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Old 02-26-2016, 10:05 AM   #1
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How long should the hot water last?

I have only taken a shower in our 2016 Apex300BHS twice. The first time seemed fine, it was about a 5 minute shower.

I took a shower this past weekend while camping and MAYBE got 3 minutes of hot water. It was the middle of the day so we hadn't been using our water for dishes or anything for a while at that point.

I searched the posts here but didn't see anything that would guide me to find out if a) something isn't setup correctly b)how to correct it. The water tank is tiny, maybe 10 gallons at best. We were looking at maybe upgrading to unlimited supply but would prefer to conserve our propane for other things if possible. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Or.. how long should the hot water last?

P.S. For those of you with young kids- how do you make them shower more quickly?
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:10 AM   #2
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We have a 6 gal and for the most part it lasted fairly long. I have not figured out the kid shower thing yet we have tried bribes and threats!
For a 10 gal tank you have longer hot. Those that know more than me on this topic will need to know the brand of your water heater. Maybe the thermostat is too low? Is yours electric and propane? Did you turn it off and take the shower, then all you had was the tank that was probably luke warm.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:10 AM   #3
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Have you checked the bypass valve usually located behind the water heater itself. This is a lot of the times the culprit for low amounts of hot water.

Hold on and I will find you some recent threads.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:10 AM   #4
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I'll be following this, as I have two pre-teen daughters...

One suggestion I ran across years ago for conserving water is to replace the shower head with a kitchen sink sprayer, so you have to hold the button down.

Spray down, lather up, spray down. May be a challenge for the girls to rinse their hair, though. Me, I'm follicly challenged.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:12 AM   #5
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We have a 6 gal and for the most part it lasted fairly long. I have not figured out the kid shower thing yet we have tried bribes and threats!
For a 10 gal tank you have longer hot. Those that know more than me on this topic will need to know the brand of your water heater. Maybe the thermostat is too low? Is yours electric and propane? Did you turn it off and take the shower, then all you had was the tank that was probably luke warm.
It might not be a 10 gallon tank, that was my husbands guess. Hot water heater was on. The water was HOT, of course I mixed it with cold water to make them temp right, but after those 3 minutes it was ice cold.. brrrrr. I don't know if its electric and propane to be honest.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:15 AM   #6
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Have you checked the bypass valve usually located behind the water heater itself. This is a lot of the times the culprit for low amounts of hot water.

Hold on and I will find you some recent threads.
X2
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:17 AM   #7
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This thread may help and how to make sure your bypass valve is fully closed:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1051613

Another thing, is do you have an outdoor shower, and have you used it or forgot to shut the water off at the taps there, but did so at the handheld wand itself. This can also allow cold water into the hot water line, and thus you won't have as long a shower of hot water until cold water starts pulling thru the hot water line. You have to make sure the outdoor shower is turned off at the hot/cold taps.

You are not going to be able to take showers like at your house, due to the size of the water heater, but should get more than 3 minutes worth.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:19 AM   #8
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95% of our camping is boondocking at race tracks. 2 adults, 3 teens. I use the tried and true military shower..... IF they want a nice long hot shower they can use the shower house if there is one.

What is a military shower?

An initial thirty seconds or so are used to get wet, followed by soap and lather without running water, which is then rinsed off in a minute or less. The total time for the water being on is typically under two minutes. Navy showers originated on naval ships, where supplies of fresh water were often scarce.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:34 AM   #9
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This thread may help and how to make sure your bypass valve is fully closed:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post1051613

Another thing, is do you have an outdoor shower, and have you used it or forgot to shut the water off at the taps there, but did so at the handheld wand itself. This can also allow cold water into the hot water line, and thus you won't have as long a shower of hot water until cold water starts pulling thru the hot water line. You have to make sure the outdoor shower is turned off at the hot/cold taps.

You are not going to be able to take showers like at your house, due to the size of the water heater, but should get more than 3 minutes worth.
Thanks. I sent the photo to my husband and he confirmed the bypass is in the right position. Shower is only turned on/off with the actual h/c water handle. I'm not expecting a long shower, but I have to be able to wash my hair... I just need 6 minutes or so.

How long does everyone else's last?
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:39 AM   #10
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Around 5 minutes seems about right. The suggestion of a "navy shower" is a good one.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:46 AM   #11
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Do you know if your RV has a dual power source water heater? (propane and electric). If so turning both of them on when needed may help provide longer hot water, since it has a faster recovery rate.

If you have a Suburban water heater, this FAQ may help as to how to use both (if equipped)

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ore-36197.html
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:52 AM   #12
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What happens when you turn the cold water down a bit? Does your water get warmer then? Remember the tank is not heating all the time so it'll be at a certain temp and then will heat up when called for but it's not immediate. We have navy showers and usually one after the other in the morning. Been doing that in our different trailers over the years and I don't remember running out of hot water and the tanks have been from 6 gals to the present 12( I think it is). If you're hooked up and not dry camping, you can use both propane and electric, at the same time, to heat the water. Just make sure you have water in the tank before using electric. My wife washes her hair and I wash my skinny hair. We made our three kids wait until it rained and then they showered........oh oh I was a b it slow on the draw re using both types of heating
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:57 AM   #13
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What happens when you turn the cold water down a bit? Does your water get warmer then? Remember the tank is not heating all the time so it'll be at a certain temp and then will heat up when called for but it's not immediate. We have navy showers and usually one after the other in the morning. Been doing that in our different trailers over the years and I don't remember running out of hot water and the tanks have been from 6 gals to the present 12( I think it is). If you're hooked up and not dry camping, you can use both propane and electric, at the same time, to heat the water. Just make sure you have water in the tank before using electric. My wife washes her hair and I wash my skinny hair. We made our three kids wait until it rained and then they showered........oh oh I was a b it slow on the draw re using both types of heating
I immediately turned the cold water off but it didn't recover. We have a dometic water heater. Is there a way to check whether it runs off both electric and gas?
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:01 AM   #14
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My 5er has a small switch on the bottom left of the water heater tank. It's outside the trailer. I'm not familiar with your trailer so I'm sure someone who is will jump in. You might have a switch near the panel that has all the switches on it...or not
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:04 AM   #15
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Related: how long for the typical 6 gallon dual source to fully recover from cold to hot?
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:04 AM   #16
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Found this for an Apex trailer, 6 Gal. Gas/Electric DSI water heater
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:10 AM   #17
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I had to smile when you said your water tank was "tiny" maybe 10 gal or less. Up until say 2005 most any camper HWH was 6 gal. Just basic questions ... are your propane tanks turned on ... are your propane tanks empty ... is your HW switch turned on? As for electric heat capability, some units have a small toggle switch you have to flip outside behind the HWH access door. I agree you should have more than 3 minutes of hot water, but depending on how much hair washing you do and how many kids we're talking here ... I fear your next issue will be holding tank capacity unless you are on full hookups.
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:10 AM   #18
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Go outside your trailer and look at your water heater between your 2 slides on the driver's side take the cover off and look around the heater for a little switch with a pin through it.
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:31 AM   #19
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Quote:
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I immediately turned the cold water off but it didn't recover. We have a dometic water heater. Is there a way to check whether it runs off both electric and gas?
Dometic bought out Atwood a year ago or so. I don't know if they actually changed the name on the water heater though.

If you do indeed have a Dometic/Atwood brand dual powered water heater, then it will have two side by side switches inside the RV (one to turn on the electric heating element), and another to turn on the DSI/propane.

If you have the Suburban brand (I would make sure you don't as this is a common one), then the electric switch can be outside on the face of the water heater, as explained in a link I posted earlier.

A pic of the front of the water heater would immediately end the guess work here.

Atwood:




Suburban:



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Old 02-26-2016, 11:42 AM   #20
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One more item to check is the circuit breaker in the fuse panel. Make sure the water heater switch is in the on position in the panel.


When we are using the trailer this is the switch I used to turn on the electric heating element as the out side switch is always on. We only turn on the propane heater when the grandkids are with to ensure we have enough hot water. Grand daughter like to take long hot showers, she has been known to empty a 40 gallon home hot water heater. When we camp with them she is last to take a shower.
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