Hot water can be a luxury when living in a van but lots of people find it adds comfort when on the road. There are lots of ways to get hot water in a van and this article will introduce you to some of those methods and their pros and cons.

1.   Household / Outdoor LPG instant water heaters

Pros:

●     Cheap

●     Easy to fit

Cons:

●     Not designed to use in a vehicle

●     No external air intake and no flue - there are risks around oxygen depletion and negative pressure in the van

●     Limited parts availability - imported from the far east

●     Very unlikely to be approved or certified

●     Possible insurance problems

2.   Water Heating from Batteries

Pros:

●     Simple to use

Cons:

●     Battery bank not realistically feasible at a sensible cost - must have power to heat reasonable amount of water when off-grid

●     Solar provision and weather conditions would have to be substantial to recharge off-grid

3.   Solar Thermal

Pros:

●     Off-the-shelf, low-cost and fitted or DIY options are available

●     Easy to install

Cons:

●     Only viable to use in locations / seasons with plenty of sun

●     Limited Supply / Weather dependent

4.   Kettle

Pros:

●     Simple

●     Cheap

●     Easy to use

●     Portable

●     Multi-functional

Cons:

●     Cannot get constant supply of hot water

●     Only used for small tasks like washing dishes, hands or body

a.    Storm Kettle

This is the Kettle option that can be used outside of the van. It can be run on pretty much anything. It burns on twigs, pinecones, paper, dry sheets, etc. The design means the water is held in a jacket around the chimney so the heat transfers very quickly from a very small fire boiling in around two minutes. They are available in various sizes.

b.    LPG Stovetop Kettle

This is the Kettle option that can be used inside of the van. It is the best option to be used on cooktops to heat water easily.

5. Thermos Flask

Pros:

●     Can get a bit more constant supply of warm water over Kettle

●     Can top up when boiling kettle to have a more regular and accessible source

●     Simple tasks like hand washing or washing up can be done without the hassle of permanent installation

Cons:

●     Comparatively cannot get a good constant supply and can do only small tasks

6. 240V only Kettle / Coffee Machine

Pros:

●     Low cost

●     No permanent installation

●     Can be used when spending time on a campsite with a hook up

Cons:

●     Only a small amount of hot water can be obtained

●     Have to be conscious of the current used, may trip campsite supply if too high

7. 240V only Water Heater

Pros:

●     Can get a constant supply of hot water

●     Low cost

●     Easy to install

●     Can be used if mainly using campsite with a hook up

●     Some of these can be linked to blown air heating to give some level of off-grid use which work by routing the air heating pipe back through the water heater

Cons:

●     Need to be cautious of “instant” 240V Water heaters as due to the high current need, they are likely to trip van or campsite supply

●     The diesel or gas blown air heater method isn’t very efficient

8. Instantaneous LPG heaters

Pros:

●     Designed for in-vehicle use

●     Single fuel

●     Economical on gas - only burns when water required

●     Limited only by the amount of water you carry

●     External air intake and flue

Cons:

●     Expensive

●     Cannot be used on 240V - always have to use gas even if you’re on hook up

●     Takes a bit of time until you get hot water - cold water wasted until it gets up to the temperature

●     No frost protection - not recommended to use below 0 ℃, will have to drain it each night to prevent damage

●     New in the market - difficult to judge the long term reliability and parts availability

9. Engine Coolant - Calorifier

Pros:

●     Designed for in vehicle use

●     If you are regularly travelling between sites, the waste engine heat can be used to heat water

●     Using a calorifier, the engine coolant pipes can be routed into the water tank and the heat exchanger will heat the water

●     Single fuel

●     Simple in theory

Cons:

●     Complex to install - not off-the-shelf

●     Engine needs to be run to heat water

10. Diesel only Water Heater

Pros:

●     Designed for in vehicle use

●     Can provide heating with added radiators

●     Single fuel

●     Parts plentiful

Cons:

●     Can be run only when stationary

●     Complex to install - needs calorifier tank to store the water once heated

●     Dirtier combustions than LPG - need more regular / complex servicing

●     Expensive

11. Dual Fuel LPG / 240V Boilers

Pros:

●     Self-contained LPG 240V water heaters including a Tank and a Heater have long been favored by van and motorhome manufacturers

●     Designed for in-vehicle use

●     Flexible fuel source - great for both on-grid and off-grid

●     Water always hot and protected from frost - fine to use in subzero temperatures

●     Parts plentiful

●     Proven design

●     New and Second hand options

●     Reasonably simple to install combining Heater and Tank

12. Dual Fuel LPG / 240V Under Vehicle

Pros:

●     Designed for under-vehicle use

●     Flexible fuel source

●     Water always hot and protected from frost

●     Space saving design - no need for flue or vent inside the van

●     Reasonably simple to install combining Heater and Tank

●     Just a small hole to the floor allow pipes, electrical connections and drain valve into the living space

Cons:

●     Relatively new to market - difficult to judge the long term reliability and parts availability

If you want to purchase a single electricity oriented water heater based on 12V,DC 12V/200W water heater is a good option to choose.

https://www.24homart.com/products/water_heater/storage_water_heater_/cylinder_ewh/fje_b.html

13. Combination Blown Heating and Hot Water

Pros:

●     Designed for in-vehicle use

●     Saves space as it just has one unit

●     Flexible fuel source (LPG / 240V or Diesel / 240V) - great for both on-grid and off-grid

●     Water always hot and protected from frost

●     Plentiful parts

●     Proven design

●     Reasonably simple to install

Cons:

●     Expensive

14. Combination Radiant Heating and Hot Water

Pros:

●     Designed for in-vehicle use

●     Uses liquid rather than blown air to radiate heat in the space of the van

●     Water always hot and protected from frost

●     Flexible fuel source (LPG / 240V)

Cons:

●     Complex to install

●     Bulky - require fitting of expansion tanks and radiant elements

●     Expensive

●     Take up plenty of room in the van

Best cases of Water Heaters used in different scenarios

1.    Simple / cheap off-grid

Kettle, Flask, USB powered shower, shower tent

2.    Mainly use Campsites

240 V Water Heaters / Tank

3.    Off-grid (already have heating)

Compound LPG 240V Water Heater and Tank

4.    Off-grid (ultimate setup heating and hot water)

Combination Blown Heating and Hot Water