Convert to tankless?

[nosebreaker]

We picked up our Class C last weekend, and as expected it doesn't have hot water long enough for my wife to shower and wash her hair. We were planning to add a tankless propane heater to it (currently has 6 gallon standard one now) but I have been reading about problems with them. Some people say they don't provide consistent hot water, and to me that defeats the purpose! Has anyone converted to one comment?

[rogerddd]

This topic has been discussed ad nauseum, but I cannot resist piping up again. I have a Girard tankless and finally got it to work (sort of) for camping with city water only (forget hot water if dry camping). I bought a water pressure regulator set at about 50, set water temperature at 100 and run water in the shower (or elsewhere) for a long long time until I get consistent warm (not hot then warm then hot then warm …). I finally have warm water to shower and my wife will now go with me if we do not dry camp.

[paddykernahan]

If you lived close by, you could have mine for free.
I hate the on demand system.
The newer ones seem to be better.

[nosebreaker]

When I opened I wanted to ask if people were happy with it, and the consensus seems to be that those that have it, like it. I wanted to see if anyone had a specific model that they liked/disliked, also to find out of any problems people have had with tankless.

[Bumpyroad]

nosebreaker wrote:


The outdoor shower hose isn't connected, so I would think its off but I can check. It seems to last long enough for me to shower, but not for her hence the tankless upgrade.

that probably will be with cold water.
out of curiosity, why did you even bother opening this thread? case was closed from the onset regardless of what anybody says.
BUMPY

[nosebreaker]

I don't know why everyone keeps trying to convince me to keep the existing system, there's one simple reason I am swapping: my wife WILL NOT GO ON THE TRIP if I don't install this. I am not joking. Depreciation doesn't matter here, justifying navy showers doesn't matter, etc. She has decided she wants reliable hot water so I will make it happen!

The outdoor shower hose isn't connected, so I would think its off but I can check. It seems to last long enough for me to shower, but not for her hence the tankless upgrade.

[Community Alumni]

In our previous Navion we had a conventioal electric/gas hot water heater and it was fine. The new Navion has a Truma AquaGo tankless heater. It provides endless hot water using the pump or external source. The temperature is steady. There is less water waste because the water recirculation pump on two separate circuits that mainains hot water to the galley sink and the bathroom. If the recirculation feature cannot be installed, I would recommend staying with a conventional heater. One advantage the tankless heater has it that we don't have stored heat from the tank leaking into the interior space of the RV. During the winter, no problem, but in the summer it is just more heat that the AC has to remove. Long term reliablility and cost? That remains to be seen if the convenience is worth the cost.

[whizbang]

Tankless RV water heaters are a flawed concept due to the cost, maintenance, energy requirements, flow requirements, and water waste as expressed by the previous posts.

As Rick Jay pointed out, you plan to use the RV 3 months then sell it. I would walk away from an RV with a tankless system.

By going tankless, you are spending time and money to further decrease the resale value of your Winnie. That's nuts.

Most RV parks have nice showers. I would recommend that your wife use the camp showers to wash her hair.

[Rick_Jay]

nosebreaker,

My memory isn't what it used to be, but when you were looking for an RV, didn't you say you had plans to sell it after your trip?

I'm thinking that if that's the case, you're looking to do a fair amount work which, in my opinion, might negatively impact resale value/curb appeal of the rig.

Now, if you're going to keep it long term, then that might be a different story. But if resale means anything to you, you might think twice about this mod. I know I wouldn't want an on-demand system in my motorhome. Heck, my wife wants me to remove the one I installed in the house! LOL Funny story, but everyone else in the family was able to adapt to it's required method of operation but not her. She always complains about uneven temps...too hot...too cold. Go figure. I offered to help her in the shower but she declined...but that's another story! LOL

Oh...I just thought of this, but it's a long shot. IF your rig has an outside shower, make sure the hot & cold valves are OFF. If the valves are open a bit, the hot water can mix with the cold at the outdoor shower handle even if the valve on the handle is off. Perhaps this might be shortening your "hot water" availability. Just a thought.

Well, whatever you decide, please keep us updated as to your experiences. There are lots of us interested to hear of your results. 🙂

Good Luck,

~Rick

[Photomike]

I thought of this the other day, many times we run the hot water heater in a low setting (prevents burns and saves some fuel) but it also requires us to use more hot water to keep it hot. If you turn up the tank heater your wife would be able to mix more cold water and extend her shower time that way. Also like the low flow shower head idea.

[nosebreaker]

shastagary wrote:
so here is the one the op should buy and let us know how it works On Demand Tankless RV Water Heater and he could add the fancy controller for it On Demand Control Center here is a video i would be interested to know how well it works Tankless Water Heater

I've read about people being unhappy with the 42K btu Girard model, and I notice this is the 60K btu Suburban Nautilus model that I see others have recommended. It appears I would also need a replacement door but I will try to find that too.

[nosebreaker]

Most tankless water heaters for RV's fit in the same space as the original 6gal model.

[tatest]

I've dealt with these only in residential and sticks and bricks commercial installations, and have found them frustrating, because they have to be rather closely matched to water flow. Too high a flow, they don't keep up; too low a flow, and the water gets too hot, then suddenly too cold, as the device shuts off as it tries to control temperature. I used one in a kitchen sink installation that went on to produce steam before backing off.

A RV specific device, matched to RV water flow levels, should work OK at maximum RV water flow. I've not yet installed and tried one of these in a RV.

[radiojeffrv]

JaxDad wrote:
I’ve never seen any tankless water heaters that weren’t fairly shallow and a vertical rectangle with a vertical exhaust flue.

There isn’t a bunch of extra space in a C to start with, I’m not sure how you’d squeeze one in without some major surgery.

Atwood makes one the fits in the same space as an existing Atwood or Suburban Tank

http://www.atwoodmobile.com/on-demand-water-heaters/

[JaxDad]

I’ve never seen any tankless water heaters that weren’t fairly shallow and a vertical rectangle with a vertical exhaust flue.

There isn’t a bunch of extra space in a C to start with, I’m not sure how you’d squeeze one in without some major surgery.

[nosebreaker]

I checked the space, there really isn't any more room for a larger unit. If I am going to swap it out, I'd prefer to just get a tankless system and keep the wife happy! I'll try that shower head before purchasing the tankless.