Girard Tankless Hot Water

[Mplawrence]

We purchased our first 5th wheel RV, a 2012 Wildcat 302RL, two weeks ago. I was hoping this app might help us. We are in Florida now. First problem is figuring out how to regulate the hot water using a Girard tankless hot water heater. It is too hot! I know you turn up the hot water to cool it down, but there is no COOLING this thing down. Switch is set to Low and hot water nozzle full open. You add some cold and starts swinging hot and cold (limiting). I am trying to figure out if it is user error, equipment problem, or this is how it is suppose to work! We have lots of water pressure. We put a 40 psi regulator on trailer, and it was too hot. Tried a 50 psi, and it got better but still uncomfortable. Finally, we took the water pressure regulator off. How do I cool this thing down?

[Steve N Sal]

I'm not familiar with your heater and being it's a tankless unit I don't know how you could turn down the temp. Didn't they provide you with any manuals for the heater. Isn't there a dealer near you that you could contact or give the dealer a call that you purchased your rig from. That would be my thought for a quick answer.

By the way WELCOME to the forum and hope you enjoy your time on the site. Hopefully there will be someone else along here as well that might just have your answer. Wish you the best and hope all works out. Be safe and Happy Motoring!!!!

I just looked at a Girard heater online, it shows a few so I just picked one. It says to control the heat, the faster the flow of water the cooler it will be, the slower the flow the hotter it will be. By adjusting the flow you will have endless hot water.

[Shotgunjim]

I just passed on a wildcat that me and wife loved outside kitchen. I was going to buy when I researched the tankless operating on propane only. Unit had 50 amp. It looked like every wildcat on lot (10 to 15) and all had the tankless water heater. Old folks don't want to refill propane while sitting in rv park hooked up. You would think wildcat or dealer would order some with options. jim w

[Terri B.]

Jim, my understanding is that you only use propane when you are actually running hot water. Unlike a tank water heater that has to keep the water hot all the time albeit via electric or propane. The tankless is supposed to use far less propane than a standard water heater.

[GSGracie]

I guess that finding an answer will be a t'ankless task for someone.

[336muffin]

I asked the CEO of Fleetwood about this option maybe in the future. He said they were having trouble with eratic temps and gave up on the idea. Something about the supply pressure in a RV varied too much from campground to campground and also the 12v pump also varied. Residential pressure was more steady. Don't know much about them really.

[Mplawrence]

I talked to Girard, maker of the tankless hot water heater. Suppose to use 60% less propane. The performance is so dependent on water pressure. The system raises the cold water temp 30 degrees. Part of my current problem while in Florida is the cold water is 75 degrees and that puts my hot water at 105 which is a little hot for me. He told me it automatically shuts off at 120 degrees to prevent scalding. Still hot! Currently, I turn the shower on full force immediately, and it is tolerable. We have lots of pressure here. Not sure what will happen when in a low pressure RV park.

[LadyFitz...]

Originally Posted by Shotgunjim

...Old folks don't want to refill propane while sitting in rv park hooked up...

It's more than just not wanting to refill propane. When parked long term, refilling propane tanks involves either moving the RV to a propane supplier, which can range from inconvenient to a royal hurt in the donkey, depending on the kind of RV, or wrestling with tanks to transport them to a propane supplier. For us old folks, tank weight can be a problem. At 62, I can still wrestle with a full 30 lb. propane tank (as long as my back is behaving) and just barely come out on top (I used to be able to handle more but years of hard work, health issues, and age have taken their toll) but what about five or ten years from now?

Many conventional RV water heaters can run on propane only, elctricity only, or both. When on shore power at a long term site, it would make more sense to run the water heater on electricity to reduce propane consumption to avoid having to refill the propane tanks while parked.

[Dbeskan]

Were you ever able to get the temperature controlled properly for your tankless? I think a recall needs to be done. I took our Lance 1575 to the repair shop (under warranty) to have diagnostics done. They said THE GIRARD TANKLESS WAS WORKING TO SPECIFICATIONS given to them. When I asked how long the temperature read to specs out from the shower, the answer was that they needed only to read temperature on ONE CUP FULL! Now tell me, how does one take a shower with one cup worth of correctly heated water? We've been traveling on two different occasions for a couple of weeks each time and have yet to get the tankless to heat at a decent temperature in the shower for more than maybe 10 or 15 seconds, and then the water either goes hot (we turn up the water flow to cool, but does not work) and then it goes cold--because it gets way too hot and has to cool off, meaning back to cold. 120 degrees is way to hot and back to cold is miserable. My granddaughter comes on a trip with us next week. I am so at a loss. If anyone else is having this same problem (and certainly not an "operational" problem), then please write in. The Girard Tankless that Lance is using has no way to even turn down the temp from 120 degrees. It does have the low and automatic switch but of no use. Thanks for any connected comments. I also bought a psi regulator that works up to 160 psi. THE TANKLESS SHOULD NOT BE SO DIFFICULT AND EITHER SCALD OR FREEZE A PERSON WHEN IN THE SHOWER. I might be able to Handle the huge variations, but certainly not my granddaughter. Thanks for your comments and reply. debbie

Originally Posted by Mplawrence

We purchased our first 5th wheel RV, a 2012 Wildcat 302RL, two weeks ago. I was hoping this app might help us. We are in Florida now. First problem is figuring out how to regulate the hot water using a Girard tankless hot water heater. It is too hot! I know you turn up the hot water to cool it down, but there is no COOLING this thing down. Switch is set to Low and hot water nozzle full open. You add some cold and starts swinging hot and cold (limiting). I am trying to figure out if it is user error, equipment problem, or this is how it is suppose to work! We have lots of water pressure. We put a 40 psi regulator on trailer, and it was too hot. Tried a 50 psi, and it got better but still uncomfortable. Finally, we took the water pressure regulator off. How do I cool this thing down?

[JohnBoyToo]

Late to the party, but our Girard tankless works flawlessly
(once you learn to think backwards )

It IS propane only, there is a switch on the heater itself (outside) that must be turned on when water is supplied and off when not (will try to heat nothing !)

there is also a switch inside our rv's inside control panel which allows a LOW or HIGH setting... once that is set...

when using it you adjust the temp by turning the
hot water flow UP to cool the water down and turn the
hot water flow DOWN to heat water up

We rarely use the cold water unless the parks water pressure is low and the water flows too slowly through the heater making it too hot (which it can get!)...

think of it as the flow rate controls how LONG the water is heated... faster flow, less heating, cooler temp (90 degress vs 100+)

FAQ’s - Girard Products, LLC | Girard Tankless RV Water Heater | Tankless RV Water Heater FAQs | Frequently Asked RV Water Heater Questions | RV Water Heaters

Girard Tankless Water Heater - YouTube

[Dbeskan]

Thanks for your reply. Appreciate very much. Now, for an update from yesterday.....We've had new Lance 1575 (almost love it) at the dealer for the Girard hot water tankless heater problem for almost a week. Went to the dealer yesterday, and was ready to bring the RV home to pursue other recourses against Girard with the "one cup" test that proves virtually nothing, when the dealer "owner" said our tankless was working flawlessly, and that it was operational--raising my ire to the hilt. I challenged him to show me how it worked--even with perfect flow conditions at the dealership. As anyone knows, there's no such thing as "perfect" flow when camping. The extremely nice and good mechanic set the Lance back up with water and electric. Electric only for a/c to run. Was a pretty hot day.
Bottom line: the Girard tankless did not perform well! The temps vacillated between scalding and cold, and at one time, at the shower (without the head), reached 140 degrees. The dealer/owner was called, as he had told me it worked, and immediately he realized there was a definite problem and not an operational one. He had tried it on a WildCat, not our Lance. If just doing a one cup method of testing as in their specs, this problem would never have been worked on. For the next two hours, the dealer/owner, was on the phone with Girard, doing testing and tearing the components apart, down to the wiring. One problem found was that Lance had mis-wired the auto/low switch, meaning the low would never switch over to less btu's from the propane/heater end. It was tested again after re-wiring, and still too hot and then cold. Girard is sending an EXTREME something another component to see if the problem can be resolved. We had to pay for the part to be delivered over-night, over $60.00 for delivery. We also had to pay for the diagnostic on the tankless--because there was no problem at first. We hope to get reimbursed for both since it's definitely not our fault and we had already contacted Lance 4 times and Girard 3 times with extensive questioning--besides going to forums and reading the manual--and the big stickers placed by the faucets with directions.

Are you able to take a five to ten minute nice warm shower without getting scalded or freezing temps at some point? I ask this of anyone using a Girard Tankless Heater? As I stated in my previous post, my twelve year old granddaughter comes camping next week with us and if there is a problem with the tankless at that time, then this investigation will go further until there is a recall. I am now a bit hopeful. Changing to a tank or another product will not stop RV makers from putting an inferior tankless hot water heater in their RVs nor stop Girard from making an inferior product.

With all of this said, I really am hopeful my problem will be resolved, but adding another component to my RV to fix the tankless temps does not remedy the initial anxiety and worry for others. we shall see and I will let this and other forums know the outcome. Thanks very much. debbie

Originally Posted by JohnBoyToo

Late to the party, but our Girard tankless works flawlessly
(once you learn to think backwards )

It IS propane only, there is a switch on the heater itself (outside) that must be turned on when water is supplied and off when not (will try to heat nothing !)

there is also a switch inside our rv's inside control panel which allows a LOW or HIGH setting... once that is set...

when using it you adjust the temp by turning the
hot water flow UP to cool the water down and turn the
hot water flow DOWN to heat water up

We rarely use the cold water unless the parks water pressure is low and the water flows too slowly through the heater making it too hot (which it can get!)...

think of it as the flow rate controls how LONG the water is heated... faster flow, less heating, cooler temp (90 degress vs 100+)

FAQ’s - Girard Products, LLC | Girard Tankless RV Water Heater | Tankless RV Water Heater FAQs | Frequently Asked RV Water Heater Questions | RV Water Heaters

[JohnBoyToo]

Understand your frustration... I would be too !

All I can do is give our humble experience in 6 months of use....
Once we learned to turn the propane and the htr on outside (after one cold shower)
it has been fine... So far, we DO usually leave it on the Low setting...

Now I do typically NOT have the water on me at all times (I twist it to the side so I can shave, etc... WTMI ?), but I know the wife likes it HOT and has never complained.....


good luck... and stay on them - save receipts and document EVERY conversation, name, date, time, content...

[azpete]

why dont you contact girard, and ask them. the dealer has little or no knowledge of this product.
there is a plate that is inserted into the burner area that will cut back on the amount of flame present by blocking off part of the burner. this lets the water flow thru the heater at the same rate with less heat available to heat the water. (best i can do for an explanation) i have had this heater in my coach for almost 2 years, and have found there is a learning curve that goes with it. we have the oxygenic shower head, which i dont think makes any difference, and the plate for summer use. after we learned how to use it, it serves us just great. solution is to call girard.

[LadyFitz...]

Have anyone done a flow test at the shower? The Girards have to have so many GPM to operate correctly. Even with the shower head removed, there could be a flow restriction somewhere else, such as at the shower valves, a water filter, the city water inlet check valve, a partial kink in the plumbing, etc. Based on the complaints I've seen, many manufacturers have been just slapping in Girards without making sure there was enough flow to let them work correctly.

While it's possible that the unit you have is defective, there is nothing really wrong with the design of the Girard other than its nonintuitive operation (and that's mostly just a matter of getting used to it). Most likely, the culprits here are the manufacturer who didn't properly install the unit and a dealer that has no clue how to work on it (one of the banes of new technology). I have seen one of these in operation and I know darned well, when allowed to have enough water flow, they work just fine.