Review: Eccotemp L5 Portable Tank-less Water Heater

The Eccotemp L5 Portable Tank-less Water Heater is just the ticket for those that have need of a portable hot water shower, without a lot of hassle. Advertised as the perfect answer for camping, or at the cabin, this shower system can be set up in a matter of minutes and will quickly have you squeaky clean.

It's a simple matter to attach a source of water by means of a garden hose, and hook up the LP tank from your barbecue. Then all you do is flip the switch and turn on the water.

Supplied with the unit is a hand held shower control that includes a water shut off. Water is heated only when it is actually flowing. Shut it off at the spray handle and the flame goes out. This ability to control the flame not only conserves propane, but eliminates the need to blend cold water to obtain an appropriate temperature. Once you set the temperature and water flow on the front of the water heater the water coming out of the sprayer will remain a steady temperature.

The only problem with the supplied hand held shower head is the hose is rather short and it's the wrong thread type to easily attach to the water heater. Being plastic, the fittings can be tightened with a pair of pliers to work, but a better solution is to abandon the supplied sprayer with it's short hose and replace it with a longer garden hose and pistol grip garden sprayer. The correct brass garden hose fittings are supplied with the unit so this is an easy upgrade and works very well.

I found a ½" x 25' white drinking water RV hose worked the best for maintaining consistent water temperatures because overall this is a low flow water heater. You can't expect to have the same penetrating massage shower you can get at home, but you will get a satisfyingly hot shower that will get you clean. After all that is the main objective in taking a shower isn't it?

Uses for this shower system are many. A quick poolside wash down, or showers for that week long stay at the cabin, even if you're going off into the wilderness on a tent camping trip. Some adds also mention it as a horse shower for giving your friend Flicka a wash down for the big show. It would also be an ideal system for a portable dog grooming service.

My use of the Eccotemp L5 will be as a camping shower to go along with my Camping Van. It's not designed to be used inside an RV, but for my installation I mounted it on the inside of the back door. For use it's a simple matter of opening the door wide open to allow exhaust gasses to expel to the atmosphere. With the 25' shower hose I can set up a portable shower cabana away from the van.

With a 6.5 gallon water container and a 12 Volt RV water pump I have a portable water source for the water heater. The manufacturer recommends a water pump rated at 2.9 gpm and 50 psi.

Being able to shower daily with a good source of steady hot water brings camping back into the civilized world. There's no need to smell like a grizzly bear just because you're in their domain.