ANYONE HAVE A WATER HEATER / HEAT EXCHANGER INSTALLED IN THEIR FULL-SIZE?

[General Automag]

Has anyone installed a Helton or other type of water heater in their full-size truck or SUV? We're looking for installation tips and any comments about their functionality, good or bad.
We're considering installing one of the Helton or other brand heat exchangers in our full size truck for washing off after camping, hunting, fishing, and after fun days at the lake or beach. Right now we have a ZODI HOT TAP HP, and it is a VERY portable and useful unit, but we'd like something mounted to the vehicle. We're not committed to a particular brand; we just want what will work best. I'm looking for pics showing the plumbing, water tank selection and placement, and wiring. The installation seems basic enough. Cut and plumb the unit into your heater hoses, source power for the electric pump, and plumb the water hoses in some way.

http://www.helton.com.au/
http://cruiseroutfitters.com/helton.html

We saw a post somewhere that had the water line hookups right at the tailgate, and a few from under the bumper. If you have a "trick" setup that you'd like to show off, please post pics and let us know how your unit works for you. Thanks!

 

[ToolBox Guy]

Here are a few pics of my set up that I just finished. No hot water/heat exchanger, yet.

I have a diesel and they take FOREVER to get warm on cold mornings, which is probably when I would want warm water. So I voted against a heat exchanger on this truck. I will probably pump water to a Zodi unit or draw from this tank with with an Eccotemp L5 type heater.



By the way...I have a utility bed, and this unit was supposed to be mounted underneath in the stock spare tire location. But I switched to inside one of the boxes.

 

[Rubiconcruiser21]

Do you use a siphon tube feed from the fresh water thru the pump and out to spigot? Nice start up.

 

[IdaSHO]

Yeah, most diesels do take a LONG time to get heat.



Im still considering a simple coolant/heat exchanger, but with a removeable camper I need to work out the connections and weight the options of making the system that much more complicated.

Plans are simple, an adjustable flow valve, some quick release connections + small radiator + 12v DC fans. It should do great on long trips.

 

[jdinevens]

ive been eyeing up this one:

http://store.adventuretrailers.com/products/Water-Tank-Heat-Exchanger.html

but its a little expensive and i'm a little concerned with how much power it uses.

 

[ToolBox Guy]

Yes, there is a draw tube that runs down through the tank, and sits about 1/2" off the bottom.

I wish that I could draw from the bottom of the tank, but that would have meant a custom unit and those are pricey tanks.



I would like to hear results from someone if they have used a heat exchanger on a diesel.

They do take a while to heat up, making a morning shower difficult, but if you have been driving/exploring all day, that iron block (Cummins) can hold the heat for a while.

 

[Jr_Explorer]

I too looked into this. At first I was going to go for an engine/shore power water heater like these:
http://isotherm-parts.com/product-range-isotemp-waterheaters-c-4_34.html
http://www.atwoodmobile.com/water-heaters/marine-water-heaters.asp

With a mixing/tempering valve and if you plan to drive each day this set-up would be ideal.

The high end for me (having a diesel truck) would be a diesel fired unit like this: http://itrheat.com/products/the-water-heater/

Then I decided that a small tankless water heater like these would be better:
http://www.omega2000group.com/product_info.php?cPath=30&products_id=69
or the Eccotemp that others here use:
http://www.eccotemp.com/eccotemp-l5-portable-tankless-water-heater/?setCurrencyId=1

I think the tankless route is WAY cheaper as a system but has two drawbacks, 1) It's another "set-up & tear-down" item at camp and for me 2) you need to carry propane. I think I'm going propane to cook anyways so the second one really won't affect me.

 

[TheJosh]

Here is mine


http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/72802-On-Board-Hot-Water-Shower-System

 

[RussellZ]

I have one of these in my rig:

http://www.hotcampshowers.com/vehicle_mounted_shower

I have a case that carries all the hoses and has a 12V water pump mounted to the bottom of it. I just toss the pickup into a clean lake / stream or into a water jug, hook the pump outlet into one side of the exchanger and the hose with the shower head on the other. If the truck is at full operating temperature the shower is actually a little bit too hot. If I let the engine idle for a while and cool down some (it's a diesel) the temperature is perfect. It's awesome to hose yourself down after you get filthy pulling winch or something with a nice warm shower at the end of the day vs jumping into some frigid lake or river.

 

[rambrush]

I have been following the Turtle Expedition and they have been using the Espar system

http://espar.com/html/products/coolantheaters.html

http://turtleexpedition.com/across-the-usa-2013-6/