tankless water heater??

[copperhead46]

My 89 Travelcraft needs a hot water heater and I'm wondering if I can replace it with the tankless kind. It seems like it would be a much better choice, has anyone else done that?

[GuyGene]

Never done it, but should work.

[markopolo]

I think this is the tankless water heater the PW is using in their new Lexor (not 100% sure)

http://greenrvproducts.com/girard-tankl ... er-heater/

I don't know much about them as i have always had 6 gallon units in RV's.

[avanti]

The Girard unit seems to get mixed reviews. See for example:
http://sprinter-source.com/forum/showth ... post351281

Our GWV Legend has the Espar/Rixen diesel-fueled furnace/tankless hot water system. We like it a lot. But I guess that doesn't make much sense for you, assuming your Travelcraft as a gas engine.

[mkguitar]

Tankless for home use can be very expensive...on a new build they save on running hot water to the other end of the house but then the noise and power/gas has to be run. They can be very efficient.

A major drawback is sediment- IF you are in an area with high mineral content in the water, that may clog up the water heater.

if you only go places with nice soft water, this shouldn't be a problem.

Mike

[bobojay]

Check these guys out: http://www.truma.net/us/en/water-systems/aquago.php

They are really coming on strong here in North America, and have very high quality ratings.

[booster]

We just put a super efficient tankless in at home. 95% efficiency, condensing, sealed combustion (two pipe).

I will say, they take some getting used to. It takes longer to get hot water at any given faucet, and you can't turn the hot water on and off as you use it, because the heater goes on and off too, giving cold slugs of water. We need to have the hot trickling at a faucet when the washing machine fills because it pulses the water in the initial fill which drives the heater nuts. Same if rinsing dishes if hand washing them, have to let it run at a low level.

I think that those characteristics would make it undesirable for an RV where most folks take the so called Navy shower which entails turning the water on and off a few times. A slug of cold water from a 40* tank would surely wake you up!

We have found we use more water with the new heater, but heat it much more efficiently.

[copperhead46]

sounds like they aren't quite ready for prime time yet. Guess I'll just put in a new conventional. Thanks for all the input.
P.J.

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by bobojay

Check these guys out: http://www.truma.net/us/en/water-systems/aquago.php

They are really coming on strong here in North America, and have very high quality ratings.

Those Truma units are the size of a suitcase and would take space out of a B just like the Suburban hot water units.

I like the Espar diesel fired heating system where everything is under the floor or under the hood. We are getting unlimited tankless hot water almost instantly. When plugged into shore power the diesel fire gives way to electric fired. The one con? Using diesel makes it impossible to figure out your driving mileage. Supposedly the Espar will use about a cup of diesel per hour. The draw from the tank is set at a height that the Espar would shut with a quarter of a tank of diesel left so you don't get stranded.

[SiennaGuy]

There's been quite a lengthy discussion of these in another forum. From what I understand, with the Girard, the temperature at the tap is determined by the flow of water. The lower the flow, the warmer the water. They have a video on YouTube that explains how to regulate the flow at the faucet to get the right temperature. I just can't see myself having to watch a video and/or read a manual on how to fiddle with a faucet when I'm trying to take a shower in the morning. The Truma units apparently work the way that hot water in your home works, independent of the flow. You use a faucet the way that you've always used a faucet.

Here's the Girard video that explains how to get the correct temperature using a sink faucet. It begins with winterizing info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRHPhIjQKzo#t=14

[youtube:11749s14]bRHPhIjQKzo[/youtube:11749s14]

Here's a video showing the Truma system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUjoK0WgsGQ

[youtube:11749s14]OUjoK0WgsGQ[/youtube:11749s14]

Here's a segment from the Rollin' On TV show that explains all of the technical stuff about the Truma systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAN6vJbA9lI

[youtube:11749s14]SAN6vJbA9lI[/youtube:11749s14]

The Truma stuff starts about 13 minutes into the show. Their units that are supposed to fit into the space of a regular water heater on an RV.

Does anyone have the Girard or the Truma? I'd love to hear about some personal experiences with these.

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by Davydd

... The one con? Using diesel makes it impossible to figure out your driving mileage. Supposedly the Espar will use about a cup of diesel per hour. The draw from the tank is set at a height that the Espar would shut with a quarter of a tank of diesel left so you don't get stranded.

If you have the Mercedes dash MPG readout it will be accurate as it measures the fuel used by the engine.


- - Mike
2013 Airstream Interstate from 2012 Sprinter 3500 tall & long

[Davydd]

Not entirely. That is only measuring how well you drive. Go 55 for a while then jump to 70. Your average will be different. Then if you camp overnight in very cold temperatures running your diesel Espar heater your read outs will stay low for miles like around the 12 to 14 mpg range. It takes time for the MB computer to adjust. Then of course when you fill a tank and divide total miles by gallons refilled you have a totally inaccurate mpg number since diesel was used for heat and hot water.

[tgregg]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Not entirely. That is only measuring how well you drive. Go 55 for a while then jump to 70. Your average will be different. Then if you camp overnight in very cold temperatures running your diesel Espar heater your read outs will stay low for miles like around the 12 to 14 mpg range. It takes time for the MB computer to adjust. Then of course when you fill a tank and divide total miles by gallons refilled you have a totally inaccurate mpg number since diesel was used for heat and hot water.

Davydd,

Doesn't the MB computer calculate average fuel mile per tank or trip as well as instantaneous fuel mileage? If it does calculate average mileage that should not include any fuel used by the Espar heater as it should be calculating how much fuel was used by the fuel injection unit. Just curious.

Tom

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by tgregg

Doesn't the MB computer calculate average fuel mile per tank or trip as well as instantaneous fuel mileage? If it does calculate average mileage that should not include any fuel used by the Espar heater as it should be calculating how much fuel was used by the fuel injection unit. Just curious.

Tom

You are close to correct Tom. The MB computer gives two average MPG readouts, but not instantaneous. One average is for each days driving from when you first start. It can be reset while driving to give you close to an instantaneous reading, but then continues to calculate an average. The other is an overall trip average that can be left to run for a trip and is also resettable.

[bobojay]

Originally Posted by Davydd

Those Truma units are the size of a suitcase and would take space out of a B just like the Suburban hot water units.

I like the Espar diesel fired heating system where everything is under the floor or under the hood. We are getting unlimited tankless hot water almost instantly. When plugged into shore power the diesel fire gives way to electric fired. The one con? Using diesel makes it impossible to figure out your driving mileage. Supposedly the Espar will use about a cup of diesel per hour. The draw from the tank is set at a height that the Espar would shut with a quarter of a tank of diesel left so you don't get stranded.

True that. But for a retrofit, the Truma is the way to go in my opinion....