1st Time Out With NT21FBS

['Lil Guy']

I'm officially a veteran. Everything went smooth and TT was a nice experience. Only issue we had was with the hot water heater. Trying to figure out how to use the HWH with electricity stumped me. When the switch was in gas mode, I heard the panel kick off outside. Tried to run it in the electric mode and it wouldn't light up. I never heard anything. Kept it in gas mode and everything was great. On the way home I started to think about it. If I flip the electric switch on the hot water, you wouldn't hear it light off. So, next time I'll see. Really dreading backing in for the first time with a group of vets watching and my prayers were answered. We were able to upgrade to a pull thru at the park when we arrived. Huge amount of stress relieved. Was able to install my new LED porch light and awning lights while at the site. Again, love the TT and looking forward to our next trip with Grandkids in 3 weeks. Picked up a gazebo to set up over the table with screens. I'll try to remember to bring charcoal and my Coleman stove on this trip. rather cook outside if possible. Again, really loving our new toy. Just the right size for us and towed well behind my 2012 Ram 1500 4X4. I was going to ask other campers about the HWH but didn't want to bother anyone. Later and have a great day.

 

[danemayer]

Hi baker,

The electric operation of the water heater is silent. Also, if your unit is a Suburban, there are 2 power switches. One inside the coach, and the other behind the cover plate on the outside of the unit. Our owner-written Water Heater Usage Guide pictures this on page 4.

 

[Shortest Straw]

Glad you had a good trip first time out! We are taking ours out next weekend.

 

[JohnD]

Are all of the water heaters in Heartland trailers both gas and electric?

 

[jbeletti]

Are all of the water heaters in Heartland trailers both gas and electric?

There was a short period of time a number of years ago on some of our travel trailers where we used a Propane Only water heater. I don't think we did that longer than a year.

 

[TravelTiger]

Our 2008 NT was gas only, but seems like the 2009s began having gas + electric.


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[JohnD]

There was a short period of time a number of years ago on some of our travel trailers where we used a Propane Only water heater. I don't think we did that longer than a year.

So that means that my 2013 Trail Runner has a gas/electric water heater?

I haven't been able to determine this by not only asking my dealership, but also by looking at the paperwork that came with the trailer.

 

[danemayer]

So that means that my 2013 Trail Runner has a gas/electric water heater?

I haven't been able to determine this by not only asking my dealership, but also by looking at the paperwork that came with the trailer.

Why not look at the model # on the outside of the water heater and look it up on the manufacturer's website, or go to the manuals section of the forum, or see if you don't have a water heater manual that came with your trailer.


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[TravelTiger]

So that means that my 2013 Trail Runner has a gas/electric water heater?

I haven't been able to determine this by not only asking my dealership, but also by looking at the paperwork that came with the trailer.

You can call Heartland customer service and give them your VIN, they can probably tell you what was put in, when it was built.

 

[Shortest Straw]

Mine has a separate switch for both if that helps.

So that means that my 2013 Trail Runner has a gas/electric water heater?

I haven't been able to determine this by not only asking my dealership, but also by looking at the paperwork that came with the trailer.

 

[d_fergie]

On my 22FBS if noting is on you can hear the element heating the water in the water heater and the switch is above or below the light switch's in the bathroom.

 

['Lil Guy']

We saw he two switches in the bathroom. But being new and forgetting everything we were told on our walk thru, I first removed the cover outside to try to turn it on.lol Then remembered the switches in the bathroom on bottom of tank monitors. I yelled for her to throw the electric switch and I heard nothing. Told her to try the gas and I immediately heard the pilot light off. Had I waited, I'm sure the water would have heated up using the electric switch. Our first trip could have been wdorse. I might have driven off with my antennae up or the stabilizers down. Our manual has a checklist for pre-trip. Might not be a bad idea to use it. Later and have a great day.

 

[mbopp]

There are 3 lighted switches on our monitor panel in the bathroom: water heater electric, water heater gas, and water pump. You can run the water heater on both gas and electric for a faster recovery time if you want.

But be sure there's water in the water heater before running it on electric - 7 seconds running it dry, and the electric element is toast.

http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/starmaster1953/library/North Trail 21FBS?sort=6&page=1

 

['Lil Guy']

There are 3 lighted switches on our monitor panel in the bathroom: water heater electric, water heater gas, and water pump. You can run the water heater on both gas and electric for a faster recovery time if you want.

But be sure there's water in the water heater before running it on electric - 7 seconds running it dry, and the electric element is toast.

http://s1114.photobucket.com/user/starmaster1953/library/North Trail 21FBS?sort=6&page=1

Does the warter heater fill up as soon as I hook up to the water supply? Is there a waiting period? Thanks in advance.

 

[danemayer]

If you didn't drain the water heater, it should still be full when you hook up to the water supply. After hooking up, run the hot water for a few seconds to verify before turning on the water heater.

It's different if you drained the tank and/or winterized. You have to make sure you've moved the water heater bypass valves back into the normal position. If you're in bypass mode from winterizing, opening the hot water faucet doesn't mean anything; you'll get cold water through the hot faucet when in bypass mode. After dewinterizing and restoring the bypass valves, it's takes a few minutes to fill the water heater.

 

['Lil Guy']

Thanks for the info. I'm assuming I'm in the operating mode since it worked. I didn't drain the hot water. By that, do you mean running the hot water after disconnect till it quits? I also assume the cut off is iunder the cover on the outside. I'll check into this. Thanks again for the input.

 

[danemayer]

Thanks for the info. I'm assuming I'm in the operating mode since it worked. I didn't drain the hot water. By that, do you mean running the hot water after disconnect till it quits? I also assume the cut off is iunder the cover on the outside. I'll check into this. Thanks again for the input.

Draining the water heater involves removing the drain plug on the outside of the unit, to let the water out, which is part of winterizing. There's a specific order of steps to avoid injury or damage to adjacent objects. It's laid out in detail in the Water Heater Usage Guide and in the Winterizing Guide.

 

['Lil Guy']

Draining the water heater involves removing the drain plug on the outside of the unit, to let the water out, which is part of winterizing. There's a specific order of steps to avoid injury or damage to adjacent objects. It's laid out in detail in the Water Heater Usage Guide and in the Winterizing Guide.

I certainly appreciate your help on this subject. I'll try to do more studying and less question asking. A little intimidated our first time out. If an issue came up, not just to barge in on someone, how receptive are fellow campers? I know I would have no problem if I new the answer. Thanks in advance

 

[danemayer]

Baker,

Please feel free to ask any questions about any problems or anything that's not clear. There are tons of people on this forum who are ready to jump in and help. We've been creating a library of user guides and troubleshooting guides because some answers are better when they come with pictures and explanations in a form you can refer to while doing the work.

Consider joining the Heartland Owners Club and coming to a rally. There's one in NE Texas this Fall, followed by another in SE TX. It's not unusual at rallies for owners to help one another with repairs, and if there are questions, there are always experienced people at rallies who are happy to share what they've learned. The EVENTS button at top of page will show you the list of rallies and here's a link to the club info. There's even a free introductory membership if you're not sure membership is for you.

 

[dl_camps]

Congrat's on your new TT. We also have a 21FBS and really enjoy it. It's just the two of us now, so the size is good for us. Can't wait till our first camping trip of the season.