Community Forums

susanlyth · 03-01-2017, 02:03 PM

Hello and thanks for letting me be a part of your group!

We are seeking advice regarding Liquid Propane On-Demand Hot Water Heaters.

Is there a favorable unit for rv-ing?

Thank you for your insight!
Susan

Badlands Bob · 03-01-2017, 09:47 PM

Are you asking about a stand alone unit or one built into the RV?

dennis45 · 03-01-2017, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by susanlyth

Hello and thanks for letting me be a part of your group!

We are seeking advice regarding Liquid Propane On-Demand Hot Water Heaters.

Is there a favorable unit for rv-ing?

Thank you for your insight!
Susan

Please explain a little more. To my knowledge, water heaters, furnaces etc operate on Vapor Propane. To use Liquid Propane there must be a Vaporozer using a heat source to change the liquid to vapor.

Or are you just looking for opinions on an On Demand, Propane fired Water Heater?
Not an expert on these but this one seems to be at the top of most lists.

https://www.truma.com/us/en/water-systems/aquago.php

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dennis45

Please explain a little more. To my knowledge, water heaters, furnaces etc operate on Vapor Propane. To use Liquid Propane there must be a Vaporozer using a heat source to change the liquid to vapor.

Or are you just looking for opinions on an On Demand, Propane fired Water Heater?
Not an expert on these but this one seems to be at the top of most lists.

https://www.truma.com/us/en/water-systems/aquago.php

Thank you for asking.

Looking for information on liquid propane on demand hot water heaters.
What we have is a mobile food concession trailer. We run on a generator when serving food, and the electric water heater draws so much power that it trips the breaker, taking power from the freezers.
The LP on demand heaters are the solution. The perfect one for this application would use a separate battery to ignite the unit, or have a pilot light to ignite.
We need it to be on its own power source.

It can be an indoor unit vented to the outside, or we can install it to the exterior of the trailer if the specs call for it.
It's a summer business, so temperature is not that big a factor.

Thank you for any ideas. Much appreciated.
Susan

twinboat · 03-02-2017, 06:02 AM

Your looking for an LPG or propane water heater.

What your calling liquid propane gas is actually liquefied propane gas.
The gas is compressed to a liquid state for storage, but used in a gas state for burning.

There are many tankless propane water heaters out there. Many portable models are battery powered.

I have been using an " Ecco Temp L5 " model for 9 trouble free years. It is a portable unit designed to be hung up for use.

For your application, I would suggest a 10 Liter model. It's a bigger model and will give you a stronger flow of hot water.

With the smaller unit, if the water moves thru it to fast, it can't heat up enough.

As far as brands, I don't think it matters much, since they are all probably from the same factory.

Good luck shopping.

BirchyBoy · 03-02-2017, 06:35 AM

Sorry, I don't have any real expertise to offer. A gas hot water heater may be your answer, but it's also something else you have to monitor, gas tank level. Have you considered increasing the size of your generator?

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirchyBoy

Sorry, I don't have any real expertise to offer. A gas hot water heater may be your answer, but it's also something else you have to monitor, gas tank level. Have you considered increasing the size of your generator?

New generator not possible.
We have two 100# LP cylinders to run the pizza oven, so fuel is no problem.
Electric refrigeration uses the total power given by the generator.
We only need the hot water for the hand and dishwashing sinks. It's totally a health department issue. Hot water MUST be available 100% of the time, but if we keep it on, it trips the breaker.
Therefore, on demand is the only solution available.

Thanks!

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 07:26 AM

Thanks so much.
Brands are the information I seek.
We've been looking for quite some time, which is why I reached out to the community who, it stands to reason, has the most insight and knowledge about this.

Ecotemp, AquaStar, etc seem to be no longer available, or have sensitive motherboards during ignition, which apparently can ruin everything.

Looking for a unit that ignites from a separate battery, or one that uses its' own pilot light to ignite.

Thanks so much.

twinboat · 03-02-2017, 07:30 AM

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JLSH5S...a-274333599104

Maybe this is one with a ? sensitive motherboard.

trikeleader · 03-02-2017, 07:34 AM

We have been using the Truma water heater and it is hot 100% of the time. It uses Propane to heat the water and 12 volt for ignition. it is the best heater we have ever used, and the wife can take long hot showers for as long as we have propane. It costs less to heat because it is not keeping a tank hot all the time.

paddykern · 03-02-2017, 07:53 AM

I have limited experience with both types.

Tank systems will be about 6 gal and then you will have to wait for reheating. I think you will have better temperature control.
Tank system is less expensive.

Tankless systems will give unlimited hot water but poor temperature control. temperature will depend on cold water temperature input and the amount of flow.
The faster the flow, the cooler the water. The slower the flow the hotter the water.
I have run into problems with the tankless system because it is a more complex system with more things that can go wrong.
Tankless is also more expensive.

If I could do an easy switch from my current tankless to a tank sytem, I would do it in a heartbeat.

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 08:05 AM

Thanks. The ecotemp seems to be discontinued.
Hoping there was a standard in the RV community we didn't have eyes on.
Appreciate the feedback very much.

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 08:07 AM

Unfortunately, tankless is our best option, and yes quite costly. We only need it for a handwash sink.

susanlyth · 03-02-2017, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twinboat

[url]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002JLSH5S/ref=asc_df_B002JLSH5S4869073/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B002JLSH5S&linkCod e=df0&hvadid=167126276842&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvran d=539420189635223

Maybe this is one with a ? sensitive motherboard.

This would be perfection were it possible to plumb into the 100# LP cylinder loop. As a food trailer, there's no room for another 20# cylinder.

It does, however, meet the 140° temperature requirement which has also been a barrier to finding the right unit.

Thanks again.