RVers who travel a lot and enjoy activities such as hiking and biking, really enjoy showering up after spending all day outdoors. A standard hot water heater could really put a glitch in that shower enjoyment. With a 6 gallon tank, a tank of hot water can be used up quickly. What’s the solution? Going tankless. You’ll be sure to have plenty of hot water for yourself and everyone else if you install a tankless RV hot water heater.
Here’ s 7 things you need to know about tankless RV hot water heaters.
1. Cost comparison to a standard.
Standard hot water heaters hold either 6 gallons or 10 gallons. Most RV’s have the 6 gallon size. The 10 gallon tank is not standard, because it’s usually an upgrade. A family of 4 showering will use up a 6 gallon tank quickly.
A standard 10 gallon hot water heater tank takes about an hour for the water to heat up. Tankless hot water heaters never run out of hot water.
Photo Credit: PrecisionTemp
The price for an RV tankless hot water heater costs approximately $1,000.00 – versus $800.00 for a 10 gallon standard hot water tank.
The RV 500 Tankless Hot Water Heater will give you all the water you could ever need. No waiting for hot water. It operates only when hot water is flowing. It uses 50% less propane with lower operating costs and takes up almost 1/2 the space than a standard hot water heater. The RV 500 is almost 1/3 lighter than standard hot water heaters. All in all, its a good buy if you want to save water and consume less propane.
2. You don’t run out of propane as quickly.
Tankless hot water heaters will use less propane overall because it doesnt have to keep water at a set temperture.
3. Constant flow of hot water.
Wether you purchase a permanant or a portable tankless hot water heater, you’ll have hot water on demand merely by turning on the faucet. As water begins to flow, the sensor tells the burner to make hot water.
4. No Storage tank.
Since there’s no need to be “holding” water, there’s no storage tank. It is on demand, with an endless supply at your fingertips. There is no storage tank to be winterized.
5. Propane vs. Electric.
Tankless hot water heaters are available as electric units and propane units. It is basically up to the buyer to decide which type is the right one for them. Tankless RV hot water heaters are more quiet than propane hot water heaters.
Photo Credit: Girard Systems
A Girard tankless RV hot water heater is an electric tankless RV hot water heater. It has adjustable controls and is compact. There’s no recovery time needed for hot water and uses 60 percent less propane. Newer RV’s are now being equipped with this unit – Forest River, Jayco, Lance and Winnebago, just to name a few.
6. Systems are not all same size.
Check the size of the opening you have before making your new hot water heater purchase. Check all measurements. The opening in the sidewall might need to be made larger so you may need to make an adjustment or two.
7. Savings.
Not only is the tankless hot water heater energy efficient, it consumes less fuel. It’s environmentally friendly for those who like being GREEN.
Standard heaters are constantly holding hot water using energy in turn costing you money. Tankless hot water heaters do not need to heat up the entire tank, thus saving you money.
With this information you should be able to understand some of the basics of a tankless hot water heater and if it’s something you will be including in your RV travels.
Thanks for reading!
