Water heater in RV's

I'll turn on both heat sources on my 6 gal when all three of us are going to take back to back showers. There is about 10 to 15 minutes between showers. We do not take navy showers and have not had any problem of running out of hot water.

A previous TT had a propane only water heater and that was a problem. We could not shower as described above on propane only.

I have seen some newer rv's that come with a 18 gallon hot water heater.

There are exceptions but there are basically 3 sizes of water heater common in RV's. 6 gallon, 10 gallon and psuedo 10 gallon (That is a 10 gallon heater in a six gallon hat) You can "Fake" the 10 psuedo 10 by putting a hotter thermostat (That's how they do it, they heat the water hotter, then mix in cold water to bring it back down to 120)

Lots of issues with that mixing valve though.


There are also a few different "Demand" type (instant) units. you can find more about them by searching threads... These burn Propane only for the most part but they give you "endless flow" at least till you know what overflows. (or the other tank runs dry).

TreeSeeker wrote:
You all need to take "Navy showers"--wet down and turn off the water, then soap up, then turn on the water to rinse. You can do this with just 2-4 minutes of water.

This is even more important if you are not hooked up to a water source as you could also run your water tank dry.

No long soaking showers in a RV.

X2
Have done 3 people showers one after on a 6 gallon tank, and never had cold water. Use on gas and recovery is fast!

Another concern put to rest, All very helpful information thank you. I will certainly be trying out what comes with the RV before I change anything. Mik

Mik68 wrote:
The water heaters vary in capacity and I'm told once the hot water runs out, that's it!
Are there instant water heaters made for RV's?
Reading back, I realise this must seem like a stupid question, but just thought if we can have em on our houses, why can't we have them on our RV's? :h

Yes, there are instant hot water heaters but we've never seen the need. The RV hot water heaters recover quickly in a few minutes.

down home wrote:
Very rarely run down the hot water. It fires up shortly after you start to use it. It is only 10 gallons but produces a lot more per hour. We run electric and propane at the same time. some units reccomed to do this and others say one system at a time.

This has been our experience as well. Ours is only 6 gallons, yet neither my wife or I have ever run out of hot water. While I take 'navy showers' and turn off the water at the hand-held shower head, my DW does not. From all appearances, running on propane, the recovery is fast enough that to us, it appears the same as an 'on demand' system. Of course, our experience may not match up with others as there are only the two of us, and most times our showers are not 'back to back' as I prefer showers in the evenings while my wife likes hers in the mornings. In any case, if you haven't already done so, you might want to try what you have first before making any investments. IMHO...

I took all the Navy showers I ever wanted when in the Navy.......

I turn on shower water, fairly hot and take my normal shower.....letting the water run.
10 gallon water heater on electric & propane and when I'm done with my shower there is still plenty of hot water left.

Remember the water is heated to 140*F (+) so you are NOT using just straight hot water

You all need to take "Navy showers"--wet down and turn off the water, then soap up, then turn on the water to rinse. You can do this with just 2-4 minutes of water.

This is even more important if you are not hooked up to a water source as you could also run your water tank dry.

No long soaking showers in a RV.

Mik68 wrote:
6 gallons doesn't sound like a lot & with my wife & 3 daughters I can't see there being much left over for me no matter what water saving shower head is on it. Although I do like the sound of an invigorating spray. Cheers!

Mik, they need to learn water discipline, because a single teenager can run any waterheater empty.