Tankless water heater

[Lowpaidnurse]

Here are the specs of the other being offered.


Eemax SP2412 "Single Point" Electric Tankless Water Heater Specifications:
• Volts - 120V
• KW - 2.4kW
• Amps - 20A
• Rise at 0.5 GPM - 33°F
• Wire Size AWG - 10
• Dimensions - 10.75" x 5.25" x 2.125"
• Weight - 3 lbs
• Element - Replaceable cartridge insert
• Connections 3/8" compression at top of unit

[JMS]

We have this unit installed in our '83 Burro wired to it's own 20 amp breaker with #10awg wire. It produces "warm" water but does not supply "hot" water but it's good enough for washing dishes and/or washing your face. The incoming water is approx. 52° to 55° so a 33° rise in temperature only gets it up to approx 86° which is less than body temperature so it will feel only warm.

Originally Posted by Lowpaidnurse

Here are the specs of the other being offered.

Eemax SP2412 "Single Point" Electric Tankless Water Heater Specifications:
• Volts - 120V
• KW - 2.4kW
• Amps - 20A
• Rise at 0.5 GPM - 33°F
• Wire Size AWG - 10
• Dimensions - 10.75" x 5.25" x 2.125"
• Weight - 3 lbs
• Element - Replaceable cartridge insert
• Connections 3/8" compression at top of unit

[DavidSo]

Christine,
The problem with all the tankless heaters is that they take a lot of power to run well. Lower the power and they don't run well. That 33 degree rise is only at 1/2 gal per minute. That is a very small stream of water. Imagine taking 2 minutes to fill a gallon milk jug with just luke warm water!
It's dissappointing, I know, because the idea sounds so great, but physics works against it

David

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by Lowpaidnurse

Thanks for the input, all. I guess I won't be installing that tankless water heater after all. I wanted hot water to wash dishes and so forth. I do not want to convert my trailer to 50 amps. I guess I can try sending it back.

However, it only uses the 30 amps when it is actually running, not like an electric water storage tank that heats all the time. At other times it uses no power, as I understand it. So, it will use all the power available to your trailer when it is running, but none otherwise. So, you could use it for showers or dish water if nothing else was using electricity at the time it is running, and then your regular trailer needs could take over when the water is not running. It is not as comfortable as a home electrical system, but not impossible either.

Rick G

[David Konduc]

I like the propane ones better......$120 bucks on ebay

Dave

[Mike N.]

Originally Posted by Lowpaidnurse

I purchased this 120V tankless water heater on Ebay. I've been in Montana for the past few weeks and will install it and a new faucet when I return to Texas. Has anyone had any experiences (good or bad) with this type water heater? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

LPN, we don't have hot water as well. Ever try a LARGE Air Pot, pump style coffe thermos?

[rufus thirteen]

For an RV, an EZ tankless smallest Direct-Vent model that runs on propane would be fine for mild climates where you want short/lukewarm shower and hand dishwashing warm water. The water plumbing (hot and cold) would be inside insulated space and would not freeze easily if there were people living inside (cabin heater running, even on lowest hat & sweater setting), and it would be safe because combustion air and exhaust only move through the vent, never in the cabin. For cold weather RV hot water, you might want to get a model that puts out 75K+ BTU's (they spec 3.6gal/min @45 degrees temp rise on one). Distance that the hot water goes through pipe and how cold the environment the pipe goes through will determine how much cooling happens on the way to the shower head. Routing and insulation matter! I could imagine a big RV with a clothes washer (hot), dish washer (may have some internal water heating ability), hand washing in sink (intermittent), and a shower (wants steady flow and correct temp), all at once as a worst-case scenario for a heater to handle when unlimited shore-water is available. I would be looking to run one-use-at-a-time as an upgrade from heating bath water on the stove.

If a person stayed in campsites with good electric hookups (50A often, 30A minimum), an electric hot water heater might be a decent investment. I wonder if electric and propane demand hot water heaters could be placed in series to use whichever was available (or cheapest per BTU), or both for "actually hot" water.

Compared to having a 5-10 gallon hot water that a trailer or MH came with, it seems like a tankless system could deliver at least the same quality/quantity of service with reduced weight/space and perhaps save as much as 40% over folks who leave the tanked water heater on all the time (not cheapskates who fire the 6 gallon heater up until it's just hot enough, shower/wash, and shut it down right away until next time to save propane. These folks might just about break even on fuel with a tankless heater, but gain on weight/space/convenience).

Sea-going sail boats often have on-board battery-charging generators that use exhaust heat to heat up a tank of water for bathing and galley washing. A 300cc Diesel that uses a pint of fuel an hour makes >2000W/Hours (DC, often 24v) and at the same time quite a bit of hot water. If you want even more hot water or you have charging capacity unused, an inverter can run hot water heating coils (giving the genset a proper load to work on). Of course, a boat like this has 600+ pounds of house batteries to charge up. Showers are scheduled and short (5 gallons, not a drop more), fresh hot water being precious. Serious boondocking RV campers should be looking at how folks with sailboats design and build their ocean-going boats where failure is risking death, not inconvenience and calling AAA.

Like most people, we will keep using what we have until it wears out/breaks un-repairably, THEN we will (or ought to) consider alternatives of things like tankless waterheater vs. replacing the old one with a new same-model, or heating water on the stove.

Cheers.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

If you do get yoARISTONmper is all electric and has a small 4 gal electric water heater similar to this Shop Ariston 2.5-Gallon Electric Point-of-Use Water Heater at Lowes.com
and it would only need a 15 amp circuit, so your 30 amp trailer would be adequate.

I had a 4 gallon Ariston water heater years ago (purchased at Graingers) . We used it as a temporary heater while building our lake home. It supplied sufficient hot water for the kitchen sink if you conserved water. The problem is as you take hot water out of the tank it is replaced by cold well water so after a couple of gallons usage the water in the tank was luke warm
The tank drew 1650 watts (approx 13 amps) so it heated fairly quickly and held heat well (foam jacket) I sold it to a friend for his deer hunting shack
and it's still functioning after 16 years.

[David Konduc]

Putting an outdoor shower in my Boler....With the tankless propane heater....

[RLP]

David - Which one are you going with? I am leaning toward this unit by Eccotemp. Least expensive I have found here: Eccotemp L5 Portable Tankless Water Heater – Best Price PROMISE

Shipping to Kelowna is $18 and change by USPS.

Where are you located?

[rufus thirteen]

The under$200 tankless water heaters are for outdoor use only, which does not mean mounted inside a trailer cabin space! They will kill sleeping people if running in a buttoned-up cabin (auto-shut-off is nice, but not to depend on for continued life).

That said, if you have a spot to hang a heater on the outside of a trailer, not near a window or air vent, this looks like an economical way to stop boiling bathing water on the stove. Mounting an LP tank and the heater on a hand truck and attaching a hose to the trailer hot-water-input might be real nice after camp is set up. The hand-truck assemblage might have a spot in the truck or trailer while under-way. 1.3gpm with a 72 degree rise gives a thrifty-hot shower with 33 degree F. (glacial stream) water input.

8.3 (BTU's to raise a gallon of water 1 degree F.) x 1.3 gal/per min x 72 degrees x 60 minutes= 46.6K BTU/Hr? That seems to be the ~standard burner size for the small units.

I guess that I'm more paranoid about stuff that can "walk away", and would prefer a model that is installed inside with safe venting to outside (and is less subject to freezing damage), even if it's more expensive.

Cheers.

[David Konduc]

Three words for you "vented with a fan" plus nobody is running water when I am sleeping. Only time the heater runs is when water is running...Shower door and vent doors have locks and are also alarmed with a digital auto alarm with perimeter features so nobody but me can get within five feet of them during the night. Alarm can be set on quiet if I choose. Goes off in the trailer only so will not wake the campground...
The heater will be on for a total of five minutes a day....Plus I am building a separate fiberglass cell where the heater will sit.....What can I say, my wife will not come with me unless this trailer has hot water...This is a great alternative in my Boler where space is an issue...

[David Konduc]

Same unit bought it on Ebay...pick it up in Wash 25 min away from my house...$88 Shipped....Stay tuned... I am building the ultimate Boler including an SMEV kitchen...

[RLP]

Thanks for the input Rufus. I kind of took this thread from water heater to shower. Yes, there is no way I would have it installed inside. I was talking more about an outdoor tankless shower unit and I think the Eccotemp L5 would be the ticket. It's rated at 37,500 Btu so I think the manufactures specs are a little off as far as temp rise capability. I will be boondocking in very remote locations (gold prospecting) with only friends around so theft is not a problem. Also, thanks for the Btu calculations. That's good to know.

David - you did well on that shower unit purchase. I look forward to pics of the 'ultimate Boler'. And, what is a "SMEV kitchen"?

[cpaharley2008]

"SMEV" refers to the European sinks and stove with flush mount under glass, you open the glass top and flip up your faucet or use you stove, some are individual units some are combo units. go to Trillium website here trilliumrv.com
they are using them here is pic

[Ngrimm]

What do you think of this gas tankless heater $118 shipped? It is supposed to be designed for campers and has a battery powered igniter but I don't know anything about them. ~RV Camper 5L Propane Gas Tankless Hot Water Heater NEW | eBay

[rufus thirteen]

If you plan to mount a propane hot water heater inside your trailer or RV, it MUST be externally vented. This means combustion air and exhaust come from outside and depart to outside with no possibility of getting in the cabin. I know of people who have died from small propane appliances inside vehicles- it's very peaceful and apparently painless. The model you have linked to would be suitable for mounting outside the cabin, and plumbing the hot water inside. This would not be great for hard-freezing weather because your water feed could freeze while not circulating.

There are models that would be safe for mounting inside the cabin, but not for much less than $300. If this model were attached to a hand truck with a propane cylinder for travel, and outfitted with hose and fittings, it would be a nice portable unit for use outside, and easy to move from inside a truck or trailer during camp set-up.

When I use the word "safe", I don't mean "won't kill people who understand things that are common-enough and not dangerous when used correctly", which is the common understanding by people who are not idiots, but rather "safe" meaning "won't kill idiots who do everything wrong while you are not present". This is why we put fire/smoke & CO alarms where there is any remote possibility of CO build-up from any source: to save ourselves and even less-aware folks.

Cheers.

[cpaharley2008]

Here is the one I have, it installs inside and is made to be used inside like a conventional watery heater. here Girard Water Heater - Girard Products, LLC | Tankless RV Water Heater | On Demand RV Water Heaters | Endless Hot Water RV | Instant Flow RV Water Heaters | LP Gas Tankless RV Water Heater | Induced Draft Tankless Water Heater
They are pricey, about $500 but well worth it, no winterizing issues, endless hot water for all the showers your grey tank can hold. They are also a lot lighter and compact than a conventional w/h.

[SherryNPaul]

Originally Posted by Ngrimm

What do you think of this gas tankless heater $118 shipped? It is supposed to be designed for campers and has a battery powered igniter but I don't know anything about them. ~RV Camper 5L Propane Gas Tankless Hot Water Heater NEW | eBay

this looks very much like our Eco temp OUTDOOR shower. I see no venting options. I looked thru several websites selling the same shower, and saw nothing that showed a venting option. Most talked about "camping showers outdoors"... Which, is fine, as long as that's its purpose.
EcoTemp does manufacture units that vent to the outdoors, and are manufactured for RV use. Or at least, they used to.

I wouldn't try to use my outdoor shower indoors, as much as I love it for its intended (outdoor) purpose, where it has performed flawlessly.

Sherry

[SherryNPaul]

I just reread some comments on temp rise/lukewarm water.
Our EcoTemp L5 manages incoming extremely cold water very, very well. We use mountain spring water, which is around 40 degrees in spring and fall. In the summer, with warmer incoming water, I have difficulty getting the heat setting LOW enough.
It sips gas, and is the best $100 bucks we've spent in a long time. However, again, it's rated for outdoor use. ONLY. We built a shower enclosure to cut the wind on cold days, which is great. I'm really warm till I turn the water off.... In spring and fall, I bring a big robe to the shower, and an extra towel for my hair. At 40 to 50 degrees ambient temp, it's really cold when the hot water is turned off.
Sherry