Long Hot Showers in an RV?

Here is a simple test you can do and get pretty close to how long it will take. 6-gallons is not alot of water.

Just get a 7-gal water container and go sit it under an open spigot and see how long it takes to fill up the 7-gallon container. This will give you an idea about how long it takes to recycle a standard 6-gallon water tank. It is up to the propane heater to keep the 6-gallon water tank producing hot water as fast as it is being emptied. With only the two us we do pretty good but sometimes we have to wait just alittle bit between the two times we both want to use the shower to allow the propane to heat the water back up.

They do make a 10-gallon hot water heater as well but the 6-gallon model is the most popular one used.

I'm happy enough to wash up from a sink but momabear needs to have her shower going...

just my thoughts
Roy Ken

"What exactly do people do in a long hot shower?? "

After a long day of wind and/or heavy traffic it sure makes my back and shoulders feel better.

Jim Shoe wrote:
Bustoff,
This thread has been highjacked so many times, it no longer makes sense.

Sorry.

bustoff wrote:
I figured "long hot showers" and RV's are not synonymous, but what do all you full timers do when you want some of those creature comforts ?

Since we all have to hit a campground to dump our tanks and take on potable water, that's when we hit the CG baths and take those long hot showers and double shampooing of our hair. Ahhh, bliss! :) Since we don't have a washer-dryer in our TT we also do our laundry the night we spend in a CG.

Also, if we want to pull off the road and boondock for a couple of days, does the generator supply everything ?

Yes, it should.

Bustoff,
This thread has been highjacked so many times, it no longer makes sense. If you want a long hot shower without running out of hot water, stay at FHU parks that have shower houses. Any other solution relies on the size of the HW tank and its recovery cycle in your rig.

What exactly do people do in a long hot shower?? I get in, get wet, lather, rinse, get out. Takes about five minutes, at home, or on the road. What else is there? BTW, I'm like a baby...test the water with my elbow. i.e. body temp

I wanted to follow up a little on the problem we had with our new Atwood On-demand (OD-5001). Long story short after three months of messing with it two certified Atwood repair centers told me to send it back and get a new one. We did that and received an exact replacement. Exactly the same symptoms. We exchanged it for an old fashioned tank type water heater. The Atwood OD-50 might be a great heater for some people but it simply didn't work for us. I don't know if it is where we live, 5000+ feet above sea level or not but we could never get hot water out of it. I think they still have bugs to work out. It is a new model and I simply didn't want to spend any more time being Atwood's Beta tester.

We have a 10 gal water heater with engine assist. When we arrive anyplace we have hot water that is, many times, hotter than the heater will make. If we turn on the electric & gas we won't run out of hot water. We do need full hookups to do that. With no hookups we can still manage a full week before having to dump or refill. That includes a quick shower for each of us every day. We have large tanks and love that feature.

Sorry, double post. Slow servers tonight?

Bustoff, you're asking all the right questions for someone considering an RV. Keep asking until you have a better understanding of the whole thing. I guarantee you that once you buy (or possibly rent) and RV you will quickly learn a lot of RV related issues.

In regard to batteries: Your RV will will have a wall monitor with indicator lights that tell you the charge level of your battery(s). It will also tell you how much fresh water you have as well as how full your black (toilet) and gray (shower, sinks) tanks are. Your charged battery will run the water pump & lights. Your generator will also charge your battery(s) while boondocking so that you don't have to run the genny very much if you watch your power usage. This knowledge usually comes from experience (and asking questions here, but experience is best).

We've boondocked at Nascar races and never run out of fresh water and that's over 4 HOT days (with a 60 gallon fresh water tank, but did it with a 34 gallon tank over 10 years ago with a small travel trailer). You will learn how to conserve your water in many ways. Long hot showers aren't really necessary - it's clean and not sticky that counts the most.

I would seriously consider renting a Class C unit (or A if you can find one) because that will certainly give you a good idea what it's all about before investing in an RV. You may even change your mind about what type of RV you want. Having a Class A or C will likely require you to tow a "drive around" vehicle unless you plan ahead and have all your food & supplies before settling into your campsite. A scooter or bicycles work well too if things aren't too far away. But camping at a National Park and then wanting to explore will require that you drive the RV and that's not always possible when exploring/parking due to the RV size. This is why many campers opt for either a travel trailer or 5th wheel. For $50K (or less) you can find some excellent tow vehicles and great trailers. Most trailers do not have a generator on board, but you can purchase a small Honda 2000 like I have and keep yourself charged wherever you are.

Like I said, keep asking questions and exploring your ideas to the point where you know what you want. We've explored areas from New England, to the Rockies, from Canada to Florida and we are not done yet.