Hot water problems with shower
Back in September we traded our caravan in for an Elddis Impressa 175 motorhome. Right from the start we have had problems with the hot water in the shower. My routine for a shower is to wet my hair, turn off tap, soap hair, turn tap back on and rinse hair, turn off tap, apply conditioner and then soap body whilst tap is off. Then finally turn tap back on and rinse hair and body. This is the way we showered in our caravan and we managed to get two showers and some washing up done with one tank of hot water.
Sadly in the motorhome, by the time I turn the tap on to rinse my hair after shampooing, the water is already getting cooler. I am normally only a quarter of the way through rinsing my body before the water is absolutely freezing. I estimate this to be between two and three minutes of warm water if that.
We took the motorhome back to the dealer and they told us it was because it had a smaller tank than the caravan (8 litres rather than 10 litres). Surely it shouldn’t make this much difference?
We are planning to go touring for a year in our motorhome in the future but how can we do this if we cannot have a semi decent shower especially in the winter. We are beginning to wish we’d kept the caravan!
Has anyone else had this problem with their hot water?
Comments
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Not had the problem but have used both gas and electric tank heaters on at same time to prolong the availability of hot water.
A suggestion in a similar thread a while ago was to reduce the flow rate so there was less water coming out. Some showers have a washer in the flow line that can be changed to one with a smaller hole.
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Are you heating the water by gas or electric ?
We found we have more hot water (for longer) when we use gas.
No idea why - but we do.
This is in a Pilote MH.
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Are you using the 2kw setting for the water heating element and is the water temp set to 60°, or more if possible? If not, there is unlikely to be enough hot water to do very much.
The hotter the water to start with, the more cold is mixed from the tank to set a usable temperature. Thus the hot water will last longer.
As hot water is used, cold water enters the water heater and starts to cool the contents.
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according to the PMH test of this product, the max temp is 70 deg and the two electric power settings are 750/1500w.
as this will heat the water a little more slowly than a comparable Combi (although it has to heat 10l and not 8) it's imperative that you're confident the water is fully heated.
im not convinced at all that using gas will make things better, but give it a try...
As TW says, the hotter the water, the more 'shower temperature' water you will have available.
your shower 'technique' is pretty much van folklore and as you've been successful using this in the caravan I don't see why it isn't working here....
unless the water isn't fully up to heat.
as an off line test, perhaps run the water heater to its max, run some into a plugged sink, test temp with a thermometer.
also continue to run just the hot (from the shower) into a bucket until the temp eases off. the volume in the bucket will tell you the true volume of hot you have.
youll now have checked the temp and the amount you have.
if these are 70 deg and 8 ltrs, then it may be just the difference of having 2 ltrs less hot that's the difference.
we have an Eco Camel shower head that works well.
im in first, wash as you do (no conditioner) and out in a couple of mins..
OH is then able to 'luxuriate' and use as much as required, she will be having a conditioner phase as you do......but is able to do this even after I've already showered.
good luck.
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IMHO, for those vanners who need to get two showers (between them
) in the morning, I reckon there are two ways to play it....each person has a short shower and, without reheating water between showers, it's certainly possible for the second person to have a perfectly acceptable one.
alternatively, first person has longer in the shower, using more water than in the earlier example....leave water heating on (perhaps another 20mins before back up to full temp) and then second person has a long shower, too...
downside, takes longer to get both showered and uses much more water, a possible issue for caravanners with a barrel.
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No issues here with that BB, we only have a 23 Ltr water container but we can both have lovely hot showers one after the other in the new caravan (also in the previous mh)
I go first (of course) the OH follows me. We have the hot water on high heat, we've only used it on hook up so far but no problem with running out of hot water.
The shower head is a camel one and the pressure is the best we've ever had and can put some of the club sites to shame.
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We find you need to have the water on boost and wait till the thermometer on the control panel stops flashing (meaning the water has boosted to required temperature) then you can use it, so long as Mrs T does not wash hair and we are having a quick shower we can get 2 out of a full tank albeit it is getting cooler at the end of the 2nd shower. Best to wait another 10 mins or so for the water to reheat.
We do find if you use Mix 2 it does heat faster (obvs) and seems to get hotter. We have Truma 6e Combi boiler.
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Hi, thanks for all your responses. We have tried the shower using gas but it doesn’t make any difference.
We will try a new shower head and also checking the temperature and filling a bucket. I don’t think the temperature is a problem as it’s always scorching when we first turn the water on, it just seems to start cooling down very quickly and then go freezing.
We are due to go away end of November so will try the suggestions.
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Yes we find this. Mr VB says the electric heating element is placed higher in the tank than the gas one, which is at the bottom of the tank. As someone else has said - you can run both together to ensure you have plenty of hot water. Sounds like a miserable experience you’ve got now, hope you can get it sorted.
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although I've no experience of this, there may be some logic in the 'position' theory giving slightly more hot water when using gas than electric.
but it seems for most users, even using electric, there is sufficient hot water for a couple of showers...
i might have a look at the Truma diagram....
...sad git, lol...0 -
The water will heat quicker on gas than electric. The cold water going into the tank will, therefore, not have such a dramatic cooling effect because it’s heating quicker.
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I seldom wash my long hair in the van/MH, purely and simply because I use too much water trying to get all the conditioner out. Prefer to have a decent shower using onsite facilities. Two showers with hair wash/condition was fine when I had short hair. You also need a decent pressure to rinse conditioner out. I have debated having hair cut a few times.......
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I doubt even a 6kw gas burner can heat cold water to shower temperature as fast as it enters the system.....one thing it isn't, is an 'instant' type system.
yes, the minute or two between two people showering might have more heat loss replaced using gas than electric but marginal in the extreme in the tiny time frame...
try draining the dank of hot and then get in the shower and it will be pretty apparent....irrespective of heat source...
Re: the boost function....there is much confusion as to its purpose.
it is not a setting to miraculously give virtually instant hot water, the unit is not capable of this....
even in 6kw gas only mode, I would expect the average heating time to 60 deg to be 20 mins or so..
what Boost does do is prioritise hot water heating over room heating when both heating and hot water are selected....
under normal operation it's the heating that's priority, with water heating as a by product.
it also raises the water temperature by 2 deg, to 62 deg. whether this slight rise might give a longer 'mixed' temp shower is debatable but every bit helps I guess.
from the Combi CP Plus operating instructions manual....
Change Hot Water Level
off - Hot water generator is switched off.
Eco – Hot water temperature 40 °C
Hot - Hot water temperature 60 °C
Boost - Targeted, rapid heating of boiler contents (Boiler priority) for a maximum time window of 40 minutes. Then the water temperature is kept at the higher level for two post-heating cycles (about 62 °C). After reaching the water temperature, heating of the room continues.
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We have an Alde system which I think is a 8 litre hot water tank. We only use it on Electric and normally only on a service pitch. I like a reasonable shower, so allow the tank to heat up again (30 mins) after the OH has showered. There is a noticeable difference in the length of shower if boost 70C is used, rather than the standard 60C . There is also a noticeable difference between length of showers winter and summer. Presumably because the replacement water is that much colder in winter. Although I assume that wouldn't be as marked with a MH's inboard tanks.
However, summer or winter, on either setting, there is ample for a good long shower. Sufficient to wash hair and body without turning off. Although I do because, of the showers small size, the soap would wash off before applied.😂 We have an eco camel shower head, which I think makes the available water stretch significantly further.
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