Hot water heater dilemma!

[gbowman]

I'm trying to decide what to do about a water heater.
First thought was propane tankless.
Problem is needs to be vented or hung outside.
Don't want to have it seen outside!
Has anyone mounted it underneath?

Second thought was electric.
Problem I see with that is finding one that will give enough water and work on 110v/50amp service.
Has anyone seen one?

Third and least favorite is an electric tank water heater.
Don't know what size would be appropriate.

Any thoughts would be helpful!!

[swoody126]

just a piece of information...

the 6gal unit in my travel trlr runs on a 30a circuit and if i don't waste ANY tyme i can take a quick shower

my wife can shower & wash her hair if she utilizes the on/off valve on the sprayer

just sayin...

sw

[hankaye]

swoody126, Howdy;

Here's a link that should help some ... if you have questions you can call these folks and they
do provide some excellent information. I'm only a happy customer no other affiliation.
http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-w ... arts-1.htm

hank

[lrrowe]

I can understand the appeal of a tankless electric water/gas heater.
I myself went with the 6 gal Suburban traditional RV heater. The only regret I have is that I did not get the dual element/gas style so I can use the campground's dime when at a site with 120V. But the gas feature works well for me, especially when I am off the grid. I am thinking about purchasing an electric element for it to install for those times when at a 120V site. So in a way, I am making it a dual energy source hot water heater.

[John61CT]

Many people make do with an ag sprayer, small as a gallon, heat in your pasta pot.

Campsite style tankless sets up outside then pack it up.

Mounting under ? interesting. . .

[CoventryKid]

After our first trip in 2015, we decided a hot water heater was a must. Long story short, I found this: https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.mini-tank-electric-water-heater-shc-25.1000789401.html?autoSuggest=pip.

We adjust the heat setting so that we use just the hot water tap for a shower - no wasted water adjusting for just the right temperature, etc. "Navy" shower works well - 2.5 gals is more than enough water. And 18 minute recovery time is quick.

Hope this helps

[MtnDon]

I vote for the standard RV water heater. Suburban or Atwood and I wholeheartedly endorse the vendor hankaye linked to. We've bought a variety of RV stuff from them over a couple of decades. Always happy.

[daveesl77]

We have the Triton 5L on-demand (actually second one owned) and we absolutely love it. Easy to transport, 8 seconds to warm water. Will run on a 1# tank if needed, but prefers bigger. I carry it in a compartment next to my galley. Galley comes out, water heater hangs on the back of one of the galley boxes and is completely out of the way. On our truck camper we permanently mounted our first one on the rear outside of the camper, once again works great. I replace the "D" cell ignition batteries with 2 of the fake D cell holders, then have that set to a switch and cigarette lighter plugin. That lets me use a foot switch to determine if I want hot water or not. Foot switch is an old style car dimmer switch. About $115.

dave

[Shadow Catcher]

We have a six gallon Atwood DSI water heater with a 120V AC hot rod. Works well and when we have 120 do not use propane to heat water.

[gbowman]

I'll be installing this in my 7x16x7 cargo conversion camper. Most of the time it will just be me showering.
I don't take long showers most of the time but sometimes I might!
Really wanted the tankless, but trying to limit the holes. I'll be living in it 3-5 nights a week.

Don't want to be setting up and taking it down all daily!!

[bdosborn]

We have a 6 gallon Atwood gas only model. Not only is it the cheapest model but the standing pilot keeps the water warm. The main burner only seems to come on when I fire it up at the beginning of a trip and then the pilot keeps it warm. It uses *very* little propane. I turn it off when we travel and it stays warm all day (the burner doesn't come in when I light it at the end of the day). In short, it works much better than I thought it would.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-water-heaters/60154.htm

Bruce

[McDave]

I am using the Triton 5l, mounted in the bathroom!! The exhaust is located approx. 4 in. from the bathroom vent fan/ light and is perfectly safe and exhaust free, unlimited very hot water. (Well I have a 25gal fresh tank, so if you want to shower, flush and wash dishes, then yes you want to limit shower to 2.5-3 gal.) I use the on/off valve on the shower wand to conserve and heater only fires when it senses water flow. You have to have a vent fan in bath to remove steam etc. anyways, so this works nicely. The exhaust is not hot, more like warm, you can hold your hand over it no problem. I have used it about 15 times and zero issues. You can adjust water flow rate and burner output to get it right, and you only use hot water, no cold mixed to make warm. It can get too hot if you try so learn where you like it and leave it there. I really can't tell how much fuel it uses but I've been using the same 20 lb tank for 2 yrs, and I use a propane catalytic heater sometimes. It is perfect for me, saves water with instant heat, a couple seconds to hot at beginning then hot, hot, hot. You could probably get a great headstart on a pot of coffee, instant to 160f then heat to boil. (approx. 190 at this altitude)
Here is a pic before bath metal ceiling was installed.




McDave

[jwh92020]

McDave-
Not trying to hijack a thread, just saw your setup and thought I would ask. I am thinking of mounting my water heater like yours except that it won't be in the shower itself, but just outside. I have residential bath vent fan installed on the backside of the shower wall (at the ceiling) that is about 2 ft from where the heater would hang. Small static vent at the floor on the on the opposite side of the trailer for fresh air intake and to create cross ventilation. Wall it is to be mounted on will have 1/2" cement board over the plywood and a metal sheet to match the shower liner for heat proofing. Does this sound like a viable plan?

[Iconfabul8]

I bought one of these. I haven't installed it yet, but the plan is to hook it up to a small fanless inverter to run the exhaust fan that runs while it is on. Vent through the side wall (one hole for intake and exhaust!) But the thing I liked the most is it has freeze protection, nice to have during those high elevation october elk hunts. There are lots of horror stories about how easily tankless WH's freeze and break. I think i got it for $350 delivered. You could probably get it for less.

Website: https://www.aquahstore.com/catalog/prod ... 4vfnp8b9h1
Ebay listing: http://www.ebay.com/itm/AQUAH-PLUS-DIRE ... SwhwdVVKE9

[McDave]

Hey jwh92020,
I am trying to visualize your plan, and my first thought was how do you vent the shower steam if the fan is outside of the shower? Then I realized that you may not have a "stall" like mine. That is to say 3 steel sides and a door that run floor to ceiling. If you have a curtain and tub/pan the steam just vents into cabin and the fan exchanges the warm, moist air for cool dryer air via floor vent.
So, I would say that your planned install is not preferred, because the spent gasses would basically just get dumped into the cabin and mixed with the air you breathe. The fan/vent probably changes the air fast enough to keep the PPM tolerable, but I can't know for sure. I would think that if you could locate water heater directly below fan that would be better. Another option would be to duct the exhaust directly outside. You will probably have to fabricate the ducting, and I have seen on this site where someone did just that. He had the heater under the sink and vented directly out the wall. I will try to find it, he took some good pics.
The biggest problem here is the limited volume of air in these trailers. Even if you are changing it out often, there is still just so much of it. Also, if the exhaust has a chance to cool before reaching the fan, it would become heavier than the air in the cabin and want to sink to the floor and possibly collect there, not likely but possibly.
The rest of your plan sounds good though. Just remember that that some things are more critical and dangerous than others. The color you choose to paint is less important than having a solid electrical system, etc.
I think that's the best I can do for ya,
Good luck.

McDave