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Adding extra hot water tank


alan0043

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Hi Everyone,

I would like to add an extra hot water tank to my trailer. I am not sure what size (gallons) to add. I do not need the tank to run off of propane. Electric would be just fine. What size tank would you add ? The trailer does have instant hot water went it is working. I want the extra tank as a back up. There would be two people at most using the trailer. The main reason I want a back-up hot water is for the shower. Are the best prices at the big box stores ? Is there any good threads on line that I should look at ?

All input is welcomed. Thank you for any help.
Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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I would think a 10gal would be plenty.....Ours if we want more hot water fast we run electric and propane both and a 2nd shower is just minutes away.

 

Jim Spence

2000 Dodge 3500 1 ton QC 4x4 dually 5.9 diesel LB

BD exhaust brake, 6 spd manual trans

34CKTS Cedar Creek 5er, Trail-Air hitch

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Get a 5 or 10 gallon residential like some of the prevost have if there is room however with 1 gmp shower heads I question if  you really need more hot water. Have you already tried and ran short?

2002 Beaver Marquis Emerald   C-12 Cat 505 HP

2014 Volvo 630 D-13 I Shift SOLD

2017 New Horizons SOLD

 

 

 

 

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If I were to do what you are contemplating, I would connect a small water heater in series with your tankless one, immediately after it. That way the tankless would supply the hot water if working properly, without the second one turning on, but it would be there as a backup. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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18 hours ago, Kirk Wood said:

If I were to do what you are contemplating, I would connect a small water heater in series with your tankless one, immediately after it. That way the tankless would supply the hot water if working properly, without the second one turning on, but it would be there as a backup. 

Hi Kirk,

I like your idea. I was thinking something like that myself. I will see if I can find a hot water tank in the range of 5 to 10 gals.. I think the size of the tank will come from the physical size on the tank fitting in a cabinet. I am thinking that the best price might be at the big box stores. Any thoughts on that idea ?

Please keep the input coming,
Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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45 minutes ago, alan0043 said:

Hi Kirk,

I like your idea. I was thinking something like that myself. I will see if I can find a hot water tank in the range of 5 to 10 gals.. I think the size of the tank will come from the physical size on the tank fitting in a cabinet. I am thinking that the best price might be at the big box stores. Any thoughts on that idea ?

Please keep the input coming,
Al

Here ya go ... shop 'til you drop . LOL

https://www.google.com/#q=10+gallon+water+heater

Goes around , comes around .

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If you have a 50a system (I believe your New Horizons does) then you could even make that water heater a 240v model, but if not be sure to find one that is powered by 120v.  Lowe's has several small water heaters that should work well for what you want, or a Google search for 5-gallon water heaters found several more sources.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the input. It is going to be a big help.

I am still working on the instinct hot water tank. The tank does not want to lite. It seems like the igniter does not spark. You can smell gas went it tries to lite. If you use a long nose lighter when it tries to lite you can get the hot water tank to lite.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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10 minutes ago, GlennWest said:

Don't know your heater but the suburban I worked on had an ignitor gap and if it gets to "big", it won't lite. Simple task to bend down to close. If I remember correctly 1/8".

Hi Glenn,

I was thinking the same thing about the ignitor. The bad thing about this ignitor is you can not get to it. I even thought about replacing the ignitor it's self. Here is the kick in the pants. You need to tear the fire box apart to get to the ignitor. That means you have over half of the hot water tank apart. I just got done replacing the flow meter assembly. If I would have known that the ignitor needed replace when I was working on the flow meter it wouldn't have been to much of a problem. Only a couple more parts to removed to get out the fire box. Things that you learn. I am working on a Precision Temp RV 500 model.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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1 hour ago, alan0043 said:

The tank does not want to lite. It seems like the igniter does not spark. You can smell gas went it tries to lite. If you use a long nose lighter when it tries to lite you can get the hot water tank to lite.

3

The spark gap should be 1/8" (+/- 1/16") per the service manual for RV water heaters, but it may be different for your tankless. What brand is it?

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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I just looked and Bryant RV don't have that manual on their website, but he does have this message on service manuals:

Quote

If you need an Owners Manual or service information, please do not hesitate to e-mail us here. We can e-mail many appliance owners manuals, and will put them up on this page if as interest warrants.Please do allow several days- if you haven't heard back from us, jiggle our elbow a bit- sometimes we run behind!

2

 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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My experience with electric instant hot water tanks is these require a lot of power.  It is very possible that all of the 50 amps will be used just to heat the water.  Smaller instant heaters usually provide a minimal flow.  Smaller units often struggle to provide a warm shower.  The temperature of the incoming water makes a big difference.   For RV applications a propane powered unit is usually best.  Adding an accumulation tank to smooth out the water flow also helps a lot.

Randy

2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift

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Hi Everyone,

I went out to the Precision Temp web site. Guess what I found out. The igniter is discontinued. Seems to be always something. I will make a phone call on Monday and start asking some questions. I will report back later at what I find out.

I have looked at some of the small electric hot water heaters from the information that was provided. I have not found a small tank that has a drain or a low point on the tank so I can tee into and make a drain. I am still looking.

Al

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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Both of these 6G water heaters (from Kirk's link) have a drain at/near tank bottom.  Amazon 6G heater  Home Depot 6G water heater

I would hesitate to buy the Rheem from Home Depot because of the 2,000W heating element, which IMO is a bit much for a 15A  circuit.

RV water heaters have their drain near the bottom too, what water remains inside after draining is of no consequence during freezing weather.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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ARGO the reason I said 2,000W is a bit much for a 15A circuit is because 2,000W@120VAC = 16.6A.

 

2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.  John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961

 

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13 minutes ago, Sugord said:

Hook up your compressor and blow out burner and ign, area real good.

I prefer to use a shop vacuum for this job, at least before I move to compressed air as you can move things around with too much air pressure and cause new problems. When using compressed air, I always set the regulator down to 50# or less for this type of work. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

            images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQqFswi_bvvojaMvanTWAI

 

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Hi Everyone,

Here is a little update on my tankless hot water heater. The first that I would like to say that the fellow on the tech help line from Precision Temp was a big help. He had me do some different checks to see if they were going to help. Gray was a very patient person. He also explain what the water heater needed to do to get it to light the burner.

I still plan to add a back-up hot water heater. I will add the extra tank in series. 

Al 

2012 Volvo VNL 630 w/ I-Shift; D13 engine; " Veeger "
  Redwood, model 3401R ; 5th Wheel Trailer, " Dead Wood "
    2006 Smart Car " Killer Frog "
 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

FYI, we switched out the 12g suburban with a truma instant heater. Up in Canada with the water out of the tap at 46 degrees, hot comes out a steady 115 all the time. Been using a single 40 lb tank for 3 months of 4 people taking showers, dishes, etc., and the LP tank just emptied today (filled on May 15th) and I had to switch over to other tank. Super happy with the Truma. Not on Eco mode, hot comes out full in 2-3 seconds. 

HTH,

2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline

2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4

 

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