The Class B RV we want - does it exist?

[booster]

I still don't understand why an on demand water heater is a desirable feature in an RV.

Me too, it doesn't make sense to me. We have one at home and it is nice for a long shower, but not so nice the rest of the time because of the delay and wasted water until it gets hot.

 

[eric1514]

Me too, it doesn't make sense to me. We have one at home and it is nice for a long shower, but not so nice the rest of the time because of the delay and wasted water until it gets hot.

A friend of mine bought a MH with that feature that he sold a month later because it was impossible to take a shower in and he's a very experienced RVer. A more useful feature would be a hot water recirculating feature.

 

[GeorgeRad]

They spec electric on demand water heater. It would take 2KW heater (their inverter size) to heat 3 gal of water to 120F about 12min for about one shower. Likely they would need more power or DC heater for a quicker shower.

They are providing very limited information but listed Espar heater. If this is a hydronic system for water and space heating, they would have hot, about 160F 6 gal. of glycol on board. Passing water through a flat plate heat exchanger would give them on demand hot water assuming Espar was used recently. So Espar would be a primary quasi "on demand" water heater and electric one would be for a backup if Espar was inactive for a while.

 

[RossWilliams]

The Roadtrek CS has most of what you are looking for and you should be able to find one pre-receivership at a good price. They are sprinter based and 22'9" long absent the extended cab. It might take some searching to find one with exactly the features you want.

We have an Etrek with the same layout that would meet most of your requirements but it has a small refrigerator. I am not sure how well they meet both the full refrige and countertop requirements. The same models are also available new from the new Roadtrek company so you can check out the features available on their web site.

 

[Rocinante-ClassB]

I guess that, like many things, the desirability of on demand hot water depends on your point of view. I don't want my RV to be responsible for the care and feeding of a hot water tank. I also don't want to spend any energy heating water until I need it. On demand water heaters meet that need. Systems that allow recirculation of water until it's heated can also help eliminate waste of water that one would normally run into the grey tank while waiting for hot water to reach the faucet, regardless of heater type. For us, the combination of on demand and recirculation are a wonderful solution, and for us, that's a desirable feature in our prospective RV.

The question of heating water on demand via propane vs. electric is an interesting one. Our last RV had a Truma system, which heated via propane. I am also a little concerned about how many watt hours it takes to heat each gallon of water we use. It will be interesting to learn more about how an electric on-demand water heating system works and how it impacts the ability to dry camp between charging periods, be they via generator or simply driving around (2nd alternator).

Hope that helps.

 

[Rocinante-ClassB]

The Roadtrek CS has most of what you are looking for and you should be able to find one pre-receivership at a good price. They are sprinter based and 22'9" long absent the extended cab. It might take some searching to find one with exactly the features you want.

We have an Etrek with the same layout that would meet most of your requirements but it has a small refrigerator. I am not sure how well they meet both the full refrige and countertop requirements. The same models are also available new from the new Roadtrek company so you can check out the features available on their web site.

Thanks for this, much appreciated. We will take a harder look at information about the CS and the Etrek and see what we find.

 

[Rocinante-ClassB]

Having looked again at the Roadtrek CS and Etrek, our personal issue with the CS is that the galley is squeezed between two vertical cabinets and has very little counter space. That would drive the chef in our family to chase me out of the unit with a raised frying pan. The Etrek has more counter space and an open plan around the galley for greater flexibility, but as was noted, the fridge is quite small. Of the two, the value of counter space in the galley makes Etrek's shortcomings less severe than those in the CS, but neither is really what we hope to find.

Regardless, we are grateful for the suggestion, as taking a look helps us more clearly slot them in our stack ranking of potential B-class RVs.

 

[Davydd]

Whether you have a propane Suburban 6 gallon tank or on demand hot water you are going to waste a bit of water to clear the water lines of cold water unless you install a loop recirculating system for the hot water. My diesel-fired Espar system waste about a bathroom half of a sink's worth or I could grin and bare it for the wet down portion of a Navy shower.

Also, mine is not exactly instant unless I turn on the Espar a few minutes beforehand or have it on already for heat. The six gallon Suburban propane system is adequate for hot water as I can't conceive of using that much; but maintenance of it, the outside panel, the need for propane on board and the space it took up, I didn't like.

 

[lizard_breath]

your list looks pretty similar to mine. the biggest promise i saw was in the coachmen beyond 22d. you can get them with awd and they offer a lithium upgrade. the twin beds in the rear can convert to a large bed and the fridge isn't tiny. they're just over 22 feet as well. the 2020 transit chassis has a swiveling driver's seat so both seats can swivel and make a small "lounge" in the front.

https://coachmenrv.com/class-b-motorhomes/beyond/22D/3542

 

[rowiebowie]

Welcome to the forum lb!

 

[BillsPaseo]

We love our Truma Combi. It only holds about 3 gallons, but it heats up really fast (about 15-20 minutes from stone cold to scalding). If you have it set on the Boost setting, you end up mixing enough cold in with it to get the temperature right that two people can take a shower without running out of hot water.

 

[avanti]

We love our Truma Combi. It only holds about 3 gallons, but it heats up really fast (about 15-20 minutes from stone cold to scalding). If you have it set on the Boost setting, you end up mixing enough cold in with it to get the temperature right that two people can take a shower without running out of hot water.

An Espar hydronic setup can produce adequately hot water in about five minutes, and will do so until you empty your fresh tank--as long as your neighbors don't mind the muffled "jet engine" sound effects (unless you have shore power, in which case it is silent).

 

[BillsPaseo]

That is another nice feature of the Truma... whisper quiet, both for hot water and heat. We had a toyhauler before the campervan, and it had a Suburban propane heater, and every time that thing would kick on at night, it would jolt me awake. Got to where I would sleep in the cold with extra blankets rather than run it.

The Truma is under our bed, just inches from my head, and I never even hear it cycle on/off at night.

 

[MN1-ClassB]

Look at the Coachmen Beyond. No convection, but I think there will soon be a 4x4 and rotating driver's seat. All other boxes ticked....love mine!

 

[the5reeds]

Build Quality

One thing I think is missing from your list of requirements is build quality. For that reason, I would steer you toward Pleasure Way. Sounds like you plan to do some boondocking and the last thing you need are cabinets rattling themselves apart over time. Look at some factory tours on youtube and see which manufacturers actually show you how things are built and which don't.

Secondly, on lithium, if you want more than 200ah of capacity, it's not that complicated to add more, or in my case (Ontour 2.2) change the battery configuration to a more efficient use of space. You can easily fit 300ah of lithium capacity in the same or less space than the existing batteries.

On the fridge, 5.5 cf seems larger than many others, and it's a van, so there isn't a lot of room. Personally I'd do away with the microwave/convection oven and change the induction stove to propane. I like to cook outdoors anyway.

 

[KYRuss]

Class B ownership is about making compromises, you'll never attain all on your list, it does not exist. I've been an owner of a Winnebago Era 70A for 2.5 years. We have had many problems with the coach side of it, in other words poor Winnebago workmanship. I DO recommend a Mercedes Sprinter based class B. And I highly recommend going with a diesel engine. In my opinion you would make a huge mistake with Ram Promaster based class b's. They have Fiat engines and transmissions, stay away from Fiat ANYTHING!

 

[Peder_y2k]

The key word is "COMPROMISE". Decide what is most important to you, and search only with those requirements. A class B is very limited in space, so many adjustments to your thinking are required. I had a 33ft. Airstream many years ago and rhere was no shortage of space, EXCEPT a parking spot, unless out in the boonies.

 

[Kab449]

That is another nice feature of the Truma... whisper quiet, both for hot water and heat. We had a toyhauler before the campervan, and it had a Suburban propane heater, and every time that thing would kick on at night, it would jolt me awake. Got to where I would sleep in the cold with extra blankets rather than run it.

The Truma is under our bed, just inches from my head, and I never even hear it cycle on/off at night.

How about the 2 for 1, the Truma also heats the coach eliminating a furnace!

Our Galleria has the Truma and it works great for shower hot water coupled with the water miser which recycles the water in the hot shower line back to the fresh tank until the hot water reaches the shower.

If you don't want propane then the Truma may not be for you. It works on electric or propane, but much better on propane.

 

[GeorgeRad]

Class B ownership is about making compromises, you'll never attain all on your list, it does not exist. I've been an owner of a Winnebago Era 70A for 2.5 years. We have had many problems with the coach side of it, in other words poor Winnebago workmanship. I DO recommend a Mercedes Sprinter based class B. And I highly recommend going with a diesel engine. In my opinion you would make a huge mistake with Ram Promaster based class b's. They have Fiat engines and transmissions, stay away from Fiat ANYTHING!

I thought Promaster has Chrysler 3.6L V6 Pentastar engine which is considered very reliable, way more than Mercedes disastrous DEF system. Fiat Ducato owns over 80% of camper van in Europe.

 

[avanti]

I thought Promaster has Chrysler 3.6L V6 Pentastar engine which is considered very reliable, way more than Mercedes disastrous DEF system. Fiat Ducato owns over 80% of camper van in Europe.

Yeah, that is what I was thinking, too.

2.5 years into ownership was just about when it started to dawn on us what a mess our Sprinter emissions systems is.