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The Eccotemp L5 Portable Tankless Water Heater is the perfect addition to our campervan Water System: crank up the heat up and enjoy! We think it often draws the line between taking a shower or not taking a shower. We’ve been using our Eccotemp L5 full-time since June 2018, so we have a few things to review about it!
Eccotemp L5 Overview
How it works
The Eccotemp L5 is a tankless water heater, meaning there is no hot water tank; the water is heated instantly, on-demand. You could shower all day and never run out of hot water! (well, that’s until you run out of propane or water). This type of heater is not common in north-American homes (but we are seeing them more and more), but they’re quite common in Europe as it is more efficient than a “traditional” water heater with tank. Indeed, maintaining a tank of water at high-temperature all day is not efficient; moreover, the tank is often located far away from the appliance, and there is considerable amount of energy lost through the pipes and water wasted waiting for the water to get hot.
Water Source
The heater is hooked to our pressurized water system (faroutride.com/water-system). Our system is similar to any RV: we have a 25 gallon fresh water tank, and the Shurflo water pump creates the pressure required to feed the appliances (sink, bike-wash & hot shower).
Energy Source
The Eccotemp L5 uses propane as fuel. Here is our propane system van setup (faroutride.com/propane-system):
Settings
The gas and water (flow) can be adjusted to suit your preference. The temperature of the shower depends on the combination of the gas/water setting (and varies with temperature of water in the tank too!)… For example, more water (max) results in lower shower temperature as there is more water flowing through the heat exchanger at a given time.
Taking a shower
Here’s the easy part: just… take a shower! The Eccotemp L5 detects water flow and ignites (and shuts off) automatically, neat!
To save water, we turn the water off during soaping/shampooing (a.k.a. “Military Shower”. According to Wikipedia, it uses about 3 gallons of water -we confirm that!- as opposed to 16 gallons for a normal 10-minute shower!)
Disclosure
Before going any further, be aware that the manufacturer does not approve it for interior permanent installation. That’s why:
- We installed ours near the rear doors (so it’s fully vented and we don’t die from carbon monoxide poisoning…).
- We installed a valve for propane AND water (so we can shut it off after each use).
We drain it after each use (per manual)OK we don’t actually do that…
What we Like
- Inexpensive.
- Can be integrated to our actual pressurized water system.
- Can be adjusted from warm to HOT (it’s quite powerful at max setting).
- Can be used without heating (cold showers)
- Easy to operate (no need to hook the water and propane each time).
What we Don’t Like
- We wish the water knob could be adjusted to a lower setting to save water (but we can “override” this by using the valve that we installed).
- We wish the gas knob could be adjusted to a lower setting; when we “override” the water flow (with our own valve), the water gets a little too hot for our tastes (on hot summer days).
- If it’s really windy, the flame will extinguish. It happened on 2 or 3 occasions during the summer. We just turn off/turn on the water and the flame ignites again.
Models & Where to Buy
We personally own this model:
The Camplux is pretty much identical to the Eccotemp and also has excellent reviews:
Installation
What’s in the box:
There are 3 connections for the Eccotemp L5 (all of them are 1/2″ NPT male):
1. Cold Water Input
This is either connected to:
- the van/RV pressurized water system (faroutride.com/water-system);
- or the EccoFlo 12V water pump (if this is what you purchased);
- or the garden hose (by using the included adapter).
Note (on the picture below) that we installed a water valve (see on Amazon) right before the cold water input. This allows us to shut the system off AND to control the water flow. Yes, a water valve is mandatory! Without a valve, water is free to flow; don’t just count on the ON/OFF switch of the shower head as it works but it’s not really reliable…
Note that we didn’t use sealant or Teflon tape here as there is a rubber washer in the fitting.
We used PEX tubing all over our water system and it’s all detailed here: faroutride.com/water-system
2. Hot Water Output
Just connect the included shower head to this!
No sealant or Teflon tape is necessary as there is a rubber washer in the fitting.
3. Propane Input
The Eccotemp comes with a “1/2″ NPT to 3/8″ Male Flare” adapter, but we discarded it to minimize the number of connections (less connections = less leak potential). We used this gas ball valve (Buy on Amazon) with yellow gas Teflon tape (Buy on Amazon).
Note: Do NOT use white Teflon tape! It’s meant for water connection and it will leak gas. Make sure to use the thicker yellow tape approved for gas.
The Eccotemp L5 is a low pressure gas appliance (pressure: 11 W.C.), which means there must be a regulator between the propane tank and the water heater. You can either:
- Hook it directly to a propane tank (BBQ style) by using the included hose + regulator assembly;
- Hook it to your actual van/RV propane system like we did (on the low pressure side): faroutride.com/propane-system
Shower Head
The shower head is held by a neat little suction cup bracket (Buy on Amazon):
When not in use, the shower head is stored using a Quick Fist Clamp mini (Buy on Amazon):
Winter
Like any water appliance, don’t EVER let the Eccotemp freeze. Freezing water expands and internal components (fittings, pipes, etc.) will crack and damage the unit permanently. Prior to freezing season, drain water from the Eccotemp using the drain valve.
Reliability
We’ve been using the Eccotemp L5 since June 2018 without issue. We’ll let you know if something happens! Subscribe to our Mailing List to be notified.
Runner-Up
Before using the Eccotemp L5, we used the Mr. Heater BOSS. We had absolutely no issue with it, but it’s more bulky and we didn’t need the portability of the Mr. Heater:
Resources
You Might Be Interested In:
I don’t understand why you guys have all copper lines then at the end you have a rubber hose that attaches to heater? Why not just go with the rubber hose all around?
Where these heaters Exhaust ?
On top of the unit, it is therefore recommended to leave a few inches gap on top.
Thanks for all of the details on this subject. Can you envision a way to mount the heating unit inside the van and provide the proper air/exhaust requirements to operate safely in an enclosed van? I’m planning on using it to heat water for showers and dishwashing. To add to the challenge, the shower is on one side of the van, the sink is on the other.
Thanks!
Hi! your learning diagrams have helped me so much in planning our build! My question is, on the Eccotemp website it states that the unit works best up to 2000 feet elevation, have you experienced any issues with your unit at higher elevations? Judging by your socials, it appears that you guys only operate out of higher altitude environments. thanks for all that you do!!
Any appliance that uses combustion looses performance at high elevations. But I’m pretty sure we used the Eccotemp up to 5000ft-6000ft and it worked. That thing is so hot, it wouldn’t really matter to loose some performance!
I myself love at 8,500 ft. Of grid in a cabin.
I use this hot water source.
No problem.
I am wondering if you have ever calculated how much propane your showers use on average?
It’s hard to tell exactly, because we’re using a 20 lbs tank and it’s shared between the shower and the oven/stove. Our 20 lbs tank lasts two months, we’re pretty happy with that!
I myself live at 8,500 ft. Of grid in a cabin.
I use this hot water source.
No problem.
Hi i bought the builders package and they are not working. They are in my files but not tutorial. I dont know if i did it right. Good info tho. Ill just print them out
Hi! Both can be downloaded from your account: https://faroutride.com/my-account/downloads/
It’s a little hard to differentiate the diagram from the tutorial, sorry about that:
To download, right-click (contextual menu) the button and save to your computer.
Let me know if you could find it!
antoine
awesome review man really helpful, thanks!
Thank you for the great articles! You did an amazing documentation of everything! 🙂
It’s interesting how there are temperature and flow “issues” when the shower head is connected directly to the heater (either too hot, or needing high water flow/waste to have lower temperature). Do you think this would be solved with a more “traditional” set up running a cold and hot water pressurized lines which mix in a shower knob and into the shower head?
Can you hook this up to a faucet? I would really like to wash greasy dishes with hot water. Maybe attach a valve directly to the heater’s output to manually divert to water to the faucet’s hot water intake ( I can imagine using the shower head itself, but I can also imagine a out-of-control shower head flopping on my bed).
Thanks
excellent website! one of the best i’ve seen on this topic, if not the best. purrfect example of “if you build it, they will come”, particularly if you build it with high quality, which you have done.
please note that the average shower is not 60 gallons (its 60 liters, or 15.8 gallons). per https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residential_water_use_in_the_U.S._and_Canada#Showering
You’re correct! Fixed!
Thanks for the heads up (and for the kind words).
Happy conversion!
Thank you so much for this incredible site! It’s by far the best I’ve seen for van builds.
We are now looking at LP gas tankless water heaters for our Sprinter and wondered if you had any issues with yours not being specific for RV’s.
Has the constant movement of the vehicle affected it? We are looking at this Rinnai unit (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Rinnai-High-Efficiency-6-5-GPM-Indoor-Liquid-Propane-Tankless-Water-Heater/1000201551?cm_mmc=shp-_-c-_-prd-_-plb-_-bing-_-pla-_-209-_-1000201551-_-0&kpid&placeholder=null&ds_rl=1286981&msclkid=ef9f33239f7611ff617a53f83a7c7931&gclid=ef9f33239f7611ff617a53f83a7c7931&gclsrc=3p.ds ) as the price is great compared to a diesel Espar, but have concerns about whether this is intended to be nice and secure under a sink in someone’s home and not practical for a vehicle.
Thanks again for a sweet site!
No issues with the Eccotemp L5, and we’ve been having it for many years now! 🙂
How how does the air exhaust get with this? I’m considering putting one in a similar area to your design but it would be under the bed slightly more and I’m worried that having the mattress ~10 inches above the top of this could melt or heat up the mattress too much during use. Can you give me an idea of how hot the unit and surrounding air gets?
I am also wondering the same thing? Do you need to vent the unit outside?
Cheers,
Reid
Hot air is exhausted on top of the unit. The air is quite hot, so I’d plan for at least 15in of clearance on top of the unit (it’s a guesstimate). It’s not really hot on the side.
antoine
Hi there!
I am planning to install a full shower inside my van. I noticed your comment that you placed this system at the rear of the van for ventilation purposes. I am wondering if it would be possible to keep this system at the rear of the van and then run a long supply line to the shower? Or would this be too far for the water to travel and still maintain it’s temperature? OR, would it be possible to mount this unit inside the shower itself (or somewhere in the van closer to the shower?
Thanks for all you do! Just recently purchased the builders package and I’m learning a lot!
– Ben
Would this work with a manual foot pump to pressurize the system?
Wouldn’t recommend it. The temperature change with pressure, so water will cycle from warm to burning hot (or cool to warm, depending on your settings) as the foot pump doesn’t provide a constant pressure.
Did you consider a heat exchanger with your vehicle’s engine coolant system? ( i think this could be added to your superb articles, and this usually lost source of energy could be considered for other means. )
Vechicles use a common heat exchanger which is run in-line with the engine’s coolant lines to provide air heating. Now, you can use tie into this hot coolant line with an additional heat exchanger to provide hot water, at the cost of fittings, hoses, and a cheap heat exchanger plate.
Obviously, for morning showers this requires heating up the engine.
This company used to sell a kit (as an example) But it’s just a small heat exchanger.
https://www.hotcampshowers.com/vehicle_mounted_shower
Are you aware of a tankless water heater powered by a 12v battery?
That would require WAY too much current; I don’t think it can be done. 120V (or propane) is probably the only way…