GAS instant hot water heater (again) :)

PP · September 17, 2011, 07:47:15 AM

Does anyone know if they can be installed or laid flat on their back or if they have to be installed with the exhaust vent pointing upward and then a 90* elbow to direct the flume out the side? If they can be installed laying flat, I could make one work. If not, I can't figure any possible way of safely exhausting one. Will

Midwilshire · May 01, 2012, 12:47:28 AM

Quote from: Chaz on September 16, 2011, 09:47:28 AM
I was just curious as I need to pull the trigger on my heater, and I'm still up in the air on which one I should purchase.

Did you end up getting a tankless system, Chaz? How's it working out? Need to pick one for my bus, too, and lookin' for ideas....

lorna · May 01, 2012, 09:12:15 AM

We run an LP fired tankless water heater on our food cart (Eccotemp L5). Water pump is a Shurflo 2.8GPM Classic 2088. You have to have a good flow of water to kick the burner on (a low flow will not do it we need the faucet to be turned pretty much full on). Hard water will do a number on the copper plate that heats the water. We are in an area with lots of calcium in the water. It is taking a toll on the heating capabilities of the water heater. Between that and the amount of water flow required to start the burner up, David has nixed the idea of putting one (L12) in the bus. We will be using a 20 gallon electric water heater. But we are on 30 amp hookups 90% of the time anyway. The other 10% will involve a generator.

RJ · May 02, 2012, 01:25:21 AM

Chaz & Michael -

IMHO, it would be far less expensive and less complex if you just picked up one of those 20 gallon electric water heaters from the Big Box hardware store and set it up in the same bay as the holding tanks.

Mama will appreciate it, too!

FWIW & HTH. . .

TomC · May 02, 2012, 07:49:33 AM

Home Depot has the 10gal elec water heater for $259.00. A 20gal isn't much more. I like having 2-10gal-heat faster and have redundancy-although nothing has ever gone wrong with them since '94. Good Luck, TomC

Sean · May 02, 2012, 08:01:07 AM

Folks, just a quick reminder that this thread is nine months old. Posting replies as if it was a brand new thread is probably no longer helpful, at least to the OP. FWIW.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

lorna · May 02, 2012, 08:35:47 AM

Quote from: Sean on May 02, 2012, 08:01:07 AM
Folks, just a quick reminder that this thread is nine months old. Posting replies as if it was a brand new thread is probably no longer helpful, at least to the OP. FWIW.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

But very helpful to those who read it 9 months from NOW.

BTW, my reply was directed at "Midwilshire" as well as any others interested in a tankless water heater who read the post. I stated the model we have been using for a year now, how we use it and what pump we use with it. And why we won't be putting one (along with the model) in our bus. Sometimes (often) reviving an old thread is much better than starting a new one. But that is my opinion, as is the one regarding the Eccotemp L5 Tankless Water Heater.

Sean · May 02, 2012, 05:09:56 PM

Lorna, my reminder was not directed at you specifically. And, yes, adding information to a thread like this can be useful for archival purposes. But when a months-old thread gets re-activated and moved back to the front page, LOTS of people come to it (sometimes for the first time) and start replying to earlier posts without ever noticing the date.

I have even seen folks explicitly reply to a poster who had, by that time, passed away. So I was just posting a friendly reminder to check the dates, and to be aware that this is an old thread.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

pabusnut · May 03, 2012, 07:22:13 AM

Sean & Chaz & Lorna,

I am not dead yet, but the water heater still isn't installed! Hopefully this week! I didn't want to install until I had the right pipe to go through the roof. All the rest of the plumbing is finished, except this item.

I don't like cutting holes through the body, and have tried to minimize them, and make sure the structural integrity is not compromised.

I think it will work, but I also plan to put in a 10-20 gallon 120VAC hot water heater. The tankless is intended for dry camping when firing up the generator is not a good option(stealth camping).

Steve Toomey
PAbusnut

TomC · May 03, 2012, 12:22:50 PM

My solution to stealth camping is to create a generator compartment that will silence the genset to be silent more then 20ft away from the coach. If you've ever heard a studio genset, you'd know what I mean. Good Luck, TomC

PP · May 03, 2012, 03:33:23 PM

Quote from: PP on September 17, 2011, 07:47:15 AM
Does anyone know if they can be installed or laid flat on their back or if they have to be installed with the exhaust vent pointing upward and then a 90* elbow to direct the flume out the side? If they can be installed laying flat, I could make one work. If not, I can't figure any possible way of safely exhausting one. Will

Hell, I'm still waiting for an answer......

Sean · May 03, 2012, 06:24:02 PM

Quote from: PP on May 03, 2012, 03:33:23 PM
Quote from: PP on September 17, 2011, 07:47:15 AM
Does anyone know if they can be installed or laid flat on their back or if they have to be installed with the exhaust vent pointing upward and then a 90* elbow to direct the flume out the side? If they can be installed laying flat, I could make one work. If not, I can't figure any possible way of safely exhausting one. Will

Hell, I'm still waiting for an answer......

OK:

Generally, no, all these units are only rated for installation in one single orientation. Also, they all have varying clearance requirements, from 6" to 24" depending on model. This makes it a challenge for most coach installations. Not only will the unit need to be vertical, but likely it needs 6" of clear space above it, too.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

Ed Hackenbruch · May 03, 2012, 08:32:30 PM

We are in our 9th year of fulltiming and get by just fine with a 6 gallon propane hot water heater. The bigger the heater the faster you will use up your water.

chev49 · May 04, 2012, 04:15:52 AM

i would think the bigger the heater, the faster you would use up your propane... but im an ignoramous...

i have a 5 gallon elect in line after the 6 gal propane... with switches to run either or both... its a bit overkill, but works great.

PP · May 31, 2012, 06:46:27 PM

Thank you Sean. I was only joking about waiting for an answer, but I appreciate that you took the time to respond to my question. We have since ruled out the instant water in favor of an 11gal propane unit that will fit in the existing space where the 6 is now. Just haven't drummed up the motivation to do the switch yet. I've learned that if I start a shower with cooler water and then slowly turn up the temp, I can make my showers last almost 10 minutes. Now, was that TMI or what? Will