Showering with 10 gallon water heater

Ok, I read all of the posts and see that Navy showers are strongly recommended but that doesn't quite answer the question. In a RV with a 10 gallon hot water tank, your girlfriend likely won't need to change anything. I like a long hot shower. I dwaddle, have long hair, and like to relax. Not only have I never run out, but I'll also often shower my 3 year old during/after my shower and only make the water slightly less hot.

As others have mentioned, your gray water tank may need emptied more often depending on if you're able to leave your tank open or not (i.e. on a full hookup site).

btw, don't know if it matters- but my family are fulltimers.

My spouse thinks I am crazy using all hot water. What can I say. I like a hot shower.

wannavolunteerFT wrote:
I want to say it is not absolutely necessary to take a NAVY shower. I have a 6 gallon WH and have the oxygenics shower head. I turn propane on just before I get in shower (electric was already on). I leave the water running while I shower and manage to not run out of hot water. Over the holidays, I only had cool water one day (temps were much lower that morning). I do usually adjust to cooler as I prefer a cooler final rinse. As far as wasting water, I don't think I used too much. I have a 32 gal grey tank and it finally filled on the fourth morning. Probably had a gallon or two of water standing in the tub as I finished. So maybe 8 gallons a shower. I did no cooking and only bedtime and morning hand and face washing, as I stayed in house during the day (or was away from house and TT).

DITTOS! GREAT POST AND I WAS WORRIED NO ONE WOULD SAY THIS!

I will run the tank (7 gal in our case) out of hot water if I'm LONG or LAZY. But to leave the water running and do the normal get wet, soap up, shave the face, wash the face, wash the hair, rinse works fine without the water cooling off. No need for a "Navy Shower".

We do not have a super-duper oxygenics shower head, but conversely, most RV showerheads are more conservative than those in a "stick house".

You do need maybe 10 min of recovery time for multiple folks, but with full hook ups, the shower does a very nice job- and I'd think a 10-gallon tank would allow a few more minutes of relaxing!

When 'boondocking for multiple days', yeah, THEN it's Navy-Shower time because of the total quantity of fresh water, etc.

We have a 6 gal water heater and both of us can take a shower and still have hot left. 8 min is a long time one should easily to have to take a shower in 5 min

I want to say it is not absolutely necessary to take a NAVY shower. I have a 6 gallon WH and have the oxygenics shower head. I turn propane on just before I get in shower (electric was already on). I leave the water running while I shower and manage to not run out of hot water. Over the holidays, I only had cool water one day (temps were much lower that morning). I do usually adjust to cooler as I prefer a cooler final rinse. As far as wasting water, I don't think I used too much. I have a 32 gal grey tank and it finally filled on the fourth morning. Probably had a gallon or two of water standing in the tub as I finished. So maybe 8 gallons a shower. I did no cooking and only bedtime and morning hand and face washing, as I stayed in house during the day (or was away from house and TT).

jnharley wrote:
I never turn on the cold water when showering so turning it off at the faucet works for me,

What are you, part lobster?!?!?! :) LOL Yikes, you obviously don't have the same heating elements/thermostats most of us have in our RVs. Our water heater has one temperature setting: Freakin' hot!!!!

But on the plus side, we've never run out of hot water. We have a 10 gallon water heater that heats with gas and/or electric. We all take the navy showers. I try to get the family to do the same even in the house with limited success (boys are good, girls...not so much).

A bit of a rant: With all of the "green energy" and "conservation" information being disseminated, I'm really surprised there isn't more emphasis on people taking "navy showers" all of the time. Especially in those areas of the country where water is scarce. When I hear of people taking 5, 10, 15 minute and longer showers, I can't imagine what they're doing under the water all that time. In our house, if I hear the shower water running longer than 5 minutes I go downstairs and shut off the hot water. They learn real quick to keep things moving. :) Rant off.

~Rick

jnharley wrote:
I just turn the water off at the faucet. Too difficult for me to get the shut off turned with soapy hands. I never turn on the cold water when showering so turning it off at the faucet works for me,

I would be in the emergency room with scalds! The water in my RV is WAY too hot to not use cold water.

amandasgramma wrote:
Get a shower head that has a 'turn off" valve. I get in, wet myself down, click that button (water is off at the nozzle, not the valves) and soap up, then turn water on and rinse off. Two of us take showers in tandem, have never run out of water. I've even gone in to do dishes almost immediately after showering. :) :)

Ditto...learn to conserve water. Not only better for the environment, but makes things easier on you. Hot water will last. And less often that you will have to dump the gray tank.

Shot-N-Az wrote:

bob213 wrote:


4 of us can shower with a 6 gallon WH and have no problems.

How in the world do you fit that many people into that tiny shower?

Had to know that was coming....

Get a fiver with a 12 gallon water heater. That's what our Montana has and Suburban now offers a 16 gallon one too. We full time and simply stagger our shower times by just a few minutes and never come up short of hot water.