CAMPLUX 4.22 GPM Propane Tankless Water Heater - 110,000 BTU Outdoor Gas Water Heater for Camping, RV, Hunting & Backyard Showers (Gray) - Instant Hot Water Solution for Off-Grid Living, Emergency Use & Outdoor Adventures

This is the extra capacity tankless water heater from Camplux that is intended for use in a remote environment where there are no utilities available, such as electricity. Commonly used as an outside wash station it is equipped to be conveniently hung on a fence or mounted outside a structure that serves as a shower stall. In the second instance the CPVC hose that is provided may be a little shorter than what is necessary, and the plastic quick disconnect will probably leak anyway. If available for others to use, be ready for complaints about the shutoff button on the shower head being too difficult to slide if installed without an additional inline shutoff valve. If planning to use it in a more permanent manner then don't plan on getting it set up entirely in one day or without taking a trip down to the local Home Depot to check for a better shower head and hose, and maybe pick up some additional pipe, adapters, and valves that will all contribute to its operational versatility.After discovering one cold winter day that I was without hot water I decided it was time to upgrade my electric water heater to a more reliable system that uses propane instead. Never using one of these previously, I picked this camping unit just to see how an instant heating system would work for me. Overall I found it to be very reliable and it does everything that the documentation for it says. In the process I learned all the ins and outs about how to set up one of these systems properly, all the while keeping my original hot water tank and shower system fully usable, even finding some ways to improve it as well.The logic behind the operation of a tankless water heater may not be so obvious at first, but eventually it does make some sense the more you work with it. In contrast to a conventional shower with separate hot and cold water valves, the tankless system works best by simply heating water to a comfortable temperature with no mixing required. Since proper operation of the system is dependent upon the flow of water, then it makes sense that mounting a valve in the supply line and another one in the hot water line and locating both of them readily available inside the shower stall will help eliminate the necessity to run outside in the middle of a shower just to find out why you are not getting heated water. The current temperature does have some influence over the settings, but once the best settings are found, that should eliminate any need for making any initial settings every time the shower is used. That is, unless others are also using the shower and then mayhem can be expected.In preparation for using the shower for the first time, all the valves on the unit were set to their minimum values and the top switch set to FULL (for 100% heating). It ignited properly the first time I tested it, providing ample hot water rather quickly. After some playing with the adjustments I decided that 37 degrees C (as shown on the unit) should be comfortable for starters, and was now really confident that my first shower would work without a hitch. Wrong! Jumped into the shower later that day and it wouldn't light. So right then and there I discovered the one big CON related to tankless water heaters: adjusting the settings is not quite as easy as adjusting the hot and cold water valves of a conventional shower! So now that I was pressed to get my new shower operational before freezing to death, I switched it from FULL to the ECO setting, and wouldn't you know it fired right up. But then the water temp needed to be raised back up, so I adjusted the flow of water down a little more using the inline valve I had the good sense to install earlier that day. After that initial shower it has worked perfectly ever since and have never needed to make any further adjustments.Since then I have also installed a water line to my kitchen sink, which was my intention for purchasing the larger capacity 10L unit anyway. I would also recommend that accessory water valves be installed in both the water inlet and hot water outlet lines as they will provide even better control. If you just need a reliable unit for a shower, then the 5L unit should be adequate and costs only half the price of this one. I have solar heat during the warmer months of the year, so this unit will only see limited service during the winter, and that should allow it to provide several winters of excellent service. No doubt it will eventually wear out, so when it does, my next unit will be an indoor permanently installed system with all the bells and whistles.