Instant hot taps/camper hot water heaters for barns

[firefoot]

Hi all!

My landlord is finally getting around to thinking about putting in hot water :yes: :applause:He prefers a propane hot water heater like the little ones that sit on the wall and have a propane tank and a water hose hooked up to it that it then heats the water through. I feel like I’ve heard people on here say that they use these types in their barn – for those who have them, pros/cons, preferences, reviews?? I think we’re ideally looking for one less than $800. He initially was like, oh they’re $150! But I feel like the cheaper ones aren’t so good for this purpose? The electric hot water heaters will pull too much power for what he’s wired, I think.

For reference, this will be for bathing horses when it’s not really hot (so less than 65/70 degrees?), washing legs in winter, cleaning wounds, wetting feed, etc. for a 4-5 stall barn. All the horses are in work and horse show/hunt/etc. so it would get used at least weekly in the cold months I think.

Thanks for your feedback!

[MzCarol]

We have this in our barn and it works great.
https://www.sstack.com/insta-hot-portable-equine-washing-system/p/21550c/

just have to make sure it’s vented well

[firefoot]

@MzCarol

We have this in our barn and it works great.
https://www.sstack.com/insta-hot-portable-equine-washing-system/p/21550c/

just have to make sure it’s vented well

I have seen these and always been curious. Does it stay warm for a whole bath? How often do you go through gas tanks? In what temperatures are you using it? Reviews I’ve heard about it say it can’t be outside below freezing, which might be tough for me – it won’t necessarily be outside, but I would like to keep it in my aisle and my barn is not heated. I’m in MD so we do get close to 0 F at some points.

[DinkyDonk]

I just make do with a $30 electric kettle where the ss pot comes off the corded base, and 2 API bucket heaters…but I’m in WY, so bathing a horse in winter is not an option for me–just spot cleaning as necessary.

[longlanefarm]

I have the generic version of the sstack type. Basically a camp shower tankless water heater. I use it in the late spring/summer/early fall only. It is not meant for winter use to my knowledge, unless you’d store it inside and bring it out to use, drain and return inside promptly. It it freezes with water inside it ruins it.

For my use, it’s fine. Occasional baths of 2 horses. It is quite touchy though and sometimes doesn’t stay hot the whole bath. I turn it so that it’s the lowest temp and the highest water output. You can mess around with it and see what you prefer.

My trainer has a “real” tankless water heater installed in her heated tack room that is next to the wash stall. That is WAY more consistent but also more expensive and requires a heated room for install. I don’t have a heated tack room at home right now so my version works just fine for now.

[jawa]

I have a tankless water heater that uses gas, still needs some electric to fire the gas, that is an outdoor unit. It handled this winter without freezing. It is mounted on the NW corner of my barn, which is the side that gets the most cold and the least sunlight in winter. We had a week of extremely cold temperatures and it worked fine.

I was originally going to go with an indoor model, but we ran out of room to put it. We have the indoor model for our home and are extremely pleased with how it works.

The tankless heaters do need some maintenance. They need to be kept free of mineral deposits from water to work properly and with the gas models, you need to be sure the vent and fan are working properly or you won’t have an hot water. The year the lady bugs were terrible here, they clogged up the vent which made the fan work harder, which caused it to malfunction. Because the unit wasn’t venting properly, it wouldn’t run…no hot water.

[firefoot]

@jawa

I have a tankless water heater that uses gas, still needs some electric to fire the gas, that is an outdoor unit. It handled this winter without freezing. It is mounted on the NW corner of my barn, which is the side that gets the most cold and the least sunlight in winter. We had a week of extremely cold temperatures and it worked fine.

I was originally going to go with an indoor model, but we ran out of room to put it. We have the indoor model for our home and are extremely pleased with how it works.

The tankless heaters do need some maintenance. They need to be kept free of mineral deposits from water to work properly and with the gas models, you need to be sure the vent and fan are working properly or you won’t have an hot water. The year the lady bugs were terrible here, they clogged up the vent which made the fan work harder, which caused it to malfunction. Because the unit wasn’t venting properly, it wouldn’t run…no hot water.

Do you have a link or brand name and model for the water heater you have? I don’t think I knew they could be mounted outdoors … that is handy.

[sparkygrace]

@firefoot, I have an Eccotemp that provides instant hot water for my barn. It is mounted outside under the eave. You do have to be careful about draining the water after each use. If the water freezes, it will crack the copper tubes. I made that mistake and had a local radiator shop repair the tube. The unit is hooked to a small propane tank and provides unlimited hot water. It’s a really efficient and easy way to get hot water when you don’t have room for an electric hot water tank.

https://www.amazon.com/Eccotemp-L10-Portable-Tankless-Heater/dp/B002JLSH5S/ref=asc_df_B002JLSH5S/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167126276842&hvpos=1o5&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16522217418032651199&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=aud-801738734305:pla-274333599104&psc=1

[jawa]

@firefoot
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹Mine is mounted outside of my tack room. The pipes and water supply are protected by insulation that you place within the unit and the fact that the tack room is a heated space. I’ll have to look when I’m at the barn tomorrow and get the brand. I believe it is a Rinnai.

[Palm_Beach]

@MzCarol

We have this in our barn and it works great.
https://www.sstack.com/insta-hot-portable-equine-washing-system/p/21550c/

just have to make sure it’s vented well

I have that too. Every once in a while the water goes cold, you just need to turn the switch off and back on, and it heats back up.