While having hot running water in your van isn’t essential for everyone, it is a modification that will make your daily living a lot easier and make your van feel more like a functional home. Washing clothes, rinsing dishes and showering all use hot water, and there are a multitude of ways to achieve this, so we’re going to give you a rundown of them all along with the pros and cons of each method.

Water usage

Your water usage will play a big part in deciding what kind of water heater is right for you. While some heat up the water inside a tank, others heat it via an element as it passes through. Either way in a van your water source will be finite. The capacity of different water heaters will vary, as will the consumption of their various fuel or power sources, and you don’t want your shower to suddenly run cold mid-shampoo.

Showering generally uses around 4L or 1 US gallon per minute depending on your water pressure. Washing the dishes can use anywhere from 2-5L (0.5-1.5 gal). Doing a load of laundry by hand could use upwards of 9L or 3 US gal. But these are just estimates.

You’ll need to have a good think about your personal needs, what you plan to use hot water for, how much each daily task will use and how often you’re able to fill up on water or replenish your fuel or power supply.

Tank or tankless water heater?

There are two main types of water heaters for a van: using a tank, or tankless. Here are the key differences between the two.

Tank:

Some heaters will require a full system set up including plumbing, pumps and a tank. The tank acts as a holder for the water while it is heated up and then dispensed, usually fed from an adjoining cold tank. The most common types of heaters that require a tank are diesel, gasoline and electric. Calorifiers and Combi boilers have their own integrated tanks.

Tankless:

Tankless water heaters are also known as instant water heaters as they provide hot water on-demand. While they still require some sort of tank to hold cold water prior to heating this needn’t be installed in your van; it could be something as simple as a bucket. There is no need for dedicated storage for the hot water as a pump will draw cold water into the heater where it passes over a heated coil before being dispensed. The most common type of tankless water heater is LPG or propane.

Types and recommended water heaters

LPG (propane) heaters

Propane or LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) heaters, also known as tankless water heaters, have become an increasingly popular option in recent years for their ease of installation, flexibility and portability.

They can be fitted inside a wet room or used outdoors fed from a bucket via a pump, although they are commonly mounted to or near the back doors to create an outdoor shower room.

LPG heaters work by drawing cold water into the unit using an external pump. A small flame is ignited, fuelled by the propane tank, which in turn warms up a heat exchanger inside. As cold water passes over this heat exchanger it is instantly heated and then dispensed at the correct temperature.

As with all propane-fired appliances caution is needed, so make sure your space is well-ventilated to prevent deadly carbon monoxide build-up. Most LPG heaters are designed for outdoor use; for indoor use an external flue or vent will need to be fitted.

Tankless water heaters are great for those with severely limited water supplies, and can be used as a stand-alone shower unit or plumbed in to provide hot water all around your van. Pay attention to the minimum water pressure start up figure, as these heaters will not operate if the water temperature is too low.

We recommend:

Camplux Portable Tankless-Propane Water Heater – $155 on Amazon

• 1.32 GPM flow rate
• 3.0 PSI minimum pressure start up
• 34,000 BTU /hr heat output

Gasland Tankless Water Heater – $169.99 on Amazon

• 1.58 GPM flow rate
• 3.6 PSI minimum pressure start up 
• 41,000 BTU/hr heat output

Diesel or gasoline water heaters

Diesel heaters, or less commonly gasoline heaters, are an efficient and economical way to heat water in your camper van. They can heat air, water or both simultaneously, drawing on fuel from your van’s tank or its own unique fuel source.

Diesel heaters work just like a miniature simplified version of your van’s engine: fuel is pumped into the unit and mixed with air via an intake to create combustion, which in turn creates heat. This then warms up the internal heat exchanger over which liquid is passed to heat it; this liquid runs through a coil which circulates between the heater and an external hot water tank. The principal is fundamentally the same as a propane water heater, however the water is heated in an external tank over a period of time, usually between 10 and 20 minutes, before it achieves an optimum temperature.

Bear in mind that while the way these units operate are very similar, gasoline and diesel engines are fundamentally different and cannot be run on each other’s fuel source. An external exhaust will need to be installed to vent fumes outdoors. There is also a bit of installation required with wiring and plumbing but nothing too advanced.

Power and fuel consumption for these heaters is surprisingly low, running on 12V and consuming around 0.1 – 0.3L (0.026 – 0.079 US gal) of diesel an hour.

Although diesel water heaters aren’t widely available in the U.S. yet, it is possible to get them shipped over from Europe where they are a popular option for both boats and campervans. As well as the recommendations below, Butler Technik ship a wide range of diesel heaters worldwide.

We recommend:

Eberspacher Hydronic D5WSC – ($1,095) on Amazon

• 12V
• 5kW (17,060 BTU/hr)

Webasto Thermo Top EVO SmarTemp 3.0 – ($1395) on Amazon

• 12V
• 5kW (17,200 BTU/hr)
• Bluetooth controlled

Combi boilers

Combi boilers do exactly what they say on the tin. They combine water storage with internal heating elements to create portable, on-demand hot water, often in addition to providing hot air. Combi boilers are a great in-between if you’re having trouble between choosing a tank or tankless heater as they are small enough to fit inside a camper van while holding a substantial amount of water for all your washing needs. Best of all you won’t need to buy a separate heater, although this added functionality does come at a price.

They can run on either electricity or propane, although be aware that their power consumption can be high, and propane needs to be properly vented when used. For this reason they may need to be used only when your van is connected to the mains, or you will need to have a large battery reserve. 12V heaters are generally a more economical option for vans.

Most combi boilers are fitted to the external wall of an RV, which may not be a suitable option for everyone.

We recommend:

Suburban Co 5238A – $404 on Amazon

• Runs on propane
• 12,000 BTU/hr
• 6 gallon tank

RVPart Pro Tankless Water Heater – $469.99 on Amazon

• Runs on propane
• 41W
• 42,000 BTU
• Tankless
• Controller operated

Bosch Electric Mini-Tank Water Heater – $180 on Amazon

• 2.5 gallon tank
• 1440W
• 120V
• 65 – 145ºF

Truma is also a tried and tested provider of water heaters for RVs which are popular in Europe, and their boilers have the added functionality of providing hot air.

Calorifiers

Calorifiers are a great option for creating hot water in your camper van as they use waste heat from your engine so they require no additional resources. Most commonly used on boats but also overlanders, they work by connecting to your engine’s coolant recirculation system, where the heated coolant will circulate between the engine and the coils inside the calorifier’s insulated tank to heat the water around them. The only downside is they are a little bulky to store, but the upside is you’ll have instant hot water as soon as you park after a day of driving. If you’re planning on spending long periods in one spot this may not be such a good option as you’ll need to run the engine each time you want hot water.

We recommend:

Whale Premium Water Heater – $437 on Amazon

• 120V
• Galvanised steel
• 3 or 6 gallon capacity
• 100 psi max pressure rating

Quick Nautic Boiler – $688 on Amazon

• 600W
• 8 gallon capacity
• Built-in heat exchanger

Wood burners

A wood burner is an often overlooked potential source of hot water. While you could simply boil up a kettle of water on its top as you would on a propane stove, there is another more ingenious way of using wood to heat your water.

This clever device is called a back boiler, a metal box which sits behind your wood burner filled with water which is then heated by the fire. It’s a system that was used hundreds of years ago before domestic showers were a thing, but its simple ingenuity is one that can be reused in the 21st century. 

An alternative method is to wrap a coil made from material such as copper around the flue of the wood burning stove and feed it into a metal urn nearby.

The downside to this method is you will have to light a fire whenever you want a hot shower, which may not be practical in the middle of summer, and wood may not always be easy to come by. However it does save on resources such as gas and electricity, making it a great addition to an off-grid camper.

We recommend:

Cubic Grizzly Mini Wood Burning Stove – $484

• 8,000 – 18,000 BTU
• 27 pounds
• 11″ x 12″ x 15″

Camp showers

An honourable mention goes to the humble camp shower, which is ideal for weekend warriors or those with smaller vans who tend to do much of their living outdoors. Equally good for both showering and washing dishes for those who want a more flexible, less permanent option that also works off-grid. Ranging from a basic solar “bag” shower up to a rechargeable, electrically-heated pump shower, there’s a whole range of camp shower options out there to suit your needs and budget without the need for a complicated install.

We recommend:

Geyser System Portable Shower – $349.95 on Amazon

• 12V
• 0.8 gallon capacity
• Built-in heating element
• 108ºF max temperature
• Heats water in 15-45 minutes

Hike Crew Portable Propane Water Heater & Shower – $249.99 on Amazon

• Runs on 12V and propane cylinders
• Instant hot water
• Tankless
• 2.2L /min (0.58 US gal /minute) flow rate
• 149ºF max temperature w/ safety shutoff

Conclusion

There are many different ways to install a hot water system in your camper van, ranging from the simple plug and play to the more complex. As with all things van conversion related it’s a matter of personal taste and what works for you, and we hope this guide has given you a few ideas about how to get hot water running in your camper.

Having cold running water is just as important as hot; check out our guide to the best camper van water tanks here. Need some inspiration for how to heat your tiny home? Check out our list of the best camper van heaters here.