Camping, fishing, hiking, biking are undoubtedly among the most loved outdoor activities for many people. Your RV is the place where you will feel like home after the whole day experience with nature. Thus, the few gallons of hot water from the standard tank are definitely not enough for all your needs. How to fund the compromise?
Tankless hot water heater for RV might be a real savior in this situation due to possessing all necessary features for using in the field. Installation isn’t a complicated process and it doesn’t take a lot of your attention while running. Soon after your purchase, you could enjoy all the advantages of the tankless heater in your RV.
There are a great deal of divergent models and brands in the market nowadays. Nevertheless, such a wide range of available options can make the process of finding the best electric tankless water heater for RV a true challenge. Having the importance of choosing the right product and meeting all your requirements, we have compiled and compared the best 5 products in the market.
1. ATWOOD TANKLESS WATER HEATER – HASSLE-FREE HOT WATER SOLUTION
This device allows you to enjoy a constant stream of hot water with no fear of fast emptying out the hot water tank. Its compact design will perfectly fit in your vehicle saving vital space that you could use for other needs. Having no water tank also might save you over 100 pounds of payload.
The water heater for shower in RV has a number of advantages over the standard one – it spends the energy not only to heat the water, but it also retains the desired temperature. Atwood heater designed especially for mobile use: it turns on heating the stream of cold water as soon as you open the faucet, and turns off when you shut the water off.
Due to the powerful burners installed, you might get the hot water of temperature up to 120F and it also can be mixed with cold water as to achieve the desired warmth for your needs. Moreover, it saves your electricity at the time you don’t use the hot water.
Pros of the product
- Portable on demand heater doesn’t require much space and is easy to install
- Instant heating of the water flow after turning the tap on
- Saving energy by consuming power only while using the hot water
- Safe for health, and hygienic use of water streaming directly from the source
- With the temperature of incoming water lower than 50F the output water temperature will be significantly decreased
2. GIRARD TANKLESS WATER HEATER WORKS GREAT EVEN IN WINTER
The most impressive features of this propane tankless water heater for RV are its freezing protection and detection of incoming water flow temperature, letting you manually change the heating parameters in accordance with your needs. The anti-freezing kit provides its full performance in cold weather ensuring to satisfy your hot water needs even in winter season.
This model will find its admirers due to the silent work and quick heating option. Any kind of loud or repeated noise may bring you not the best experience while enjoying the quiet nature surrounding. This propane gas water heater is equipped with a brushless motor making no noise while working. In this way nothing will disturb you while sleeping or just relaxing.
Being powerful enough to give up to 42,000 BTU, it doesn’t require installing any special LPG pipes and plumbing. Its performance is optimized for the standard plumbing of the RV, thus releasing you from the need for any additional work.
Pros of the product
- No need for additional gas lines and plumbing
- Built-in winter protection from freezing makes it a solution for cold season use
- The option of manual control of hot water temperature
- No noise while operating
- Installation hardware isn’t included in the purchasing package and should be bought separately
3. PRECISIONTEMP RV-550 TANKLESS WATER HEATER WILL SAVE YOUR GAS AND WATER
The presented model is a real deal not only for RV owners, but also for those who use cabins, trailers and small homes, and numerous positive tankless water heater reviews confirm this. It’s well suited for recreational vehicles and easy to manage due to compact shape and lightweight. If you do not need a lot of water, it could save you up to 50% of gas compared to tank heaters, heating the water in the tank all the time. 20-pound propane tank will be enough to get nearly 940 gallons of hot water.
Having a built-in protection from a freezing system, it can be used all year round. The only requirement for such condition is to keep electric and gas supply on to let the burner fire in cold outdoor temperature. The system of automatic gas controls the temperature of incoming water and flow rate to optimize the performance. This helps to avoid heating the water in low temperatures and overheating it in summer.
High water output ensures that you might always get the water of the desired temperature, and it won’t be changed depending on various factors like cold input water and flow rate.
Pros of the product
- Multipurpose of use making it applicable for RV, motorhome, trailer, small dwelling and cabin
- Internal electronic gas modulation system optimizing the performance and making its work very cost-effective
- Equipment for freezing protection provides four-season use
- A constant temperature of hot water stream doesn’t depend on the outdoor conditions and is ensured by the power of 55,000 BTU
- The need to keep your car battery and gas supply on in order to let the anti-freezing system works
4. CAMPLUX 5L 1.32 GPM OUTDOOR PORTABLE PROPANE TANKLESS WATER HEATER FOR COMFORTABLE USE IN ANY CONDITIONS
The small tankless water heater with portable handle for easy outdoor setup is definitely worth your attention. Its size and transferability feature makes it an ideal solution for RVs, campsites, trailers or simple home use. Low energy consumption is a big advantage while using water heating on an ongoing basis by nature and camping lovers.
How much it depends on the electric supply? It uses two D cell batteries for ignition so that you are completely not hinged upon any electric grids in your area. A number of protection systems (flame failure, overheat, anti-freezing) make the use safe and comfortable keeping your mind free from any technical related issues. Also, low-level oxygen turn off protection allows installing it in well-ventilated indoor areas.
Having two manual controllers, this model lets you hand regulation of the desired hot water temperature and the flow rate adjusting them for your personal needs and weather conditions.
Pros of the product
- Portable, easy to carry and setup
- Requires low power and startup water pressure for normal operation
- Independent from electricity using cell batteries to run burning
- Manual control of flow rate and water temperature
- It’s necessary to install drainage system separately
5. ECCOTEMP FVI-12-LP PROPANE TANKLESS WATER HEATER – COST-EFFECTIVE SMALL VOLUMES WATER HEATING SOLUTION
The Amazon best rated tankless water heater is the most effective option for those who need producing the medium/small amount of hot water in cottages, small motorhomes, cabins and RVs. Its compact dimensions and only 33 pounds weight might be very advantageous when you will search for a space to place it.
Except for its small proportions, you will definitely like the system of safe electronic ignition for the standard 120v electric line which lets you escape the need to change batteries. This model is equipped with the digital LED display showing the outgoing water temperature and error messages. Using two knobs on the front panel for regulating water flow and gas intensity you can easily reach the desired water heat.
Due to the manual regulation of temperature and low energy consumption, you can save on gas using this unit for obtaining constant hot water stream. Moreover, low-level noise produced during the work won’t get in a way of your relaxation.
Pros of the product
- Optimized for efficient work with small and medium volumes of hot water
- This compact unit doesn’t require a lot of space for installation
- Delivered with electronic display that shows error messages while operating and the temperature of the water stream
- Control panel with two knobs for convenient manual adjusting of gas and water flow
- Energy-saving, ability to operate using LPG tanks from 20 to 100 pounds
- Doesn’t have a feature of automatic water temperature holding
Buyer’s Guide – what to pay attention at while choosing the right water heater for your recreational vehicle
Before choosing the tankless water heater best suitable for your RV and within your budget, it will be a wise decision to define a couple of main criteria of its future use.
Considering these four simple steps you could narrow your research and make a proper choice of the device which will serve you long and well.
Step 1 – estimate consumptive water use
Start your research with an understanding of the approximate amount of water you need for your RV appliances. Below, you’d be able to see the rough calculation of water use by various appliances.
Most tankless water heater models can provide you from 2 to 6 gallons of hot water per minute depending on their characteristics.
- Bathtub and shower – from 3.5 to 7 gallons in a minute
- WC – 0.5 gallons in a minute
- Kitchen (dishwasher and sink) – from 2 to 4 gallons in a minute
Step 2 – installation position
Despite the undeniable advantage of the tankless unit being much smaller in size, you’d have think of the right place to install it with the necessary connectors for its setup.
Learn the item dimensions from the seller as to see whether it can fit your RV or it requires any special location. Also, consider the opportunity to place the device outside your vehicle saving the inner space for your comfort. In this case just be sure that it’s equipped with the anti-freezing system and is suitable for year-round operation if you stay in the climate with cold winters.
Step 3 – gas or electric version
Decision making in favor of a particular version is mainly based on your location and the availability or absence of electric grid. Some LPG models are plugged into a standard 110 volt outlets to power the ignition system and some are battery operated.
Also, despite the need for periodic replacement of gas tanks some customers consider gas heaters easier to install and more cost-effective.
Step 4 – easy control and maintenance
It goes without saying, that not being a professional technician you would like to get a thing which is easy to install, operate and maintain. That’s why pay your attention to the above described products and decide for yourself which are the most suitable for your technical skill level.
Some models allow you to set the desired temperature of hot water and will be operated in a fully automated mode. Some of them are equipped with a control panel for manual adjusting (mostly outgoing water temperature and gas flow) enabling you to customize them according to the weather conditions and your personal needs for achieving the best results.
The conclusion
Whether you buy the new device or upgrade the existing one you should do it wisely knowing exactly what you need and why. Considering the customer reviews and learning the experience of others can also be helpful in making the right choice. Thus, you will be capable of fully enjoying all the benefits of your new water heater, lowing your monthly bills and getting the comfort you have been dreaming about.