Opportunity to upgrade after a bonehead move

[CZPQ]

So - Mia culpa - I neglected to drain the hot water tank on our 2015 Bambi 16 sport before a deep freeze and it burst. I lucky had gotten through winterizing the rest, but missed that. SO. I am interested in your suggestions for an upgrade instead of replacing with the OE water heater, or is the OE Atwood still a good choice?

thanks in advance for your input.

[Lumatic]

Tankless on demand heater?

[rmkrum]

I replaced the Atwood with a PrecisionTemp tankless. Easy swap.

Wife loves long hot showers, and this delivers.


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[mimiandrews]

I also have a Precision Temp 500. I'm glad I installed it every time I take a shower in the trailer, and also every time I do several months of camping before I have to fill a propane bottle.

[2012FB]

I put an RV500 in the 2012 25FB and just loved it! You do have to open the wall a bit to fit. The RV500 was great. I put an RV550 in our 2015 Bunk before we took our first trip. The RV550 is a big disappointment. You have to constantly adjust the external temp control depending on outside temps. We also could not get it to adjust to lower temps when showering until I called Precision Temp and complained. They said to turn the sink hot water on to a pencil size stream which allows us to regulate the temps pretty good. I was offered to test a new pre-production unit that is supposed to be more like the old RV500 but decided the sink on trick worked well enough. I would not trailer without an instant on constant hot water system. Check with Precision Temp and make sure you get the latest model not an RV550. You will love it.


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[slowmover]

Aren't those propane only?

[Piggy Bank]

Unless you routinely camp with full hookups (including sewer) I think you would be best served by simple replacement.

Your AS has the smallest capacity waste holding tanks of any model. So unless you have the ability to drain more, and easily, there would be no advantage to limitless hot water.

[tjdonahoe]

Nothing wrong with the original...

[2012FB]

The RV500 series is gas only but it is very efficient. It also makes winterizing a breeze as you don't have to fool with draining the tank every time!! I just pump antifreeze thru and since I do this 3-4 times a year it makes a big difference for me. My wife and I bought the Airstream as an extension to our home life style. We don't boondock except for an occasional overnight stay at Walmart if an RV Park is not available. We both wake up and shower one after the other enjoying a nice hot and often long shower. When our 16 year old is along he does the same. All Airstreams should come this way especially the Bunk model. But then it only came with one single towel rack in the shower. Go figure.


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[cwf]

Run original with electric and boost with propane for high consumption and it works great. Shut off the propane switch for normal use.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by cwf

Run original with electric and boost with propane for high consumption and it works great. Shut off the propane switch for normal use.

The standard formula for fifty years.

[Nuvite-F]

Originally Posted by CZPQ

So - Mia culpa - I neglected to drain the hot water tank on our 2015 Bambi 16 sport before a deep freeze and it burst. I lucky had gotten through winterizing the rest, but missed that. SO. I am interested in your suggestions for an upgrade instead of replacing with the OE water heater, or is the OE Atwood still a good choice?

thanks in advance for your input.

Was your original equipment Attwood dual mode - gas or electric - or just gas? Easiest to replace with original equipment since it won't require mechanical modifications, but I would upgrade to gas-electric model if the original was gas only.

[DavidsonOverlander]

Originally Posted by CZPQ

So - Mia culpa - I neglected to drain the hot water tank on our 2015 Bambi 16 sport before a deep freeze and it burst. I lucky had gotten through winterizing the rest, but missed that. SO. I am interested in your suggestions for an upgrade instead of replacing with the OE water heater, or is the OE Atwood still a good choice?

thanks in advance for your input.

I did the same thing this winter! I think I got interrupted part way through winterizing and didn't realize until we'd had a few days well below freezing that I had missed doing the water heater. I drained it on a mild day and haven't had a chance to check for damage, but I suspect it's toast.

[robert claus]

The std hot water tank holds six gallons of water. The tankless Precision only holds a pint or so. That's six gallons or water storage you are giving up, and you don't have that much to start with. I would replace with the same you have.

[n2916s]

You know, not long ago I made the "your losing six gallons of storage" argument and it was pointed out to me that I was mistaken. Sure, there is six gallons of water in the hot water tank, but you can't use it (well, I guess you could drain it into a bucket) because the water pump is upstream.

If you think about it...