In this video, I review the EccoTemp L5 tankless hot water heater. I discuss some pros and cons and give some information on its performance. The unit can be purchased at www.eccotemp.com #offgridshower #offgrid #homesteading
I bought this thing to use temporarily while I finished out a cabin. Highly touted but mostly junk. 35 degrees outside and it can barely turn out any hot water maxed out. 70 degrees out and gotta be careful or it is boiling hot. Supposed to be used outdoors, problem is the lightest puff of wind blows the flame out, so unless you have someone closely monitoring the unit, or build an enclosure around it (kinda defeats "portable") you'll be showering and all of the sudden it goes cold. Flame out. So I gotta prefill the tub, then take a bath. Upside is it barely uses any propane. 3 people bathing 3-4 times per week and a 20lb tank lasts a month.
I have used mine for a few years and never had trouble but this year there is terrible toxic smell and black smoke coming off the top. I am scared in case it's unsafe.
Still working! It’s a beast. We built a little lean to shelter for it at the end of the cabin and I believe that greatly increase the lifespan of this unit. Keeping rain and leaves and other debris out of the vent help tremendously!. If you go to my Amazon influencer page, it provides me a small kickback at no additional cost to you. amzn.to/3pWLhrF
I have one of these but about 3 or 4 mins into taking a shower the hot water goes cold. Then if I turn the water off and wait about 3 or 4 mins and turn it back on it will be hot again and then the same thing happens. My PSI is at 40 when the water is running. Any ideas on troubleshooting it. Thanks for your time.
If the water temp outlet gets over 120 degrees, it will automatically turn off, and wait till it cools down before it will start again. Could be from too high temp setting, or the unit may need to be descaled… I hope you have good luck.
Used mine for a Year (a newer Model bought in 2021). It always Burned me from day 1, the temp control seemingly did nothing. Now a little over 1 year of use & it is pouring tons of water out of the unit. I am less than impressed & not happy. This is a POS do not buy this brand
I have mine at a retreat cabin. Got it hooked up. Turned it on and nothing. I was pissed. It didn't click or light. I was ready to make a support call and then I thought: Wait a minute, water flow activates it. Maybe I should open the hot water tap at the sink. Bingo! Don't forget that step the first time you try to use it.
Mine didn't get that hot and didn't see blue. I turned the water off, when the water back on flume the gas ignited and got hot water. I got 5 shower hoses hooked up so the shower hand unit would go into our bathtub. This is my emergency hot water. I have an excel water heater but I'm afraid to use it because I see white and orange flame on one end of the burner. This unit it's all blue so I'm happy so far. When I go to the mountains I will take this and use it instead of firing up the 50 gallon water heater. It's a pain to drain when the drain hose freezes. I can bring this unit inside when not in use. They say not to permanently hook this up but I bet I could rig a flue and the gasses would go outside I will research this in more detail. 73
Have you measured with a temp gauge the difference between cold and hot? I just got this unit and will be doing just that, but I have not found a bad review on this unit at all. Very utilitarian friendly. Aside from a few defective units and people gave bad reviews, this thing is fairly simplistic and functions well. I plan on using mine to run a portable sink and shower too. I got the Flo-jet pump too. Just need to get the fittings and hoses to facilitate that.
***** I have not measured with a temp gauge but that's a good idea. I may make a follow up video to do that. I finally ended up having to change the LP tank at about 7 months in. Great unit!
you said, u use well water. My question is, Did you have to install a water pump and or filter for this unit? I have 2 units, one was donated to my tiny house project and one I bought. Do I need a flo jet water pump?
+cherise briscoe Read the manual to be sure but I don't use a jet pump. I am using this off of the well pump and the pressure it creates. Works fine with that.
Thanks for the quick reply!!! One more question....does it automatically shut off if i leave it running.....if so can i simply just restart it or is there a waiting period afterwards
You're welcome! It is on demand. It shuts off when the flow of water stops (when you turn the water off). It reignites when you turn the water back on. It is driven by flow sensors and reignites when it senses water flow using the D batteries. There is no tank and no need to shut it off or turn it on.
I leave mine outside 24/7 with an ikea tarp bag wrapped around it to keep the UV rays off and rain out.. I'm just wanting it to last a long time, it might be fine otherwise. I have had it like that for 6-7 months with no signs of damage.
The video is not from a tenured owner, while the Eccotemp unit is in the lower price range for these units, they are made with cheap parts from China and have a terrible service department. Don't bother with needing replacement parts under warranty, they will virtually rather spend a couple hours on the phone giving you scripted 'trouble shooting' rather than admitting they have specific faulty parts and checking those first. Not a good company, not good service and although they recently launched a complete new line, they are still cheap parts & bad service. Many users replace the Eccotemp units in a couple years because of the issues and frustrations.
