cedarsanctum
re: Member
I installed an Eccotemp L5 Portable Tankless Water Heater on our Sprinter last summer, and am finally getting around to writing it up. It got moved out next to the hot tub after the summer trips and then stored when the weather started to get wet and cold, but we need it again in the Sprinter this weekend so it's back in there and available for photos.
This water heater works great. It gets hot within 3 seconds of firing up, so minimal water is wasted (we usually have a bucket sitting next to the shower to catch the cold water). The only thing to watch for on firing it up is a surge of hot at first that can scald you, until the thermostat regulates the output. It only lasts for a second, but it sure gets hot for that one second. Hold the shower away from you when firing it up until the temperature stabilizes.
This system ties into my on board water system which is powered by a Shurflo pump and fed from a 13 gallon tank mounted inside the rear doors. The company literature says it will heat for 21 hours on 5 gallons of propane.
This photo shows the tank and pump side of things. The extra bottle to the left is one of 2 used to refill the system when out and about without city water pressure. The red valve handle controls the filling, just hook up a hose and connect to either city water or a bottle and fill. The small piece of pipe sticking up next to that valve on the tank is a vent for the tank. If that vent was closed, it might be possible to leave the tank connected to city supply, but i have never needed that. The gauge is connected to the pressurized output of the pump and is where the shower is connected when in use. Otherwise, i had this gauge lying around and thought it might be nice to monitor the system pressure, and have a second way to close this connection. Because i used 'shark bite' fittings, all the pieces rotate easily, so that line swings in next to the vent tube and out of the way of loading things, and out to connect the shower connection. There's a lever valve in the line just before the hose thread fitting that the gauge and shower hose connects to. The tank is held in place by a ratchet strap around the framework that holds the bed up in the rear, which is itself anchored to the tie down rings in the floor.
This shows the shower unit attached to the rear door. I got a little paranoid about having a gas fired heating appliance hanging from the plastic door skin, so i got a SS cookie sheet for a heat shield. Turns out it probably would have been fine without, but since i got it i figure 'what the heck'. The whole thing hangs from one bolt that was drilled through and bolted to the door metal behind the skin and projects out about 1/4". That little 1 gallon gas bottle will heat a lot of water and usually sits farther away around the corner from the showering area.
Operation couldn't be simpler; just flip the switch on the shower handle and the heater fires up automatically (uses 2 D cell batteries to fire it up). It's best not to fiddle with the controls on the heater once the temperature is set, it's very automatic.
Here is the whole thing set up with the cedar platform i built to stand up out of the mud while showering. There is also a shower curtain we hang from the back of the van to keep the inside dry, and if needed another to hang from the doors for privacy (though we've never used that part).
This shot shows how the city line is attached for filling. Keeping it simple was one of my goals. I have moved and remounted that pump about 4 times trying to find just the right place for it to work well and still provide access for the shower. This was the simplest setup i could get to achieve these aims, and it works well. Plenty of pressure for the shower, and minimal trouble getting water up to the sink. In use, this tank will last well more than 2 weeks of living in the rig, if i don't take showers (where i live/work there are hot springs to shower at). It's mostly for washing hands and dishes, and brushing teeth. The lines on the side of the tank mark how much water 1 or 2 jugs (~5 gallons each) put in the tank. The rule i use for friends using the shower when in the wilds is you must supply your own water. That may mean filling the bottle from a hand pump at a campground and dumping it into the tank, a small price to pay for a hot shower. One must learn to take short showers, i shoot for 2 gallons per, others have trouble keeping it under 5.
This is the shower mounted at the hot tub with a friend using it. This has proven so popular that another of my projects around here is to install a permanent outdoor shower here. Just what i needed, another project.
The great thing about this shower is its portability, as shown by the hot tub installation. I can also take this down and hang it from a tree in a campground, or the side of a building if that's where the water is.
Hope this helps.
Jef
This water heater works great. It gets hot within 3 seconds of firing up, so minimal water is wasted (we usually have a bucket sitting next to the shower to catch the cold water). The only thing to watch for on firing it up is a surge of hot at first that can scald you, until the thermostat regulates the output. It only lasts for a second, but it sure gets hot for that one second. Hold the shower away from you when firing it up until the temperature stabilizes.
This system ties into my on board water system which is powered by a Shurflo pump and fed from a 13 gallon tank mounted inside the rear doors. The company literature says it will heat for 21 hours on 5 gallons of propane.
This photo shows the tank and pump side of things. The extra bottle to the left is one of 2 used to refill the system when out and about without city water pressure. The red valve handle controls the filling, just hook up a hose and connect to either city water or a bottle and fill. The small piece of pipe sticking up next to that valve on the tank is a vent for the tank. If that vent was closed, it might be possible to leave the tank connected to city supply, but i have never needed that. The gauge is connected to the pressurized output of the pump and is where the shower is connected when in use. Otherwise, i had this gauge lying around and thought it might be nice to monitor the system pressure, and have a second way to close this connection. Because i used 'shark bite' fittings, all the pieces rotate easily, so that line swings in next to the vent tube and out of the way of loading things, and out to connect the shower connection. There's a lever valve in the line just before the hose thread fitting that the gauge and shower hose connects to. The tank is held in place by a ratchet strap around the framework that holds the bed up in the rear, which is itself anchored to the tie down rings in the floor.
This shows the shower unit attached to the rear door. I got a little paranoid about having a gas fired heating appliance hanging from the plastic door skin, so i got a SS cookie sheet for a heat shield. Turns out it probably would have been fine without, but since i got it i figure 'what the heck'. The whole thing hangs from one bolt that was drilled through and bolted to the door metal behind the skin and projects out about 1/4". That little 1 gallon gas bottle will heat a lot of water and usually sits farther away around the corner from the showering area.
Operation couldn't be simpler; just flip the switch on the shower handle and the heater fires up automatically (uses 2 D cell batteries to fire it up). It's best not to fiddle with the controls on the heater once the temperature is set, it's very automatic.
Here is the whole thing set up with the cedar platform i built to stand up out of the mud while showering. There is also a shower curtain we hang from the back of the van to keep the inside dry, and if needed another to hang from the doors for privacy (though we've never used that part).
This shot shows how the city line is attached for filling. Keeping it simple was one of my goals. I have moved and remounted that pump about 4 times trying to find just the right place for it to work well and still provide access for the shower. This was the simplest setup i could get to achieve these aims, and it works well. Plenty of pressure for the shower, and minimal trouble getting water up to the sink. In use, this tank will last well more than 2 weeks of living in the rig, if i don't take showers (where i live/work there are hot springs to shower at). It's mostly for washing hands and dishes, and brushing teeth. The lines on the side of the tank mark how much water 1 or 2 jugs (~5 gallons each) put in the tank. The rule i use for friends using the shower when in the wilds is you must supply your own water. That may mean filling the bottle from a hand pump at a campground and dumping it into the tank, a small price to pay for a hot shower. One must learn to take short showers, i shoot for 2 gallons per, others have trouble keeping it under 5.
This is the shower mounted at the hot tub with a friend using it. This has proven so popular that another of my projects around here is to install a permanent outdoor shower here. Just what i needed, another project.
The great thing about this shower is its portability, as shown by the hot tub installation. I can also take this down and hang it from a tree in a campground, or the side of a building if that's where the water is.
Hope this helps.
Jef
