Replacing the Gerard WH

Toyman · 12-16-2018, 11:58 PM

Replacing the Gerard water heater. Is it possible to easily replace the Gerard with a "normal" water heater on a 2018 Vegas 24.1 ?

sanjaun2 · 12-22-2018, 05:53 AM

I hated my instant water heater and wanted to replace it too. Searching here led me to many threads on how to use it better. I bought a better water pump since the stock one sucked, Then I set the temp to 105 degrees and shower or do dishes with only the hot water on. It works awesome! I now prefer it to a tanked water heater.

Bob Denman · 12-22-2018, 02:02 PM

I know that you want a more conventional system; you might want to consider upgrading to a Truma instant-on setup.

It's a definite upgrade from the Girard...

It might be worth a thought...

dblr · 12-23-2018, 11:40 AM

We have a SOB and the manufacture upgraded us from the Girard to the Truma at no cost to us at a rally, fit in the original opening and has been a great upgrade for us.....even better that it was FREE!!!!!!

Toyman · 12-24-2018, 07:00 PM

Finally got the thing kinda working today, but sure go thru the water supply in a hurry.

Bob Denman · 12-24-2018, 08:23 PM

Glad to hear that you're getting it whipped into shape!

All of that hot water DOES make the showers last longer; doesn't it?

Floyd · 12-28-2018, 08:18 PM

Does any one have an idea on a good hot watertank replacement for my 2018 vegas?.

Bob Denman · 12-28-2018, 08:40 PM

Are you looking for a larger tank; or one of better quality?

JamieGeek · 12-28-2018, 11:58 PM

Well the 2018 has a tankless water heater so...

Floyd · 12-29-2018, 12:04 AM

Yeah. Just bought vehicle . man tankless su ks. Payments big so don't want to ,you now. But tankless su ks.

Bob Denman · 12-29-2018, 02:41 AM

We really liked ours...

But we have upgraded to a system by Truma on the new rig.

Floyd · 12-30-2018, 12:37 AM

OK. Will check it out. What is the difference between the two makes. I like the ability to set the temp but we have to use much too much water to enjoy a hot shower.

Floyd · 02-22-2019, 07:59 PM

So far attwood 6 gal seems to be similar height but a little longer. Also would need 110 w/ breaker. Last 5 day trip in the Vegas 25.3 ran out of propane (has tiny tank) when filled up from empty read 7.4 gal . Water . And gray water tank in 3. All that was new for us. Last vehicle 2010 Fleetwood pulse family of 4 never had that problem.

Whirnot · 03-02-2019, 10:01 PM

The problem with switching out the Girard with a standard is there is no place to put the tank!
I am not a big fan either but after we learned it a little, it is ok. We set it on 111 and turn the hot on all the way. Then add cold as necessary. You do have to adjust that a bit for temperature of incoming water. The one thing I hate about it is the fact you can't turn the shower head off and then back on without getting a cold shot. Really decreases your ability to save shower water.

Mred · 03-19-2019, 08:52 PM

Like the posts before we have adjusted to life with the Gerard. Our coach has very small tanks, 25 gray, 25 black. The size of black does not seem to be an issue it's the gray that fill up quickly.

Make sure you have water pressure city or pump at 50 (ish) psi. We regulate the city to that and know the pump is also pushing 50.

What we do when we washing dishes is crank the temp to 120 and when taking a shower reset it to 100.. our preference.

When we take a shower we spray the cold water into the toilet until the system warms up. That way we are not filling the gray tank. Then quickly jump into the shower... sometime we just quickly move the shower head into the shower without turning it off. Do it fast and it's no big deal. We do take navy shower because of the tank size. You do have the cold water burst when we turn the shower back on but if you know it's coming just point it at your feet.

We also upgraded the shower head and hose (ditched the plastic hose) that made a huge difference when wrestling with the shower head and hose

Bob Denman · 03-19-2019, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mred

We also upgraded the shower head and hose (ditched the plastic hose) that made a huge difference when wrestling with the shower head and hose

Which shower head (and hose) did you replace the original one with?

bevedfelker · 03-19-2019, 11:38 PM

I assume with the talk in this series about using the water quickly you are talking about boon docking and using all the water in the fresh water tank. I therefore also assume folks connected to city water in an RV park would have far less problems as long as they keep the pressure up and the temp temp set somewhere between 100 & 120. Am I right?

Mred · 03-20-2019, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Which shower head (and hose) did you replace the original one with?

For the shower head we brought the Oxygenics 26481 Brushed Nickel Body Spa RV Shower from Amazon BUT that is a still a plastic hose. So I brought a real SS hose at Home Depot... longer than I would have liked but far more flexible and easier to use.

Mred · 03-20-2019, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bevedfelker

I assume with the talk in this series about using the water quickly you are talking about boon docking and using all the water in the fresh water tank. I therefore also assume folks connected to city water in an RV park would have far less problems as long as they keep the pressure up and the temp temp set somewhere between 100 & 120. Am I right?

Yes you got it... my issue is the tiny, poorly designed gray water tank. If we don't have full hook-up like most SP's we need to watch water use to avoid having to dump the gray. Also good practice for when we do boondock. Getting Ann to embrace a Navy shower has been a challenge... something about her hair. Must be a girl thing.

LDK · 03-20-2019, 03:09 PM

I came across this article which may help you. Essentially a device that will combine your black and grey tanks.

https://www.gonewiththewynns.com/com...lack-grey-tank

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