Hot Water Heater

[MLevinson]

Hi.  I own a 1998 Coleman Casa Grande. It is very similar to the Niagra, Westlake, and others in that line. Kind of funny is the fact I have only used the hot water heater once last year to see if it worked.
    This year we plan to go to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and stay in the State campgrounds. They have a local water source for the campers to share, but not one you can hook up to permanantly. If I fill my holding tank and turn on the electric pump (powered by a battery), will that allow me to also use the hot wafer heater. Or do I have to have a permanant water source and a permanant power source.
 Thanks Monroe

[Daddie_Tom]

Yes you can, Just make sure that the bypass on the back{If equiped} is in the OPEN position. The by-pass is used for winterizing. If you have not used it in a while, I would recommend  flushing it out before you use it. Also a good idea is to make sure water is in the tank by opening the drain..

[MLevinson]

Thanks Tom. That was the thing the rest of my bunch really wanted to know before we tried camping without water and electricity.  Looks like I can begin to plan in earnest.
Again, Thanks Monroe

[tlhdoc]

It doesn't matter if you use the city water connection or your fresh water tank, the water line runs through your water heater.  You will need power to run the water pump.  As already stated, make sure your water heater is not bypassed.  If you used it last year then you know how the bypass works, if you have one.  I would recommend that you sanitize the water system including the water heater before you use it.  If you travel with your water heater empty, fill the fresh water tank at the campground, then turn your water pump on, you will pump 6 gallons of water into the water heater.  To avoid pumping the 6 gallons into the water heater you can fill your water heater with water at the campground.  Attach the hose to the city water inlet, turn the water on at the source and then do one of the following.  A.  Open your outside shower (if so equipped) and open the hot water valve.  B.  Open the over pressure valve on the water heater.  Either way when water comes out close the valve, turn the water off, and disconnect the hose.  I hope you have a great trip.

[PattieAM]

I too suggest you sanitize your freshwater holding tank and lines prior to using either hot or cold water.  

If you have not used your water heater and you've had water just sitting in it, you may want to flush it fully prior to filling it and lighting it.

The neat thing about our PUP's water system is that you can either hook up to campground water supply which by-passes your freshwater tank, or you can fill your tank, utilize the water pump.  Your water heater will be in line with either method.

[Daddie_Tom]

If your going to sanitize, All you need is a capfull or two of household bleach an pour in the freshwater tank. Fill the WHOLE system to the top and let sit for a couple hours. Then flush the whole system with fresh water till you don't smell bleach no more. And thats it!  You do NOT need those fancy tablets they sell at Camping World because thats all they are is bleach anyway...   PS.  Also now is a good time to make sure your hot water tank lights and has a nice blue flame. Spiders LOVE to build their nest in the orifice preventing it from working. Also check the Fridge,Furnace Lights,etc.. Nothing ruins a trip like finding out at the last minute something don't work!!   If you need help let us/me know..Tom

[Camping Coxes]

We stayed in Lake Tahoe, CA, and had the same situation.  Bring a water tote of some sort so you can easily refill your tank, because you will likely run out of water.  Having been done there done that, in the future I would not use the sink for dishwashing, just because it used too much of water and a lot of battery to run the pump.  Need to go a little "primitive" in order to conserve both if you're staying for a while (assuming you don't have electrical hook-ups either).

We never before had a hot water tank, but now that we have one, it's amazing how fast we go through the water when we don't have hook-ups.  With our other two trailers, we had to boil water for dishwashing and they were so small I did the dishes outside using tubs.  This is still the best way to conserve water, if you need to.
 
Have a great trip!

[Daddie_Tom]

I'll share a little trick that we do to keep the battery fully charged  when you go camping with no power hook-ups.  If your vehicle is wired with a charge line,you can make-up a wire harness with a Bargman plug and wiring to hook up just your battery. Take the battery out of the camper, place in bed of your truck and attach the Pos/Neg cables to the battery and plug in the Bargman down at the hitch and go for a "Ride"  Whalla! Battery charged..  Also like the other poster mentioned, Do your dishes outside. We bought 3 "BUS" pans {Wash,Rinse,Final Rinse} from GFS and they work Awesome!  Make sure you put a little bleach in your  rinse water just to be safe..

[aw738]

Alternators do not charge batteries. They only maintain them.

[wavery]

Alternators do not charge batteries. They only maintain them.

OK....I'll take the bait. How do you come to that conclusion??? :confused:

[aw738]

Waverly I'm sure you know about the infamous GM CS alternators. Alternator manufacturers recommend only installing an alternator on a vehicle with a fully charged battery. Ford alternators can catch fire if they are installed with a low or dead battery. The battery should be charged with a stand alone battery charger to prevent overheating of the alternator. I don't' want to be in the middle of nowhere with a roasted alternator.

[wavery]

Waverly I'm sure you know about the infamous GM CS alternators. Alternator manufacturers recommend only installing an alternator on a vehicle with a fully charged battery. Ford alternators can catch fire if they are installed with a low or dead battery. The battery should be charged with a stand alone battery charger to prevent overheating of the alternator. I don't' want to be in the middle of nowhere with a roasted alternator.

Actually....I'm not aware of them, at least in this context. I know that Delco has always made lousy alternators  :p ..

I had battery banks on my yacht of over 500AH, in 3 separate banks. I would let one bank go down to 50% at a time and recharge them with the alternator, while motoring. Never had a problem. I've never heard of anyone having a problem charging large banks of batteries with alternators. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen. I'm just not aware of it.

The built in voltage regulators are designed to cut back the charging rate to keep the alternator and/or the battery from self-destructing.

The only drawback that I am aware of is that alternators are not good for charging at idle. If you are driving around with the engine running at RPM, I don't see a problem.

[Camping Coxes]

Left out this other tip for dry camping -- buy two of the 2.5 gallon jugs of water for cooking, making Kool-Aid or what-have-you.  Saves your tank for the important stuff, like hot water for dishes or washing up.

All this battery talk is way over my head.  But I will say that when trying to conserve the battery, the simple act of using a battery-operated lantern or flashlight at night when getting ready for bed can save quite a bit of juice so on that final pack-up day you'll have enough electricity to run whatever is essential to getting the job done, like the stereo!