Wife's Favorite Mod

nbrandt

Of all the "stuff" I've done to this T@G, the addition of the tankless waterheater seems to rank high with my spouse.
It is attached to the side of the trailer with a "plug-in" holder.
I switched to two smaller propane tanks and therefore one of them is easily taken out of the front storage area and put on the ground at the back of the trailer. It powers the water heater and it can be split to also run the portable gas grill (a Coleman tabletop type).
The water heater is an Eccotemp L5. It has an automatic start (two D batteries), and is serviced either by regulated city water - or (because it took the check valve out of the city water plug on the trailer) it can be serviced by the tank and pump in the T@G. I compensated for removing the check valve simply by plugging the city water inlet when the water heater isn't hooked up. I built a wooden box beneath the stove to hold the water heater while traveling.
The spray nozzle of the water heater lets you take a sponge bath or wash your hair, but most importantly provides instant hot water to wash and rinse dishes.
It looks like a maze of hoses - but that cleans up a little. I merely set it all up quickly to snap a few pictures for this post - as you see below.

Michigan_Mike

Nice set-up! I have seen these before and had a buddy who used one for his portable camp set-up. He loves to cook and he was impressed with the efficiency and ability to have hot water at his campsites. I like your storage box as it makes the use of the unit very convenient, along with the mount you made.

Well done!

BBsGarage

Always amazed at the ingenuity and fabrication skills of campers.
Well Done !!

mgreen2

So you store in the wood box? Why not just add an extension hose to the LP tank up front so you don’t need 2 tanks. My T@G doesn’t use much LP gas with just the stove. Does the white connection to the water intake go straight to the sink? I’ve never used a water connection at a campground

mgreen2

What is the brand etc of the water heater?

2jgcampers

@mrgreen2 the brand's up above: The water heater is an Eccotemp L5.

nbrandt

I store the tankless water heater in the wooden box. It protects it from getting dinged up in the back of the trailer and lets me store stuff on top of the lid.
I looked really hard at a long hose, but didn't like the idea of that laying on the ground and you always end up wasting all that gas every time you hook it up, plus the smell.
I did look into trying to split the gas line at the back of the trailer to accommodate other appliances, but the guys at the gas company didn't seem to have much time for my questions nor were they really interested in helping me. So I went for two smaller tanks which are both stored up front. Either one can be lifted out. The two smaller tanks are actually easier to handle and when one goes empty I can turn to the other. It's nice to have two tanks. And as I said, I bought a splitter for the tank I put on the ground at the back and it also runs the grill. I could put a tree on it and run a lantern as well.
The white hose in the picture is the supply line to the water heater. That could be hooked up to city water. However, that short hose does hook up to the water supply connection on the trailer - which is normally only a "water in" connection. But because I took the check valve out of it, the pump in the trailer will pump water out of that connection as well and therefore supply the water heater. When I don't want to have the water heater hooked up and still want the faucet at the sink to work without spewing water out of the "fill connection" I have to put the plug I made on that water in connection - but it is easy to do. It just screws on like a garden hose.

Michigan_Mike

I think the small hot water units for the smaller teardrops are cool and it would be even cooler to have one of those units built into the trailer to avoid the setup each time at a campsite. I've seen people use a small mount for the 5-10# propane tanks which is nice too. I've had three small teardrop trailers and have to say that although I did love and enjoy each trailer, the T@B is nice too andwith the Alde heating unit it eliminates all of the prior heat issues for the interior and has a 2.5 gallon hot water tank that supplies ample hot water for dishes, hand washing, shower, etc.

Bottom line here is that regardless of the trailer that you have, people are able to adapt to what they have and make things work! All of this allows us to experience new things, adapt, overcome and attain new skill levels. Takes me back to my days as a kid out in the backyard in a pup tent, traveling up through the Rockey Mountains, tying tree limbs between trees and slapping a piece of slate down on the branches and creating a countertop out along a fast moving mountain stream. All great memories for sure!

johnny_swindle

@nbrandt

Can you explain just a little more about how you supply water heater? I understand about the check valve, but got lost about how the pump would supply the the water heater.

Johnny

"The white hose in the picture is the supply line to the water heater. That could be hooked up to city water. However, that short hose does hook up to the water supply connection on the trailer - which is normally only a "water in" connection. But because I took the check valve out of it, the pump in the trailer will pump water out of that connection as well and therefore supply the water heater. When I don't want to have the water heater hooked up and still want the faucet at the sink to work without spewing water out of the "fill connection" I have to put the plug I made on that water in connection - but it is easy to do. It just screws on like a garden hose."

DarkWing

I like the set up. I have been looking into doing the same thing myself, except for the water from the trailer to the water heater. I was going to use the "shower" hookup to supply water to the heater. That way, if I am hooked to city water or pumping from the tank, it is the same hookup.
Does anyone know what type of fitting the shower hose uses other than the hose fitting that goes to the sprayer end? The one that looks like an air compressor fitting, what end is that? That is the only thing keeping me from completing the set up.

Thanks in advance.