[Janus9]

I'm doing this with my van:

MY $300 DIY 12-VOLT CAMPERVAN HOT WATER HEATER

We've gathered the best 12 volt campervan hot water heater systems for camper vans, RV's, and expedition trucks. Including a DIY version for less than $300!

www.outsidenomad.com

Rheem 6 gallon and change the heating element from 120v to 12v. This will be run via Yeti 3000x

How long does it usually take on average to heat the water from cold to hot?

 

[webtravelver1200]

I have all the parts but have not reached that part of the Install yet

 

[Janus9]

I have all the parts but have not reached that part of the Install yet

Here is a 4g at home depot that is shaped a little more efficient. I don’t know if it takes a standard 1” npt heating element though being that it is made in Germany.

Stiebel Eltron SHC 4 Gal. 6-Year Warranty 1300 W Compact Point-of-Use Mini-Tank Electric Water Heater SHC 4 - The Home Depot

Stiebel Eltron SHC Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater is suitable for hand washing or kitchen applications. UL and CSA listed product.

www.homedepot.com

 

[Sputnik378]

I'm doing this with my van:

MY $300 DIY 12-VOLT CAMPERVAN HOT WATER HEATER

We've gathered the best 12 volt campervan hot water heater systems for camper vans, RV's, and expedition trucks. Including a DIY version for less than $300!

www.outsidenomad.com

Rheem 6 gallon and change the heating element from 120v to 12v. This will be run via Yeti 3000x

I have been contemplating just this type of thing lately...

This guy uses the dump load off his solar when they are at 100% to heat his water at the tap. Kind of an interesting idea.

 

[tngw1500se]

I like the idea of heating the water off the engine but if in a campground, the people next door will not be happy.

 

[ArgonautVans]

That’s why A: the heaters are heavily insulated so they retain hot water for a day or more - B: idling a car is not that obnoxious, especially compared to most generators. C: the isotemps have a 750W electric heating element to use if you don’t want to run the engine

 

[guscrea]

Wonder if anyone has thoughts on externally-vented propane heaters.

Specifically, @Muggydude's OP only included non-vented, tankless propane hot water heaters, but another class of propane water heaters are vented models that exhaust outside of the vehicle through a cut-out. (I realize many folks prefer to avoid vented models to maintain "stealth" but I'm not concerned about this.)

I'm especially interested in folks' experiences with:

1. Suburban Advantage Tankless propane heaters that exhaust to the outside of the vehicle, as seen here:
Suburban's On Demand (Tankless) Gas RV Water Heater | Airxcel
It seems as though these heaters might be able to be mounted in such a way that only the exhaust plate would exit the van - but I'm not 100% sure. [Edit: yeah, they can be mounted this way!]

2. Suburban Direct Spark Ignition Tank propane heater - I'd likely opt for a 6 gallon model with an electric heating element for back-up/use with shore power or an inverter.
Combinations Gas/Electric with 12V Relay Water Heater
These heaters have been around for years and seem to be an industry leader. A notable feature is a porcelainized steel tank with an anode to avoid tank corrosion - Suburban sells this as a strong point, but some folks suggest it’s not. (Porcelain cracks in time, then rust, etc.) These units also mount through the side of the van and require a 12.75" cx 12.75" cutout.

3. Dometic Direct Spark Ignition Tank propane water heater - I'd likely opt for the Dometic WH-6GEA or similar, which, like the Suburban above, is 6 gallons and includes an electric heating element for back-up/use with shore power or an inverter.
Dometic WH-6GEA - 6 Gal Water Heater - Gas/Electric
Note that these seem to be new models - I cannot find any reviews anywhere online - that update the Atwood heaters briefly produced under both the Dometic and the Atwood brands after Dometic acquired Atwood a few years back. A notable feature is an aluminum tank without an anode. Like the Suburban heaters, these units require a 12.75" cx 12.75" cutout.

Any thoughts or experiences with any of these units would be most appreaciated. Experiences with older Atwood models welcome too, or other brands of similar-style heaters (propane, externally-vented).

Thanks to all - this forum has provided an invaluable resource as I've moved ahead with my build!

 

[Dman]

@guscrea I have no personal experience but my friend has a Dometic/Atwood vented unit in his camper and it seems to work fine. But it’s pretty loud ... enough to sometimes wake me up even if our rigs are camped 100 feet apart which we usually do.

 

[guscrea]

@guscrea I have no personal experience but my friend has a Dometic/Atwood vented unit in his camper and it seems to work fine. But it’s pretty loud ... enough to sometimes wake me up even if our rigs are camped 100 feet apart which we usually do.

Thanks! That’s good to know. Would love to hear about anyone’s experience with the tankless Suburban model, and the new Dometic model. But good to know that the older ones are noisy - the new one probably is too!

 

[Dman]

Thanks! That’s good to know. Would love to hear about anyone’s experience with the tankless Suburban model, and the new Dometic model. But good to know that the older ones are noisy - the new one probably is too!

Just to be clear, it’s a lot quieter than a generator. Which neither of us have.

 

[jsteimy]

We have been using the Rixen Hydronic system for a year and it works quite well for us. We like the speed at which it heats up, the fact that we don't need a separate fuel source, it also has an electric heating element for when you are connected to an outside power source and we get hot air as well as hot water. We have never had an issue with it and would order again if we were getting a new van.

Thanks for the post. Did you utilize the Rixen engine coolant system/capability? I purchased it, but would like to see some pictures of an install. Conceptually, it is not that complex, but I always want to avoid re-inventing the wheel if I can. Also, part numbers from Ford to tap into the existing heater hoses could be a big help. How long of a coolant run to the Rixen single wall heat exchanger?
All the best!

 

[RoninTech]

I have been contemplating just this type of thing lately...

This guy uses the dump load off his solar when they are at 100% to heat his water at the tap. Kind of an interesting idea.

I have the same electrodacus SBMS0 that can divert solar panel output to an external load like a DC water heater when the house batteries are full. I also plan to use a Rheem hot water tank and swap out the AC element for a DC one.

 

[peterbhere]

Thanks for the post. Did you utilize the Rixen engine coolant system/capability? I purchased it, but would like to see some pictures of an install. Conceptually, it is not that complex, but I always want to avoid re-inventing the wheel if I can. Also, part numbers from Ford to tap into the existing heater hoses could be a big help. How long of a coolant run to the Rixen single wall heat exchanger?
All the best!

Our system does not tie in to the engine coolant system so am unable to answer your questions. Ours is a closed loop system. Rixen is a great company to deal with and they have always been very responsive to my idiot-level questions. For your reference here is some info on the design of my system:

 

[Dman]

We just got back from our first trip in the 2.0 version of our Transit, which we used for 6 months with a very basic home-built setup. In that, we used the cheap and reliable DIY hardware store sprayer painted black as our hot water system. In our new setup, which we had fully converted by a local outfitter, we have the Rixen’s with both gasoline heater and engine coolant heating. We took a two-night outing camping at around 7000’ above sea level. It was too warm to use the heater at night, but the furnace fired up within seconds and the hot water was quick when the engine was cold, and almost instant when the engine was still warm. I didn’t install it, but our outfitter tee’ed into a coolant line that is very visible under the hood; I didn’t order the Ford aux heater package. Overall, between the performance (we did test the cabin heating function), the apparent quality of the HW components, and the ease of use of the control panel, so far we’re very happy with the Rixen’s … though it’s not cheap.

 

[Dman]

Oh, one more comment to add to the above post. Our system has a single integrated control panel and LCD display for all of the Rixen’s functions … cabin heating, water heater, fan speed, thermostat setting, etc. Clean and easy to use.

 

[jsteimy]

Thank you for the post. Can you provide some pictures of the "tee’ed" in section and the hose run? Do you have the ecoboost engine? Do you have a 148 or 148 extended? What is the mounting location of the external heat exchanger? How far of a run is it? Did they need to add an addition pump for the loop?

Sorry so many rapid fire questions and thanks again for posting!

 

[Dman]

Thank you for the post. Can you provide some pictures of the "tee’ed" in section and the hose run? Do you have the ecoboost engine? Do you have a 148 or 148 extended? What is the mounting location of the external heat exchanger? How far of a run is it? Did they need to add an addition pump for the loop?

Sorry so many rapid fire questions and thanks again for posting!

I don’t have access to the van now so can’t look at it or take pictures. Engine is EcoBoost, non-extended 148, no additional pump. The lines T into a heater (?) hose, maybe 3/4-1” diameter that’s visible and accessible above the engine a little to the driver’s side, near the top of that side cam cover. External heat exchanger is under the van, between the engine water pump and internal heater location, a bit closer to the rear. No extra pump needed based on my installer’s experience. Empirical observations: drove 500+ miles since installation in ambient temps up to 95° F. Crossed Sierra crest twice (over 7K feet). Vehicle operating temp never budged above normal. At camp with engine coolant heating, had instant very hot water. After cooling down, furnace lit within seconds of turning it on and both heated air and hot water were available in two minutes. Furnace (under van) is very quiet … usually I had to step outside and bend down to know it was running.

 

[Mauronic]

Oh, one more comment to add to the above post. Our system has a single integrated control panel and LCD display for all of the Rixen’s functions … cabin heating, water heater, fan speed, thermostat setting, etc. Clean and easy to use.

Could you share more information about the control panel? I didn’t see anything like that on Rixens’ website.

I’m also curious about install pictures. 🙂

 

[Dman]

Could you share more information about the control panel? I didn’t see anything like that on Rixens’ website.

I’m also curious about install pictures. 🙂

I’m traveling with limited cell coverage and time. Will try to update when I can. So far it’s working great including at 9000’ elevation.

 

[Dman]

Could you share more information about the control panel? I didn’t see anything like that on Rixens’ website.

I’m also curious about install pictures. 🙂

Here you go. It’s not on now but the small square LCD in the center shows on/off status, thermostat set point and ambient temp. I assume the ambient sensor is in the control panel. The lower section activates water heating from the furnace, engine coolant or both. The installation is pretty well hidden and I didn’t do it, so can’t tell you much about the details. The furnace and engine coolant heat exchanger are under the van ahead of the passenger side rear wheel.