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Old 09-07-2017, 01:11 PM   #21
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Marty,

My unit is now in storage, I should be going there next weekend to do genset service and some other mods with fresh water tank. I will try to measure the output.

I originally had Gerard gen 2 which was swapped to Atwood same as your. Atwood allows much smaller flow rate than Girard and I did not have any issues with it.

I also swapped my bathroom sink faucet with Grohe Parkfiled 20 391 A and have no problem with hot water even when it is just a trickle and water heater stays lit.
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Old 09-07-2017, 01:16 PM   #22
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Alex I think you originally had the Girard 1M? Did you change the water heater before you did the shower valve?

I still have the Girard so I'm wondering how the shower valve works on it.
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Old 09-07-2017, 01:35 PM   #23
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I had a Girard unit which was changed for Atwood in December of 2015. The new plumbing went in with Atwood in April / May of 2017.

When I had Atwood put in, my local dealer suggested for me to test it on trip before he would send Girard back to Forest River. I did not see much of a difference between the two, but decided to keep Atwood since it was rated to start working at a lower flow rate 0.5 gallon / minute vs Girard's 0.75 if I remember my numbers correctly.

I did not test Girard with new plumbing but all the info my wife found while researching tankless issues leads me to believe that the real problem is not with water heater but conceptual incompatibility of water heater and shower controls.

Tankless water heaters use proportions of hot / cold water but as your flow rate of hot water changes, the water heater changes the flame and so hot water's temperature changes too.
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Old 09-07-2017, 03:34 PM   #24
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That's an expensive "fix" For another couple hundred you can get a Truma installed and not need all the other patches to make your Girard/Atwood work.
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Old 09-07-2017, 04:37 PM   #25
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But I got to keep my hansgrohe - beats factory installed cheap crap any day.

Truma may have put out a solid product, but if they did not change the concept of changing flame level depending on water's flow rate is they are just better at managing it and if there are issues with propane flow it will go right back to be an issue as with Girard and Atwood.

Also for those who already have Girard or Atwood, does Truma fit in the same opening ? Can Atwood's/ Girard's cover be reused? My switch from Girard to Atwood required opening mods and cover to be repainted in multiple colors

If it works it is great.
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Old 09-07-2017, 06:30 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BamaBob View Post
That's an expensive "fix" For another couple hundred you can get a Truma installed and not need all the other patches to make your Girard/Atwood work.
BamaBob,
Did you have a Truma retrofitted in your coach?
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Old 09-07-2017, 09:42 PM   #27
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BamaBob,
Did you have a Truma retrofitted in your coach?


No, ours came with one. As I understand it, in 2017 Berkshire switched to Truma across the product line.
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Old 09-07-2017, 09:54 PM   #28
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexG View Post
But I got to keep my hansgrohe - beats factory installed cheap crap any day.

Truma may have put out a solid product, but if they did not change the concept of changing flame level depending on water's flow rate is they are just better at managing it and if there are issues with propane flow it will go right back to be an issue as with Girard and Atwood.

Also for those who already have Girard or Atwood, does Truma fit in the same opening ? Can Atwood's/ Girard's cover be reused? My switch from Girard to Atwood required opening mods and cover to be repainted in multiple colors

If it works it is great.


Truma is a one to one fit for Girard or Atwood. The only thing you will have to do is paint the cover (which can cost) no switches, no nothing. In fact the Truma installed on the Berk has a ‘comfort’ feature that prevents it from freezing in the winter.

Speaking of which, we have used the Truma down to 11°F with no issues.

I am not sure how Truma does it but I am here to say that after over 14 months of full time living in our Truma equipped coach, with both my wife and I taking daily showers, we have never had problem one. Always hot showers; turn on a faucet? All that happens is the water pump kicks in to boost pressure but both shower and faucet put out hot HOT water. No different that a sticks and bricks shower.
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Old 09-08-2017, 11:07 AM   #29
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If Truma works it is really great. While we don't fulltime, we travel into the winter for few skiing trips every year so I'l give my setup an ultimate test soon enough. If it doesn't work well in the cold I may resort to Truma or there was another post by a Berkshire owner that outfitted his rig with 7 gallon electric Bosch point of use water heater as hot water buffer - great backup if you are out of propane.

As far as my mods go, I hated factory stuff. I would knock my water control with my back while showering all the time and the handle would regularly come loose. The factory faucet was sooo tiny the water would get sprayed all over the counter when used. So I have no regrets even if I had to go to Truma or Bosch
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Old 09-08-2017, 06:31 PM   #30
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I agree with Alex that swapping out heaters is not as likely to solve the hot water problems as switching to a proper thermostatic shower head. He installed a Hansgrohe model and I used a less expensive Delta Tempassure. I'm happy with the Tempassure performance with my Girard Gen II hot water heater.

I made a lengthy posting of my installation and a discussion of the performance characteristics at http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1335571

That posting answers one of the questions above regarding how low the flow rate can be. I've got a shower head that maxes out at 2.5 gallons per minute. But, I found that it was giving a pleasant shower and mixing properly at a reduced flow rate of 1 gallon per minute.

The cost of this fix for me was much lower than installing another hot water heater.

–Gordon
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Old 09-12-2017, 06:48 PM   #31
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For the newcomers.....

https://dragonship.blog/modifications/hot-water-system/

Includes flow rate measurements.
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Old 09-13-2017, 08:45 PM   #32
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We took delivery of a 2018 Berkshire XL40B-380 in early May. FR built it for us. It's a 2018 based on its born on date set by FR. Near as I can tell it is same as the 2017.5 except we elected an empty sofa slide (as in no furniture) since we wanted theater seats and our computer Dinette instead of FRs offerings. FR contacted us saying they wanted to supply the theater seal, as this was an offering the wanted to add to the options listing. We agreed.

When you take delivery, allow ample time for your own PDI in addition to FRs PDI. Make certain to get in depth instructions on anything electronic, the equalizer system, Truma Water Heater, and the MH Chassis (Freightliner offers a two day boot camp class for all new MH Owners and their co-pilots.) We highly recommend attendance (in Gaffney SC, try the peaches, they're the best)

Back to the FR PDI, make certain all slides and compartment doors are properly adjusted. (These are two areas where FR is challenged, so help them out every chance you get.)

We are return home after a visit to the factory in Elkhart IN. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Above all, travel safe and enjoy your new Berkshire!
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