Tank to tankless water heater

[swamphunter]

Hello,
I am hoping someone can help me,
I have 275 gallon tank that gravity feeds my water pump which is plumbed like a typical house . one line to water heater then on to fixtures and one cold water line to fixtures. I only have a toilet, shower and outside sink .
My problem is really 2 fold - 1 I have to turn the pump on and off when using water because the pump over pressures the system and something breaks.
how can I make some kind of pressure relief or by pass to keep from having to turn the pump on/off while taking a shower or washing dishes.

# 2 is my water heater is showing its age and puts a load on my generator while heating up .
I only run the generator at night and only use the water heater for shower and to wash a few dishes. which I try to do at one time.

I am looking into changing to a propane tankless water heater , but I have no idea what size, brand , inside or outdoor and how to hook it up.

[rffffffff]

Gonna need more info. what kind of pump are you using? The pump I have, a shurflo 4008 (I think) has pressure adjustments so it turns off when it gets to the right spot. If it's a simpler pump you can use a pressure sensor that kills power when it hits a specific spot but it's usually unnecessary.

Tankless propane heaters are a broad category. I was going to go with takagi, as most of the lower end models without a variable flame are annoying to use from what I have read. I ended up going with a 6 gallon RV storage propane unit and it works great for me. They make larger ones but if you only use hot water once a day they're cheap, relatively easy to install without an exhaust pipe and don't eat that much propane, especially if you leave it off most of the time.

[swamphunter]

The pump is a 1/2hp direct drive impeller pump with 1"inlet and outlet, there is no kind of setting or adjustments on it .

I am thinking tankless to free up some floor space and to take some of the load off my generator . I have the room to mount a tankless to the back wall of the bus next to the exit door , currently the water heater sits in front of the door .

[ol trunt]

Unless you are planning to use your bus as a part time fire truck I'd recommend tearing out all that over size plumbing and designing a needs related system with the components exactly where you want/need them.
Jack

[rffffffff]

I think you need one of these:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/ProPlumber-...Switch/1019059

There are different kinds and I would try to find an adjustable version but I’ll turn the pump off at 60psi so nothing breaks.

If you’re set on the on demand heater look into takagi. Hopefully others will chime in on what works for them!

[swamphunter]

I never thought about using a pressure switch like that , I've changed that a few times on my home well system.

The tankless Ive looked at on line have a hand held shower , I'm guessing I'd still be able to connect that type of tankless water heater to my hot water piping .

[swamphunter]

I am planning on changing that pump and reusing it for a transfer pump to fill my water tank .

[rffffffff]

If you’re gonna change the pump anyway look at this one, it’s what I use and are pretty good on my experience, and then you don’t need the pressure switch.

https://www.pentair.com/en-us/produc...pass-pump.html

Really be careful and read about the hot water heaters. A lot of them really suck but are really cheap, and most of them don’t get good reviews at all.

This is what I was going to use: https://www.supplyhouse.com/Takagi-T...-6-6-GPM-NG-LP

It’s not the cheapest and you have to buy lots of fittings and chimney pipe and **** but they’re good units.

[swamphunter]

I bought the bus a few years ago and have used it for a hunting camp, I haven't really fooled with the plumbing , except for replacing the shower P- trap and toilet when we broke them taking it off the trailer when we moved it.
but as with everything, things are starting to break down, so if I have to fix it, I might as well improve it.
id really like to hear more opinions on the tankless water heaters , I can probably drain and flush my current water heater , replace the element and get a few more years out of it.

[Dhoug]

Truma is the best RV waterheater available. I put my 2nd one in my 2nd RV yesterday. As for the pump, Shurflo 3gpm has a pressure switch that shuts it off. nearly all piping in RV's is 1/2" pex. cheap and readily available at Lowes. Your pressure should be in the 60ish psi.

[Bon Voyage]

I bought one from a company called Girard. It fits in the hole for a traditional 6 gallon rv water heater so it’s easy set up if you already have a regular rv tank. It seems good quality and hasn’t given me any problems in 2 years I’ve had it. It has a remote with a long cord so you can adjust the temperature from a convenient location.

Personally though I’ve come to dislike tankless heaters since owning the one. Just problems with tankless in general like taking longer to get hot water so you’re running more water down the drain (especially if you just want to wash your hands) and draining the fresh supply. And if somebody turns on water from another tap the temperature will drop then get too hot for a few moments which is fine unless you’re in the shower. I’d go back to a tank if I could.

And most rv water pumps will switch off before the pressure gets high. It kinda sounds like that might solve your problem unless you have bad water lines.

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon...._AC_SX679_.jpg

[rffffffff]

Originally Posted by Dhoug

Truma is the best RV waterheater available. I put my 2nd one in my 2nd RV yesterday. As for the pump, Shurflo 3gpm has a pressure switch that shuts it off. nearly all piping in RV's is 1/2" pex. cheap and readily available at Lowes. Your pressure should be in the 60ish psi.

How much are those Truma units and where do you get them from? They look great but not much info online.

[swamphunter]

Thanks for the info .
my water lines are pvc and go from 1 inch to half inch the hot water lines are CPVC all 1/2" .
I think this summers project will be replumbing the whole set up .