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 )
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 )