Few "Random" Thoughts

[1stCavArmyVet]

Evening everyone.

While out stuck in the I-75 parking lot today, I had time to think about some things I saw that I wanted to get more info on. I own a 14 Gateway 3200 and want to upgrade some things since my wife and I plan on being in this full time. First one was the water heater. While ours is sufficient, I am wondering if anyone has upgraded or gone with the tankless? Which............I didn't even know existed until yesterday. The vent install and power usage was my biggest concerns on that.

Another upgrade I wanted to look into was the door hangle. I have seen keypad entry doors and would love to run with those. Just not sure if they will work on our Gateway.

 

[sengli]

Unless the tankless water heaters have improved, they eat propane. And they have small plumbing, runs that I heard would get plugged easily if your water is hard. If your like me, I have never run out of hot water with the 10 gallon DSI in my rig. Pretty sure all the RV handles are universal fit.

 

[david-steph2018]

Here is where we purchased our doors and compartment locks:

RVLock - Upgrade to Keyless in 10 Minutes

Upgrade Your RV Security with an RVLock Keyless Door handle. The Original Keyless Solution for Fifth Wheels, Travel Trailers, Motorhomes, and More. Get it at rvlock.com

www.rvlock.com

 

[centerline]

they make the keyless entry door locks in 3 different styles, as a replacement for almost every style of rv door latch made today.... and they make them for compartment latch locks...

if your camping includes plugging in to a power post or if you have solar panels and a solid battery bank, install an electric instant water heater...... BUT there is a trade off.. the "whole house" tankless heaters use LOTS of power when its activated, and unless you are ALWAYS plugged in, it will quickly deplete the batteries.... where as the installation of a smaller kitchen or vanity unit would allow instant hot water for making a beverage or cup o noodles without any worries of battery damage
other than all this, there is no reason to curse you with the recommendation of an instant water heater that is propane fired.....

the propane instant water heaters are more of a pain to use and maintain than you will want to deal with..... there are some quality units built, but they just arent much use for of rv life on a budget, as opposed to the small electric units that can save precious water (unlike when waiting for hot water to arrive at the tap from the main water heater line) and last for years without problems....

 

[1stCavArmyVet]

Honestly we were only looking into that as my wife enjoys a hot bath and the unit we have, which I will assume is the stock unit for a 2014 Gateway, seems to run cold before her tub is filled. Right now it's just a fleeting thought as I have other things I need to do. The rear wall has about 6 inches of bad wood from top to bottom. I have been researching the epoxy injection on that to fix it. A complete rear wall replacement is just out of the picture due to my VA income. I'll look into those RV locks. They seem to be promising.

Now, who knows about interior wall repair? LOL. **** dog got mad we left him home and chewed up some of the wall by the door frame.