Water Heater Advice

[RonRock]

I'm still working on the cargo trailer project. Not quite a year yet since I bought the trailer. So what can I say, I'm slow.

Anyway, I am wanting to figure out a hot water heater that is somewhat portable and reasonable cost. That way I can move it from my CT to my sailboat when I sleep on the boat. So I stumbled onto this,

http://www.amazon.com/Eccotemp-L5-Porta ... B000TXOJQ4

Anybody familiar with this unit? Or something similar? I need to get something soon I'll be camping in the CT the first of September. Any better ideas?

[pete42]

Only experience I can offer is I used one sorta like the one you mentioned it was on a 30' non'such
if I remember right while hooked up at the dock it worked well do to I think more pressure
it also worked while sailing not like home but taking navy showers it work well.
some people swear by the "oxygenics shower body spa" a shower wand that mixes air with the
water to make camper, boat showers a lot more forceful.
pete

[RonRock]

Thanks Pete, I'll look into the shower head you mention. New to me.

Ron

[notoriouskelly]

Here's a crude video of my Ecotemp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw_vdPO8kEY&feature=plcp

It's worked flawlessly for 3 years in my box truck and may soon be moved into my cargo trailer.

Components:
Ecotemp hot water controller (on lowest setting- much higher could take off your skin)
20lb propane tank
6 gallon water jug
water hosing
1.5GPM pump
RV battery with cig lighter plug
Shower head

[RonRock]

Thanks for the video.

I did some surfing and it looks like the "oxygenics shower body spa" shower head is worth a try along with the EcoTemp heater.

Now I need to find a 12volt pump and I'll be all set to place some orders.

[8ball_99]

Can't help you on the portable water heat,, But in my cargo I use one of those oxygenics shower heads. I picked it up from adventurerv.net I think.. It works great. Its not really that it uses less water then a standard RV shower head. Its the fact you get much more pressure for the same amount of water and with the same on demand water pump.. My wife always had a very hard time getting all the soap out of her hair untill I switched the shower head out.. Its well worth the 30-40 bucks..

[RonRock]

Any suggestions as far as pressure I should have from the pump? Even better how about 12 volt pump suggestions?

[bdosborn]

I've got a Shurflo Whisper King but there are lots of options:

PPL Water Pumps

Bruce

[sjrmotorsports]

What about fumes? I was worried about mounting it inside the trailer because of the exhaust.

[aggie79]

What about fumes? I was worried about mounting it inside the trailer because of the exhaust.

This unit is specified to be located outside. It's not designed for indoor use although you may be able to do so for intermittent use if your CT is well ventilated.

[sjrmotorsports]

How about something like this?



gallery/image_page.php?album_id=448&image_id=96677

[pmowers]

What about fumes? I was worried about mounting it inside the trailer because of the exhaust.

NO! I would be extremely hesitant to mount or use inside of the trailer-Hemoglobin likes CO (carbon monoxide) about 200-250 times more than oxygen, and once it binds, it is really hard to get it to let go. It only takes a trace amount to really build up in your system. I have seen mass CO poisoning cases from a propane powered forklift in a warehouse with 20+ ft. ceilings and big open doors. Due a pinhole leak in a heater, a very good friend lost an entire flight crew sleeping in a tent. Another consideration is the amount of heat and moisture that comes off of one of these things.

You could easily hang/mount the water heater outside and run the hose either through a pass-through connection (imagine a street water connection on both sides of the wall) or through one of the wiring covers.

In the next phase of conversion (In reading everyone's posts, and personal experience, I am finding that everything is like Ivory Soap- 99.4% done), I plan on setting up one of the propane on-demand heaters for doing dishes and providing hot water to my exterior kitchen sink setup . It seems that 4 people can generate a lot of dirty dishes. I am going to basically use a "Y" hose to split out the single garden hose supply to provide cold water and feed the heater for the hot, with connections to a high-neck faucet. A portable tank for collecting the grey water.

Pat

[pete42]

I believe it was on this site where I saw a tankless water heater mounted on the front of a cargo trailer
the owned had a bracket mounted and when he got to a campground he would hook up the heater
to campground water and his propane tank he had all the hot water he needed.
I hope some one responses with the post.

pete

[bdosborn]

How about something like this:


Bruce

[pmowers]

Thanks Bruce! I was just thinking about that video. There is a project on expedition portal with pullout drawer units that I was thinking of combining the two together. I will have to see if I can find the link.

Pat