Tankless water heater upgrade?

[sl1966]

This is one where I really need your advice and experience. I haven't read the specs yet and this idea just dawned on me. I want to put this out there and see if it's a sound one. I don't have any pictures handy so I'll describe it to you now and get the pics posted later.&nbsp;<div><br><div>Under one of my dinette seats (in my trailer) is a 10 gallon tank and water heater. That isn't near enough water (I also have two collapsible 5 gallon jugs to supplement) to boondock with over two weeks. I've been wanting to upgrade to a 20 or 25 gallon tank but there's no room. If I upgrade to a tankless heater I'll have room for a larger tank. Removing the heater and installing a new water tank shouldn't be too difficult since I've done that kind of work before.</div></div><div><br></div><div>This is where I need your advice. I'm not sure how I would install the tankless heater and where? It should go close to where the old one was but that's on the bottom front drivers side of the trailer. Another problem is heat vents out the top of the tankless heater and it has to be mounted outside. I'm pretty sure it'll melt the siding on my rig no matter where I place it.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.eccotemp.com/eccotemp-l5-portable-tankless-water-heater/" target="_blank">Tankless Water Heater Specs</a></div><div><br></div><div>Maybe this won't work. Tell me what you think either way.&nbsp;</div>

 

[yesican]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I was in a bus where the propane water heater was under the sink in the cubboard.&nbsp; We had to open the cubboard door otherwise there was a loud "bang" because ignition required more air or O2 available in an enclosed cubboard.&nbsp;It only came on when hot water tap was turned on so was not on long enough to melt anything and was designed for camper/boat.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Hope this helps...I didn't set it up so I can't help you with specifics.</p>

 

[akrvbob]

<p style="margin: 0px;">I'm not clear on your situation. Do you have a 10 gallon freshwater tank and a standard 6 gallon hot water heater, or do you have a 10 gallon hot water heater? </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">Its hard to believe any RV came with a 10 gallon water tank. What do you have for a tow vehicle? I think you have a pickup, right, I would get a 30 or 55 gallon water drum and wire a 12 volt pump to the starting battery. Add a macerator pump and a blue boy and you can drop the trailer for very long times without having to get water or dump. You solve not only the small tank problem but extended boondocking at the same time. If you don't have a pickup, I'd get a bladder, either with the built in pump or wire one to the starting battery. Again, you solve two problems not just one. Or, just a bunch of 5 gallon bottles will do the same. Bob</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p>

 

[sl1966]

10 gallon freshwater tank.<div><br></div><div>6 gallon water heater.</div><div><br></div><div>I want to replace the water heater with a tankless on demand water heater and upgrade the 10 gallon with a 20/25 fresh water tank. Removing the old water heater will give me the room.</div><div><br></div><div>I do have a pickup, and may use your alternate plan if this upgrade doesn't work. My original plan was to haul in extra water in a couple of collapsible containers.</div>

 

[Les H]

Hey steve, cant really help you with the water heater problem, as I can't see the area you are talking about. The one that you gave a link to though is Deffinatly an outdoor model though, ment to be hung on a fence, Rv ladder or tree. I don't know if you can get enough fireproof clearance. I am installing a full sized one in a house that I am doing the plumbing on, but it's a $1400 199k btu unit, so just a tad different.
Something I have given some thought to is getting a tank with a built in pump at tractor supply or harbor freight. They are designed as sprayers that go on an atv or a lawn tractor. I have seen 10 gallon ones as low as $89 on sale, and they come in sizes up to about 25 gallons. Unscrew the threaded wand that comes with them and connect it to your piping system and you have a pressurized tank for way cheaper than one at a camping supply store. I don't much care, but you might want to still carry some bottled water for drinking, as I don't think they are bpa free ( after all , they are designed for spraying herbicides and fertilizers)

 

[sl1966]

Here are the pictures.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>1&amp;2 - Top of pic is dinette table, bottom side wall, right kitchen counter, left, front wall.</div><div>3. Water heater access panel opened</div><div>4. Water heater access panel closed</div><div>5. Perspective shot of front drivers side of trailer.</div><div><br></div>

 

[Les H]

Rich, the one steve is looking at is propane fired, and his link lists it for $149, but I have seen it for $129 somewhere. Way cheaper than even a direct replacement 6 gal Rv model. Gotta say, I'm stumped by a 10 gallon FW tank too. Even my '69 Shasta 14' has a 20 or 25 gallon tank. Perhaps Steves was a model origionally destined for FEMA? They often have tiny or nonexistent tanks, as they can connect directly to a houses utilities.
-Shrug-
I'm gonna err on the safe side and say it's probably not a safe/good idea to mount it inside, but I have only seen them online, not in person. I have heard that reverse engineering them and even working on them is nearly impossible as they are crammed in to thier housing so tightly.
Bottom line, for myself, I wouldn't bother. If my wife were traveling with me in my van long term, it would be a " must have".

 

[sl1966]

@Les H - Thanks. I'm not sure how that other tank will work but I'll keep it in mind. I think the heat problem might not be much of one given how this thing works. I don't use hot water much and when I do it's for very very short spurts. Melting may not be an issue if that's the case.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>@ Sparky1</div><div>1. I'm not sure what the first part of this has to do with anything, but that's what I have to work with. I also have two 5 gallon collapsible containers that I fill with water when boondocking. I'm buying two more.</div><div><br></div><div>2. It runs on two D batteries. While what's there does work, it wasn't designed to work the way I will use it. If I can have more water and still heat it too, by golly I'm gonna do it. No reason not to.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>I'm still exploring this idea and haven't ripped a thing out. I won't if the idea is not sound. I'm not out to wreck my home!</div><div><br></div>

 

[sl1966]

there is NO SAFE WAY to put this where the existing Propane installed heater is

<div><br></div><div>Now where did I say I wanted it to go exactly where the old one was?</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier today I saw a picture where someone mounted it on a frame that was welded to a trailer tongue. The design was clever because it was secured clear of the propane tanks without it being against anything that might melt or catch fire.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

 

[sl1966]

LOL .. I didn't think to check before, but turns out they're already making tankless water heaters for RV's.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.eemaxinc.com/EX3012M" target="_blank">http://www.eemaxinc.com/EX3012M</a> </div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-water-heaters/rv-tankless-water-heater.htm" target="_blank">http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-water-heaters/rv-tankless-water-heater.htm</a> </div><div><br></div><div>They're nice but a bit on the expensive side. I'm gonna email Eccotemp and see if they'd be interested in designing a more compact one for travel trailers. Worst they can say is no.</div><div><br></div>

 

[sl1966]

Perhaps Steves was a model origionally destined for FEMA?

<div><br></div><div>Nope. I don't think the designers really expected people to go off grid with their product for long periods of time.</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://kz-rv.com/sportsmen_classic/16BH.html" target="_blank">http://kz-rv.com/sportsmen_classic/16BH.html</a> </div><div><br></div><div>I know there's better, but at the time I couldn't afford it. I just barely started working when I got it and wasn't about to be caught homeless again should the contract JOB end suddenly. Something to live in with a little bit of water is better than nothing to live in with no water.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div>

 

[sl1966]

And my apologies if my replies seemed curt. I read what I wrote after the fact and can see how it might come off harsher sounding than what was actually meant. I'm in problem solving mode and give very short answers when I'm trying to get to a resolution.<div><br></div>

 

[sl1966]

The smaller RV/marine tankless water heater is perfect in every way except that it needs 120V to heat the water. If I'm boondocking with it I'm going to be running on solar. I could run it at the times when I run the generator. To be honest this whole idea is sounding more like a pain in the ass than an improved convenience. I'm going to leave well enough alone and not bother with it. At least until they make one that suits my needs.<div><br></div>

 

[akrvbob]

<p style="margin: 0px;">The 30 or 55 gallon barrell in the pickup is looking better all the time.&nbsp;Cheap, simple, solves two problems.&nbsp;It is a little bit of a pain to have to&nbsp;fill the RV with it every few days, but my experience has been when&nbsp;boondocking I have lots of extra time. It has an unexpected bonus of giving you the idea psychologically that you&nbsp;are always just about to run out of water, which means you will use less. Of course maybe your wife won't like that at all!! We all know a happy wife equals a happy life. </p><p style="margin: 0px;">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin: 0px;">It really wouldn't be that much of a hassle. Leave the water hose hooked up from the pump in the pickup to the water inlet of the RV. Every few days you would need to start the pickup, pump the water into the RV, then turn it off. probably take less than 5-10 minutes.&nbsp;Bob</p>

 

[thinker]

where might i find one of these 'happy wives' you speak of?

 

[sl1966]

Thanks Bob. I may wind up doing that as it's the easiest solution and the one I had from the start. However I don't have a wife. Kind of wish I did, but don't. Oh and I think I know where you got that notion from. The girl in my avatar is my niece.&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>The only girl in my life right now is my beagle.</div><div><br></div>

 

[Salida Scarlett]

I don't have a husband either and I think I'm now to old too care. But I still need male advice and that's why I ask questions of you guys here on the forum. <img class="emoticon bbc_img" src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif">&nbsp;Anyways...my latest dilemma on this rig is the propane hot water heater is kaput. I was thinking about ordering an electric one, but Home Depot screwed up the order. In the meantime, I began thinking if I ever went solar, which I would like to do, it might be best to just replace the existing propane heater, and.....easier to install it where the old one is now instead of trying to reinvent the wheel by figuring out where to put an electric one.

 

[user 423]

Hey, Scarlett replacing the propane WH is the way to go if you won't be getting a generator for boondocking. OTOH a generator can power not only the electric WH but also a microwave. It can also charge the batteries if the solar isn't providing enough juice. But then if you're boondocking where there's plenty of sun, you can have solar heated hot water <img rel="lightbox" src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br>

 

[cygvan]

this wont solve the space issue...but one way to make it more electrically feasible to use an electric water heater is to install a switch to turn it on an off.<br><br>a guy on the sportsmobile forums has a small electric water heater (its like a small tank so its not tankless) they come in 2.5, 4.0 and i think a 7 gallon size.<br><br>what he does is flicks the switch on to bring the heater up to desired temp then flicks it off. then does what he needs to do with the hot water.<br><br>pretty smart. the heater wont turn on at all to bring the temp up since theres no power. i suppose you could fool with the temp setting to acheive this but the heater will kick on if the temp drops below the coolest setting (95?) which it will.<br><br>many of these are only 1500 watts and its not out of the realm of possibility to handle that with a decent inverter and battery bank.<br><br>for that matter, an all electric tankless heater would theoretically work too. but thats alot of on/off cycling for an inverter. a tank model would need to be flicked on twice a day for 15 min each time at most if you are organized.

 

[user 423]

<span id="post_message_1279173431">

...one way to make it more electrically feasible to use an electric water heater is to install a switch to turn it on an off.

<br><br>If it's powered only when you fire up the genset, then this wouldn't be a problem.&nbsp; It gets complicated when you have to decide what you want to power and on what type of equipment to spend your money on.<br></span>