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Part one of our semi-infrequent series on the mechanics of the bus:
THE EVOLUTION OF HOT WATER
When we started on the road, I installed a pretty sweet heat exchanger that we used as a water heater. It was something I got from my Father-in-law’s boat salvage yard (aka backyard) and was originally used in a boat to take in salt water to cool down the engine. We used it in the opposite direction to take hot coolant from the engine to heat water (almost to 200 degrees!).
The major downside was we only had hot water when the bus was running. Week long stints, however, meant no warm showers. It sucked but we were willing to live with it. Then while in Texas (everything bad seems to happen in Texas!) the heat exchanger sprung a leak. Luckily we were not driving (meaning no hot water all over the place) and caught it almost immediately. So we bypassed the thing and lived without hot water for several weeks until we got tired of cold showers. 
We needed something cheap that also didn’t drain on resources like propane or electricity, so in walks a black garden hose on our roof. Twenty bucks got us hot water and it worked pretty well during the summer. The major downside was we only had hot water during sunny days which meant only mid afternoon showers. Plus for the first several weeks, our hot showers had a distinct smell of garden hose rubber. However when winter came even the most sunny of days would get the water only mildly warm. Our garden hose really needed direct overhead sunlight to give us hot water, so again I went back to the drawing board.
I have to confess that nothing has motivated me more than a cold shower on a winter day. So parked in a Walmart parking lot in Southern California, I went inside to the camping section. The only option was a black shower bag which you sit out in the sun all day to get a hot shower in the evening. The downside is these bags leak (Jamie bought one and tried it during the heat exchanger crisis) and more importantly we would have to remember to put the damn thing out everyday. We’re not that prepared or organized. So I bought a $7 five gallon drinking water bag. When I got back to the bus, I put some hooks in the shower and proceeded to warm up water on the stove. Three pots boiling water and several gallons of cold sink water filled the bag with a perfect shower. I hung it upside down in the shower stall and christened our “bag shower” era with the first of many cleanings under the bag. The size meant plenty for two showers (military style- wash, turn off, soap, rinse) and so we naturally formed a lingo around showers. “Did you do a whole or a half bag?” “Hey, there’s a half bag in there if you want it.” “Could you make a bag for me, please?”
Nearly four months of showers finally took its toll on the bag, and it sprung a leak on our way back across the country. So it got me to thinking about tankless propane hot water heaters. I had heard about them when we were doing the original bus build out but cost and the propane usage made me hesitant. The heat exchanger was free and all the tankless systems I could find were around $600. But now with the bag showers we were already using the propane, so I decided to revisit the idea. 
With little effort, I stumbled upon a ridiculously cheap $120 tankless hot water heater by the company Eccotemp. I’d never really heard of the company but found on their site that they were based in our hometown of Charleston. So during our last stint there we found ourselves in the Eccotemp warehouse getting a tour and getting hooked up with a L5 water heater.
Since the installation in April, we’ve been rigorously testing (aka using) the water heater and I have to say the Eccotemp L5 is well worth the price. It gets water very hot. The propane usage is not bad. We have yet to change our first set of D batteries for the ignition switch and it only took a couple hours to hook it into our system.
It was not a plug and play installation because the L5 is designed for outdoor use with a gas grill propane tank (images of people washing their cars and horses were on the box), but it only took a couple of fittings, sheet metal, high temperature duct tape, and a dryer vent to get the thing up and running in the spacious area behind our propane fridge. 
We put it in this compartment because it already had good ventilation and it was relatively easy to add more venting for the water heater. If I had to do it again, I would make the vent take up the entire width of the unit with sheet metal rather than using the dryer vent. But as it’s currently set up, it works great. However, I should say again that this unit is designed for outdoor use and Eccotemp does not condone indoor use of the L5. If you’re going to install one like us, make sure to vent the hell out of it. In addition to the vent attached to the unit, we also have large vents at the top and bottom of the compartment. In case of a propane leak, the gas will flow out of the bottom vent instead of inside the bus. During really hot days we have a 12v fan we can turn on at the top vent to circulate air in the compartment. Anyways ventilation is very important. You could die. I’m serious.
If you use it as designed, you could seriously use it out of the box. It comes with a regulator for a propane grill tank and even a shower head. There are limitations to the L5, as to be expected with a $120 bargain. You can only use one fixture at a time. No big deal for us. We don’t typically do the dishes and shower at the same time. For us the big bummer was we have to have the water on full blast. We were used to doing low flow showers to conserve water, but now in order to keep the flame lit (and water hot) our water pump has to be wide open. As a result, our water usage has gone up, not a ton but enough to feel like we’re filling up our 200 gallon water tank more frequently. Bottom line, if you need a cheap propane water heater, the L5 is worth every penny. After four months with no problems (knock on wood) I hope this saves me some headaches as well as anyone else considering mobile hotwater.
[...] regular updates on their projects and fascinating instructionals allied to nomadic life such as ‘how to make a hot water heater’ and ‘how to fix an ibook g4 power cord with a tampon.’ Though often trivial and largely [...]
Hi Folks.
Great work !!!
I wonder – having just spoken with the Eccotemp guy and having him recommend looking at your site for info – what is that sheet metal part you’ve used for connecting the dryer hose ?
Many dryers have been installed by my own hands, but I swear I’ve never seen a ready-made sheetmetal thing like that before !
Anyways – I hope you’ll tell me about this and I have to say that I hugely admire what you’ve done – again, Great Work !
mark