Leisure Products (LR425 Water Heater

This is a definite recommend for any LP 6gal Hot Water Heater, whether Suburban or Atwood. Cut my LP refills from once a week to every 2 weeks. Kit contains all hardware necessary as well as written instructions. Tools necessary are open end wrenches (or socket set or vise grips), Teflon tape, drill with 1/8" bit, and Phillips screwdriver.First, turn off propane to water heater (turn interior thermostat to OFF; this will never be turned ON/PILOT again unless you need an emergency shower as the electric heating requires much more time to heat). Open pressure relief valve on the outside and allow (HOT!) water to flush out of the Water Heater until the temperature of water is cool to touch then close the valve. Turn water pump OFF. Remove drain plug with socket, open end wrench, or vise grip (I do not recommend any other tool as they may round hex edges) and allow water heater to drain completely. Use a water heater rinsing tool at this point to flush out interior of calcium build-up. It is also wise to screw on a bottle of white vinegar onto the rinsing tool, add it into the water heater, lightly screw the drain plug back on to allow the vinegar to eat any remaining calcium or build-up, and then flush out again after sitting 10 minutes or so.Wrap the threads of the anode and anode adapter with Teflon tape. Screw in the adapter (large for Suburban, small for Atwood) hand tight and then tighten slightly with open end wrench (not too tight since rinsing out water heater is a routine maintenance procedure every 6 months). Screw anode into center of adapter hand tight and then tighten slightly with open end wrench (definitely do NOT over tighten as may damage anode).Thread provided electric cable through vent of water heater so at least 1 foot of cord is inside water heater. Drill an 1/8" hole into the inside of the water heater, preferably above the propane line that enters the inside of the RV cabin. Place the provided "loop" onto the cord, about 3" behind the prong end. Separate the 3 prongs of the cord and place the ring prong over the drilled hole. Insert provided screw through the "loop" and screw it into the drilled hole.Balance the provided thermostat to the flattest side of pressure relief valve that allows the thermostat controls to be accessible. The default temperature is adequate to start and can be adjusted to a higher temperature at a later time (take temperature of water as it comes out of the faucet with thermometer and adjust thermostat until desired temperature reached). Secure the thermostat with the provided zip ties.Now match all colored prongs to one another and connect. Then turn back on your water pump so the water heater can refill. Once the water pump is silent, open the pressure relief valve temporarily just to release any air trapped within the water heater. Also, at this point if any water is visibly dripping from the anode/adapter drain assembly, tighten as needed with open wrench. Finally, ONLY after heater is full, plug the electric cable into an outlet and let the hot water heat (anode not submerged in water may become damaged). An additional outlet may be available at the back of the fridge, but I preferred a large gauge extension cord that I plugged into shore power to prevent blowing a breaker and allowed the cable end to tuck under the RV to stay out of the weather.

Second trip out in 6 months and it stopped working. Zero ohms across the element... JUNK!

I purchased this item four years ago and have had no problems with it. It performed well, drastically limiting the amount of propane use while providing hot water as needed, and keeping the blast furnace of a water heater from coming on at all hours of the day and night, if I forget to turn it off. I only use the propane when we are taking showers and need a faster recovery time.However, about 3 months ago, while on a trip, I plugged it in and the GFCI outlet immediately tripped, tried another GFCI with the same result. I tried a non-GFCI outlet and it stayed on, but since there was no way to conveniently keep it that way, I just left it until we returned home.A couple of weeks ago, I pulled the heating element and it looked relative normal. I began researching what might be the problem on various forums and the Western Leisure website. After trying several solutions, I contacted them. Dennis was very helpful, returning multiple emails promptly and offering additional ideas. About week later, he had me pull the heating element from the water heater again, only to discover the element had completely come apart, the outer seam had broken open and it rusted from the inside out.Apparently, the earlier models, such as mine, were not completely sealed at the factory and small amounts of moisture can work its way in over time, causing corrosion and eventual failure. According to their website they now take additional measures to prevent this from happening.I have purchased a new element from them (hey, four years is a long time to expect anyone to cover an item) and will be satisfied if lasts just as long, but hoping it will last longer.

Can not find a wattage specification on the unit,but when I opened it and saw the very small wires leading to the heating element,i knew it was not going to produce a lot of heat.Very slow to heat and the water NEVER reaches the temp.selected on the thermostat dial.Wish I had bought a higher wattage.

This was a quick and easy install into my Suburban 6-gallon water heater, and it does a great job at maintaining hot water without burning propane. The 400w element has plenty of power to heat up and maintain my water. The first heating element that came with the kit died rather quickly (~3 days in) due to unknown reasons, but I had no trouble getting ahold of support, and after some quick troubleshooting with a multimeter to determine which piece had failed, Dennis mailed me out another heating rod. I swapped the new heating rod in and the water heater is once again working great.If you're looking for a fast and easy conversion to dual energy for your propane only RV water heater, this Lightning Rod kit would make a great choice.

Can't give it 5 stars yet since I have no idea how long it will last. I recently Bought a 2000 Niagara for a great price and have had so many issues lighting the pilot light. This solves that problem, not all if have to do is plug in the cord inside my camper and in 45-55 minutes i have plenty of hot water for a shower. If I know I will want a shower after being out I just leave it plugged in all day and the temp sensor keeps it just right so I have a nice shower when I get home. I know 45 minutes seems like a long time, but to that I have two statements. The first is that most campsites have at least water and electric hook up, so why pay for propane? Secondly, unless you have a newer heater, which most of those are 2-way anyways, then you are going to spend considerable time lighting the pilot light, or leaving it on the entire trip and hoping it doesn't go out. Installation was super easy, any codependent adult could install this as long as they have the large socket for the drain plug, took me all of 30 minutes, most of that was spent cleaning out the buildup in the tank from it not being serviced in so long.

Exactly what we needed.