Installing the Box

[mmmc101]

Installed the box on the truck for the last time today. Probably not the best day for it with winds gusting over 30 mph. Had to get the DW out to hold onto it while I backed the truck under it. Minor clearance problem between the muffler guards and the box corners. Easy fix with some adjustments. Progress none the less!
MMM

[#90-GTSC]

Nice job. Nice pictures. Keep us posted.

[Bob86ZZ4]

x2! Love that pic of your wife holding it up so you can back in.

[mmmc101]

Interior walls installed and insulated. Shower and sink drain lines installed. Running water lines and electrical currently. Has anyone used a tankless electric water heater? I bought one thinking that would work for a sink and shower however I am having second thoughts. I have room for a 6 gal electric. What are your thoughts? Also, a friend gave me a almost new Winegard SDI in motion satelitte. He replaced it because it didn't do HD on Direct TV. I think I can live without HD at that price. Is there anything I need to know about hooking it up? I have the install manual,looks pretty straight forward. As always,any and all input is appreciated.
(Kenn, tried to send an email and pic's but they were returned. Will try again later)
Michael

[SHORTS]

I have a tankless waterheater in the house and absolutely love it, my concerns in a mobile application would be will you have enough water flow to trigger the burner and also fuel consumption, when the burner lights up it's a blowtorch. The real savings is that it doesn't hold water @ temperature 24/7, you will have to look at your lifestyle/usage/needs to make a decision, if it's 1 or 2 people turning on the 6 gal in the morning for dishes and showers might be the answer, on the otherhand if you have an army of people to run thru the shower the tankless is the way to go.

[andyg]

Hey Shorts, I think he is asking about an electric tankless water heater. I'm sure the electric tankless will work if you have anough juice to run it. Isn't the wattage requirement pretty high for these? Think about the places you will be traveling to. Will there be enough power avaialble?

[SHORTS]

andy
the electric heaters use the same principal of a monster burner, only it's 3 or 4 chambers with seperate elements in series so you get a continous temp rise as the water flows. If your electric heater required 30 or 50 amp dedicated service you would definately be in trouble in a RV. The only saving grace might be that your incoming /ambient water temp from the fresh tank might not require as much of a temp rise/increase to get where your hot water is hot - 140f. Most instant heaters are rated/speced by flow/gpm, temp rise/degf and energy use either btu or watts/amps. I would think that in a mobile application that a LP or diesel fired unit would be the right choice with the diesel burner having some sort of electrical requirement for the burner to operate while the LP unit could be entirly stand alone.

[andyg]

I agree with you Shorts. If you want tankless it will need to be diesel or LP. FWIW I have a 6gal electric water heater (1300w I think) in my toter and I like it fine. It gets hot in about 15-20 minutes and that is good enough for me.

[gochenour 799]

Did you put anything under the plywood floor to keep water/salt spray off of it ? I'm just in the design stage of mine . Also what are the measurements of the bottom boxes.

[mmmc101]

Thanks everyone for your input. I tested the tankless 1500 watt water heater. I do not think it will be adequate for a shower,even with a low flow showerhead. I have now installed a 6 gal electric. Takes more space but I think I will be more satisfied with the output.
As for the plywood floor, I glued .030 alum sheets to the bottom of the plywood to protect it from the elements.
Progress has been at a standstill the last couple of months. Jumped off a ladder and broke my foot. Should be able to resume work in the next couple of weeks. Thanks again for the input. MMM