Tankless vs Tank Water Heaters for Full-Time Park Stays

[Brad Buchanan]

100lbs or 20 gallons of propane is over 2,000,000 BTUs That is a lot of hot water.

there was some heating involved too.

 

[PancakeBill]

I had an older 6 gal water heater, it had some issues, I swapped it out with tankless, hated it for all the reasons stated above. low flow was horrible, took too long to get hot water unless you ran full, and in a camper with limited water supply and limited gray tank, it was silly. Sold it and put a new 6 gal w/e tank. I seldom use it on electric, and all things considered, I probably should hhave gone with just gas. Turn it on when I get up, turn it off when it stops firing. If showering leave it on, and if plugged in, turn both on. Then turn off. The concern about using propane, is really a non issue.
we almost entirely boondock, so water usage is really my maine concern, and having tankless meant I started with 6 gallons less water.

 

[Edd505]

6 gallon electric/gas water heaters on my first two travel trailers. Me, wife, and 2 dogs never ran out of hot water. Short showers, and showers not taken back-to-back resulted in always have hot showers with more than enough warm water.

Third travel trailer had a 10 gallon gas/electric water heater. Showers got longer, but still limited by the size of the grey water holding tank.

Fourth (Fifth Wheel), 12 gallon gas/electric. The change? We now take showers back-to-back often and still never run out of warm water.

The distance the water heater is from the faucet has a lot to do with how much "waste" water is run before the shower, or the bathroom, or the kitchen sink, or the outside shower gets hot water. Regardless if it's an on-demand or a 6, 10, or 12 gallon tank, the cold water standing in the pipes have to be bleed out first until the hot water coming out of any tank reaches the faucet. That distance does not change. The difference is, an on-demand water heater requires the water be turned on at full force so the water heater will kick on. Then it has to bleed out the cold. However, if the flow of water is now reduced to a trickle, the on-demand heater shuts off, and now ... cold water again.

A conventional water heater, no matter how fast or slow the water is running, it's always hot water coming from the heater which will continue to flow to your faucet.

I do not ever want an on-demand heater for these 2 reasons. Slower flows won't produce any hot, and the distance to travel makes no difference.

The only advantage of an on-demand is, if the water is running full strength, it's endless. Eventually, a conventional water heater will displace it's hot water with cold.

Another thing, if winter camping, water coming into the camper could be barely above 32 degrees. The on-demand water heater is going to heat that water up only so much. You could still be taking a cold shower.

A conventional water heater will always heat the water up to temperature, no matter how cold it is when it enters the tank. Mixing the water at the shower between hot and cold will require the hot to be more and the cold less, as the cold is near freezing. It take more hot to keep it at a comfortable temperature.

In the Summer, the incoming water could be 80 degrees. It take a lot more cold water to keep it at the same temperature.

On demand heaters don't do this. The water passes through at a specific speed, and the colder the water is at intake may not have enough time to heat adequate at output.

Think about it.

Same here last on was a 12 gallon with a hotter thermostat, with both 110/gas on we never ran out of hot even giving the dog a bath.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Both our current and previous motorhomes had 6 gallon water heaters. My wife and I had no problem taking navy showers with just the normal drying, dressing, and get ready times in between both showers. One time, as a test, my wife, her sister, and I all took showers one after another with the next one stepping in as soon as the previous one stepped out, and the hot water was just starting to run out as the last one stepped out. It isn't how little hot water there is, it's how you use it.

 

[Edd505]

Both our current and previous motorhomes had 6 gallon water heaters. My wife and I had no problem taking navy showers with just the normal drying, dressing, and get ready times in between both showers. One time, as a test, my wife, her sister, and I all took showers one after another with the next one stepping in as soon as the previous one stepped out, and the hot water was just starting to run out as the last one stepped out. It isn't how little hot water there is, it's how you use it.

there is my problem taking navy showers after 3 tours in Vietnam I want to take a nice loooong showers. I also live in the SW with lots of heat 102 now 107 yesterday and a long shower cools us down, many times after a long swim in the pool.

 

[Firstime RVer]

there is my problem taking navy showers after 3 tours in Vietnam I want to take a nice loooong showers. I also live in the SW with lots of heat 102 now 107 yesterday and a long shower cools us down, many times after a long swim in the pool.

At sites with full hookups, we have had no problem taking long showers. Our 6 gallon water heater provides all the hot water we need, when the electric and gas heaters are both turned on. Our only limiting factor would be the 40 gal capacity of our gray water tank. Opening the discharge valve to the sewer connection solves that problem.
Boondocking or sites without a sewer connection are another problem.
Just my $.02 FWIW
Safe travels and all the best.

 

[DonTom]

Boondocking or sites without a sewer connection are another problem.

Once a week or so, just go to dump at an RV park or whatever and then return to the boondock site, as I do here.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Firstime RVer]

Once a week or so, just go to dump at an RV park or whatever and then return to the boondock site, as I do here.

-Don- Reno, NV

Cant argue with that!! Just remember that two long showers can fill a 40 gal gray tank pretty quickly.

 

[DonTom]

Cant argue with that!! Just remember that two long showers can fill a 40 gal gray tank pretty quickly.

I do never do long showers from an RV, not even when I have full hookups. I do military style only for several reasons. When at an RV park, it is only because of the very limited space just makes it easier. And I prefer to use my own RV showers, right where I have everything, even when the RV park has their own much larger showers.

I only do "normal" showers when home.

-Don- Reno, NV