Hot Water Tank Replacement
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Forum Name: Wish List
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=13000
Printed Date: 19 Apr 2024 at 10:39am
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Topic: Hot Water Tank Replacement
Posted By: lhamblin
Subject: Hot Water Tank Replacement
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2019 at 4:38pm
I am considering replacing my 6 gallon hot water tank in my R-Pod 180 with a 10 gallon tank as I am tired of running out of water in the shower. Has anyone done this type of replacement? If so what tank brand did you install?
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LHamblin
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Replies:
Posted By: TheBum
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2019 at 5:03pm
Have you tried running the electric and propane heaters at the same time? You can safely do that and it will greatly reduce recovery time.
Another option is a water-saving shower head such as an Oxygenics.
In either case, it's advisable to use a shower head with a cut-off so you can conserve hot water when you're not soaping up or rinsing.
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Alan
2022 R-Pod 196 "RaptoRPod"
2022 Ram 1500 Lone Star 4x4
Three cats
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Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2019 at 5:37pm
I just replaced our worn out 6 gal suburban with a duplicate. It was a tight fit to get the new one in. If you go to a bigger tank, be sure to check the dimensions and make sure it'll fit, both at the point where it is installed and passing it through the hole in the side of your trailer. I took a look in Amazon at the hole dimensions needed to get a 10 gallon heater in and you're going to need about to add about 4" to the hole in the side of the trailer and a couple inches will be needed front to back. Given the aluminum sidewall frame of the Pod, that may be a challenging mod.
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Never leave footprints behind.
Fred & Maria Kearney
Sonoma 167RB
Our Pod 172
2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2019 at 8:48pm
I would suggest a tankless water heater installation. Suburban makes one that I think will be a direct replacement for the 6 gallon tank one. It weighs less as well. Even if you could fit a 10 gallon one it would add a lot of weight. But, if you use that much more hot water then your next problem is going to be running out of propane and gray tank space....
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 3:43pm
I would first try the suggestions given here. But after all that if you still want to replace your water heater, a 10 gal will not fit. I would go with the Truma AquaGo tankless water heater. All the other tankless systems are junk compared to the Truma. In fact, Lance puts them in their RV's. One thing to note is that it is only efficient to use a tankless system if you are hooked up to water and sewer. You will use more water which will quickly fill your waste tanks. Boondocking and tankless water heat do not go hand in hand. We were going to go tankless but after switching out the shower head and using both electric and propane to heat water at the same time we find that we never run out of hot water. Amazing for a 6 gal tank especially since we run out at home with a 30 gal tank and had to go larger when the water heater needed replacing.
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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel
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Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 3:45pm
Also if you are at an RV show where Truma is presenting they will install the unit while you visit the show for a low price ($100 or $150 if can recall). Can't beat that for service.
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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 6:00am
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Truma also makes an interesting combo space and water heating system, much quieter than the jet turbine that comes with our trailers. They make some good stuff, although I would hesitate to go so far as to call the Suburban unit "junk". I suggested it because i expect it would be an easier DIY project than the Truma would be, being designed as a direct replacement for their 6 gallon ones.
I agree that a tankless system doesn't make sense without full hookups. If you're using up 6 gallons of hot water mixed down to a comfortable shower temperature you're probably consuming 8-10 gallons of water total. In an undeveloped campground that will use up about 1/3 of your total fresh water supply and gray water storage space at at time.
In my opinion, this is an area where a change in behavior is more expedient than a change in equipment. You can take "Navy" showers while camping, still get nice and clean, and use only a gallon or two of water total in the process. Just my $0.02
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: Richand Cindy
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 8:02am
I did alot of research on hot water heaters, maybe two years worth (I was a researcher by career, even before there was an internet). Spoke to owners of hot water heaters. Even before Truma came out I was told not to buy one. But once Truma came to the US (they are German made) everyone got onboard Truma. So maybe calling the rest junk is too much hyperbole, but if you go the tankless route there really is a huge difference in qualit. Truma costs more but it is well worth it
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OLD 2017.5 RPOD 180 + 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
NEW: 2018 Passport Elite 23RB + 2017 Ram 1500 Diesel
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Posted By: crankster78
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 6:37pm
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Greetings The best way is to take a Navy shower, get wet, turn off water, soap, turn water back on to rinse. You only have 35 gallons to start with. Happy Poding
Crankster78
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Crankster 78 R-179 2015
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 7:30pm
30 usable gallons, the 6 in the water heater aren't accessible unless you remove the anode.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: crankster78
Date Posted: 08 Jul 2019 at 6:48pm
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Greetings:
I think the tank holds 35, so fill the water heater, then refill the tank. In any event, you have a limited supply of water on board.
Crankster78
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Crankster 78 R-179 2015
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 09 Jul 2019 at 5:36am
Fresh, gray, and black tanks are 30 gal, its in the specs. The "36 gallons" fresh water capacity is marketing misdirection because they're counting the water in the water heater, which can't be accessed (unless you drain it in an emergency).
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: lhamblin
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 1:30pm
We are fair weather campers and we do not go to any campground that does not have full hookups. We use all our facilities in our RPod 180 and do not use campground facilities. We spent 10 years full time in our 45' Tiffin Allegro Bus with On-Demand Hot water thus why we are spoiled and we enjoy using our onboard facilities in or RPod. So if I can find the right Tankless Hot Water solution I will install one. Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.
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LHamblin
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Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 2:17pm
You can get a propane powered tankless water heater that replaces the 6 gal tank one you have. But if you’re thinking you want an electric one so you can run it on shore power then you’d need to do some electrical work so you could run it on a 50A 240V receptacle. The 30A 120V you have in the rpod isn’t going to be enough, tankless water heaters need a ton of electricity.
If you want to get a propane one then maybe take a look at the Suburban one, it’s supposed to be a direct replacement for the one you have.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 3:26pm
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I would think that if you use more than 6 gallons of hot water taking a shower, your going to over fill your grey tanks very quickly. If you take a " commando" shower as meant, 6 gallons is plenty.
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2017.5 Rp-172
2020 R-pod 195
2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl
I'll be rpodding
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Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 4:19pm
Originally posted by mjlrpod
I would think that if you use more than 6 gallons of hot water taking a shower, your going to over fill your grey tanks very quickly. If you take a " commando" shower as meant, 6 gallons is plenty.
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He says they are FHU's.. tank size is not a concern.. Coming or going..
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Posted By: lhamblin
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2021 at 4:33pm
As mentioned in a previous reply we 9nly camp at full hookup campgrounds, power, water and sewer. We do not use campground facilities.
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LHamblin
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