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Old 11-04-2018, 10:14 AM   #1
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
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Need alternative to Eccotemp L5 water heater

We don't need a lot of hot water in our GMC Microbird, just enough to wash hands and faces and some dirty dishes. NO showers. A couple years back I bought an Eccotemp L5 tankless, propane gas power but it leaks. It also puts out a LOT of exhaust heat which I am not happy about. So I need some sort of replacement.


I guess I would like something that delivers instant, or pretty quick anyoldways hot water .... and dosen't have a lot of exhaust heat.

110VAC OR 12VDC doesn't matter.


As long as I get a little hot water to wash my hands and coffee cup without burning the place down with all the heat. And no leaks allowed.


Under $150 would be OK too.

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Old 11-04-2018, 11:14 AM   #2
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Here's one I found on Amazon - looks to check off all your boxes!

John




Atmor AH-900-3 POU Tankless Electric Instant Water Heater, 3.5 kW / 120V, 0.5GPM, 3.5kw/110v, White by Atmor Atmor AH-900-3 POU Tankless Electric Instant Water Heater, 3.5 kW / 120V, 0.5GPM, 3.5kw/110v, White
by Atmor

Link: http://a.co/d/1SZVBhb
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Old 11-04-2018, 11:35 AM   #3
Skoolie
 
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Thanks John, that little Atmor tankless is pretty cool.


I went to Amazon too and found this one: The Bosch Tronic 2.5 gallon mini tank electric (110VAC 12 Amp) water heater https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0148O658Y..._i=B0148O658Y# caught my eye.


It's a little bigger than I'd like (13.75 W x 13.75 H x 10.75 D), but not too bad. The hook up is simple and the price is right.


Does anybody have any experience with these little cubes?
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Old 11-04-2018, 11:45 AM   #4
Skoolie
 
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I guess a drawback to these systems is that the hot water heater must be REMOVED and drained COMPLETELY for the winter.


Just draining out the system isn't going to cut it. I'm guessing that is the reason my Eccotemp L5 started to leak.
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Old 11-04-2018, 12:57 PM   #5
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i've got some experience with the ecotemp and they are susceptible to breaking if allowed to freeze. There is a pressure relief valve that you need to open if you expect freezing temperatures to hit.

A water heater with a tank is generally a bad choice for an RV unless you're always plugged in. It wastes a lot of energy heating a quantity of water and keeping it hot even when you're not using it. If you get a small quantity tank, you'll lose temperature pretty fast as it drains. The 120v @ 12A consumption on that Bosch works out to almost 1500 watts, not counting substantial loss from running through an inverter. Some quick calculations suggest it would take around 10 minutes at that load to raise the water temperature by 20 degrees, pulling 125A from a 12v battery bank. but that assumes perfect efficiency through your inverter so plan on real world being closer to 200A.

Of course, If you're tethered and have AC power all the time, you can ignore all that.
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