Instant electric water heaters/shower

[Russell]

Has anyone installed an instant electric hot water heater/shower in their caravan?

 

[JTQ]

Has anyone installed an instant electric hot water heater/shower in their caravan?

I doubt that successfully if comparing with domestic offerings as we only have 16 Amp EHUs and a decent instantaneous shower would be needing nearing twice that.
Doable with accepting a serious compromise on water flow.

 

[otherclive]

Has anyone installed an instant electric hot water heater/shower in their caravan?

The power required would probably exceed the supply capability of most electric hook ups.

 

[JezzerB]

There's Alde flow?

 

[Buckman]

We wait less than a minute for hot water and then have an endless supply of hot water as we have the ALDE Flow fitted.

 

[JTQ]

The OPs question was about fitting an instantaneous "electric" heater shower.
What any uniquely electrical system can't do is add more heat energy to the water supply to the shower than the EHU lead can supply it with.

The ALDE Flow takes another route around that limit by being simultaneously able to exploit both the ALDE's LPG's heating energy, which is much higher than the EHU's contribution, along with the electrical energy.
Raising from a maximum energy output on electricity of 3 kW, to a combined LPG [even using propane] & electrical output of 8.5 kW; clearly a massive change. That potentially could be 9.4 kW if using butane.

It is a very effective solution to instantaneous shower heating but not one as requested uniquely achieved electrically.

 

[JezzerB]

I agree JTQ not quite the answer wanted but probably the safest and most practical solution unless you're going static van.

 

[Buckman]

The OPs question was about fitting an instantaneous "electric" heater shower.
What any uniquely electrical system can't do is add more heat energy to the water supply to the shower than the EHU lead can supply it with.

The ALDE Flow takes another route around that limit by being simultaneously able to exploit both the ALDE's LPG's heating energy, which is much higher than the EHU's contribution, along with the electrical energy.
Raising from a maximum energy output on electricity of 3 kW, to a combined LPG [even using propane] & electrical output of 8.5 kW; clearly a massive change. That potentially could be 9.4 kW if using butane.

It is a very effective solution to instantaneous shower heating but not one as requested uniquely achieved electrically.

It does not require gas to work.

 

[Ern]

The simple answer for the op is No.

 

[JTQ]

It does not require gas to work.

It depends on your definition of "work", it most certainly does require gas to add more energy to heat the water than the modest 3.68 kW of power that the 16 Amp EHU can supply the van with.

Either the shower flow or delta temperature that can be added to the water feed, or both have to be constrained, as that is the only amount of power the EHU can supply.
Using LPG as I quoted potentially adds a great deal more.

That a continuous stream of hot water can come from a shower when using EHU alone can't be deigned, the adequacy is the point and with the limitation of just an EHU that is capped by the kWs the EHU can supply.

 

[Buckman]

It depends on your definition of "work", it most certainly does require gas to add more energy to heat the water than the modest 3.68 kW of power that the 16 Amp EHU can supply the van with.

Either the shower flow or delta temperature that can be added to the water feed, or both have to be constrained, as that is the only amount of power the EHU can supply.
Using LPG as I quoted potentially adds a great deal more.

That a continuous stream of hot water can come from a shower when using EHU alone can't be deigned, the adequacy is the point and with the limitation of just an EHU that is capped by the kWs the EHU can supply.

I was under the impression that you could either select gas or electric or use both. We only use electric and that heats the water okay as no need to heat it higher than normal using gas.

 

[Raywood]

You can use gas and electric together on most models, but this only heats it quicker and not hotter.

 

[RogerL]

You can use gas and electric together on most models, but this only heats it quicker and not hotter.

In many conditions, the use of gas and electric together will result in higher temperatures - the Alde coolant has a cut-out temperature of about 82 degrees but for much of the time will be operating below that when on electric only as the coolant is continually cooled by the radiators, convectors and hot water jacket.

 

[JTQ]

You can use gas and electric together on most models, but this only heats it quicker and not hotter.

True for the Alde water storage vessel, once under thermostatic control, but the OP's subject here is not about a stored hot water based system, but "Instant", the provision of an instantaneous shower feed.

There with massively more power available by using both LPG and EHU, any like for like flow, can potentially be hotter.

 

[gary]

Speaking of the old instantaneous gas fired water heaters, the once common Paloma ones fitted to caravans were 14kw.
Just looking on Amazon, special offer 10-12kw electric ,(40-50amp!) only £333 delivered

 

[ProfJohnL]

Has anyone installed an instant electric hot water heater/shower in their caravan?

What type of caravan do you have in mind, touring or static?

 

[Buckman]

We used to have a shower which worked on gas only. It had a pilot flame that was on constantly and when you turned on the water you had instant hot water. This was in our home and not in a caravan. Unit was the size of a shoe box. Worked brilliantly but don't think it could be used in a caravan.
I guess the Rocket hot water will not go down to well in the UK even though it does not use electric, gas or paraffin. http://water-heaters.co.za/