Water Heaters-advice?

There are tons of posts on this subject. Biggest downside is inconsistant water temps due to fluctuating water pressure. Cost is another big downside. A new Suburban sw10dwe water heater is around 400 dollars.

I'm confused. First you said it died, then you say it heats good.

Mandalay Parr: It heats the water just fine.... The water dripping out of the severely rusted tank is VERY hot! :). Unfortunately, just replacing the tank is not an option for me... It has rusted to the control panel, and there is other corrosion that makes me feel that replacement is the better option.

donn0128:. I did a search on the subject before posting, and all I got was threads on water tanks, not water heaters, even though I specified heaters. Perhaps I did the search incorrectly? I do appreciate not wishing to reinterate information for the millionth time, but I did search first, trying to find the info. Could someone kindly direct me to the thread(s) that cover this issue?

Can't buy just a tank as replacement for Suburban ------ not sold. Steel tank that is glass-lined therefore only components or Compete units are sold.

Suburban 10 gal......replace with Suburban 10 gallon

Otherwise you have to do lots of modifications to opening in side of rv

Tankless......
Can be installed and with the right tweaking can be made to function correctly.
Biggest issues are water supply temp AND consistent pressure/flow
CG water supply system fluctuate more then residential settings due to constant change in demand so pressure/flows are constantly changing.
Good high flow adjustable water pressure regulator and removal of all resistors in RV plumbing system will help

Tankless can be done
BUT direct replacement of RV WH with an RV WH (Brand for Brand/Size for Size) is easiest

Just replace it in kind.

I like KISS

There are variations in tankless water heaters; some are much more consistent in their output than others. They're also often the much more expensive models, none too surprisingly.

I would give up all thought of using an electric tankless water heater. Even a 50A 240V circuit dedicated to it would barely be sufficient for a very small capacity unit, and it sounds as though you only have a 30A 240V circuit (if it's only 10 gauge wire). A 30A 240V circuit is standard for a normal domestic electric water heater with a tank.

A gas tankless water heater would be more practical than electric. As others have said, it's far from a drop-in replacement; besides the obvious need for fiddling with the plumbing and venting and mounting provisions, it's possible that you would also need to upgrade your propane regulator (or add an auxiliary one) to provide sufficient gas flow.

Incidentally, tankless water heaters often don't end up saving much if any energy in practice, partly because people end up using more hot water than they would otherwise. That's not to suggest that there aren't other advantages that make them worthwhile in some cases.

AJR wrote:
Just replace it in kind.

I like KISS

Unless it was not providing enough hot water I totally agree.

My main objective in not just replacing it in kind is space. I want to renovate the bathroom because I believe it is not set up efficiently. The tankless would take up a LOT less space than the current model.

That said, the old WH was a propane/electric, so the mounting area already has propane lines and proper vents installed. That makes a drop in replacement more feasable. I was simply hoping that a small, electric tankless might do the trick since it is much smaller.

I don't mind doing a lot of re-routing. I considered putting the same model in a different space in the kitchen area which currently serves no efficient purpose. Who builds closets over a heater anyway? And while I'm at it, who carpets a bathroom and kitchen?!?

I simply wanted to know pros and cons of going tankless. I don't want to go gas/propane, as the current furnace sucks propane like a petroleum wino.

It's an old trailer.... And I'm tearing things apart anyway. I would like to like to take a shower that's longer than 5 minutes. Energy savings is not the goal; a tiny bit of bathing hedonism is. :P

westend: Thank you for the link. I just spent two hours going through the threads. :)