Hydro hot pros cons

[smlranger]

This is the first coach we've had with Aqua Hot. For us the pros are:

1. Endless hot water
2. Much more quiet (inside) than previous LP furnaces with noisy fans
3. Much more even heating inside coach than previous LP/fan forced system


Cons:

1. More complicated system so more stuff to fix when it breaks
2. The exhaust may be unpleasant for your camping neighbor, especially in tight RV parks. I rigged a genturi to use with mine if necessary.

As noted, annual maintenance consists of replacing a burner nozzle, fuel filter and cleaning the combustion chamber. Pretty easy DIY job if your unit is fairly accessible. Some coach builders stupidly put them in hard to reach places. The bigger units, like the 600 series Mr. D has, have two electric elements and larger coolant capacity which minimize the need to use the diesel burner.

[becks]

Originally Posted by Steve Ownby

How do you support this statement? My coach is 12 years old with an OEM AquaHot system. I do the annual maintenance. Until bio diesel came along, I did this service every 2 years. Since bio, it's now necessary annually.

The parts for the standard service is a nozzle and a fuel filter which total about $50. The rest is my labor. There are other parts that may or may not need replacing but my experience says the system is pretty reliable and certainly not excessively expensive to service. For the most part, I'm not aware that it's running.


Steve Ownby
Full time since '07

+1 I service mine yearly just as Steve does, and would never give up the Aqua Hot.

[pasdad1]

Originally Posted by Pigman1

Not even close. Do an energy audit for yourself and you'll see. This statement was also confirmed by the engineers at Tiffin when the re-design was being done before construction.

But the 12 volt consumption is moot IF the propane furnace consumes the entire propane supply LONG before an AquaHot would empty a 150 gallon diesel tank !

Electricity can be generated out of "thin air" with solar panels......propane cannot 😃

[Gary RVRoamer]

I'm currently parked next to a rig with one. Its obnoxious.

He must be running the diesel burner - it IS both noisy and a bit smelly for any close neighbor. Would not be a problem if the electric heater was used instead, but I'm guessing you & he are boondocking?

[CampDaven]

I have never heard "I wish I had a regular RV furnace and HWH" from anyone with a hydronic system, even those that have had bum circ pumps on later model Aqua-Hot.
Hydronic: heat out of vents, heated floors, endless hot water, etc. And most of us don't know or care about energy consumption, for all of the good reasons.
BTW, if they get stinky, it is usually because the fire box is sooted and/or the nozzel is spitting rather than spraying. When it is burning, put a piece of white paper about 8 inches in front of the exhaust. If it gets black spatters, it needs a PM. At those times they are AKA "Stinky".

[steined]

I don't understand the loud and obnoxious comments. Mine is pretty quiet and doesn't smoke or smell that much. I could see a genturi as a possibility to reduce rich burning units. Though I am new to all of this, I had a lot of concerns as well but love it so far.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by steined

I don't understand the loud and obnoxious comments. Mine is pretty quiet and doesn't smoke or smell that much. I could see a genturi as a possibility to reduce rich burning units. Though I am new to all of this, I had a lot of concerns as well but love it so far.

If properly maintained they are fine. A nozzle that spits rather than mists does not burn the fuel well enough, thus aroma and sputtering combustion

[Pigman1]

Originally Posted by pasdad1

But the 12 volt consumption is moot IF the propane furnace consumes the entire propane supply LONG before an AquaHot would empty a 150 gallon diesel tank !

Electricity can be generated out of "thin air" with solar panels......propane cannot 😃

Please read my posts again. I'm talking about extended boondocking and electrical power consumed. As I said, it depends on how and where you use your RV and what consumables you are concerned about as limiting. Since we have over 800 watts of solar on the roof and also run a residential refer and up to 20 cu ft of freezers in colder climates electrical power is my main concern. We do not use on board LP when boondocking remote so I do not have to pack up the entire rig for LP when I need it. I will repeat, It all depends on where and how you use your RV, but considering ELECTRICAL CONSUMPTION and periodic maintenance costs, there is no comparison.

[CampDaven]

The Aqua-Hot annual maintenance is $50 bucks, I don't boondock but would use a generator twice a day if I did. 65 watts of solar up top. No energy issues here!

[Cat320]

Once you have an AH, you'll never go back.