Brrrr...tankless water heater = cold showers?

[Kungaloosh]

We are on the maiden voyage in our 2021 28 RB twin FC. We expected cold weather at the Grand Canyon but maybe not this cold! While the trip is going really well, we are having one problem. Our Gerard tankless water heater is failing to deliver water over about 75 degrees (at least that’s what the display says but it sure feels colder!) We did not have this problem at home in California or in Kingman AZ, but temperatures were not in the mid twenties at night and upper thirties in the day. Are we doing something wrong or is it just too cold? We have to unhook from city water every sundown, so we’ve solely been using the fresh water tank.

Other than cold showers we are having a wonderful time and our new Airstream has exceeded our expectations!

Any advice would be appreciated. I’d love to wash my hair!

[Ginophiles]

Sounds fun Kungaloosh! Except for the shower. Just spitballing, but we had a very similar incident in our previous trailer. It wasn't an AS and it didn't have the on demand water heater, but...Turns out it was a winterizing valve that had been left part way open from the factory. It allows you to flush the whole system with anti-freeze. As it was still open it also allowed the hot water from the heater to mix with the cold water before it got to the shower. Luke warm showers on a cold rainy day. Might be worth a look.

[NeonFlamingo]

We have a 2021 16RB with the same tankless setup. I'm not sold on it yet for a host of reasons, but I can say that ours performed just fine (heating to our set point of 110 or so) on a February trip with similar temps. So just as a reference point it certainly *should* be capable of operating in those conditions.

[Kungaloosh]

Thank you for your responses. I’ll have my husband look at the winterizing issue. If that’s not it, back to the dealer before she goes out this summer!

[Tomzstream]

What is the temp of the cold water coming out of your Fresh Tank? A tankless heater will only add a certain incremental margin to that.

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by Kungaloosh

We are on the maiden voyage in our 2021 28 RB twin FC. We expected cold weather at the Grand Canyon but maybe not this cold! While the trip is going really well, we are having one problem. Our Gerard tankless water heater is failing to deliver water over about 75 degrees (at least that’s what the display says but it sure feels colder!) We did not have this problem at home in California or in Kingman AZ, but temperatures were not in the mid twenties at night and upper thirties in the day. Are we doing something wrong or is it just too cold? We have to unhook from city water every sundown, so we’ve solely been using the fresh water tank.

Other than cold showers we are having a wonderful time and our new Airstream has exceeded our expectations!

Any advice would be appreciated. I’d love to wash my hair!

Hi Kungaloosh,*

We're very sorry to learn about the issue you are having. Please send us a direct message with your contact information, email and the last 6 digits of your VIN so we can learn more and share it with our Customer Service and Technical Support team. We look forward to helping you get this resolved.

You can also reach Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customersupport@airstream.com

Thank you.*

[kaosinacan]

We have a 2021 Classic 30RB with almost the same issue! The hot water comes out hot for about 30 seconds, then runs right back to cold. We googled it and came up with this video - we haven't tried it yet, but it may help you out. It's hard to do anything with 30 seconds of hot water!
https://youtu.be/OUdk_uPD4dw

[stevegilmore]

We have a 2021 25 FB and had the same issue. First, see if the fuse on the circuit board of the heater is blown. If its good, I would call Gerard. I called Airstream and they suggested that I talk directly to Gerard. Girard walked me through a few things to try to fix the issue when that didn't work they sent me a new circuit board at N/C (easy to swap out) and everything seems to be Ok so far.

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by kaosinacan

We have a 2021 Classic 30RB with almost the same issue! The hot water comes out hot for about 30 seconds, then runs right back to cold. We googled it and came up with this video - we haven't tried it yet, but it may help you out. It's hard to do anything with 30 seconds of hot water!
https://youtu.be/OUdk_uPD4dw

The hot water system in the Classic models is quite different than what has been installed in other Airstream trailers. Your fix won't work for them.

I will send you a DM about your system. It should take you less than 10 minutes to fix all your hot water limitations. I can explain.

[rucos]

I had demand in my vacation house..... my wife had one to many cold showers and I realized that a new regular hot water tank was going to be way cheaper than a divorce...LOL
Good luck.

[ToBoldlyRoll]

We have a 2021 FC 27FBT. We’re not fans of the on-demand water heater, but ours heated water well past 75 degrees on our maiden voyage this past January. Outside temperatures would often sink to near freezing at night and we used our fresh water tank. We set the water heater thermostat to 105 degrees. When we wanted hot water, we didn’t bother trying to mix the hot with the cold — just turned the valves all the way to hot. It took under a minute for the water to heat up and reach the faucet.

[guskmg]

All good hints far. I have a Precission Temp and it works flawlessly. All you need is 12v DC, propane and water. Make sure all the faucet aerators and the water filter)s) are clean. If so equipped, adjust the summer/winter temp selector to winter (hottest) hottest setting. Turn on the hot water all the way, and presto you have hot water. Initially, there will be a blast of cold water. All water heaters have this delay because of the hot water pipe length from the heater to the faucet. The best way to shower is too turn on the mixer to full hot and start at your feet to wet down. When the water turn hot, just back off the mixer until you find the sweet spot. When finished with the hot water turn it off. If you have a shower head that allows some flow, use the mixer for shut off. Otherwise the water will go cold. It takes .5 to1 gpm to activate the burner. You will notice far less consumption of gas. I have an AO Smith instant hot water heater in my house. I would never do back to tank heaters. The Leak potential is always around the corner.
guskmg

[SpikePoet]

Also have a 2021 FC 28RB Twin but have not used it yet. So, am interested in the issue. Wondering if jaybauman would mind sharing his "fix" on this thread so all affected to read?
Spike

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by SpikePoet

Also have a 2021 FC 28RB Twin but have not used it yet. So, am interested in the issue. Wondering if jaybauman would mind sharing his "fix" on this thread so all affected to read?
Spike

My "fix" is only applies to Classic models with the Alde boiler system for coach heat and hot water. It does not apply to Flying Clouds, Internationals, Globetrotters, or any other trailer.

To be completely honest, the "fix" does not belong to me. Everything I know I have learned on this forum. It allowed me to make a quick diagnosis and direct my delivery technician to make the correct adjustments to the various mixing valves.

The only problem with the Alde story on this forum is that it takes about 1000 posts for someone to understand symptoms, problems, and solutions. I was just offering to have a quick 5 minute chat with the poster to quickly, easily, and simply explain how he can get unlimited hot water. Standing on the shoulders of giants and all that good stuff....

Truly, there is no conspiracy here. Apologies if I came off that way.

[Kungaloosh]

Update: We are now in Camp Verde, AZ and the temperature is much warmer--currently 46 degrees at 6:09 p.m. However, this has not altered our hot water problem. The monitor shows ignition, and then the temperature moves to 73-75 degrees and just stops there. It doesn't matter what I have the desired temperature set to. When we first got the trailer, we read everyone's tips and tricks to getting a continual flow of hot water by turning the hot water all the way on and adjusting from the temperature. That strategy worked great until this week and the more extreme temperatures.

My bar-b-que thermometer is showing that the water coming into my unit is 49 degrees.

None of my fuses are blown.

The water pressure at this park is not high enough to ignite the heater without turning on the water pump.

I have read a few notes in various places about the winterizing kit may be turned on. According to my manual, my water pump is under the refrigerator, but for the life of me, I can't find it. All I see is a fuse box? If anyone has any information about where and how to open the water heater cabinet, please send that my way too!

I will be sending all of this information to Jackson Center as well. Our next trip is not until early June, so hopefully we can get things straightened out by then.

Other than that, life is good and we have absolutely no buyer's remorse. We are having a wonderful vacation.

[SpikePoet]

Kungaloosh, in my FC 28RB Twin the water pump is NOT under the frig as the manual states but instead is just forward, under the cooktop and oven (we have micro/convection combo). There is a drop down drawer opening and behind that there is a thin wood panel with screws securing it. Remove that panel and you should see your water pump. You'll need to get in there eventually to clean the screen in the filter cup. I found it when trying to verify that my dealer had cleared the pump of water when winterizing (they hadn't.) My apologies to jaybauman for asking to have his "solution" posted for all. Apparently, I misunderstood to whom the solution applied.
Spike

[Kungaloosh]

Spike,
Thanks for the info on the water heater. Since moving on to warmer weather (mid 60s), we have hot water. Hopefully we can get a solution when we return home. Thank you everyone for your tips and information.
Caroline

[Laptopt]

Originally Posted by jaybauman

The hot water system in the Classic models is quite different than what has been installed in other Airstream trailers. Your fix won't work for them.

I will send you a DM about your system. It should take you less than 10 minutes to fix all your hot water limitations. I can explain.

Would love to hear this fix