Report on Marey On Demand Tankless Hot Water Heater

[Collapso]

As promised, here is a report on my experience with the Marey tankless, on-demand hot water heater.
I decided to use the Marey 5L water heater in my '54 Safari after an expensive, budget breaking restoration pretty well depleted my funds (despite the fact that I did all the work myself!).
I paid about $150 for the unit. The water heater is small,about 20" x 14", thin, has an attractive white enameled sheet metal case and mounts easily, out of the way, to a wall. Allow sufficient air space between heater and wall. The hookups are easy, cold - in, hot - out, and LP gas. I used flexible braided water lines and copper line for the gas.
Three controls, lo - hi gas, lo - hi water flo, and summer - winter heat settings are set to theuser's tastes. I found that the winter, hi gas, medium water flow worked best.
Unit really does need some warm up time, 10-15 seconds, and produces a "water sandwich" at first (hot with cold in between). Things quickly stabliize out and The Marey gave us nice, even hot showers and dish washing water. At no point was I able to adjust the temperature to a point where it would be uncomfortably hot. This might not sit well with folks desiring extra hot water, perhaps for washing machines,
The on-demand feature functioned very well. It uses two "D" batteries which provide the ignition for lighting the gas. You'll hear a series of fast '"clicking" then the quiet huff of ignition. The blue flame grid is visible thru a narrow peep slot in the center of the case front.
Included with the heater was a shower hose with shower head attached. This worked very well. I chose to use a a splitter and two separate control valves, one for the shower alone, the other for the bathroom and kitchen sinks.
The unit must be vented . I constructed a three inch diameter pipe from riveted aluminum flashing which leads thru the roof to a small chimney cap.
We used this water heater all week and it performed well with absolutely no problems. The surrounding space did not get too hot, either. It's not a bad idea to leave the bathroom window open as it shouldn't be used in a confined space without proper ventilation.
All in all, an unbeatable water heater for the money

[vintagecaryn]

I LOVE this! We have this type of water heater at home an it is fantastic for all 14 of us! I must have one, now to build the bathroom around it as I do not have one in my trailer I did not know how to save this thread so I commented. I still love the idea and will find a way to use it! one needs to be relatively civilized in the boonies, and if not that clean is good.

[idroba]

Thanks for the excellent report. I have been wanting one to play around with, this may have pushed me over the edge. I love to experiment with stuff like this.

[HiHoAgRV]

Any chance of getting some photos of your install?

[Collapso]

Four months later, heater working fine but not producing water as hot as before. Water is comfortably warm but not hot enough burn your hand and it doesn't need to be mixed with cold. I am going to check for a temperature adjustment control and report back.
Having some problems uploading pictures but will keep trying.[ATTACH][ATTACH][ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[Hoonanea]

The ground water is probably colder now where you are than it was 4 months ago. This will make it harder to get the water as hot. There's probably nothing wrong with the heater or temperature controls. It's just part of the charm of demand water heaters like this.