Tankless Water Heater

[mitchmitchell]

I agree with folks above, although we don't have a tankless water heater in our RV, we have had them in our house for many years, and they never fail to deliver water at a comfortable hot temperature continuously.

It definitely sounds like the cycling indicates either an adjustment needed or a repair.

[NC Roamer]

Originally Posted by D&MAKAFUN

From a piece/part that has malfunctioned (Girard has been very responsive in sending replacement parts) to walking people through how to find the elusive "reset" button.

I also had to call Girard when my tankless WH stopped working. As others have noted, their support is excellent. And the location of the secret reset button is shown here to save others from having to call.

[D&MAKAFUN]

I appreciate bgermane, MitchMitchell and NC Roamer and others for adding their positive input into what has become a very lively topic with many threads.
Often times a thread can be diverted into one of nothing but negative comments and frustrations.
With positive reinforcement and comments we can help those who are having difficulties with their products and give them hope.
We can all help educate and inform.
Have a great weekend,
Darrell

[msturtz]

Jayco will replace the tank-less unit with a DSI gas electric tank unit under warranty. I complained to Jayco because my babies got scalded when the tank-less unit high limited. I turned off the valve on the wand in the shower when i turned it back on it was still warm - not hot so i started rinsing off my baby and then it shot up to about 190 F or so and started scalding the baby. Then the water went to ice cold. I complained to Jayco and they replaced the tank-less setup with a regular tank. This is a serious safety issue if you have small children. According to Girard the tank-less heater was in fact working correctly it "limits out" at a specific temperature. There is no thermostatic control on the output of the unit to dynamically regulate the output temperature. Home tank-less units are designed to keep a temperature set point and will adjust the flame to achieve this. The Girard units have a manual flame adjustment and as the flow drops they will either cycle hot cold due to limiting out or shut off altogether. The user must manually adjust the flame to achieve the correct temperature rise based on the input water temperature. If you are careful and open the faucet fully, set the correct flame and do not turn off the water during the shower or anticipate the scalding hot followed by cold if you do then the system can work well.

[mitchmitchell]

Woah, that means I sure won't be considering a Girard tankless water heater in my trailer!

[bgermane]

Girard actually states that you should not turn the water of during a shower. Not ideal if you do a lot of drycamping. We don't, so it works well for us. When we do, we have all learned to anticipate that temp spike, and hold then water away from us until it evens out.

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by bgermane

Girard actually states that you should not turn the water of during a shower. Not ideal if you do a lot of drycamping. We don't, so it works well for us. When we do, we have all learned to anticipate that temp spike, and hold then water away from us until it evens out.

100% correct! We dry camp a lot with a 32 gallon fresh water tank that is a major issue for us.

[mitchmitchell]

That is completely different from how our house water heaters work, without the thermostatic control of the flame that behavior is understandable but disappointing.

[Ronbo]

I have had the same problem with mine. What the dealer is telling me is that the way these things make hotter water at a lower volume. Instead of turning the hot all the way on turn it half-way. I have an adjustment for the water temperature in my bathroom, not sure this is standard. I have not tried this approach so I don't know if it will really work.

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

I have had the same problem with mine. What the dealer is telling me is that the way these things make hotter water at a lower volume. Instead of turning the hot all the way on turn it half-way. I have an adjustment for the water temperature in my bathroom, not sure this is standard. I have not tried this approach so I don't know if it will really work.

The dealer is correct that at a lower volume the water is hotter. The reason for this is due to the fixed flame height set by the dial in the bathroom. The slower the water flows through the heat exchanger the hotter it gets. Conversely the faster it flows the cooler it is. The real solution to this type of issue is to put a multi state continuous thermostat on the output side of the water heater that is wired to the flame adjustment if the flow slows down and the water temperature rises then the thermostat should reduce the flame height accordingly. Then the user would simply need to set the temperature desired and the unit would output that temperature regardless of the input water temperature pressure or volume. I actually considered doing this myself had Jayco not replaced the tankless heater with a standard DSI gas electric one.

[mitchmitchell]

Hmm, that sounds like the ideal solution, what model theromstat were you looking at?

[msturtz]

Originally Posted by mitchmitchell

Hmm, that sounds like the ideal solution, what model theromstat were you looking at?

I never got that far when Jayco replaced the tankless unit with a standard one. I don't think it would be that hard.

[DocHarvick]

Thank you for saving our first weekend cause I was no a happy cold shower camper! God bless you

[NC Roamer]

Originally Posted by msturtz

The dealer is correct that at a lower volume the water is hotter. The reason for this is due to the fixed flame height set by the dial in the bathroom. The slower the water flows through the heat exchanger the hotter it gets. Conversely the faster it flows the cooler it is.

The analogy I use explain this behavior is simple. You have a lit candle on the table and pass your finger through the flame. If your finger is moving rapidly, it is not burned as it receives little heat. The slower you move your finger, the hotter it gets. Move it too slowly, well, you get the idea.

[MadDad]

After spending 3 months with the tankless water heater, and re-reading several times the manual, we got it figured out, shower wise that is. Turn on the shower's hot water valve only about 3/4 open. Adjust the thermostat so the water is just right. While showering, if the water gets a little hot open the hot water valve a little most. To cool just the opposite. We shut off the water while soaping up, and just point the shower head at the wall when turning back and adjust the water temp again. Actually this way worked just fine, when the heater works, but that's another story.

[WDW]

We're with MadDad --follow the same procedure and no issues. I've taken to charting cold water temp to see how the wall setting needs to be adjusted. I'm just using my digital thermometer when we set up to get a base line temp on the cold water.

[DocHarvick]

I posted in main forum, but thought I would add it to this thread.

Ok, so we went on our long awaited first outing in Apollo, our new Greyhawk 31FS. We considered a motorhome purchase for almost 2 years, I researched as much as I could, purchased all the accessories needed etc. We get to our first night of camping and NO HOT WATER!! I had tested the heater while parked in the driveway and it worked so I did not think a thing about it. Got to the park and NOTHING! I made a video about it on my YouTube Channel for anyone interested, the link is below.

In a nutshell, the water heater has a built in shut off valve for safety to avoid burning people when the water gets too hot. I turned the know to medium hot (figured I was being reasonable) and cranked it up. I waited, and waited, and checked it out, and read the manual, and turned it off and on, and...well you get the point. Around 30 gallons into my grey tank later I was no-where! I searched this wonderful forum and sure enough I found the location of the reset button. But, even with a PICTURE I still had trouble finding it! As part of my YouTube channel documenting my families adventures, as well as my personal backpacking adventures, I made a video introducing my subscribers to our new RV. If you are looking at a Greyhawk 31FS, check out the video because it is much more detailed than other videos on YouTube about this particular model. Anyway, I decided to make a video just on the hot water heater to help anyone in a similar, frigid, situation! Enjoy!

Link to Girard Hot Water Heater RESET Video

Link to Greyhawk 31FS Detailed Walk-Through

[MadDad]

My Girard water heater is model no GSWH-1M, suppose to be the latest model, and does not have the "hidden" reset button. I have went thru a lot of testing with the Girard tech. We never did get it to work. I must have shorted something as we lost the 12v that was found everywhere he had me test. He told me he would have to contact Jayco to find out what fuse was hooked up to the heater as their was no label for the water heater. Still waiting for that call, been over a month. I did find the blown fuse that night when the lights over the table wouldn't work. The fuse was blown but the only label was table lights. Way to go Jayco!!! I replaced the fuse and have 12 volt to the unit, but it doesn't make a loud click like it did.
The manual says that to reset it wait 5 minutes, or shut off at the power switch for 5 seconds. Neither worked. It's going to the dealer in a couple of days. They know I am not a "Happy Camper". So to speak.

[DocHarvick]

Mine is a 2015 Greyhawk FS, and is supposed to have the "latest model" heater. Watch my video above and give the reset button idea a try. If fixed my cold water issue instantly. Hope it works and saves you a trip!

[DocHarvick]

I might add my manual said the same thing...and neither worked. Reset button did