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Old 07-10-2015, 05:07 PM   #1
halfprice
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Suburban Water Heater Element Question

So I burnt our the element. I believe the replacement is 1440 watts. Suburban brand. Can I use a 1500 watts Camco replacement??

Camping World want $30+ for the Suburban. Home Depot sells the Camco for $10.

Would the 1500 watt mess up the heater?? I can get the Suburban on Amazon or Ebay for $15. I just wanted to fix it this weekend.

Thanks for the help

Jerry
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Old 07-10-2015, 05:16 PM   #2
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The 60 watts shouldn't make any difference beside heating the water up just a tad faster.
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Old 07-10-2015, 06:12 PM   #3
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Increasing the wattage of the element will increase the draw on the circuit. I wouldn't recommend using a higher wattage element. The water heater was designed and built for the 1440W element and that's what I would put back in.

You can always use the propane to heat your water while you wait for the right element.
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Old 07-10-2015, 08:40 PM   #4
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I though I frayed my element it was just a matter of resenting 2 bottons on the upper left side of the tank.. I looked at what the dealer had for element an bought a 1440 at the Ace hardware , I have a spear and almost positive it will work,
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Old 07-10-2015, 09:36 PM   #5
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I did all the trouble shooting and its definitely the element that's bad. The reset button never tripped but the breaker did.

I decide on the stock Suburban 1440 watt replacement. Should get it by next weekend.

Jerry
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Old 07-11-2015, 04:12 AM   #6
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You can check the element with an ohm meter. Just disconnect one of the wires going to it. You should read about 10 ohms on a good element.
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Old 07-11-2015, 09:07 AM   #7
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Bob,
I checked everything. Element is bad. Reset buttons good, on/off switch good.

I just didn't know if using a 1500 watt would be bad for the trailer or heater. I did some reading on several forums and you know if its on the internet it has to be true.

Bottom line it seems the 1500watt is ok to use but several people that I talked to, electricians, IT guys said to use 1440 or the stock wattage. So that's what I did. Waiting a week for the part to be sent is fine with me. It will give me something to do next weekend.


Thanks for the input guys.


Jerry
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Old 07-13-2015, 07:12 PM   #8
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Assuming 120v, the 1440 watt element pulls 12 amps. The 1500 pulls 12.5 amps. The circuit breaker is 15 amps. Either element would be fine.
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