How long will my hot shower be?

[DarrellT]

We're waiting on our 2017 FC26U and are curious about how long we can expect a hot shower to be? What about hot water recovery time?

[A W Warn]

With just two of us, we have never run out of hot water. But, we do not let the water run continuously while taking a shower.

[LilBigfoot]

/\ /\ /\ /\....as above. We have the 26U and within reason, never run out of hot water. You can always turn on the propane for faster recovery time if you're on electric only.

[AWCHIEF]

I have never run out of hot water. I do not leave my hot water heater running all the time. Usually turn it on 30 minutes before shower time and turn off when finished. The tank is located right under my bed. Very annoying turning on and off. Especially at night when trying to sleep.

[LY007]

Amount of hot water no problem. Where to put it when boondocking is limiting factor.

[mpsgolf]

Never wanted to find out! We use navy shower method. Nice switch on the showe wand allows you to turn on and off. By being conservative we have never run out the 6 gallon heater either.

[rmkrum]

Never managed to train family to do Navy showers. Gave up and installed tankless water heaters at home and in AS. Peace at last.


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[dkottum]

We both learned Navy Showers in Boot Camp, which can be handy when boondocking. As mentioned above, it's not about running out of water, it's about storing used water.

[m.hony]

It lasts long enough.
If you have full hookups and have your gray tank valve (auxiliary) open you can stand in there 20-30 minutes like at home and never run out of hot water.
The reason for Navy showers is to not fill your gray tank and be standing ankle deep in dirty bath water.


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[BAB]

Two Airstreams (2012/2015) one 28', one 30'. Never, ever have I run out of hot water taking a shower.

[banderabob]

Wasn't in the service so don't know about the navy shower. I'm in and out of the shower in three minutes and use less than 2 gallons of water. As stated earlier, I also don't leave the heater on all the time. Turn it on maybe 30 minutes before needed, then off till needed again. Have never run out of hot.

[Ray Eklund]

Originally Posted by DarrellT

We're waiting on our 2017 FC26U and are curious about how long we can expect a hot shower to be? What about hot water recovery time?

******

Probably we all need to clear up some definitions in order to answer correctly.

- At an RV Park with hookups... two can shower without running the hot water tank to city water system temperature. More than two, it is a learning experience to moderate your use. At home, maybe twenty gallons is a short shower and running the hot water until it arrives to the shower head uses water. When you have a 50 to 100 gallon hot water tank at home... think 6 gallons in your trailer's hot water tank.

Once your mind computes 6 gallons in the trailer and 50 gallons at home, you should understand.

- Camped Off the Grid... fresh water is a valuable commodity. How you cleanse yourself is your business and problem to solve.

Run out of fresh water, you need to refill the trailer's tank by towing to a water source, or bring five gallon jugs to the trailer and pouring into the fresh water tank.

Your grey and black water tanks may flow to the easiest exit inside your trailer if your mathematics is off by thirty gallons or more!

Think how homesteaders had to navigate through their limited options in the 19th and early 20th Century. We are so 'jaded' to turn a handle on a water line and water emerges. When it does not for a day or a week... only then the RV versus Off the Grid options become very clear.

We used hot water off the wood burning stove and poured into a galvanized tub for us kids to scrub up for school.

When we need hot water, which we can easily do on our propane cook top burner, for a shower, the cold water in the system is added to the dog's water jug. Again... we may be in the Mohave Desert and no water for 50 miles or more.

RV Park... shower day and night, every day if you desire. Use all the propane in your two tanks.

Off the Grid... you had better take notes of several previous posts if you plan to camp Off the Grid without easy access to water. I would use my IPA bottled beer to wash myself, than fresh water from our trailer... but may cry in the process.

If we are heading into town and have ample water in the fresh water tank... ding, ding, ding... hot showers for all, but only then.

My relatives. They want to shower all of the time. Their hair must be perfect. They would even want a generator to operate a blow drier. I have no disagreement in their 'standards'... they can travel in whatever style they want, but leave me out of it. Need water... wait for it to rain. It is soft water.

[2012FB]

We only stay in parks with full hookups and consider it an extension of our house and lifestyle. On the 2012 25FB installed a RV500 after first use (first cold shower). On the 2015 Bunk installed a RV550 before first use. Tankless hot water should come standard or at least as an option. On the Bunk model the hot water tank is opposite side of the trailer from point of use. When cold out you run a lot of water thru before it gets really hot.


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[rmkrum]

Amen to tankless. Wife won't use the AS without it....have one at home as well. Paid for it the first time she used it and did not run out of hot water.


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[Piggy Bank]

We were camping with our 2 adults daughters along last month, in Yellowstone with no hookups. We were there for several days, in our Sport with its 20 gallon fresh tank and 22 gallon gray tank.

We explained to the daughters to turn off the water while "washing" to conserve water. No one ran out of hot water, even with washing hair. We did have to empty the gray tank daily and top off the fresh tank daily but this was really not a big deal. Actually we found that emptying the gray right after someone showered was the best time, as the water was not every sitting in the tank very long. Draining into the blue boy was fairly simple and it was easy to dump out.

But the hot water heater works very well.

[DarrellT]

Thanks all!

[m.hony]

The refresh rate is really fast, too.


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