and see if the pic shows up. ------------- 2011 RP 177, the Hodge-PODge 2011 Mercedes ML350 "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." |
Posted By: sfish
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 5:45pm
|
YES ------------- sjf |
Posted By: Hodge-PODge
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2011 at 6:00pm
|
Hmmm. The pics show up on the PC. Must have been an "Apple" problem. ------------- 2011 RP 177, the Hodge-PODge 2011 Mercedes ML350 "A man travels the world over in search of what he needs, and returns home to find it." |
Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 8:36am
I'm assuming you bypassed the hot water heater, so antifreeze did not enter it, correct? What switch are you looking for, the one that allows it to run on electric? As others have said, it's at the hot water heater, behind the outside cover. I'm not sure why your concerned with that switch though. Did you use it throughout the year? If so, you should have turned it off before you winterized. In addition, you should be disconnecting your battery for the winter, unless you're keeping it plugged in all winter, which is fine to do.
------------- "Ray & Connie" - 2017 R-Pod RP-180 - 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 9:31am
| Thanks |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 9:32am
| I emptied he water/antifreeze from the water heater by opening the external valve. |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 12:58pm
|
Which external valve? There is an overpressure valve on the water heater itself which is useful when you use the low-point drains to drain the whole water system. Opening that valve will break the vacuum lock allowing the water heater to drain. The only other way to drain the water heater is to remove the anode rod temporarily. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
|
Posted By: this_is_nascar
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 2:44pm
I'm confused. So you did have antifreeze in the HWH and now you don't? Did you not use the HWH bypass, so that antifreeze didn't enter the HWH?
------------- "Ray & Connie" - 2017 R-Pod RP-180 - 2007 Toyota Tacoma TRD-Off Road |
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 5:21pm
|
Nope antifreeze was in there but i hopefully
emptied what water/antifreeze was in the heater by opening the valve and letting
the water drip out. Then turned the outside electric switch switch off and left
the inside switch off and turned the furnace on. Hopefully, there will be no
damage to the water heater since I feel comfortable with it being drained. If
ther is some damage, this year, hopefully it won't be too bad. I then ran the
furnace. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 7:38pm
|
There is NOT a HWH "drain valve". In order to drain the HWH, you MUST remove the anode rod/ plug. If you "drained" valve at the top, that is the high pressure valve, and there is still about 5 1/2 gallons of water in the HWH. It doesn't "drip out" when you remove the anode rod, it will FLOW out. EDIT: if it isn't drained, the damage will be bad. A broken water heater. Bad. Expensive. ------------- |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2011 at 8:30pm
|
Yup, that is why I was asking, I don't think it was emptied. And both switches should be off before draining it. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual
|
Posted By: HZNHRZ
Date Posted: 02 Nov 2011 at 6:04am
| Not worried I drained it. Thanks |