I hate my AquaHot

[sledhead]

I had the pro heat unit in the MCI and in the 10 years I had the coach I never did any service on it and it always worked . yes I guess I should have serviced it .

The auqa hot system has a small hot water tank in the system and it would not be that hard to do the same kind of system with a propane boiler . As for the waste of waiting for hot water . I all ready have a  system I made that is a simple programmable timer and a 1/2" solenoid valve on the hot water line just before the shower / tub that goes back to the fresh water tank  so DW never has to wait for hot water and we never waste water

All I am saying is the propane system is way more efficient then the diesel boiler and safer because of the cooler exhaust

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DHZR16F/ref=sspa_dk_detail_4?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B07DHZR16F&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=f0dedbe2-13c8-4136-a746-4398ed93cf0f&pd_rd_wg=yG9mx&pf_rd_r=86B7W7H6VYMSMA1N3PRW&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&pd_rd_w=AbDX4&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pd_rd_r=8fdd8241-e516-11e8-ace8-af1ef0edab11

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B06XD753ZQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and a T in the hot water line

dave 

[richard5933]

Dave - your method of avoiding wasted water is a good one and should work on most any unit while waiting for hot water.

My point on the on-demand hot water heaters is that they require a minimum water flow just to trigger the burner to fire. Many on-demand water heaters won't fire if they don't sense adequate flow, so if a sink or shower has a very low flow it won't move enough water past the sensor. Since there is no holding tank, the on-demand units rely on adequate water flow to keep the water from overheating as it travels past the burner.

It's not just about the waste of water while waiting for the hot water to flow through the pipes, it's about wasting water because higher flow is needed to keep the burner fired on many of the on-demand units. Al the water saving features built into many conversions and RVs would work counter to the higher flow demands of some on-demand heaters.

A system such as Aqua Hot that uses an indirect method to heat the water through a heat exchange coil would allow the hot water to flow as slowly as one wanted and still be heated as it passed through the exchange coil.

[Fredward]

We have a Webasto 2100 diesel boiler and the associated hydronic heat and multiple zones and hot water heater in our country coach. There is a lot to go wrong I'll admit that but it works great and makes for a very comfortable living environment. When it works it is great but when it doesn't work it sucks because it's complicated. We had a trip this fall where it worked for five days and didn't work one day. Now back at home it works every time I fire it up. Not even sure where to start other than swapping parts. But I'll stick with it because of how nice the hydronic heat is.

The way Craig is setup he has radiant heat in the floors and half way up the walls. Tough to beat that arrangement. Maybe the Webasto is the weak link in all these systems but I think when they have preventative maintenance applied They probably work OK.
Fred

[TomC]

Since I don't have solar panels, when boon docking, I have to run the generator in the morning for about 2 hours. During that time, we make coffee (could do it without the gen on inverter), heat both water heaters, charge the batteries. Running the generator has never really bothered either of us. In my book, a little noise in the morning far outweighs the massive maintenance AquaHots require. Good Luck, TomC

[eagle19952]

Since I don't have solar panels, when boon docking, I have to run the generator in the morning for about 2 hours. During that time, we make coffee (could do it without the gen on inverter), heat both water heaters, charge the batteries. Running the generator has never really bothered either of us. In my book, a little noise in the morning far outweighs the massive maintenance AquaHots require. Good Luck, TomC

totally agree

[opus]

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ErrBez3RKskBGRnEA

[Geoff]

I have a Webasto, not an Aqua Hot, and love it.  I wish I would of had the factory test box from the beginning, it would have made repairs a breeze.  But I have kept it going for 15 years.  It heats the interior, the water heater, and quickly pre-heats the engine by opening one valve.  The interior heat is regulated by a wall thermostat, while the Webasto cycles to keep the loop at 140f.  No heavy maintenance.

[Fredward]

And up here in the cold white north, I think the Webasto based hydronic heating systems are the best way to achieve a super comfortable indoor environment. With 24 volt fans in three zones, you are hardly aware when the system is heating, temperature is very constant. We love it. Yes it is complicated for sure.
Fred

[richard5933]

If Aqua Hot and Webasto systems have problems, what about something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YthaCqkMOs

Not sure if I'd trust it, but they sure are cheap (inexpensive). Anyone ever try something like this?

[Fred Mc]

At about 1-2 amps running it seems quite efficient.

[buswarrior]

There's no free lunch.

This is already a competitive market, that has existed for decades.

Buy name brand, do the preventive maintenance, and be warm.

Are we discussing coolant boilers or air heaters?

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[luvrbus]

Those units are not much for heating about like the heating units on AC units good for taking a chill off in the morning and they stink running, a cube heater is just as good if you have power   

[muldoonman]

If Aqua Hot and Webasto systems have problems, what about something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YthaCqkMOs

Not sure if I'd trust it, but they sure are cheap (inexpensive). Anyone ever try something like this?

Years ago tried running something like this, Espar Brand (Diesel Fired 12 volt) if I remember right, and they were a nightmare. Had about 8 or 9 in service trucks out in the West Texas Oilfields. Always broke down. Think they weren't designed at the time for rough shaking roads we ran down. That was years ago. Sure Folks have made them better.

[Jim Blackwood]

Might work OK for the VW camper van if you don't mind the stink on startup but you'd need nearly a dozen of them for a bus.

I'm more inclined towards propane myself. Easier to light off and generally cleaner. Propane RV furnaces are reasonably well refined these days and should be much more efficient than they formerly were. If not then a household forced air furnace most certainly is. If you want a boiler, then I don't see why a propane RV water heater shouldn't work just fine. Fuel costs should be about the same or maybe a little better, and I plan on having propane on board anyway as I like a propane stove top. Lots of discussion about portable vs fixed tanks, portability being cited as an advantage over the fixed tanks and difficulty finding a refilling station, but you know, all it takes is a phone call for them to send a truck out for a refill though you might have to have at least 100 gallon capacity. (And then your genset can run on propane as well if you like.)

I can see where a single fuel is very desirable in OTR trucking  but if you are going to have 2 fuels on board anyway, might as well optimize for each one, and fast clean startup is definitely an advantage.

Jim

[buswarrior]

Hot water tanks rarely are capable of the BTU necessary to employ them alone for winter space heating purposes.

But, they do make some BTU... a potential piece to a layered home brew system...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior