Am I Stupid? Water heater gas and ELECTRIC

[Aviator]

The new "Hott Rods" have an external temp probe which must be mounted directly on the tank. The instructions specifically state not to mount on the pressure relief valve. That is the primary reason I returned the one I bought, and part of the replacement decision.

[A W Warn]

I went to the Hott Rod manufacturer's website to read the install instructions. The tank insualation has to be removed from a fairly large spot to mount the thermostat.

[Fly at Night]

I've been banging my head over the same thing, Shane.

I've never found an electric-switch option. The manual only confused me more. One streamer has both, but says the electric version isn't worth a patootie anyways; he said it doesn't get hot enough.

I just got home from shake-down cruise; the propane heated the water so well that I turned it off as soon as it got hot, and 4 - 5 hrs. it was still hot!

When I take trailer to dealer to dewinterize, I'm going to get the electric-switch option straight. To tell you the truth, I don't really care if I have it or not. I'm happy with the propane version only.

[wolf146]

The advantage having both an electric and gas hot water heater is:
1. When you are plugged into shore power you can heat the water as part of the "rent" to stay at the site
2. If for some reason the gas doesn't work you can use the electric anyway.
3. The electric heat unit does not have any hot exhaust on the outside. If you have young kids around you don't have to worry about them touching the hot exhaust pipe. wolf146

[Bill M.]

I had one of the add on hot water heaters. The thermostat was not glued to the tank and did not work properly. The wiring looked cheap and not safe. I took it off after it overheated the tank badly several times. When I replaced the WH I got one with the electric also. Whe have only used it once or twice on electric.

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by wolf146

The advantage having both an electric and gas hot water heater is:
1. When you are plugged into shore power you can heat the water as part of the "rent" to stay at the site
2. If for some reason the gas doesn't work you can use the electric anyway.
3. The electric heat unit does not have any hot exhaust on the outside. If you have young kids around you don't have to worry about them touching the hot exhaust pipe. wolf146

In addition, there is no noise when the electric is heating the water. I like the dual setup.