New to this lifestyle and have a question about the water heater. I have an Atwood 6 gallon water heater. I live with my wife and 2 daughters who can run through a 55 gallon water heater in our sticks and bricks like it's nothing. My question is how long does 6 gallons usually go in the shower? How long does it take to recover? Thanks in advance for all responses.

Approximately 20 - 30 minutes to heat up from cold. You can anticipate water at the shower to be about 50% hot and 50% cold to make it a comfortable body temperature. You can time the water, how many gallons per minute come from the shower faucet by simply catching the water in a bucket for 1 minute. If your shower spits out 1 gallon a minute, that means you have used 1/2 gallon of hot water (at 50% and 50% hot and cold). (IF) the water remained at the steady temperature, you could take a 12 minute shower before all the water in the water heater is displaced with cold.HOWEVER, as cold mixes with the hot in the heater, as the hot is being used up, cold will mix with the hot, making what once was hot begin to cool down. The hottest water should always be at the top. The cold comes in from the bottom. But when cold and hot mix, well, it doesn't stay "HOT" very long. At best, you may get 3-4 gallons of truly hot water, after than, even the hot water begins to cool.Recovery varies slightly, but mostly the same for all water heaters. Gas will usually recover faster than Electric, and if you run Gas and Electric at the same time, recovery is even faster. Depending upon your shower head, it is possible to run water in the shower at a cooler temperature and the recovery in the water heater won't be so drastic. Thus ... the reason everyone on these forums says, Learn to take Navy Showers!Run water, get wet, get soap wet, turn water off.Lather up (hair and all), put soap down, turn water back on and rinse.Another thing, you will NOT be able to take showers back-to-back without some recovery. Or, you can just let your wife and kids find out the hard way. After 6 minutes of a shower, it starts cooling down, and they turn the cold off, and the hot gets colder and colder, they WILL learn to take shorter showers!Edit:Practice the "Navy 3 minute shower at home". Time the wife and the kids. They might not like it, but if you don't, you'll really be paying for it in the camper!

The other problem you will run into is the fresh water tank capacity. If you are not on full hookups or at least with water you will use up your water supply rather quickly.If you are on a site with water available and do not have a sewer hookup then the grey water holding tank will be your limiting factor along with the fresh water availability.Good luck with managing the water useage. Let them use the RV and you go to the campground shower. They then cannot blame you for using all the water.Good luck and keep us informed.

dalenole.... excellent point! Holding tanks fill up very quick! When water starts backing up in the shower at their feet, you'll experience even MORE bone chilling screaming going on!

Looks like they are in for a sharp learning curve with RV showers. I've been there as we did most of our RVing with my DW and 3 DDs onboard. If we happened to be RVing where showers were provided they opted to use those in most cases and my son and I would hang back and use the rig's shower. Since the kids are grown and too busy with college and work to accompany us on most trips it is not much of an issue. My DW showers first and I'll wait 10-15 minutes after before I get in. She never complains about running out of hot water and she has very long hair to wash and rinse. We use the Oxygenics showerhead that uses less water while producing a more effective spraying action. Atwood also has a 10 gallon water heater which would at least be more productive for your situation. Regardless, showering in an RV means get in and get the job done.

I use the lowest flow and it extends the warm water capacity.

How long does the WH last? | Good Sam Community

austingta
Explorer
Feb 11, 2017
I took my sister and her fam camping one time and when it came time to leave and button everything up I noticed the bathtub was half full... LOL. Luckily it wasn't very far to the dump station.
olfarmer
Explorer II
Feb 11, 2017
WE have a 6 gallon gas water heater and my wife and I can both take a normal shower (never shut the water off while showering) and we have never run out of hot water. I like my water hot and I don't hurry, but no problem yet. WE can run several days with out the grey tank getting full, the same with our old motorhome. Young girls may be different! ;)
goducks10
Explorer
Feb 08, 2017
1 night would be my guess. Thats how long the grey tank will take to fill.
If you have full hookups, then turn the gas and elec on for the water heater. They should all be able to take showers and like most women will take another 20 mins to dry off and finish whatever else they do. That will be enough time for the WH to recover for the next one. But if they run the water non stop during their shower then about 5-6 mins is all they have for showering. One way or another they need to change their shower habits.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Feb 07, 2017
Using a reasonable 5 minute max total water on time, my wife, her sister, and I, were able to take back to back to back showers as a test one time. As soon as one person stepped out, the next one stepped in. I was last and still had more than an adequate supply of hot water from our 6-gallon heater. Yes, it does take some adjustment, but comfortable showers are certainly possible. If you have an electric/propane water heater, turning both on when on shore power will speed up the recovery time.
wa8yxm
Explorer III
Feb 07, 2017
Six Gallons at 50/50 hot cold will last six minutes

Recovery depends on Gas, or electric, or both
Electric up to one hour, gas about half that, Both,, Faster. Close to immed in fact.. I'd have to do a whole lot of math to tell you how fast you can draw with both and never run out.

IF it's a problem.. Consider a replacement.. NOW This replacement has one issue, IT WILL NOT BURN ELECTRICITY.. there is one that may but I'll cover it later.

A "Demand" water heater.. IF on city water you don't run out of HOT till you run out of PROPANE,, if self contained you run out of both HOT and Cold at teh same time.

Now.. The other option

A small electric "pre-heater" can add heat to the water entering the water heater.. These can survive in a 30 amp RV.. But I don't recommend it

Also a HOT ROD Water Heater conversion (This is an electric heater that screws into the drain plug port) may add enough heat, but again I do not really recommend this.

The Demand heater is best for folks who run out a lot

I'd like to see someone come out with a six gallon heater followed by a Demand unit, that way you could switch on whatever you needed .

My wife woudl run out doing dishes.. I don't.
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Feb 07, 2017
I would see about putting a 10 gallon water heater in there.
Sam_Spade
Explorer
Feb 07, 2017
MandKJohns wrote:
My question is how long does 6 gallons usually go in the shower? How long does it take to recover? Thanks in advance for all responses.

One shower. 15 minutes to recover.

But TECHNIQUE is paramount. Shutting off the water while lathering up can make a BIG difference.

Go more than 24 hours between showers. GASP. :E
downtheroad
Explorer
Feb 07, 2017
2 daughters...long hair.....good luck.
Seriously, you are going to have to retrain everyone or use the campground bathhouse.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Feb 07, 2017
MandKJohns wrote:
New to this lifestyle and have a question about the water heater. I have an Atwood 6 gallon water heater. I live with my wife and 2 daughters who can run through a 55 gallon water heater in our sticks and bricks like it's nothing. My question is how long does 6 gallons usually go in the shower? How long does it take to recover? Thanks in advance for all responses.

send the women to a campground shower for their use.
bumpy
RPreeb
Explorer
Feb 07, 2017
MandKJohns wrote:
New to this lifestyle and have a question about the water heater. I have an Atwood 6 gallon water heater. I live with my wife and 2 daughters who can run through a 55 gallon water heater in our sticks and bricks like it's nothing. My question is how long does 6 gallons usually go in the shower? How long does it take to recover? Thanks in advance for all responses.

I'd say that some conservation training is in order.