Hot Water in a small camper. Options

[Erik J]

i am trying out this new (to me) gizmo i picked up from camping world.
it is a tankless water heater for camping.
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/...er-heater/37786
it works with propane and ignites with a couple of D cell batteries.
i have hooked it up in my yard to see if it does what they say it will, and low and behold for $125 bucks and 13 pounds there is a hot water heater that is as mobile as my trailer.
just thought i'd share with the masses.
if you already have one of these or something similar, what are your experiences?
is i get an opportunity to put this to the test, i'll post my findings. at the moment with my back-yard test it is doing what they say it would do.

 37786n.jpg ( 4.52K ) Number of downloads: 198

[April Wilcox]

I came very close to buying one of those tankless water heaters. I hear they work pretty well in most situations, with the exception of high wind that blows out the pilot light. I hope yours works well for you, please report back after you have had some long term usage. We still might end up with one of those later on down the road.

[Erik J]

I came very close to buying one of those tankless water heaters. I hear they work pretty well in most situations, with the exception of high wind that blows out the pilot light. I hope yours works well for you, please report back after you have had some long term usage. We still might end up with one of those later on down the road.

there is no pilot on this heater.
when water moves through it, the batteries ignite the heater. when water stops moving it goes out. i'll be using it in a couple of weeks in potentially high wind areas in the Lucerne Valley by Johnson Valley/29 Palms. i'll let you know how it hols up to the wind hot days and freezing nights.

[peterh]

I've seen that on the CampingWorld website, too. Alas, it is designed for outdoor use only. If it could be mounted inside I think Lynne and I would use it in the Surfside.

[Erik J]

I've seen that on the CampingWorld website, too. Alas, it is designed for outdoor use only. If it could be mounted inside I think Lynne and I would use it in the Surfside.

i see what you mean.
in my case, i have a small "changing tent" that will be the shower. so this will be mounted to the back of the boler/elmac or whatever this thing is and run from the outside.
one of the features i like most about it is the weight. i try to keep everything i put in my trailer light weight so it pulls nicely down the road.

i have another 6 gallon water heater i planned to use in a custom enclosure, but the weight difference is why i went with this one.
if things go erll i will likely be having the 6 gallon heater up for sale before long.

[Bill K]

Peter,
They are no different than a regular water heater as far as combustion air and exhaust. As long as they are sealed from the inside of the trailer like a water heater or furnace they would be fine.

Bill K

I've seen that on the CampingWorld website, too. Alas, it is designed for outdoor use only. If it could be mounted inside I think Lynne and I would use it in the Surfside.

[peterh]

They are no different than a regular water heater as far as combustion air and exhaust. As long as they are sealed from the inside of the trailer like a water heater or furnace they would be fine.

Well, yes and no. Traditional propane RV heaters are designed to fit in a big honkin' hole in the shell. The heater slides in through the hole, and is built so that the combustion chamber opens outward and is sealed away from the trailer interior by the heater bulkhead, forcing all the combustion gasses to safely vent outside. I could certainly see modifying the Camping World by building an opening with a similar bulkhead into which the heater fits . . . which would basically create a sealed outer compartment with a vented door into which the heater fits. It would be a lot of work, and I'd have to buy or borrow some tools to make it happen, but it could be done.

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... I seem to be in "Hot Water" whether I'm in the trailer or not...Some one throw in the towel and a bar of soap !!! LoL.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Bill K]

Here is another crazy idea. LOL
Hang your heater on a lantern pole outside, run a propane hose to your propane tank and then a hot and a cold hose to your trailer. You would have to install a recessed laundry faucet permanently and hooked up to your hot and cold water lines.

Bill K

Well, yes and no. Traditional propane RV heaters are designed to fit in a big honkin' hole in the shell. The heater slides in through the hole, and is built so that the combustion chamber opens outward and is sealed away from the trailer interior by the heater bulkhead, forcing all the combustion gasses to safely vent outside. I could certainly see modifying the Camping World by building an opening with a similar bulkhead into which the heater fits . . . which would basically create a sealed outer compartment with a vented door into which the heater fits. It would be a lot of work, and I'd have to buy or borrow some tools to make it happen, but it could be done.

[April Wilcox]

I was thinking along those lines too... it seems you could find a place out side to mount it (maybe near the tongue) and just run a line in for the hot water. We plan to build a tongue box around our propane/battery set up, so that would give us a place to hang it when in use. We are not quite ready for this step yet, but I am interested to see how it works out for those who have one.

[Erik J]

well, there is no shower inside of my 13 foot boler, so my plan is to use one of these "pet" tents.
 toiletshower.jpg ( 23.73K ) Number of downloads: 148


i plan to either mount the heater to the back of the trailer, or weld on a "receiver" of sorts to the existing bumper, and hang it from a pole attached to the receiver.
there is a 13 gallon water tank in the boler, and it will easily allow 3-5 showers.

so... i have cold water being pumped out the back of the trailer to a quick disconnect. from there to the heater. water comes out of the heater to a "tee" the tee goes both to the sink in the boler and the "pett" shower.

the heater turns itself on when water flows as does the pump. all is quiet until you open a valve, at which time the pump runs and the heater ignites until the water stops flowing. i have thia all connected and running now. i have tested it in the driveway and alll works well.
i'll see if i can get some pictures tomorrow.

for those of us with the small trailers and no shower with weight as a concern, this is an economical and light weight solution.

[H. David & L...]

Hi all This hot water question seems to be getting too complicated. In our 2+ years rattling around in our Scamp 13, we have simply used a pot on the stove (inside or out) to heat as much water as we need for the task(s) at hand. When boondocking, we use a 'privacy room' similar to Erik's with a Coleman battery-operated shower head and a storage tub to keep our tootsies out of the mud (thanx, Gina, for this hint). We generally use the park showers if available (and acceptable!) Not too much extra weight or gadgets to pack around. Just our experience - as always, YMMV. Happy trails - L 'n D

[Raya L.]

Hi all This hot water question seems to be getting too complicated.

Oh come on -- I've been holding off on my Garden Sprayer spiel

R.

[John Hussey]

Hi all This hot water question seems to be getting too complicated. In our 2+ years rattling around in our Scamp 13, we have simply used a pot on the stove (inside or out) to heat as much water as we need for the task(s) at hand. When boondocking, we use a 'privacy room' similar to Erik's with a Coleman battery-operated shower head and a storage tub to keep our tootsies out of the mud (thanx, Gina, for this hint). We generally use the park showers if available (and acceptable!) Not too much extra weight or gadgets to pack around. Just our experience - as always, YMMV. Happy trails - L 'n D

How about considering the simple solar water heater? A 2.5 gal one is more than ample for one frugal shower. Get a 5 gal one if you require two or more showers or extra hot water for other tasks. It is just slightly more of a hassle but the cost outlay is minuscule in comparison ($25.99/5 gal & $15.99/2.5 gal) and only consumes free energy.

Five Gallon Model: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J2Q0T4

2.5 gallon model: http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-Ga...ref=pd_sim_sg_4

I prefer this avenue

[Donna R]

How about considering the simple solar water heater? A 2.5 gal one is more than ample for one frugal shower. Get a 5 gal one if you require two or more showers or extra hot water for other tasks. It is just slightly more of a hassle but the cost outlay is minuscule in comparison ($25.99/5 gal & $15.99/2.5 gal) and only consumes free energy.

Five Gallon Model: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000J2Q0T4

2.5 gallon model: http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Elements-Ga...ref=pd_sim_sg_4

I prefer this avenue

ME too, Me too....... ......just be careful cause sometimes those solar showers just TOO hot and one has to add a bit of cool water. Like the bags with the attached temp gauge on them.