Haven't bought yet, and wondering about: Showers in an RV

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MicheleF

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Mar 3, 2013
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139
Location
Toronto, Canada
Neither my husband nor I are wee people, so the size of the shower stall is going to be one of the tipping points for us, we know that.  But my question is about the size of the HW tank.  If it says 12 gallons, is that actually enough to take a shower, or do we have to re-learn how to take a shower?

We have a tankless water heater in our home, is the same type of thing available in an RV?

Thank You -
Michele
 
or do we have to re-learn how to take a shower?

Yes, I'm afraid so.  Most of us take "navy" showers meaning we get wet, turn off the water at the adjuster near the shower head, soap up, turn it back on and rinse off.  Most RV showers have an easy to use lever or button so you don't actually turn all the water off and on at the shower handle.  Aside from the fact that you conserve water from a limited supply, this method also allows you to have hot water longer.  If you run it the entire time, you'll be rinsing in cold water!

ArdraF
 
I won't dispute Ardra's years of experience at all. Those of us who don't boondock, however, where water conservation is very critical tend to take whatever water will spray and use it lovingly. Regrettably, that makes us poor stewards of the environment in doing so.

In the previous coach, we had a six gallon with a mixer feature which effectively raised the hot water capacity to ten gallons, and currently have a sixteen gallon, and can take back to back showers without running out of hot water on either.

It's one of those "your mileage may vary" things, and if we were more responsible with our water usage, we for sure would not have a problem. Twelve gallons seems a fine compromise in our experience.

You will find there is a happy dance that works in the small confines of any RV shower (and they are all small)! and it will be a lot more spirited if you dawdle past the end of the hot water, trust me. Size of the shower will be more your problem, I suspect, than the hot water problem.

If you like having fun using your RV, you will adjust to both; if not, neither will please you.  8)

What little research I did on tankless water heaters for RV's found those solutions very pricey.
 
They make tankless water heaters for RV's but as mentioned previously they are pricey and you are still limited by the amount of water you have access to...hooked up in a campground, enjoy the long shower, boondocking and relying on your fresh water storage capacity and you will need to conserve.

I have lived full time in my trailer for over a year and have taken exactly 4 showers in my RV. I am typically in a campground and find it much easier and more comfortable to use the facilities in the campground.

I  use my shower for some storage, so it is a pain to empty and shower, then put everything back away again. But when off roading and out in the boonies I have no problem using the shower in the RV. I have a 6 gallon hot water heater and I can easily have hot water left over when rinsing, but it is close!

You will find that you can make do much better than you think now.

Enjoy,

Jim

 
Our 10 gallon heater provides plenty of water for both of us. We use Navy showers only when we are boondocking but have an Oxygenics shower wand that conserves water while providing a good shower. Four years in the AF provided enough community showers to last me a lifetime. ::)


If you are plugged into shore power turning on both gas and electric heaters keeps the hot water flowing.
 
and I can easily have hot water left over when rinsing, but it is close!

Do note that, especially if on both electric and gas, the hot water recovers quickly on most units (at least the 6 and 10 gallon units I've used). I'd also comment that the hot water from the units I've had is noticeably hotter than is typical at home, so mixing with cold helps extend it's usefulness. As others said above, boondocking capacity will be your major concern with water, but most campgrounds should be able to supply plenty.

And, as Jeff said, the Oxygenics shower head is marvelous -- improves the experience over others 1000%.
 
MicheleF said:
Neither my husband nor I are wee people, so the size of the shower stall is going to be one of the tipping points for us, we know that.  But my question is about the size of the HW tank.  If it says 12 gallons, is that actually enough to take a shower, or do we have to re-learn how to take a shower?

We have a 6 gallon water heater.  My wife and I find that it is more than enough to take a shower, even allowing time for washing long hair.  But it will not allow for a lengthy shower that serves more to provide relaxation than hygiene.

We have a tankless water heater in our home, is the same type of thing available in an RV?

Yes, though they have only been on the market for a few years.  As such they are unproven, and aren't available in most new RVs.

As others have pointed out, in many cases the amount of water available is as much a limitation as the amount of hot water.
 
You do have  one other option, and that is a Aqua Hot system which will give you unlimited hot water. After having one, we would never go back to having a hot water heater in a MH.
 
I was reading the thread wondering if anyone was going to mention the AquaHot's. I'd never have anything else again either. When hooked up to full hookup you can shower as long as you want or until you get down to less than a quarter tank of diesel in the fuel tank. As hot as you can stand as long as you want.

Ken
 
Although AquaHot is the name most people think of for diesel-fired RV heating systems, Hurricane and Oasis heaters by ITR do essentially the same thing and are also found in many upscale MH's.  Our Hurricane provides us unlimited hot water (in addition to our 6 gallon electric H/W tank) and has kept us warm well down into the 20's outside.
 
Gray tank capacity seems to be more the issue with us, not the 10-gal water heater.  We take a lot of "navy" showers unless we have a sewer hookup.
 
I guess it depends on how long a shower you are accustomed to. Some folks think 20 minutes is a "quick shower", and those will probably have to make some accommodation. My wife and I were never ones to take lengthy showers, so we can both shower comfortably on a single 10 gallon tank. We don't do "Navy" showers either, unless we are trying to extend the time on our gray waste tank.

If need be, we can turn on both LP and electric heaters for the tank and recovery (to 140 degrees) is very quick.
 
Jeff said:
If you are plugged into shore power turning on both gas and electric heaters keeps the hot water flowing.

It's important to note that this is a "brand specific" option. At least one brand (the I've had before and I'm sorry that I don't remember which, but it used an anode rod as well) does not allow this option of using both heat sources at the same time, in fact the owners manual strongly warned against it. The gas mode on/off switch was located in the living space, but the electric on/off was outside on the water heater itself. Inadvertant dual source use rendered next to impossible. The vehicle was a 2004 Forest River TT.
 
According to Girard, a typic 6 gal. water heater will give you about a 8 minute shower. Does this seem correct?
They have a tankless one here for $500.

Precision temp also advertises as the only tankless that is floor vented, so you dont have to mess with the sidewall.  Pricy at $1,125.

Also, what do you guys think of their claim of "up to 50% less propane use?"
 
My DW and I have never run out of hot water (we have a 6 gal) We don't take extremely long showers but don't cut them short either. The recovery time is very quick. I truly can't complain.
 
The biggest disadvantage of the tankless water heaters is they're propane only.  Not only is propane more expensive in most areas, it's much less convenient to replenish than using electricity.
 
It's been several decades, but I installed a number of electric tankless water heaters in home bathrooms in the olde country. They were quite compact, but they were electric only (didn't work on propane or gas). Haven't looked to see if they're available for RVs.
 
We have Aqua-Hot in our coach which means no conventional water heater, so running out of hot water is not an issue. We had an Oxygenics shower head on our old coach, but didn't like having to twist the shut off control with soapy slippery hands. We found a shower head online that has a push button right at the base of the shower head. It does the same thing the twist ones do, shuts the water off temporarily, but its a lot easier to handle with soapy hands. I always hated trying to figure out which way to twist while it was slippery and I had soap or shampoo in my eyes. With the new one, it can be used without looking. We still try to conserve water, and have measured our use. Generally, without doing a military shower, we use 8 to 9 gallons for the two of us.
 
I was referring to RV water heaters.  Every one I've found has been propane only.  Residential units are available in electric.  I think they need a lot of power to work and so are not practical in an RV.

I just looked at some typical models at the Home Depot web site and almost all require 240V at at least 10KW.
 
A 10KW unit is an overkill forf for an RV shower. The ones I used to install were 3KW and ran off the UK standard 240V (single phase) domestic service. Would probably work fine in an RV with 50A/220V service, but would be marginal to provide hot water for a 30A RV. The one I installed at my parents' home in the early 70's was still functional when the house was vacated over 30 years later.
 
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