Project- Adding Electric Element to Gas Water Heater
Posted: June 11th, 2017, 8:21 am
Okay, decided it was time to install the Camco Hybrid 6 gallon kit. Basically it adds a 425watt electric heating rod and thermostat so you can use 110volt power to heat water instead of (or in addition to) the regular gas mode.
The reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly positive. People talk about saving propane while on shore power, and/or using both gas+electric to keep more warm water available for showers. So for the price, it was a no-brainer to try out.
With the three file per post limit, I'll break this up as I go. Here's what I bought from Amazon: and here's the installation manual: As noted in another thread, a couple of weeks ago I already installed the heating element where the drain plug is. The heating element is the brass and white Teflon tape thing on the left with the two red wires coming out. Then I refilled the hot water tank by running water until I could manually make it come out the overflow valve. This allowed me to check for leaks and be ready for testing. For testing, I have temporarily cheated and run the two wires inside next to the gas line, but that's not recommended, so it'll end up going in through a new hole and grommet I'll install next to the other wires at upper right. They come out by the wall under the rear of the front sofa area.
... to be continued...
The reviews on Amazon are overwhelmingly positive. People talk about saving propane while on shore power, and/or using both gas+electric to keep more warm water available for showers. So for the price, it was a no-brainer to try out.
With the three file per post limit, I'll break this up as I go. Here's what I bought from Amazon: and here's the installation manual: As noted in another thread, a couple of weeks ago I already installed the heating element where the drain plug is. The heating element is the brass and white Teflon tape thing on the left with the two red wires coming out. Then I refilled the hot water tank by running water until I could manually make it come out the overflow valve. This allowed me to check for leaks and be ready for testing. For testing, I have temporarily cheated and run the two wires inside next to the gas line, but that's not recommended, so it'll end up going in through a new hole and grommet I'll install next to the other wires at upper right. They come out by the wall under the rear of the front sofa area.
... to be continued...