The home-away-from-home appeal of an RV can be greatly enhanced by hot water. Especially if a group of people are traveling together, a reliable and plentiful source of hot water for showering and dishwashing is hard to beat.
There are literally dozens of options when it comes to RV water heaters. Making the right choice involves a realistic assessment of how and where you camp, the size of your RV and how many people usually (or might) come along on a trip. Ensuring plenty of hot water for a family after a hike might mean having the largest possible water tank. It could also mean that going tankless and heating the water on-demand is the way to go.
How that water is heated is also a consideration. Should you go with electricity from the RV or is natural gas or propane a better option? Should it be a portable heater or built-in? And, as always, price is a serious factor. Here are the best RV water heater selected to meet the needs of users across five different categories.
- Camplux 5L : Best Portable Propane RV Water Heater
- Girard 2GWHAM : Best Built-In Propane RV Water Heater
- EcoSmart ECO 11 : Best Electric RV Water Heater
- Suburban Manufacturing SW12DE : Best Hybrid RV Water Heater
- EZ 101 Tankless Water Heater : Best Budget RV Water Heater
Editorial Picks
The Camplux 5L Tankless Propane Gas Water Heater is a great choice for a basic water heater for showers while off the grid. Two D-size batteries are used to ignite the propane and it comes with a five-foot gas regulator and five-foot shower head. It weighs 10 pounds and has a carrying handle built-in, so it can be mounted to the exterior of the RV or used as a portable. It can deliver 1.32 gallons of hot water per minute on-demand, with no warmup time. However, the Camplux is strictly for showering. It shuts off automatically when the water temperature reaches 176 degrees Fahrenheit, so it cannot be used to boil drinking water. A water pump is a separate purchase. Some users report unresponsive customer service.
- Portable
- Battery-operated ignition
- No tank to run dry
- Peak temperature too low for boiling drinking water
- Water pump sold separately
- Not a good choice for using in near-freezing temperatures
The Girard 2GWHAM is a no-excuses RV water heater, built to last and engineered to deliver a reliable supply of hot water regardless of demand. At 42,000 BTU, the Girard heats the water quickly. It has an anti-freeze function that automatically kicks in to heat the water when the temperature drops below 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The ignition is powered by the RV’s 12-volt system. Users say it is much quieter than most propane heaters. The manufacturer recommends professional installation, but several customers say it’s an easy do-it-yourself job. A door to cover the unit is sold separately. Some users report circuit board issues that crop up over time.
- Uses less than 3 amps of power
- Quiet operation
- No tank to run dry
- Professional installation recommended by manufacturer
- Door sold separately
- Some users report circuit board issues
The EcoSmart ECO 11 is a great alternative to traditional tank heaters that take up a lot of space. With 11.5x8x3.75-inch dimensions and a lightweight, wall-mounted design, it’s suitable for even the smallest of RVs. The ECO 11 provides between 1.3 and 3.1 gallons of on-demand hot water per minute, depending on the inlet water temperature. EcoSmart offers a lifetime on the product but it must be registered within 30 days of purchase and installed by a professional.
- Compact and lightweight
- Digital temperature control
- Lifetime warranty
- Not optimal for using with inlet water temperatures below 67 degrees Fahrenheit
- Not hot enough to safely boil drinking water
- Requires high amperage breaker
Flexibility and durability are the biggest selling points of the Suburban Manufacturing SW12DE. The flexibility comes from ability to operate on gas and electricity. The durability is in its construction (steel with a porcelain lining). It features a 12-gallon tank and a 12,000 BTU rating. That’s enough to heat the full tank within 30 minutes. The door and remote switch are sold separately. A 12-gallon tank takes up more space than some smaller RV owners may wish or be able to accommodate. There is no thermostat to adjust temperature.
- Gas and electric operation
- Solid construction
- Quick heating of a large amount of water
- May be too large for smaller RVs
- Door and remote switch sold separately
- No thermostat
The EZ 101 Tankless Water Heater is a propane-powered portable that has features you wouldn’t expect at this price. The ignition comes from two D-cell batteries. To conserve them and the propane supply, the propane burns when a hot water faucet is turned on and extinguishes when the faucet is turned off. A 20-minute timer automatically turns off the heater to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if it’s being used inside the RV. Water flow and temperature are easily adjusted using three dials on the front of the unit. The on-demand heating means the unit is susceptible to freezing in cold temperatures. Some users complain that it isn’t up to the task of heating cold source water. Others have concerns about long-term reliability.
- Very reasonable price
- Built-in safety and energy-saving features
- Easy controls for water flow and temperature
- Susceptible to freezing in cold temperatures
- Some owners say it can’t adequately heat cold source water
- Long-term reliability concerns
METHODOLOGY
We evaluate all RV water heaters based on the following weighted metrics:
- Fuel source and efficiency (25%)
- Heating capacity (25%)
- Size/weight/portability (15%)
- Company reputation (15%)
- Price (10%)
- Ease of installation (5%)
- User reviews (5%)