Desirous about upgrading to a tankless water heater in your RV? Earlier than diving into the set up, there’s an vital query to think about. Are you able to really substitute your normal water heater with a tankless mannequin? The quick reply is sure. However whether or not it is a DIY job or one thing greatest left to a licensed RV technician will depend on your expertise, instruments, and a focus to element.
When you’re nonetheless weighing the execs and cons of tankless water heaters, this information will show you how to make an knowledgeable determination. We’ll stroll by what to think about earlier than beginning, define the essential set up steps, and present you the place to search out appropriate fashions and set up providers.
Key Takeaways
- Compatibility & Set up: Changing a standard RV water heater with a tankless mannequin is feasible, particularly with a retrofit equipment, however complexity varies—gas-only items are less complicated to interchange than gas-electric fashions, which can require electrical modifications greatest dealt with by professionals.
- DIY Concerns: Whereas detailed steps and gear lists are supplied for DIY set up, key duties like LP fuel and electrical work are really helpful for licensed technicians attributable to security issues and code necessities.
- Price & Assist: Tankless RV water heaters vary from $200–$700, with retrofit kits including $50–$100; Tenting World places supply knowledgeable steering, appropriate fashions, {and professional} set up providers.
Can You Set up a Tankless Water Heater in Any RV?
Theoretically, an RV tankless water heater can substitute any gas-only or fuel/electrical water heater. Nonetheless, the set up might be a lot simpler for those who discover a appropriate mannequin with a retrofit equipment. Usually, changing a gas-only conventional water heater with a tankless mannequin is simpler as a result of it gained’t require the extra rewiring or termination of the 120VAC electrical heating ingredient.
Many tankless water heater producers supply retrofit kits that make the substitute simpler. With out a type of kits, you’ll probably require the providers of a skilled RV technician.
Maybe most significantly, tankless RV water heaters depend on 12-volt DC energy and burn propane to warmth water. If changing a standard water heater with a 120-volt electrical heating ingredient, the 120VAC wiring have to be eliminated or terminated in a listed enclosure. This contains capping conductors with listed wire nuts and wrapping them in electrical tape. These further set up steps are greatest accomplished by an expert technician.
How To Set up a Tankless Water Heater in an RV
Whereas a skilled technician is greatest suited to deal with the LP and electrical set up steps required for a tankless water heater set up, we’ll define the final steps for DIYers.
Technician Tip: These steps will fluctuate primarily based on the water heater producer. Precision retrofit kits are one of the best ways to make sure the method is as protected, environment friendly, and correct as potential.
Instruments Required
Permitting for potential variance as a result of many tankless water heater producers on the market, these are the most typical instruments you’ll want for this set up:
- Wire cutters/crimping device
- 1-1/16” socket (for drain plug)
- Wrench set
- Cordless drill with Philips and/or #2 sq. bit
- Needle-nose pliers
- Plastic putty knife
- Utility knife
- Small plastic pry bar (elective)
- Small folding desk (elective)
- Electrical connectors
- Electrical tape
- Plumber’s tape
- Lap sealant
- Towels
- Foam or butyl tape
- Caulking gun
Technician Tip: A few of these instruments might come together with your water heater retrofit equipment.
Flip Off Energy and Propane
First, unplug your camper from AC energy sources (30/50 amp or 120VAC). You could additionally take away the ability cable from the destructive terminal in your RV battery to make sure no 12VDC energy is linked to the water heater.
Utterly shut the valves on high of all RV propane containers. For extra security, think about disconnecting LP containers from their pigtail connectors if finishing this set up on a towable camper. As soon as the valves are closed and/or containers are disconnected, activate a cooktop burner inside your RV to bleed as a lot LP fuel from the traces as potential. Mild a burner and let it burn till the flame dies earlier than turning the fuel off on the cooktop.
Drain Water
Use your low-point drain valves to take away water out of your RV’s plumbing system. You’ll additionally must take away the drain plug from the water heater to empty any water remaining within the tank. These strategies depend on gravity alone to take away water from the system. For a extra full technique, think about closing low-point drain valves and turning in your water pump. This pressurizes the system to assist water draining from the water heater tank.
Prep the Outdated Heater for Removing
Use a utility razor or plastic putty knife to take away the sealant across the edges of the water heater. This step requires nice care to keep away from scratching or damaging the sidewall surrounding the water heater opening.
Then, take away all screws holding the heater within the opening. There might also be foam or butyl tape holding the heater in place. A small plastic pry bar could also be useful to interrupt the bond between that tape and your RV’s sidewall.
As soon as the seal is damaged, place a small folding desk subsequent to your RV. This provides you a flat floor on which to set the water heater when you disconnect water, electrical, or LP traces.
Technician Tip: A small quantity of sealant behind the water heater’s exterior flange might maintain the LP line in place. This sealant could also be eliminated to tug the LP line out. It might even be minimize away, however watch out to not minimize the LP line, as it will likely be reused.
Disconnect Water, Propane, and Electrical
Take away the connections to the principle techniques powering your water heater’s operation. For gas-electric fashions, you have to disconnect water, propane, and all electrical connections (12V and 120VAC). For gas-only fashions, you gained’t have 120VAC electrical connections to take away.
Relying on how your RV is plumbed, you could be capable to entry the again of the water heater from inside to extra simply take away plumbing connections earlier than pulling the previous heater out of the opening. When you can’t entry the again of your water heater from inside your coach, partially slide the previous water heater out of the opening to entry the connections.
Technician Tip: Even together with your RV’s water system drained, residual water might stay in plumbing traces. Place towels under the water traces earlier than disconnecting them to take in residual water that will leak out.
Disconnect the LP line and water connections first. This may usually present further flexibility to slip the heater additional out of the opening and/or onto the desk to entry {the electrical} connections. As soon as {the electrical} wiring is disconnected, switch the heater to the desk and take away any fittings you’ll reuse for the brand new tankless water heater.
Make Any Essential Alterations
As you put together to put in the brand new tankless water heater, set it on a desk outdoors the opening. With the proper desk top, the water heater may be partially inserted into the opening to supply the elbow room wanted.
Check that your water traces attain the brand new heater’s inlet and outlet connections. Keep away from pulling on the water traces in any respect when trying these connections. It’s possible you’ll want to elongate, shorten, and/or add new fittings to keep away from stressing or kinking the water traces. The identical is true for the LP line and electrical wiring.
Technician Tip: Be aware the place of the blocking that supported the unique water heater. As a result of tankless fashions aren’t as deep as conventional designs, the blocking could also be moved to help the brand new water heater adequately.
Be aware the positions for the water, propane, and wiring connections to double-check that they are often made with out stressing any wiring or water/LP traces.
Join Water, Propane, and Electrical
Begin by connecting the fuel line and the cold and hot water traces. Relating to electrical, the primary connections might be 12VDC energy and floor. You could determine the 2 wires that equipped 12VDC energy and floor to the unique water heater.
Technician Tip: When you had a gas-electric water heater, you’ll even have a 120VAC energy provide, which have to be correctly terminated in a listed enclosure. Your new tankless water heater have to be linked to 12VDC energy (not 120VAC!), which lets you flip it on utilizing the present ‘Fuel’ swap on the management panel inside your RV.
With the brand new heater linked to propane, cold and warm water, and 12VDC energy and floor, set the heater into the opening.
Mount the Management Panel
You could additionally select the place to position the tankless heater’s management panel. Most campers choose their management panel on a rest room wall, which makes it simpler to regulate water temperature earlier than showering. Different potential places embrace a kitchen wall, any wall adjoining to the lavatory, or inside lavatory cabinetry.
Technician Tip: Putting in the management panel would require further wiring to mount it in your required location. Examine with the water heater producer on the really helpful wiring gauge if it didn’t come together with your retrofit equipment.
Most RV technicians will fish wire from their most well-liked panel mounting location again to the management panel wiring on the again of the water heater. The panel itself mounts to the wall utilizing included screws (with most kits), however it’ll probably require utilizing a utility knife to make a small incision within the wall to attach the wiring earlier than mounting the panel.
Check New Heater
Earlier than you’ll be able to operate take a look at the brand new water heater, connect with metropolis water or fill the tank and activate the water pump. Purge all air out of the system at each faucet and the low level drains one by one. Carry out an LP fuel leak take a look at (greatest completed by a licensed technician utilizing specialised instruments) utilizing soapy water on the LP fuel line connection.
After that preliminary take a look at and double-checking that every one connections are tight and unused electrical wiring is capped appropriately and insulated, restore energy and propane to the system by reconnecting the cable to your battery’s destructive terminal and opening an LP container valve. You could additionally fill your contemporary water tank or connect with metropolis water.
Then, flip the water heater on. Utilizing the wiring technique outlined, the On/Off swap on the outside of the water heater have to be On, the Fuel swap used for the unique water heater have to be on, and the management panel have to be turned on. You’ll be able to then open any sizzling water fixture and verify that the heater operates as meant.
Technician Tip: Since you bled propane out of the traces, you could must cycle the water heater a number of occasions to verify operation. Lighting the stovetop burners till they run blue and regular will pace up this course of. When you obtain an Error code on the water heater management panel, verify the proprietor’s guide for code references.
Safe Heater and Seal Edges
To finish the set up, place foam or butyl tape across the inside edges of the water heater door equipment. Place the door on the opening and safe it utilizing the screws included within the equipment. Use a caulking gun to run a bead of lap sealant across the complete fringe of the door. Use a plastic putty knife, scraper, or edging device to scrub up that bead of sealant.
Technician Tip: It might be useful to take away the outside door to run lap sealant round that edge. Keep away from closing the outside door till the lap sealant is totally dry. Closing the door earlier than it’s dry could cause it to get caught within the sealant, requiring you to take away and reseal parts so the door operates as meant.
How A lot Does it Price to Set up an RV Tankless Water Heater?
Alternative tankless water heaters for RVs often value between $200 and $700. Some fashions don’t include the outside entry door, so issue that further expense in if yours doesn’t. Moreover, a mean retrofit equipment might value between $50 and $100. When you select an expert set up service to improve your water heater, labor charges fluctuate by store and placement. As a result of tankless water heaters use a remotely mounted management panel and wiring harness, they require further set up time.
The place to Discover a Tankless Water Heater Alternative
(And Have It Put in!)
Most of the greatest RV manufacturers are making their latest fashions with tankless water heaters from producers like Suburban and Girard. When selecting a brand new tankless water heater, think about vital elements like water consumption, winterization, design, dimensions, and the price of the water heater and any required set up providers.
Retail specialists at any Tenting World location may help you discover a appropriate tankless water heater substitute in your RV. Ask a couple of retrofit equipment for those who’re changing a standard water heater with a tankless design. With the heater and retrofit equipment, our Service Division can help with the removing and substitute.
It’s also possible to discover these two gear guides to check the standards for choosing conventional vs tankless RV water heaters:
What questions do you could have about putting in a tankless water heater in an RV? Tell us within the feedback under.
