Okay. From all the descriptive info you provided, I'm going to treat an on demand water heater just like i would a traditional water heater: turn it on and wait, then do the dishes and wait, then cycle through showers. This is good info you're sharing! Thank you!
We will do another update at some point. We’ve been fine all summer. It’s really just never letting it run for so long that it would be at risk for overheating which hasn’t happened.
DFW Service a bust. We really had a great experience with sales. That seems to be the way with most RV dealers. Maybe one of these days we will find a service department worth bragging on!
The board turns off the burning and shows an “En” code on the UCP after 20 minute of operation. A soft reset (turn the hot water faucet off and then back on) will reset the water heater. They are right , there is a timer and if you do what is written, you will be fine. Also make sure your outside hot and cold water valves are off otherwise they may be mixing the water. Your shower head will likely be off so you wont know this is happening. And finally , Girard recommends a set temp of 115 degrees, try that as well. You guys are doing great and I enjoy watching your videos, keep it up.
Check for debris in the flexible water line before the water pump. I had plastic shavings from the water tank install. Also check the in let screen on the back of the water heater.
Hi. New subscriber here. Very happy we found your channel! A bit of an intro. My wife and I have had an RV , in one form or another, for the better part of 50 years. After we moved on from tent camping, we had everything from VW Westfalias to Class A motor homes to fifth wheel trailers. All served us well and we had loads of fun. This summer we decided to reduce our footprint somewhat and simplfy our travels. We simply no longer needed or desired the square footage of a big fifth wheel. We made the decision to move on to an Airstream, thinking it would be a great fit at this stage in our travelling life. Our fifth wheel sold in 2 days, and we are now on the search for an Airstream floor plan that meets our needs. And that’s how we found your channel! Looking forward to future episodes and your experiences with your Airstream. Enjoy British Columbia! We are two provinces over in Saskatchewan.
You must have so many fun memories in all those RV’s. We definitely find our memories are about the adventures and not as much about the vessel so as long as we are reasonably comfortable in our space, we tend to be just fine. We are really starting to love our Airstream and there are also things we miss about the fifth wheel. Much like houses, there’s no exactly perfect option so there will always be those individual preferences creating pros and cons. We are certain you get that based on your years as RV owners. Enjoy your shopping process! They are all fun to look at. Hope you love your next chapter. We drove through your province last summer. It was our first time seeing canola fields!
We purchased our Airstream from John's RV/Airstream of SC and they were/are excellent! I would highly recommend this dealership. Sorry for your water-system experience. We have never had a problem like that or any other major issue in the 5 years that we have owned our Airstream. Once you get comfortable with it, I think you will love it!
We are so grateful to them and their timely help! We are definitely figuring it all out and absolutely loving the ease of Airstream travel! Now that we are more comfortable with all of the systems, we are definitely finding things feel more simplified since we tend to move frequently and getting in and out is obviously a breeze at this height. So far, mission accomplished! Thank you!
We did a complete rebuild of a 1969 Shasta. I put in a Furrion Tankless and it has been working perfect since installing. I’ve never timed our length of usage, but I can see having a safety limit as things could get overheated in small compartments
We seem to have to finally figured out! More to come on that but we have heard great feedback on the Furrion. Thank you for the info and a 1969 Shasta sounds very cool!
On demand water heaters work well in homes, but I can’t imaging them working well in RVs. Since they rely on a flow of water, and RVs have a limited amount of water (and waste water) storage, what should be an energy saver will be, IMHO, an energy waster. Also, most experienced RVers will run water at a trickle to conserve water, and as you have found, with low pressure the heater won’t activate. I’ve been enjoying your content, welcome to Airstream life! 🚀🦩
Thanks so much! We are FINALLY getting the hang of it and learning to trick the system a bit but we agree that it’s probably just not a very efficient idea in the first place.
I heard that on demand heater was like that. We got a regular hw heater. First night we got it, the water pump quit working😮...we called the manufacturer...and they trouble shooted with us, and we had taken loooong luxurious showers and we had drained the fresh water tank 😂😂😂😂‼️a rookie mistake😂and we may or may not have had people chase us down to let us know our step was down...a few times😂😮😂
OMG that is hilarious!!!! We wish more people could share those moments openly because we have ALL been there and it is typically hilarious the crazy mistakes me made --barring any permanent damage or serious injuries. Cursed empty water tank 🤣🤣
This is a case of both the dealership not training you completely on how you use the on demand, and you not doing your manual and UA-cam research on the system. I’m not trying to be harsh, but there is a lot of good content on the Girard on demand. Low water pressure under 42psi will give you problems. If low water pressure is the case, turn on your pump to assist. If you use the toggle button at the head of the shower to stop the flow while you are showering, it will cause the on demand to think you have shut it off. Get a switch from Phil at No locs. It goes between the hose and shower handle. You can turn it on and off and it will keep your water hot. This is an rv not a house, on demand works slightly different between the two. We have 2 trailers and have on demand in both. Knowing how to use it gives you the ability to be hassle free. Good luck.
Thank you for the information! Some good information in here. People only apologize for being harsh in writing when they feel their argument isn’t strong enough. You are sharing helpful tips from your experience and you had no way of knowing we exhausted all research and efforts prior to getting a dealer involved. You will hear the service department call Airstream for clarification so we agree that Airstream may want to boost the education of their service departments. Different Airstream models have different On Demand systems in them so they need to be pros on all the models.
Thank you! With no hookups this week we have had no problems so we agree that must have been this issue. We got the setting the hot water temperature figured out right away from someone’s video and love just turning it on and not adjusting mid shower!
South Carolina airstream is bsing you. We take super long showers in our 23 airstream with no problems. There's no resetting because of longer showers. There could be another problem. Just make sure you have the hot water on full and adjust the temperature with the display.
We fill the fresh water tank and turn the water pump on whenever we shower. That way you don't have any problems with water pressure. Use the pump alone or with city hookups.
That has been my solution as well (filling the fresh water tank and turning on the water pump to shower) as the only time I have had problems with the on-demand water heater is when hooked up to city water.
Super,super interesting and good to know. We have been without water hookups since we’ve left and we have not had any problems so you guys are definitely on to something! Thanks so much!!
Have you two had any other issues with the Girard "hot" water heater? We're in the same year and model as you are and came from a 2017 with a gas/electric hot water heater that was fantastic. Currently we can't get ours to get above 93 degrees and we're in Destin FL with exterior temp in the high 50's. Seriously looking at trying to find a retrofit to an older style and deep six the "on demand". FYI John's RV is now Blue Compass in Lexington...we've moved our maintenance to Charlotte (We lived across the lake from Lexington and hit John's to dream all the time). Not the same team anymore. Anyway we watch your vlogs often and hope you are loving the rest of the Globetrotter 30 experience beyond the hot water heater as we are.
Oh, nooooo! So sorry to hear this. Once we got over the initial hump, we haven’t had any serious problems with ours. We had problems once and turned out to be related to low water pressure. One other time we had to turn it off outside for 10 minutes and then it may come back up for you. Good luck!!!!
I haven't attempted the external reset, only from the control in the bathroom. I'll give that a shot for sure. Enjoy your travels in that awesome GT. Scott N Dee
We have a 2019 Airstream Flying Cloud with a good old fashion 6 gallon Electric/Propane water heater. Never a problem with hot water. You could not pay me to have a tankless/on demand water heater in our RV or our Brick and Mortar home. Hope you get it straightened out. Oh, no power awning either. That is why we went with a Flying Cloud instead of an International.
God bless a good 6 gallon! We’ve had great experiences with tankless in brick and mortar homes (client’s homes, not ours) but tankless and on demand are definitely not the same and the name, “On Demand” leans towards misleading!
Maybe I missed something, but what exactly did DFW "not" do? Based on your video and the comments below, this appears to be an uncommon issue since two AS Service departments and Coach-Net could not solve it with a quick phone call. We will definitely be watching this closely since we're purchasing our first Airstream from DFW tomorrow. Safe Travels!
Sales were great! We never heard back from the service department. We called within hours of leaving the lot and called/emailed regarding scheduling the wall replacement (discussed at the time of delivery) and a few other items we noted at the walk thru and never received a response of any sort over the next 5 weeks. We reached back out to our salesman and then the service manager called us but never called back as promised so we had no resolution and no appointment for our walk-thru issues. We tried reaching out again when we had the water heater issue and again, no response.
It is really disconcerting to think that you spend this much money on an RV and have it as the level of service you receive buyers. Beware dealers have got to step up and service their customers.
Loved our traditional water heater in our Solitude. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, right?!?!! Hoping to have this all figured out.
Our 2024 Basecamp 20X REI ended up with a water heater recall and it now works like a charm. You might want to check if there is a recall for yours.
Love watching and learning from you guys! Love to tag along a few days. 2021 28RBQ international with 2023 2500hd. Happy travels
Hey, friends!!! We are working on our itineraries for this year right now so stay tuned! Always love meeting new friends along the way. Love the 28!!
Okay. From all the descriptive info you provided, I'm going to treat an on demand water heater just like i would a traditional water heater: turn it on and wait, then do the dishes and wait, then cycle through showers. This is good info you're sharing! Thank you!
We will do another update at some point. We’ve been fine all summer. It’s really just never letting it run for so long that it would be at risk for overheating which hasn’t happened.
I love you guys. I watch all your videos. Please turn down the music volume. I love you.
Duly noted, Laura!
So DFW Airstream is a bust. Got it! (Get 'em, Jim!)
DFW Service a bust. We really had a great experience with sales. That seems to be the way with most RV dealers. Maybe one of these days we will find a service department worth bragging on!
@@lifebetweentheditches1307Fingers crossed, guys!
@@lifebetweentheditches1307Also, why the 130 behind your channel name?
The board turns off the burning and shows an “En” code on the UCP after 20 minute of operation. A soft reset (turn the hot water faucet off and then back on) will reset the water heater. They are right , there is a timer and if you do what is written, you will be fine. Also make sure your outside hot and cold water valves are off otherwise they may be mixing the water. Your shower head will likely be off so you wont know this is happening. And finally , Girard recommends a set temp of 115 degrees, try that as well. You guys are doing great and I enjoy watching your videos, keep it up.
Thanks so much! We appreciate that!
@lifebetweentheditches1307 OMG that can't be the solution 😂 Just turn it off and back on again... 😂😮😅
Check for debris in the flexible water line before the water pump. I had plastic shavings from the water tank install. Also check the in let screen on the back of the water heater.
We never had another issue after this but that is an excellent tip. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi. New subscriber here. Very happy we found your channel! A bit of an intro. My wife and I have had an RV , in one form or another, for the better part of 50 years. After we moved on from tent camping, we had everything from VW Westfalias to Class A motor homes to fifth wheel trailers. All served us well and we had loads of fun. This summer we decided to reduce our footprint somewhat and simplfy our travels. We simply no longer needed or desired the square footage of a big fifth wheel. We made the decision to move on to an Airstream, thinking it would be a great fit at this stage in our travelling life.
Our fifth wheel sold in 2 days, and we are now on the search for an Airstream floor plan that meets our needs.
And that’s how we found your channel! Looking forward to future episodes and your experiences with your Airstream.
Enjoy British Columbia! We are two provinces over in Saskatchewan.
You must have so many fun memories in all those RV’s. We definitely find our memories are about the adventures and not as much about the vessel so as long as we are reasonably comfortable in our space, we tend to be just fine. We are really starting to love our Airstream and there are also things we miss about the fifth wheel. Much like houses, there’s no exactly perfect option so there will always be those individual preferences creating pros and cons. We are certain you get that based on your years as RV owners. Enjoy your shopping process! They are all fun to look at. Hope you love your next chapter. We drove through your province last summer. It was our first time seeing canola fields!
Why do you heat hot water?
We purchased our Airstream from John's RV/Airstream of SC and they were/are excellent! I would highly recommend this dealership. Sorry for your water-system experience. We have never had a problem like that or any other major issue in the 5 years that we have owned our Airstream. Once you get comfortable with it, I think you will love it!
We are so grateful to them and their timely help! We are definitely figuring it all out and absolutely loving the ease of Airstream travel! Now that we are more comfortable with all of the systems, we are definitely finding things feel more simplified since we tend to move frequently and getting in and out is obviously a breeze at this height. So far, mission accomplished! Thank you!
Also, not to be an a-hole, but it's a water heater. Not a hot water heater. Again, I love you both.
🤣🤣🤣
We did a complete rebuild of a 1969 Shasta. I put in a Furrion Tankless and it has been working perfect since installing. I’ve never timed our length of usage, but I can see having a safety limit as things could get overheated in small compartments
We seem to have to finally figured out! More to come on that but we have heard great feedback on the Furrion. Thank you for the info and a 1969 Shasta sounds very cool!
I would, absolutely call corporate on the dealership where you bought the airstream from and tell him the service was terrible at DFW airstream
Absolutely!! As consumers, we all need to require better service industry wide. 100%
On demand water heaters work well in homes, but I can’t imaging them working well in RVs. Since they rely on a flow of water, and RVs have a limited amount of water (and waste water) storage, what should be an energy saver will be, IMHO, an energy waster. Also, most experienced RVers will run water at a trickle to conserve water, and as you have found, with low pressure the heater won’t activate.
I’ve been enjoying your content, welcome to Airstream life! 🚀🦩
Thanks so much! We are FINALLY getting the hang of it and learning to trick the system a bit but we agree that it’s probably just not a very efficient idea in the first place.
@@lifebetweentheditches1307 sticks and bricks 👍 in an RV👎. IMHO.
I heard that on demand heater was like that. We got a regular hw heater. First night we got it, the water pump quit working😮...we called the manufacturer...and they trouble shooted with us, and we had taken loooong luxurious showers and we had drained the fresh water tank 😂😂😂😂‼️a rookie mistake😂and we may or may not have had people chase us down to let us know our step was down...a few times😂😮😂
OMG that is hilarious!!!! We wish more people could share those moments openly because we have ALL been there and it is typically hilarious the crazy mistakes me made --barring any permanent damage or serious injuries. Cursed empty water tank 🤣🤣
Did you go on any airstream forums to figure out the issue?
We did! And forums are excellent resources for all RVs!! We never had the problem again so it was just one of those things
I was looking to purchase Airstream from DFW.. not anymore🙏🙏
Sales were great! Service was just inexcusable.
This is a case of both the dealership not training you completely on how you use the on demand, and you not doing your manual and UA-cam research on the system. I’m not trying to be harsh, but there is a lot of good content on the Girard on demand. Low water pressure under 42psi will give you problems. If low water pressure is the case, turn on your pump to assist. If you use the toggle button at the head of the shower to stop the flow while you are showering, it will cause the on demand to think you have shut it off. Get a switch from Phil at No locs. It goes between the hose and shower handle. You can turn it on and off and it will keep your water hot. This is an rv not a house, on demand works slightly different between the two. We have 2 trailers and have on demand in both. Knowing how to use it gives you the ability to be hassle free. Good luck.
Thank you for the information! Some good information in here. People only apologize for being harsh in writing when they feel their argument isn’t strong enough. You are sharing helpful tips from your experience and you had no way of knowing we exhausted all research and efforts prior to getting a dealer involved. You will hear the service department call Airstream for clarification so we agree that Airstream may want to boost the education of their service departments. Different Airstream models have different On Demand systems in them so they need to be pros on all the models.
Thank you! With no hookups this week we have had no problems so we agree that must have been this issue. We got the setting the hot water temperature figured out right away from someone’s video and love just turning it on and not adjusting mid shower!
South Carolina airstream is bsing you. We take super long showers in our 23 airstream with no problems. There's no resetting because of longer showers. There could be another problem. Just make sure you have the hot water on full and adjust the temperature with the display.
We fill the fresh water tank and turn the water pump on whenever we shower. That way you don't have any problems with water pressure. Use the pump alone or with city hookups.
That has been my solution as well (filling the fresh water tank and turning on the water pump to shower) as the only time I have had problems with the on-demand water heater is when hooked up to city water.
Super,super interesting and good to know. We have been without water hookups since we’ve left and we have not had any problems so you guys are definitely on to something! Thanks so much!!
This is so timely! No problems since we’ve left but we have been hooked up to city water either. We can totally live with that solution. Thank you!
WOW, I have heard that you will Love that system or hate it.
That seems to be a fair assessment! We have gone from not loving it to a bit confused by it 🤣
Have you two had any other issues with the Girard "hot" water heater? We're in the same year and model as you are and came from a 2017 with a gas/electric hot water heater that was fantastic. Currently we can't get ours to get above 93 degrees and we're in Destin FL with exterior temp in the high 50's. Seriously looking at trying to find a retrofit to an older style and deep six the "on demand". FYI John's RV is now Blue Compass in Lexington...we've moved our maintenance to Charlotte (We lived across the lake from Lexington and hit John's to dream all the time). Not the same team anymore. Anyway we watch your vlogs often and hope you are loving the rest of the Globetrotter 30 experience beyond the hot water heater as we are.
Oh, nooooo! So sorry to hear this. Once we got over the initial hump, we haven’t had any serious problems with ours. We had problems once and turned out to be related to low water pressure. One other time we had to turn it off outside for 10 minutes and then it may come back up for you. Good luck!!!!
I haven't attempted the external reset, only from the control in the bathroom. I'll give that a shot for sure. Enjoy your travels in that awesome GT. Scott N Dee
We have a 2019 Airstream Flying Cloud with a good old fashion 6 gallon Electric/Propane water heater. Never a problem with hot water. You could not pay me to have a tankless/on demand water heater in our RV or our Brick and Mortar home. Hope you get it straightened out. Oh, no power awning either. That is why we went with a Flying Cloud instead of an International.
God bless a good 6 gallon! We’ve had great experiences with tankless in brick and mortar homes (client’s homes, not ours) but tankless and on demand are definitely not the same and the name, “On Demand” leans towards misleading!
This is crazy
All the other Manufacturers there’s work when u turn on water it’s instant Hot water.
Which manufactures? We love to hear to from people who love their (all things RV/travel locations) water heaters.
Maybe I missed something, but what exactly did DFW "not" do? Based on your video and the comments below, this appears to be an uncommon issue since two AS Service departments and Coach-Net could not solve it with a quick phone call. We will definitely be watching this closely since we're purchasing our first Airstream from DFW tomorrow. Safe Travels!
Sales were great! We never heard back from the service department. We called within hours of leaving the lot and called/emailed regarding scheduling the wall replacement (discussed at the time of delivery) and a few other items we noted at the walk thru and never received a response of any sort over the next 5 weeks. We reached back out to our salesman and then the service manager called us but never called back as promised so we had no resolution and no appointment for our walk-thru issues. We tried reaching out again when we had the water heater issue and again, no response.
OnceU leave the dealer U-R own u-r own.
So VERY true. Sadly, of every single dealer we’ve ever dealt with.
RTFM
Gee…. Wish we had thought of that 🙄
Hubby read it and we knew about the 20 minutes. Saves a lot of frustration and time.
Why have A Towable Fifthwheel is Easier.
It is really disconcerting to think that you spend this much money on an RV and have it as the level of service you receive buyers. Beware dealers have got to step up and service their customers.
Agree! Anyone buying any brand of RV should have the right to decent customer service.
I’m not buying no AIRSTREAM
I think there BUllshiting y’a
I have heard nothing but trouble with on demand water heaters. I am sticking with the traditional tank heater.
Loved our traditional water heater in our Solitude. As the old saying goes, if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it, right?!?!! Hoping to have this all figured out.