Electric Water Heater Conversion

The second upgrade we did to the �Lance� after getting home and settlin� in with her was to retrofit the existing Attwood water heater. You see the water heater in the 5ver is both LP & electric and we got real used to havin� both options. The setup is so sweet that I flip a switch and were heatin� with electric, or flip another switch and it lites the gas portion of the heater. No havin� to go outside in the night and fight the weather or the creatures of the night, to turn it on or off.

It�s nice to have the electric heat option to save on propane, even though gas heats faster. When were in a park with hookups it�s great to heat the water with electric that were payin� fer� anyhow.

So while were at Camping World, getting� our A/C installed, we pick up a Lightning Rod water heater kit, cost a little less than a hundred bucks.

So first thing is I gotta find some power to run this electric water heater thingy, no problem. There�s a spare breaker in the panel where the previous owner had somethin� or other hooked up on a temporary basis. Then I mounted a duplex outlet under the sink area which is right next to the panel.

Next came switchin� the outlet so we can turn the heater on and off. I chose a switch with a pilot light so we can see at a glance if the heater is on. Installed this switch in a box fastened to the side wall by the sink, right close to the outlet. The hole in the side wall for this I made with my zippy little Roto Zip tool.

After all this was completed it was time to install the Lightning Rod kit. It was surprisingly easy and the instructions that accompany it seem to cover everything, also the kit came with everything needed from soup to nuts. First I removed the drain plug in the water heater tank, then I threaded in the heating element in it�s place. Next came routing the AC cord through to the outlet I installed inside the camper.

Finally I fastened the thermostat to the existing temperature and pressure relief valve with the ty wraps(zip strips) provided. 

Connecting the wires according to the instructions with provided connectors and all that was left was to plug her in inside and fill the water heater with water. When the heater tank was full I plugged it in, flipped the switch and we got hot water. Next I took my trusty ammeter and checked the amperage draw as it was heating the water. This thing only draws about 3 amps when runnin�, I can run it on our 2000 watt inverter generator if I need to, Swe�eet.

So now we have the capability of heating our water with electric. Now this aint gonna make it as fancy as the 5ver but it�s still a whole lot bettern� burn gas all the time. I still have to go out in the night, and fight the night gremlins, to light the gas portion, but all I do is flip a switch from inside to heat with electric.