Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

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Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

February 06, 2013, 07:48:15 pm

I have a friend looking at a 1996 U320. 40 ft with 400 HP Cummins and 6 spd. What kind of economy could he expect? Also, what kind of Maintenace cost can you expect from Aqua hot? Is it worth it?
Thanks for the help.
Jerry

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #1 – February 06, 2013, 10:14:57 pm

18 months - $650 for Aquahot maintenance. Let me explain. AH worked fine when I purchased the coach (used). One year later I had coach annual maintenance performed at Cummins Coach Care. $150 to service AH. Started an east coast tour a month later and the AH was smoking and running rough. Cummins Coach Care screwed it up but I was far from home and not returning anytime soon. I fixed the rough idle and reduced the smoking but in the process cracked the blower housing - I really need to start using a torque wrench and the blower housing is not cheap for a piece of cast iron. Anyhow, It cost me another $500 to have fixed what I broke plus what Coach Care messed up but now all is well and running great.

Do I think AH is worth it? I had a trailer for 10 years with an Atwood propane water heater which worked well with little maintenance but it could never compare to the endless hotwater showers and the wonderful quiet consistent coach heating. AH is worth every penny and I would never go back.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #2 – February 06, 2013, 11:01:11 pm

Yeah. I get up before Kathleen. I delight in leaving her a warm bathroom when she gets up thesechilly 'morns.

best, paul

Quote

Do I think AH is worth it? I had a trailer for 10 years with an Atwood propane water heater which worked well with little maintenance but it could never compare to the endless hotwater showers and the wonderful quiet consistent coach heating. AH is worth every penny and I would never go back.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #3 – February 07, 2013, 12:00:55 am

8.5 to 9.5 mpg at 63 mph depending on toad and driving style. Use VMSPC to monitor mpg and boost and it will make you a thriftier driver.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #4 – February 07, 2013, 07:06:27 pm

Quote from: Dave Head – February 07, 2013, 12:00:55 am

8.5 to 9.5 mpg at 63 mph depending on toad and driving style. Use VMSPC to monitor mpg and boost and it will make you a thriftier driver.

Exactly right. Just drove back from FOT and kept my foot out of it. 8.9 mpg, 400 hp ISM. 58-63 mph, lots of time in 5th gear which actually seems to yield a bit better mileage.

Chuck

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #5 – February 07, 2013, 10:18:09 pm

2000 U295 36' averages out at 10 + Cummins 350+ Banks stinger and resonator.
Actually had over 11 coming from Tucson to Phx, but level and doing 65 at 1600 rpm approx. No trouble keeping in the 9.5 to 10.5 with vmspc and the last 2 yrs.Towing tracker
John H

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #6 – February 07, 2013, 11:15:34 pm

The new tankless propane RV water heaters will give endless hot water without the maintenance issues of the AH. At 91K btu/gal vs. 135K btu/gal for diesel, it uses more fuel to heat the same amount of water but propane is a LOT cheaper so unless you buy campground propane, a shower is going to only cost half as much in fuel. Not much chance of it quitting when in a remote area in winter where you could be days away from a AH service center.

Pierce

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #7 – February 07, 2013, 11:24:07 pm

Hi Pierce,
I have had an on-demand water heater at my house for several years now, and I could not even think of going back. I've looked at the RV tankless heaters, and so far as I can see, the only way to adjust the temperature is by adding in varying amounts cold water to the stream. What I like about the household model that I have, is that I can just set the remote control thermostat temperature at 106 or so and take my shower just turning on the hot water and it has been pretty consistent. When I'm not taking a shower, I usually set it pretty high like around 135° and mix hot and cold as per the usual method. I would even have the option of buying a second remote and mounting it in the bathroom reachable from inside the shower for convenience sake. The secondary control has limitation of not going above 112° for safety sake. Have you scoped out any particular models for RVs? To my knowledge, there are only a few different brands out there and they all have the limitation that I mentioned.
Don

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – February 07, 2013, 11:15:34 pm

The new tankless propane RV water heaters will give endless hot water without the maintenance issues of the AH. At 91K btu/gal vs. 135K btu/gal for diesel, it uses more fuel to heat the same amount of water but propane is a LOT cheaper so unless you buy campground propane, a shower is going to only cost half as much in fuel. Not much chance of it quitting when in a remote area in winter where you could be days away from a AH service center.

Pierce

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #8 – February 08, 2013, 12:32:21 am

Don,

Girard made the first tankless RV unit. Here is a link to their least expensive model on ebay:
Girard Tankless LP Propane RV Instant Hot Water Heater camper Motorhome | eBay

Not much more than a conventional Atwood. Speaking of Atwoods, check the general search at: RV tankless water heaters - Google Search for all the different models with prices. Have seen RV forum reviews on the different models so there is a lot of info out there.

We have a Bosch at home and being a poster child for ADHD, I set the tankless temp where it can't burn me in the shower so if I'm thinking about something else and not paying attention, no big deal. A remote control would be great...unless I forgot to use it.

There are a lot of thermostatic shower valves on the market so you just dial in the temp you want and turn on the water. I have also seen thermostatic shower heads with both hot and cold water to them, just reach up and dial. So you could leave the tankess at max and still not get burned. Suspect they are for existing installations where the owner does not want to replace the wall valve.

I was in Dresden years ago and my hotel had this weird shower control. Degrees in Celcius with blue to red as the numbers went up. Set the number, turned on the water and it was perfect in seconds.

On the other side of the coin, our Atwood is propane with engine heating and an electric element also. Since we almost never are in a park, our showers are short and the stock heater has been great. I do carry a jumper wire inside the cover in case the board fails, I can jumper down to the gas solenoid and fire it up.

Pierce

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #9 – February 08, 2013, 08:39:46 am

The aquhat does not shine in water heating but in keeping the coach warm. It is quiet and warms in zones. When you are traveling you can use the engine heat to run it as well. I was in Nac in Jan and while there and traveling there and back the temps went into the low twenties. Coach was warm and when traveling we were warm as well. Hot water is what people talk about but I never had an issue with water but have it to heat. Prevosts have electric hot water and wabasco which is the diesel only side of our aquahots for that very reason, heating evenly and easy of getting fuel.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #10 – February 08, 2013, 08:57:56 am

How do you use AH to do this?

best, paul

Quote

When you are traveling you can use the engine heat to run it as well.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #11 – February 08, 2013, 03:19:06 pm

Your aquahot is having engine assist heat in it all the time when the engine is running. So I just turn on the zones and it works. No need to add diesel or even electric it just runs at 180 degrees instead of 210 or there about. It takes a bit more time to heat up the inside of the coach but it does a fine job. Makes winter travel fun.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #12 – February 08, 2013, 05:25:32 pm

I don't know much about the tankless hot water heater for RV nor the aquahot as I have a u295 (with propane furnaces). I will say that we love our 2 tankless hot water heaters for the house. Never ever runs out of hot water no matter how many showers or how long in the shower. It also uses less gas (natural for the house) than a tank type water heater. Just makes sense as it only goes on when the hot water is running through it. It does not maintain a tank full of hot water. I am not going to change out my present hot water heater. The tank type does offer the benefit of warming whilst the engine is driving which is nice. This would not happen with the tankless. Overall the tankless may offer some advantages (and slight disadvantage) over the present tank type water heater, but not enough at this time to warrant an "upgrade" for me. My thought is that one would benefit from the tankless with certainly less propane useage and wanted to advise anyone thinking about tankless.

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #13 – February 08, 2013, 06:11:17 pm

I love the Aqua Hot for all its purposes, hot water for showes (Navy type) plenty heat in coach and warms the ISM on a cold morning, So What exactly is unliked ? Unless you turn the shower on full tilt and take half hour soakings, might be a reason it does not provide enough hot water ? Very curious here.
I do keep mine in top condition per Rudy Legett's service, no smoke, just good hot water.
What am I missing ?
Dave M

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #14 – February 08, 2013, 06:45:38 pm

My coach has propane heat which has always done a good job, but it is noisy for sure. Turned the heat on in my sister's 320 and was amazed at the unobtrusive and even heating, and this was residual engine heat. Either system provides more than enough hot water, the decision is really more aesthetics...aquahot is very unobtrusive and seamless. If I had my choice, it'd be a propane fired aquahot.

Chuck

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #15 – February 08, 2013, 07:45:07 pm

Chuck,

There is a propane fired Aqua Hot now being installed in entry level diesel motor homes. It was originally designed for upscale towables.

So, there is no engine preheat, no over the road heating, only 5 gallon coolant tank so you either heat the interior or your heat the hot water, but not both at the same time as the Aqua Hots installed in Foretravels. And only 2 circulating pumps instead of the three in the large heaters.

Plus, you are authorized to fill the 150 to 200 gallon diesel tank. Only a certified person can fill your 30 to maybe 67 gallon propane tank.

But it will work and you will have a Aqua Hot Heater.

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Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

February 06, 2013, 07:48:15 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #1 – February 06, 2013, 10:14:57 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #2 – February 06, 2013, 11:01:11 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #3 – February 07, 2013, 12:00:55 am

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #4 – February 07, 2013, 07:06:27 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #5 – February 07, 2013, 10:18:09 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #6 – February 07, 2013, 11:15:34 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #7 – February 07, 2013, 11:24:07 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #8 – February 08, 2013, 12:32:21 am

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #9 – February 08, 2013, 08:39:46 am

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #10 – February 08, 2013, 08:57:56 am

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #11 – February 08, 2013, 03:19:06 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #12 – February 08, 2013, 05:25:32 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #13 – February 08, 2013, 06:11:17 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #14 – February 08, 2013, 06:45:38 pm

Re: Friend looking at 1996 40 ft. has some questions

Reply #15 – February 08, 2013, 07:45:07 pm

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