Replacing our on demand hot water heater

[SwigGlamping]

We struggled for almost 2 years with the Atwood tankless water heater and have given up after having to get a shower in a campground or renting a motel every trip. Our water in the RV goes from ICECOLD TO SCALDING! We don't travel often and only have 10,000 miles on our REV RB but when we go on vacation, we can't use the shower!! We did everything Dometic Atwood suggested regarding water flow, removing restrictors, recalls, etc. We have decided to go with a Truma and were wondering which model is best for the Forest River REV?? The only difference is the power input from <1.5A to <2.5A. There are 3 models: AquaGo basic, Truma AquaGo Comfort, and Truma AquaGo Comfort Plus. Does anyone have any information regarding the 3 different models? I'd really appreciate your advice.

[dblr]

The first thing I would do would be to check to see if they are all the same size or not, what you can fit might decide which one you can replace the Atwood with.

[Cypressloser]

I'm no expert on the Truma on demand water heaters but from what I read/heard some models offer some kind of preheat system to make it "instant hot" and I believe Truma does not sell DIY kits, only install at their service centers.

[Cypressloser]

Try this link for detailed information in PDF form
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...OIKvIIKU96m5bv

[youroo]

I have No idea what a "REV RB" is but I would make room for a "6 gal DSI/E water heater before going through all the crap! Putting up with "Off Location Showers" for the length of time you site is Crazy! The need for that much Hot water is only for a Washing Machine or a Girl Scout Troop! Youroo!!

[daveinthekeys]

We were able to use our Atwood by turning on full blast hot water in either the kitchen or bath sinks while taking a shower with full blast in the shower, but tuned to temperature... A huge waste of water and storage capacity in the grey tank.

After suffering with the Atwood for several months, we now have a Truma and are 100% happy for the past year or so. This unit will have to be Truma dealer installed. Or at least I was unable to find a source to purchase a Truma for DYI.

Note that the outside access door for the Truma and Attwood are different. They have different vent patterns at a minimum. Meaning you will have to paint your new Truma access door to match the coach as best you can. (it comes primed in white) All black might be a simple option to match your tinted windows, perhaps you are lucky and have no graphics covering your existing door and an easy to match paint color.

At least one version of the Truma offers recirculating hot water which would require an additional pipe to your sinks and shower. That is probably more work than makes sense. I think we got the basic least expensive model of the three options you mentioned.

In any case a Truma dealer will be of great help. As for size it fit right into the same space as the Attwood.

I will say that after the Attwood fiasco I was skeptical of all RV on demand water heaters, and really wanted to go with a tank heater. But I can now say we are 100% happy. I don't miss my tank heater at all.

[Harley2152]

I can't say this more clearly....GO WITH THE TRUMA! We struggled with 2 different tankless heaters before we finally went with TRUMA. It works as expected. Love it! Also, Truma is currently running a promotion.....$300 rebate when you trade in your tankless heater on a new Truma. It runs through July 31. The Truma service center in Lakeland Fl will install a new unit for around $1500. Feel free to PM me and I will send you a copy of the current offer. Good luck.

[dblr]

I hope maybe they have a deal at Goshen incase I want to switch ours out.

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by youroo

I have No idea what a "REV RB" is but I would make room for a "6 gal DSI/E water heater before going through all the crap! Putting up with "Off Location Showers" for the length of time you site is Crazy! The need for that much Hot water is only for a Washing Machine or a Girl Scout Troop! Youroo!!

Dynamax REV RB 24 foot motorhome on a Dodge Ram Promaster chassis. Rear bath.

My 2017 has the Truma Combi house heater and water heater. Truma is very good.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Delco Bobby

Dynamax REV RB 24 foot motorhome on a Dodge Ram Promaster chassis. Rear bath.

My 2017 has the Truma Combi house heater and water heater. Truma is very good.

Delco Bobby,thanks for clearing this up since it was posted in "Plumbing" I had no idea what a "REV RB" was! I know even "Berkshires" went through the "Water Heater Crap" and changed out to Other systems "After the Fact" which required Bigger Door that had to be Painted to match the Special Graphics of the Coach! This even happened to a Member that is at the Top of our "Food Chain" at Forest River! Youroo!! PS, A recent convert in "Instant Water Heaters" is very easy to ID,they will be driving around with a "White Door" until the Body Shop can Work thier Magic to Match the $$$ Paint Graphics!

[Roy5019]

Had the exact same problem with the Atwood on demand water heater in our RV. Did a great deal of research, and decided on the Truma AquaGo Comfort and have never looked back, it works great.

The change out installation is fairly simple. As far as size, the Atwood and Truma units were almost exactly the same size, and mine fit in the old location without any problems. The only real difference was the Atwood cold water input and hot water output were horizontal across the bottom of the unit while the Truma was vertical on one side----causes a minor plumbing adjustment, PLUS a new control cable supplied with the unit needs to be ran to a convenient location for the Truma Control. I would definitely go on line to the Truma website and print out the manual for the Truma units and compare the installation requirements to exactly what you presently have. The Basic, Comfort, and Plus are the same size and all are in the same manual so you can see exactly what the capabilities are. The Truma Factory Service people are extremely helpful if you need guidance.

I would recommend the Truma AquaGo Comfort over the basic and the Plus because: The basic has no pre-warming capabilities--just totally basic---you turn on the hot water faucet and it takes time to heat the cold water before you get anything hot water out of the faucet. The Comfort provides you two options using a water warming reservoir (an ECO setting at about 45 deg, and a normal setting at about 100 degrees) so that water reaches your faucet while additional water is being heated, and I typically keep mine on the ECO setting all the time. The plus has a normal setting of about 100 degrees but requires a DEDICATED common circulating hot water pipe to all faucets for instant hot water which most RV's do not have resulting in my opinion, a major extra expense. Also a major concern with the Comfort vs Plus Truma units is how much propane will you use for the stand-by type warm or hot water! For me, propane usage issue is a major concern, and the Comfort unit is the best of both worlds with the ECO and standard option. The Comfort unit WILL NOT have instant hot water like the Plus, but only takes a few seconds for the pre-warmed reservoir of hot water to be present. Advantage, much less propane usage verses the Plus. Absolutely love being able to take multiple showers for as long as anyone needs without running out of hot water. Good luck with your choice, and happy camping.