For those who dry camp I have done field testing on a new tankless heater for Truma corp. Test unit was installed in the spring and I used it several times throughout the summer. They are on the market now. In Nov they installed the production unit. This is one of the best mods I have ever done to a toy hauler. It has saved me approx 50% in propane use. I have taken showers as I do @ home letting it run continuously for 10/15 min and there was never a change in temp. No more reheating the tankful of water over & over. No more waiting for enough hot water. It is propane only and is absolutely wonderful for dry camping.

64thunderbolt wrote:For those who dry camp I have done field testing on a new tankless heater for Truma corp. Test unit was installed in the spring and I used it several times throughout the summer. They are on the market now. In Nov they installed the production unit. This is one of the best mods I have ever done to a toy hauler. It has saved me approx 50% in propane use. I have taken showers as I do @ home letting it run continuously for 10/15 min and there was never a change in temp. No more reheating the tankful of water over & over. No more waiting for enough hot water. It is propane only and is absolutely wonderful for dry camping.I am very interested in this, I have been a home user of a Rinnai propane tankless water heater for eight years now. is it really available and reliable now?

Tell us more! I have a Rinnai at my S&B as well. Is there a delay before hot water is actually flowing out of the faucet.

Sounds awful lot like a commercial for the company in question..Personally, I looked at the idea of a tankless water heater.. Until a did some homework.. They simply do not "save" energy, in fact to get enough heat into the water they use a considerably LARGER, HIGHER BTU BURNER.Temp control is a major complaint, they only can heat the water so far above the incoming water temp and water flow will change the amount DRASTICALLY.Requires a MINIMUM WATER FLOW which typically is .5-1.5 gallons per minute just to turn on the burner.. This means you will use a lot of water in the process.Something else you forget to mention in your commercial is tankless water heaters PLUG UP from mineral build up.. That means if you are not on city water (which is highly filtered and softened) you WILL be spending a lot of time CLEANING the tankless heater pipes..So far, I have no problems getting a 15 minute shower without the need to turn the water on/off with a 6 gallon conventional water heater. Could even take that to 20 minutes if I wanted to..The "trick", set the water so the shower head gives off a nice "pattern".. When done right you are mixing a lot of cold water with a little hot water (RV water heaters tend to output very high water temps, on the order of 130-135 degree) which allows you to use 1 gallon of hot for 2 or 3 gallons of cold. The result is a 10-15 minute shower if you use no more than 1 gallon of water per minute.

Let me get this straight. This is for dry-camping; you're taking 10 to 15 minute showers!! Saves 50% propane ?? We do a lot of dry-camping, and nothing here rings a bell.I'm with Gdetrailer above.Doug

Is the tankless water heater the same thing as an endless hot water system?Just wondering.Ron

Tankless water heater | Good Sam Community

136 Replies

BoonHauler
Explorer
Sep 25, 2015
quasi wrote:
It's not really a question of need. It's more of a want. I don't need a fireplace in an RV but I want one. I don't need a convection oven but I want one. I'll spend my money on the things I want and you can spend yours on what you want. I appreciate the posters sharing their experiences as that might help me decide what I want. I don't care for the naysayers carping about whether it is cost effective or whether it has a good ROI. You're dragging a 16,000 pound house around using a vehicle getting 10 mpg. Cost effectiveness is a relative term.
Just my 2 cents and I'll put away my soapbox.

X2 ...... and very well said I might add.

I have my tankless for boondocking but a real plus for me is it's weight, much lighter than a tank unit.
64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Sep 18, 2015
Camping with hookups is like being at home. Dry camping you get wet, soap up, and rinse. Conserving fresh & waste water. Also dry camping water heater is on propane only. The Truma is propane only. I dry camp 99% so I do save some on propane.
itguy08
Explorer
Sep 18, 2015
funpilot wrote:

That is why I installed it. Had nothing to do with any ROI but rather a lifestyle choice. We simply did not want "camping showers."

Just curious - what's with the "camping showers"? I heard this from friends who also had a camper. We just started RVing back in June and I've yet to take one. And I shower once a day in our unit with the standard 6 gallon heater. I'm usually in and out in under 10 minutes, and I like a hot shower. Not run out yet so I'm not sure what the big deal is. My only real issue is low water pressure but that seems to vary campground to campground.
Jack_Mayer
Explorer
Sep 17, 2015
HERE is my test report on the Truma water heater.

While this heater may not fit everyone's circumstance, it does perform pretty much like you would want it to. Would I use it for boondocking? Sure, that would be no issue. Would it use more water? Maybe, but not much (if any). Of course if you take a 15 minute shower then you WILL use more water....

If you have questions feel free to ask.
tenbear
Explorer
Sep 15, 2015
quasi wrote:
I think that since we all have different circumstances, wants and needs, getting info like this from actual users is very helpful. There are very few things in RVing that are right for everyone but what bothers me are the blanket pronouncements that a thing is bad or wrong based on the responder's circumstance. Electrical line filters/surge protectors are not needed by the majority of campers staying in resort type accommodations but I sometimes go places that aren't 5 star so, for me, they make sense. Water softeners, ice machines and washer/dryers all have a place for people who would like to have them. No one can argue that a dishwasher is more efficient and less costly than a dish pan. My point is that we don't need to denigrate a poster or make statements that a thing is useless based solely on our particular needs.

Jim

I agree, but I don't think you will change people. Some people have to justify what they do.
quasi
Explorer
Sep 15, 2015
I think that since we all have different circumstances, wants and needs, getting info like this from actual users is very helpful. There are very few things in RVing that are right for everyone but what bothers me are the blanket pronouncements that a thing is bad or wrong based on the responder's circumstance. Electrical line filters/surge protectors are not needed by the majority of campers staying in resort type accommodations but I sometimes go places that aren't 5 star so, for me, they make sense. Water softeners, ice machines and washer/dryers all have a place for people who would like to have them. No one can argue that a dishwasher is more efficient and less costly than a dish pan. My point is that we don't need to denigrate a poster or make statements that a thing is useless based solely on our particular needs.

Jim
64thunderbolt
Explorer II
Sep 15, 2015
Lantley wrote:
quasi wrote:
It's not really a question of need. It's more of a want. I don't need a fireplace in an RV but I want one. I don't need a convection oven but I want one. I'll spend my money on the things I want and you can spend yours on what you want. I appreciate the posters sharing their experiences as that might help me decide what I want. I don't care for the naysayers carping about whether it is cost effective or whether it has a good ROI. You're dragging a 16,000 pound house around using a vehicle getting 10 mpg. Cost effectiveness is a relative term.
Just my 2 cents and I'll put away my soapbox.

My thoughts don't concern cost,wants, or needs. But more on the advantages of a tankless heater vs. a typical DSI LP/electric heater.
In the end I see no advantage of having a tankless. My 10 gallon heater delivers all the hot water I need, no fuss no muss. No LP needed when at a electric site. Maybe if I were running out of hot I'd consider something different but the 10 gallon heater keeps up with my family's use without issue. I simply would not benefit from the tankless.

I have only camped in a campground 4 times in 16 yrs. Elec is not an option. Propane is sometimes 50 miles away. I like my Truma
Lantley
Nomad
Sep 15, 2015
quasi wrote:
It's not really a question of need. It's more of a want. I don't need a fireplace in an RV but I want one. I don't need a convection oven but I want one. I'll spend my money on the things I want and you can spend yours on what you want. I appreciate the posters sharing their experiences as that might help me decide what I want. I don't care for the naysayers carping about whether it is cost effective or whether it has a good ROI. You're dragging a 16,000 pound house around using a vehicle getting 10 mpg. Cost effectiveness is a relative term.
Just my 2 cents and I'll put away my soapbox.

My thoughts don't concern cost,wants, or needs. But more on the advantages of a tankless heater vs. a typical DSI LP/electric heater.
In the end I see no advantage of having a tankless. My 10 gallon heater delivers all the hot water I need, no fuss no muss. No LP needed when at a electric site. Maybe if I were running out of hot I'd consider something different but the 10 gallon heater keeps up with my family's use without issue. I simply would not benefit from the tankless.
SparkDr
Explorer
Sep 14, 2015
quasi wrote:
I don't care for the naysayers carping about whether it is cost effective or whether it has a good ROI. You're dragging a 16,000 pound house around using a vehicle getting 10 mpg. Cost effectiveness is a relative term.

Love this!^^^^^^^
quasi
Explorer
Sep 14, 2015
It's not really a question of need. It's more of a want. I don't need a fireplace in an RV but I want one. I don't need a convection oven but I want one. I'll spend my money on the things I want and you can spend yours on what you want. I appreciate the posters sharing their experiences as that might help me decide what I want. I don't care for the naysayers carping about whether it is cost effective or whether it has a good ROI. You're dragging a 16,000 pound house around using a vehicle getting 10 mpg. Cost effectiveness is a relative term.
Just my 2 cents and I'll put away my soapbox.