Hot Water Heater

[chgo_spartan]

I have a 2014 Hideout 27dbs. The hot water doesn't even last one shower. I believe it's the same size tank as our old Rockwood and we could get 2 showers no problem. Am I missing something? Does it last longer on electric instead of propane? Is there a thermostat?

[Javi]

For showers we use both the electric and the propane after we're through I just flip it back to electric only...

6 gallons is plenty for 2 Navy showers or one very quick full shower.. We do the Navy shower thingy..

Yes there is a thermostat but it is non-adjustable and set for 120F if I remember correctly. You can easily test it with a meat thermometer and a coffee cup.

[Festus2]

Yes, there is a thermostat which is set at the factory and isn't "adjustable" so you have no control over the temperature. For faster hot water recovery, you can use both electricity and propane to heat the tank at the same time but the amount of hot water will be the same - except that fixed amount will be heated more quickly.

Some people have removed the OEM shower head and replaced it with an Oxygenics shower head which claims to use less HW than the regular shower head. There have been positive reports from members who have installed one of these. CW carries them but I'm sure you can get them elsewhere.

I don't think you're "missing anything" - except perhaps a long, hot shower. Think "Navy".

[SAD]

Check your winterization valves. Depending on how your RV is setup, you could have a valve open at your HWH, that would allow hot and cold to mix at the tank itself - making it seem like you don't have much hot water at all.

[austex]

Originally Posted by SAD

Check your winterization valves. Depending on how your RV is setup, you could have a valve open at your HWH, that would allow hot and cold to mix at the tank itself - making it seem like you don't have much hot water at all.

Similarly, if you have an outside shower and have left the hot and cold valves 'on' but turned off the shower at the head, you can get cold intrusion into the hot circuit...

[GaryWT]

It is weird if you are doing the same thing as you did in the Rockwood, is the water heater further from the shower in the Hideout? We can usually get 2 showers, sometimes 3 if we are quick. The tank is next to the shower so no running water before hand. First one in turns on the gas and last one turns it off. We usually have to then wait to do the dishes.

[Sprintergal]

Our first time out in the Sprinter I turned only the electric hot water heater switch on and waited a while - the water went cold half way through my shower. I turned the gas switch on the next time and had no problems. I think the electric heating takes much longer to heat than the propane method. I will be checking again this weekend and if it occurs again I will mention it to the dealership. You should be able to use the electric method if you are plugged in to electricity, however, I am fine with using propane for it if it works better that way.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Sprintergal

Our first time out in the Sprinter I turned only the electric hot water heater switch on and waited a while - the water went cold half way through my shower. I turned the gas switch on the next time and had no problems. I think the electric heating takes much longer to heat than the propane method. I will be checking again this weekend and if it occurs again I will mention it to the dealership. You should be able to use the electric method if you are plugged in to electricity, however, I am fine with using propane for it if it works better that way.

Almost all of us turn on the propane when we take showers. The electric element is only about 1100 watts, enough to keep a 6 gallon tank hot enough to wash dishes, etc, but certainly not enough to take a 5 or 6 minute shower at 2.5gal/min. That's 12.5 gallons of hot water (well mixed with cold) from a 6 gallon heater. It ain't gonna happen <sigh>

The newer suburban water heaters advertise "quick recovery" and state they can provide 16 gallons per hour. That's not much when you shut the propane off and reduce that to 6 or 7 gallons.

What you experienced is normal for a 6 gallon HWH on electric. Pretty much, it's also normal for a 10 gallon heater on electric.

[kellydog98]

In my Fuzion, I have a 10 gal hot water heater which I leave the electric and propane on all the time. Never have run out with 4 of us gettin in and gettin out.

[parkgirl]

I have a 2013 Hideout 38FQDS and we use only electric and have no problem at all having at least one regular shower with comfortably hot water--that would be my 19 year old daughter with waist-length hair showering, and definitely not a navy-type shower. It takes a bit longer for the electric to heat up the entire tank than it would on propane, but we used to just turn on the electric when we arrived at our seasonal site and then just leave it on all the time, and we never had problems running out as long as we didn't shower one right after the other. Now we don't keep the water heater on all the time in order to save money on electricity--very expensive up north!--so we have to wait while it heats up, but it really doesn't take that long. If you can't get one full shower out of your tank it sounds as if something is wrong.

[Richard6959]

How do I know if I have a 6 gallon hot water heater? I don't see it in any of the documentation.

[JRTJH]

Find the model number on the data plate inside the outer HWH door. It will give you an indication of what you have. Or, you can google that model number and the results will answer your question.

[Sprintergal]

Thats good to know John, appreciate the feedback.

[Blueswede]

We have the same 6 gallon heater and just take shorter showers and turn off the water while soaping up. My wife has thick beautiful hair and she is able to wash it without running out of hot water. I switched out the factory shower head for the Oxygenics and really like it. The only problem is that when you turn off the water at the shower head, when you go to turn it back on, it's all cold for about 3 seconds. Just need to turn the head away from you for a few.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Blueswede

The only problem is that when you turn off the water at the shower head, when you go to turn it back on, it's all cold for about 3 seconds. Just need to turn the head away from you for a few.

Seems like it's like that no matter which shower head you use.

[JRTJH]

The only way to eliminate the "cold start" in showers is to eliminate the one faucet HWH bypass and install a 3 valve system. Years ago, they all were 3 valves, but in the "interest of profit" the manufacturers started using one faucet and a one way valve on the HWH output.

[Desert185]

One more addition to the adventurous aspect of the lifestyle.

The older I get, the more I appreciate simple. Progress can go either way, like the improved simplicity of desktop to laptop to iPad. Thats the progressive-simple that I appreciate. I can live with the shower valve.