I need to Choose a water Heater

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

BradKW

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2015
Messages
2,013
Reaction score
0
Location
Key West
My plan has been to use propane powered, tankless "insta-hot" like the Ecotemps. I solved the venting issues and moved on to selecting a unit and have encountered a couple things that have me thinking about re-thinking:

1) I can't find anything in the sub-$250 range that doesn't have a host of negative reviews, mostly related to durability.
2) I've come across hidden instructions that say the unit isn't designed for rapid start/stop use...i.e. it wants continuous flow, not the dish sink and "navy shower" treatment common in mobile use. Only found this once, but certainly was waaay in the small print, making me wonder if other units share this "limitation".

Which has gotten me looking at good old fashioned RV heaters...the install would hide nicely behind my liftgate too. On the plus side, they now have electric ignitions that can be turned on remotely with a switch...big improvement over lighting a pilot every time you move the vehicle or a frog farts nearby. Seems to be only 2 manufacturers, Atwood and Suburban...or they pay Google so well that others are buried in search results. Two concerns:

1) difficult to shop. prices are all over the board, seeing differences of hundreds for same unit:  $325  and  $475.  Those are both Suburban 6gal with DSI (direct spark ignition)...so what's this one with a slightly different model number, but appears to be same thing? $279

2) I think these are almost exclusively sold as replacements, and so long as they "fit" people give 5-star reviews. But there's little detail and gotta dig for specs. For example, the first two units I linked above don't appear to have an adjustable temperature... as one reviewer put it, "good fit, and provides the same barely warm shower as the old unit..."

Any recommendations would be appreciated!   (I believe boiling water in a garden sprayer is covered in a different thread  ;P  )
 
The difference between the three that you linked to is that the first one is 120V only, the second is dual gas/electric and the third is propane only.

And yes, you'll be hard put to find anything but Suburban and Atwood in the RV water heater industry. They are the two major north american manufacturers, maybe the only two.

Don't forget that when you're pricing these out that you will also need the switch assembly and the exterior cover for the venting.

There is little to no market for the DIY conversion crowd, the assumption is that the manufacturer sells to the RV industry and the market that you're seeing is for replacement units for those few who replace existing water heaters when they fail in their RVs.
 
Mine isn't adjustable but it will scald you if you don't mix in some cold water. I think I would try to find a RV junk yard and pull one out of a newer damaged RV vent and all.
 
Yeah, junkyards...closest one is 120 miles and at least 6hrs driving round trip. Know what model you have?
 
I have the DSI propane only model. I use a oven remote temperature sensor (probe) with adjustable alarm and turn it off when it reaches 100 degrees. Makes for a good shower and no need to waste water to mix it to the temp you want. I put the temp sensor between the insulation and tank. I replaced mine last year. I have a Suburban and the anode rod needs to be checked twice a year. Replace when worn down to the steel rod.

Sent from my XT1030 using Tapatalk
 
Another option might be the Girard series of tankless demand water heaters.
They are certified for RV use, and have a 4 position adjustable temp control.
I have the GSWH-1M unit, I haven't installed it yet though.
 
One other possibility, depending on whether you sit in one place for long periods or drive around a lot . . .

The cruising boat crowd uses electric heaters with a built in heat exchanger plumbed to the engine.  Shore power heats their water when they are docked, and the engine heats their water when they are cruising.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-...xchanger-6-gallon-front-rear-mounts--13915103

BTW, that same heater could be used with solar water heating panels like these:

http://shop.heliatos.com/
 
I want to add the Girard's also are freeze proof they can be used below 32 degrees. although I have never put one to a test but I have heard they travel off road well. as far as a navy shower its not that big of a deal because they are almost instant, the water in the line and heater is still hot from the previous shut off. highdesertranger
 
highdesertranger said:
I want to add the Girard's also are freeze proof they can be used below 32 degrees.  although I have never put one to a test but I have heard they travel off road well.   as far as a navy shower its not that big of a deal because they are almost instant,  the water in the line and  heater is still hot from the previous shut off.    highdesertranger

They call it the Wum, "Winter Utilization Mode" and it works like this:
When the water temperature inside the unit falls to 37 F, the heater will turn on briefly until the temperature reaches 57 F and will then shut off.
This is a good feature when overnight camping where it might get down to 20 or 30 F overnight, as it will prevent the lines in the unit from freezing.
The downside would be in extended cold temps below 35 F, the unit will need constant power and propane, as it will cycle quite regularly in these lower temps.

This is the issue I am currently fighting with as I need/want to use it throughout our long winters here with months under 20 F.
So I am designing an enclosure whereby I can slide the whole unit in our out by around 4-6 inches, which will allow me to retract the unit, turn it off, then put an outside insulated door in place when not in use in the cold temps. In the summer I will simply leave it extended flush to the outer wall.
 
Top