Campervan Hot Water System

Water supply for your campervan hot water heater there are two possible sources of water in a campervan.

Campervan hot water system. When a faucet or shower needs hot water that water is pulled from the top of that tank and into the hot water lines. Using the control panel you can select heating only hot water only or both at the same time. As the water warms it rises to the top of the tank. There are plenty of campervans out there with a sink and a pump but rarely do these include a hot water supply.

Any campervan water system needs some form of container for collecting waste water from the sink or indoor shower. If you need warm to hot water a solar shower bag can be utilized. Electricity doesn t work well for heating especially things as thermally dense as water so most people just write it off as a comfort for homes and rv s. As water is pushed through the water lines some of that water is forced into the water heater s tank.

You can read more about it below. Here is our guide on how to build a diy water system in a camper van conversion. A water pump fresh grey water tanks a sink and some plumbing hardware. Rv water heaters are powered by propane electricity or both.

To design a van s water system is much more simpler than an electrical system a few items will do the tricks. Use the system to pump water into the solar shower bag leave in the sun pour the water back into the water container and now you have pressurized warm water for your shower. When parked in a campground you can run a hose from a spigot to a port also called an inlet on the outside of your rv. Make it a different colour to your fresh water can so you never get them mixed up.

Because water in the tank is heated to a high temperature then mixed with cool water as it leaves the tank the volume of hot water in the tank lasts longer. The simplest approach is to feed it directly into a jerry can securely stored beneath the sink. I ve provided a link below to a good 2 5 gallon solar water heater bag. Having running water and a hot shower draw the line between van camping and van life so it s well worth the efforts.

Many campervan builds include both options. A calorifier tank is simply a cylinder with an internal heat exchanger that allows the water inside the cylinder to be heated indirectly by circulating hot engine coolant through it. Campervan heating and hot water combination systems the truma combi 4 is a space heater with an integrated hot water boiler. We ended up going with a calorifer tank as its a great passive way to get water you always have hot water after a journey and it stays hot for hours.

This combi has four outlets for good distribution of warm air and can heat water in around 20 minutes. On board camper hot water tanks and shore supply aka hooking up to water supplies at campsites truck stops or other sources.