pros and cons of hydro heat

They have their pros and cons. Our Oasis has been rock solid for almost 6 years now. We have heard that AquaHot units tend to need more repairs from more than one dealer we have service work done with. YMMV.

I never felt that they "DRINK" fuel any more rapidly than having two relatively tiny propane tanks that need to be filled a lot (depending on useage). We stay in SE FL most winters so our heating use is limited but we've had the unit in sub zero weather and the system has no issues keeping up.

If you like really long showers, don't boon dock and / or spend a lot of time in cold weather it might be worth it.

If you boon dock a lot you might want to pass. The hot water does take some time to kick in and you will end up wasting water / grey tank space.

If you take long showers then obviously never running out of hot water is a plus

If you don't do any of those things or have normal usage you can probably just go with a straight heater unless you have to have the new toy.

Biggest advantage to us was being able to use our 150g diesel tank for the fuel. Reality is with how little we use it a standard heater probably would of worked fine for us and 99% of the others out there.

You can probably skip it and save some money without missing much.

MrBrett wrote:
...The hydro hot system will keep you plenty warm, but without help you will certainly drink some fuel. That is the only downside we have found after a couple years of use.......they drink diesel fuel, and not my the teaspoon....lol...

They burn .4 GPH according to the manufacturer.

From what I've read about the hydronic units, lack of servicing is a big issue. My coach is new, but I already ordered the service kit and will keep it in the coach. Like fuel filters, I will change/service it once a year, using the kit/fuel filters I have onboard and then replacing them with new ones.

We have had our Aqua-Hot system for 7 yrs. and it has worked beautifully except for one time (not the fault of Aqua-Hot). I had a kitchen hose split that just happened to leak water on the Aqua-Hot circuit board which shorted it out. Once replace (hose and board) life was good again.

Our Aqua-Hot has two elements so we can have really hot water without turning on the diesel. If the outside temp is not too cold (45-50), we can heat the coach with the electric on with the Aqua-Hot.

Our new coach will have the Webasto system which is similar to Aqua-Hot but it does have a 20 gallon water heater. The water is heated when the engine is running (on both coaches).

Our Aqua-Hot has worked very well and we switched from servicing yearly to every two years as our fuel nozzle looked like brand spanking new at one year..... so, for the last several years, a two year service is perfect.

MM.

We like ours real well, but if you plan on winter weather camping I suggest getting an electric heater of some sort (we use the electric oil type). The hydro hot system will keep you plenty warm, but without help you will certainly drink some fuel. That is the only downside we have found after a couple years of use.......they drink diesel fuel, and not my the teaspoon....lol

If we are in temps above 40-45 the electric element will keep the coach warm by itself, less than those temps and you will need the fuel fired side. Ours also is tied to the engine and that is a very nice (free heat) feature when driving in cold temps.

Beyond that we like ours.

"robanddi" gave a great description on how they work, but there are some variables with different coaches. We have a 2014 Newmar Dutch Star that has the Oasis system which is a similar unit to AquaHot, just made by another company. On our level of coach, the hydronic system is NOT connected to the engine coolant so the engine doesn't heat water while driving. That would be a nice feature.

We haven't used ours enough to be familiar with it or fall in love with it. I kind of like the idea of the old propane water heater and furnace being separate in case they broke, but I've never heard anyone say they hate hydronic heating. We're anxious to get use to ours and it's benefits. The constant hot water is nice.

The Oasis unit is diesel powered and needs to be in diesel mode for continuous hot water and probably during initial startup. Ours also has two electric heating elements....one for 30 amp and you use both with 50 amp. We found that even while on 50 amp and both elements heating, the diesel unit occasionally fired up.

Oasis is known for being odorless and smokeless. It was pretty odorless when running, but kicks out an exhaust (pressure) like a small car. We'll have to be cognizant of neighbors on the exhaust side.

I think it is like a lot of other techno-things. Some people like to have the most convenient, technologically advanced, feature-laden devices they can find. Same for their cars, computers, cameras, GPS's, TV's -- you name it.

On the other hand, I prefer simpler, proven technology, in which I don't have to be a repair genius or be prepared to pay such genii. I like my computer. I have no need for a smartphone. My GPS is usually turned off. I have a map.

So in an RV, give me the combination of a propane-fired furnace with a simple blower, along with a couple of electric cube heaters to use as needed. Same for a standard water heater. Then I'm a happy comfy guy.

To each his/her own!

We have hydro hot (Aqua Hot) in our 2004 Country Coach and love it despite the repairs we have had over the last 10 years, we still fee it's worth it. We have camped in 9 degree weather and we were warm and toasty with unlimited hot water. It's Hydronic heating. Learn more on www.aquahot.com or http://www.rvhydronicheaterrepair.com/

While not an owner of a coach with this system our rally group has several coaches that do. Virtually all of these coaches were bought used and all of them had issues with the hydro hot system because they had not be serviced regularly. I believe there are many owners with this type system that just do not do the maintenance and then, at some point, wonder why it quits working.

I know it is available in diesel and propane. Is there a gasoline version too?