Eccotemp water heater on trailer

[DonBeasley]

http://www.tractorsupply.com/fimco-15-gallon-spot-sprayer-2138134


Here is a 15 gal sprayer with a 1.0 gpm pump for $89. Seems that all I need to do is adapt for quick disconnect for kitchen head or to plumb to hot water unit. Am I making this too simple?

 

[spressomon]

Great info guys. Pictures would be good as well. You are convincing me to buy the L5. Anyone hooked it to a spray rig that you can buy at a farm and ranch store? These usually have a 16-25 gal tank on them and the pump is already hooked up. I am thinking of replacing my three 7gal water jugs with one as it will fit in my M416. Also anyone used a small accumulator on the outflow line to minimize pump cycle?

Again Thanks.

From a couple years ago...http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...olume-sprayer-shower-head?p=652275#post652275

 

[Woods]

I'm splitting hairs here - but here are my thoughts. I fight for every square inch of storage space in my trailer. A square tank offers a little more efficient use of space. If you plan to drink the water from the faucet, you'll want to verify with the manufacturer, which components are recommended for drinking water, pump, hose and tank. Otherwise this offers a very good value.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/fimco-15-gallon-spot-sprayer-2138134


Here is a 15 gal sprayer with a 1.0 gpm pump for $89. Seems that all I need to do is adapt for quick disconnect for kitchen head or to plumb to hot water unit. Am I making this too simple?

 

[DonBeasley]

Talked to Fimco just a little while ago. Their official response is "there is nothing in the system that will hurt you, but we did not market it as a water supply system".

I am thinking all is OK for drinking and mostly it will be used for dishes and showers as I usually carry another 14 gals for drinking in back of jeep or Tacoma.

Not yet sure how that will work with the Eccotemp L5

 

[Titanpat57]

I always carry my drinking water separate..I use the Forerunner cans with the spigots at the bottom from Equipt....10 gals last a long time.

I think those spray/tank/ pump combos are nice...but not sure if 1 gpm is enough to power the unit

 

[DonBeasley]

OK I bit the bullet and ordered the L5, pump and filter. It should be here next week. I am holding off on a larger tank and sticking with the three 7gal. plastic tanks I carry now.

When it gets here I am going to set it up at the house and start testing it out. Will do a few overnight camping trips to test as well. I will report back on problems. I hear that it has a habit of going out in windy conditions. I am going to figure out a wind block of some type for the unit.

 

[FrankMay]

water heater troubleshooting

This is why many hot water heating units really need to be managed and routinely checked for probable seeping. It's very helpful to inspect the many connectors plus valves. Simple deterring maintenance in this way might save you from substantial replacement unit costs. Do not forget that hot water heaters get constrained lifetimes. Possibly your tank is currently rusted and is exactly why of this seeping heater. Whenever that may be the way it is then this hot water heater should be replaced.

 

[/dev/ram]

...so I experimented by drilling a different hole diameter in a penny until I got to the least amount of flow the pump would handle (used up about 10 cents worth for my experiment :coffeedrink

Well, must picked up the L5, 3.8 gal sureflo, and accumulator. Just mocking it up at this point to see how it works, get a feel for the size of things, how to plumb for trailer, etc.

On a test, it really cranks thru the water! Can you share what size hole you ended up drilling?

 

[Heavyopp]

So what's the best place to order the L5, the pump, and the filter?

 

[webdog]

Are any of you guys permanently mounting the heater in a trailer? I really want to figure out a way to have mine mounted inside maybe the tongue box so its always ready to go by turing the gas and power on.

 

[Woods]

If you get a chance to test the system without the accumulator, I'd be interested to find out the difference. Also, if you plan to run any water other than tap, you may want to add a strainer.

Well, must picked up the L5, 3.8 gal sureflo, and accumulator. Just mocking it up at this point to see how it works, get a feel for the size of things, how to plumb for trailer, etc.

On a test, it really cranks thru the water! Can you share what size hole you ended up drilling?

 

[Woods]

I like your thinking. I have to hook the water and gas up every time. Given my configuration I didn't have much of a choice. One tip I have though. Keep all hoses, after the heater, as short as possible.

Are any of you guys permanently mounting the heater in a trailer? I really want to figure out a way to have mine mounted inside maybe the tongue box so its always ready to go by turing the gas and power on.

 

[webdog]

I like your thinking. I have to hook the water and gas up every time. Given my configuration I didn't have much of a choice. One tip I have though. Keep all hoses, after the heater, as short as possible.

Well I am planning on having the slide out kitchen on the front side right behind the tongue box, and the shower hut on the other side of the trailer. So I could probably make both the hot lines less than 6 ft.

When In use I would just prop the lid open to let air in and exhaust out.

I am just about ready to pull the trigger on a 30 gallon water tank and then order the heater.

 

[Woods]

Looking forward to seeing the kitchen. Do you have a build thread? Linky?

I think I've got my system down to about 1 gpm. It's enough to keep the heater lit as well as take a shower. I end up filling a folding sink with hot water for dishes then quick rinse with the sink faucet. I've got the campchef version and it looks like you can get away with a lower flow with the eccotemp. To keep good pressure on my shower head/faucet - there are three rows of holes around the faucet where the water comes out. I Plugged the middle row of holes with epoxy. This increased the pressure but reduced the flow. It works just bout perfect. You can sorta get an idea of flow from this video: (can skip to minute 3)

Well I am planning on having the slide out kitchen on the front side right behind the tongue box, and the shower hut on the other side of the trailer. So I could probably make both the hot lines less than 6 ft.

When In use I would just prop the lid open to let air in and exhaust out.

I am just about ready to pull the trigger on a 30 gallon water tank and then order the heater.

 

[webdog]

Oh yea I have seen your awesome kitchen before, I have drooled over my laptop because of it a few times...

Here is my build thread http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/81226-Offroad-Camping-Trailer-V2-0