Cheap Electric Water Heater?

[Joe Gleason]

Don't know about you.. but the Gas water heat is what eats up my propane tanks... Cooking is a fairly light load... and when electric is avaiable - the fridge isn't using any propane...

Anyone conger up a simple heater?  

I was looking at simple heater like those for warming hot water in a cup... Putting on the bottom of the tank?...

When we camp I only use the Pilot light to keep my hot water tank going?  Take 8 hours to recover.. but it works great for dishes, and light loads...

Any suggestions?

[popupcop]

We use a 30 cup electric coffee urn we bought at Wal-Mart for around $30 (I think it is a GE brand).  If you fill it full, it heats the water in about 45 minutes.  Some cautions are to set it someplace where it cannot get tipped (though mine has a locking lid that mitigates spilling burns), and to beware of small children getting burned.  The water is really hot and is great temperature for instant cocoa, coffee and other hot drinks.  We mix a little cold and hot water in two dishpans to do our dishes.  It works well for us.  Otherwise we use a two quart aluminum coffee pot for heating water on the stove.

[tlhdoc]

Maybe you need to get your water heater checked.  We use less than 1 tank of propane per year, unless we run the furnace a lot.  We use propane for the refrig, a lot of cooking and for the water heater.  We take showers at the PU so the water heater does get a work out.  Other than when we first light the water heater, it rarely kicks on, unless we are taking showers.  Most of the time it is at the pilot setting.

[mike4947]

Depending on the brand of heater they do make electric element to replace the anode rod. BUT, you no longer have the protection of the anode and the life of the HWH will be shorter.

IMHO first thing to do is get the burner & tank checked out by a propane appliance expert.
Unless you camp a lot where they use well or spring water and the water temp is very low, you shouldn't be using that much propane.
In all our extended family RV's it goes fridge, HWH, stove, furnace from low to high as far as propane users.

[Gone-Camping]

Perhaps what you need is a Tiny Titan?? This is a 2.5 gal electric water heater that can be plugged into any 110vac outlet. Piping it in shouldn't be too difficult, and could essentially be piped in simliar to the winterizing HWH bypass system. Instead of a bypass via hose only, the bypass could run through the electric HWH...

http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=26349-135-E1E2.5US013V

[Joe Gleason]

Hey That Tiny Titan looks like the Ticket! Not bad...

Interesting Feedback on the Propane Usage... We go few a few weeks at time no showers, no fridge, just dish water and running it on pilot only... Seems to run a propane tank down in 2 weeks...

Ideally, I'd like to stick a heating element right on the bottom of the water tank see if that does the trick with out burning down the pU..

[wynot]

I'd really get that water heater checked out.  Like everyone elses, my HWH fire up for the initial heat up and doesn't fire up very often.  I used to shut down the HWH to save propane and found it didn't make any difference.  More than a few weekends (Fri-Sun), we've burned a lb or less of propane, doing all the normal washing, cooking, etc..  It's not the stoves or HWH that eat gas, it is the furnace.

[Gone-Camping]

I have a double tank system on my Hybrid, and haven't been through both bottles yet, and have had it a year. We don't shower in the trailer as it uses up too much fresh water, takes up too much propane to heat the water constantly, fills up the gray tank too fast, and just generally don't want all that steam, vapor, and water in my trailer...besides, campground facilities are much roomier in comparison!

I use hot water for doing dishes only, and genrally only do them once per day. So with that in mind, we only turn the HWH on when starting dinner, so that there will be plenty of hot water for clean-up afterwards. When done with the dishes I turn the HWH off again, and it stays like that for the next 22-23 hours!!! Doing it this way just doesn't burn a lot of propane. I used to watch the little light come on & off when going to sleep, and realized that the HWH was cycling all night long even when not in use.

[whitestar505]

Joe Gleason ,
 
   I agree with tracy, something must be wrong! I use less gas than tracy.
 
 

Maybe you need to get your water heater checked. We use less than 1 tank of propane per year, unless we run the furnace a lot. We use propane for the refrig, a lot of cooking and for the water heater. We take showers at the PU so the water heater does get a work out. Other than when we first light the water heater, it rarely kicks on, unless we are taking showers. Most of the time it is at the pilot setting.

[Pupeyemom]

Al lthe replys are great. We   use our  the electric coffee maker  to heat water...I got the idea from  another member on this site!! it works great and maker enough water to do some dishes, have a hot drink and maybe a sponge bath.
  However we saw at SAMS club a Coleman portable water heater.  It said it came with a 5 gallon plastic water jug and ran on Propane but  we didn't open the box so didn't have any more info than that. I have not gone to the Coleman web site to check it out yet.The box cautioned it was for outside use only so may not be practical for inside a PU.  We wondered if anyone has seen them and tried them out. We thought we could set it up in the add-a room to heat up water and shower in the add -a- room..(we have the privacy curtains)   We have a Coleman Bayport  we and our dogs just LOVE!!     Happy camping!!   pupeyemom

[Tentcamp]

Al lthe replys are great. We   use our  the electric coffee maker  to heat water...I got the idea from  another member on this site!! it works great and maker enough water to do some dishes, have a hot drink and maybe a sponge bath.
  However we saw at SAMS club a Coleman portable water heater.  It said it came with a 5 gallon plastic water jug and ran on Propane but  we didn't open the box so didn't have any more info than that. I have not gone to the Coleman web site to check it out yet.The box cautioned it was for outside use only so may not be practical for inside a PU.  We wondered if anyone has seen them and tried them out. We thought we could set it up in the add-a room to heat up water and shower in the add -a- room..(we have the privacy curtains)   We have a Coleman Bayport  we and our dogs just LOVE!!     Happy camping!!   pupeyemom

We just bought one and plan on keeping it outside, we bought that pop out shower room and plan on using that for showering.  Looks very easy to use.  The Sams club one comes with everything including the shower hose and carrying case and cover to leave it set up, also a very good price for all included.  Will let you know how it works out.

[Pupeyemom]

We just bought one and plan on keeping it outside, we bought that pop out shower room and plan on using that for showering.  Looks very easy to use.  The Sams club one comes with everything including the shower hose and carrying case and cover to leave it set up, also a very good price for all included.  Will let you know how it works out.

HI, We went back to SAMS and they only had 4 left. so I got one. They are talking about this on the "New Products" forum. everyone seems to love them. Sams club  had them labeled as a "One time only " purchase. We paid less than the Coleman site advertised so I feel better about the cost. Besides camping  I can always use it to bathe our 3 big dogs outside and save our bathroom!!!
We can still use the big coffee urn  to heat  water,l if the weather isn't good for the Coleman  water heater outside.    Pupeye