instant water heater vs. conventional tank heater questions

I don't think you'd be gaining much usable space by installing a tankless water heater and as the poster above me stated, RV usage and tankless applications aren't really ideal.

WoodGlue

Hi,

Because of the varying needs of water volume and pressure in a RV, they are not good canidates for tankless water heaters.

Also I heard that one tankless water heater fits in the space of a 10 gallon tank type opening, and depth, so you will actually need more space to install that one.

Yes I have heard of another brand that is supposed to come out, with good variable gas burner, and better than average electronic controls, that will replace and fit in the space of a 6 gallon heater. Key features are a burner with up to 60,000 Btu's and three or more temperature sensors, along with water volume measurements. With three sensors, inlet water, mid way through the heat exchanger temp, and outlet temp, the computer that controls the gas valve can react quickly, and adjust the gas flow to keep the outlet temperature stable, despite changes in water volume or inlet water temp that will change the output temp - sometimes drastically.

The problems with a tankless is if the water volume falls below a certain amount, it can overheat and shut off, leaing to first scalding the person in the shower with 135F water then suddenly changing to 65F water. Some new heaters have the computer controls to try and prevent this, but some are not such good quality.

To extend my shower length, I use hot water to fill my fresh water tank. Once around 80F, I have a long and hot shower, even in the middle of winter.

Fred.

gbopp thanks for the links, looks like I'll test the tank that I have an either use it or replace it with a similar version.