mounting propane water heater under bus?

[junebus]

We've got an L5 Eccotemp propane water heater and are strongly considering mounting it under the bus to avoid having to cut holes for venting on the inside and save precious indoor space.

I tried searching to see if anyone has done this but couldn't find any specific threads... so if you know of one feel free to just link it and I can read through the comments. Otherwise I'm hoping for some advice from someone who has done this? Thoughts? is it safe? how did you protect the heater and lines from road debris while keeping it vented down there? Your help is appreciated.

[CompLexxx]

Haven't done it, but my guess is it can be done only if you live in a warm climate year around and the system can be protected from rocks/debris. Otherwise I don't see why not.

[Rucker]

Originally Posted by junebus

We've got an L5 Eccotemp propane water heater and are strongly considering mounting it under the bus to avoid having to cut holes for venting on the inside and save precious indoor space.

I tried searching to see if anyone has done this but couldn't find any specific threads... so if you know of one feel free to just link it and I can read through the comments. Otherwise I'm hoping for some advice from someone who has done this? Thoughts? is it safe? how did you protect the heater and lines from road debris while keeping it vented down there? Your help is appreciated.

I'm not sure what it would look like under the bus. It's pretty tall, isn't it? And you'd still have to vent the combustion gases to the side?

I kind of like having my Camplux (same thing different vendor) inside the bus where I can see it in operation. It also helped with troubleshooting and simplifying the plumbing-I wanted very short runs to the shower and sinks.

I have a shuttle bus with those little slider windows at the top of each big window. When I did the layout I aligned the heater and vent pipe so it sticks out that window when we're stationary. No penetration needed. Can you do something similar?

[A_Bus_Called_Quest]

I would definitely worry about debris getting inside the unit, also wind blowing out your heater in-use.
We vented our gasland WH through the wall and it is totally fine. It was nothing after the other 7 holes we had to cut for plumbing, toilets, propane etc. Just paint and seal the holes properly and it is fine

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

put it in own compartment sealed from road debris.
a vent for fresh air in to at least minimum requirement by manufacturers (150 cfm?)
if used while driving its a whole different idea and setup.
some bullet points have been brought up.
but exhaust is more important than fresh air.
exhaust gets rid of any un burnt fuel.
combustion air/ air intake is what the heater/burner wants as intake air.
alot of variables with what unit you have or want to use.
kind of like do you want it to work on the road or just want it to work when you get there.
if working going down the road ?
what type or orientation of flame guard ?
what type of gas regulator will you be using?
if you use one with a vent limiting device it can not be mounted vertical by international code and but every code book is based off of that with each states specific ammendments

[junebus]

Thanks everyone for your input. We've yet to get the hot water and heater plumbed in but will take a look at measurements soon to see if we have enough clearance down there. If not may try the inside-exhaust out window method.

We won't be using it while driving, only stationary I assume. If we put it outside we may build some sort of box around it with venting for protection from road debris.

I appreciate your responses! So thankful for this site!