Day: April 23, 2024

Built In & Portable Hot Water Heater Options for Camper Vans When living on the road in a camper van or RV, hot water is one of those things that makes life feel more comfortable.  Hot water may be needed for doing dishes, showering, or washing your hands.   Depending on your road lifestyle, various hot water heaters can be utilized! For van lifers who desire on-demand and (relatively) endless hot water, a tankless hydronic heating system might be the best bet ($$$).  However, for van lifers who want hot water to do dishes but don’t shower in their camper vans, something as basic as a kettle to heat water would do the trick ($). Throughout this guide we will dig into points of consideration when choosing a hot water heater for your camper van, and then end with recommendations and their analysis across the discussed points.  Hot Water Heater Points to Consider Heating water is a tough task, for this reason, water heaters generally tend to be power or fuel hungry.  Additionally, the heated up water needs a place to stay for some time so these water heaters can need space within your camper van.  Below, we address these power and space considerations in more detail. Propane vs. Electric Powered Water Heaters In order to heat water, you need a fuel source.  There is no way around this.  For camper vans and RVs, the ideal fuel type is either electrical, propane, or coolant. Electric Hot Water Heaters A common (but power hungry) way to heat water in camper vans and RVs is with electricity.  By supplying power to a tank unit, you are able to heat water to a designated temperature.  However, units like these are extremely power hungry and you should be sure to properly size your electrical system if you plan to heat water frequently.  (Don’t worry, we have a guide for that!) Additionally, electric hot water heaters suited for camper vans are all “tank” water heaters; therefore, you are limited to the size of the water tank that is heated (see Tank Electric Water Heaters below).  There are tankless electric water heaters  but they pull so much power that you could not have an inverter that big in your camper van. Propane Hot Water Heaters Propane hot water heaters are electricity efficient as they use propane as their main source of fuel.  This type of heater is typically tankless (more on that below). Hydronic Hot Water Heaters (Coolant) Coolant fueled hot water heaters do not use much electricity.  Rather, they use heated coolant to transfer heat to water.  There are 2 methods for this: If you have an existing hydronic heating system, you can install a heat exchanger plate, and the necessary plumbing, to create this on demand hot water (see Hydronic Heaters below).  This method is energy efficient in terms of electricity but complex to install! There are also “jacket style” tank water heaters.  These have a stainless steel water tank surrounded by a jacket filled with