If I haven't mentioned it earlier, this
Boler is being built for me, my wife and our two dogs... So I'm able to test out a few new products for myself before possible installation for other folks down the road.
First up, a tankless water heater by Girard. Evidently these are going into a lot of bigger rigs, but I haven't heard anyone on FGRV.com discuss them. So I guess I'm the first.
The physical geometry of the heater is nearly that of a cube, about 13" per side. Being gas-fired, I'm assuming that it's probably engineered to burn best in a level orientation. And, it features a horizontal exhaust port in the rear that pokes through an access door on the outside of the trailer wall.
Problem #1: the heater has a square vertical sides, the trailer shell has an angled, slightly curving side. How do I get the heater to mate flat with the shell wall — without installing the heater on an angle?
Problem #2: the heater features a flat mounting flange and a flat access hatch door that is to be surface mounted to an angled, slightly curving side. So again, how to mate them?
Problem #3: IMHO, surface-mounted doors always look like an afterthought. I much prefer the look of built-in, body-integrated hatches and access panels.
Step 1: I break out the multi-tool and start cutting.(Cutting the FG shell wall to the shape of the door gives me that built-in look I prefer.)
Step 2: I build a wooden frame that matches (well, close, anyway) the curve of the shell wall, and allows the heater to remain level and square. This frame will get glassed in, and appropriately prepped in anticipation of the upcoming
paint job.