Customer Reviews

Camp Chef HWDS Triton Hot Water Heater

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Length:: 2:07 Mins

Camp Chef HWDS Triton Hot Water Heater

I did a short product video so you can see how easy it works. Hot water instantly, I have used several portable units including the Zodi and wished for something with enough power to heat a larger volume of water.

FIRST LOOK: this feels like a quality unit, you can carry it like a briefcase. (nice packaging and easy instructions)

PROS: water heater heats water in seconds.
Adjustable shower head
easy to use and mount
Automatically ignites when water is turned on

CONS: Not a backpacking unit, this is more of base camp style product
Will update if any show up!

Web Site Specs:
# Easy turn brass garden hose connector
# Fully adjustable heat and water flow
# 4 settings shower head: off, mist, shower, and jet
# Includes regulator hose for bulk propane tank
# Includes 8 feet (96")

I hope this is helpful for you! Take Care

i recently purchased a triton hot water system for a fourth of july camp out. thinking i was a day late on my order didnt plan on it even getting here on time!! IT DID!!! way to go Amazon!!!! as far as the heater goes!!! 5 Star all the way!! plug it in to some water, install two batteries, hook up to propane!! and shower to your hearts content!!! absolutely awesome!!! took the advice from other users and shielded it from the wind, had absolutely no problems!! one shower for 19 people for three days and not one cold shower!!! i rate it as one of the best things since sliced bread!!!!!!

Camping Guy!!

The Triton water heater that I recently purchased was delivered very promptly and was in excellent shape. Other than the garden hose converter fitting for the output port being the wrong thread size for U.S. garden hoses, everything went together easily and quickly. After purchasing the correct output fitting, I was able to convert an outside shower from one with just cold water to one with hot water. The heater works beautifully and heats water as advertised. I wish I would have stumbled across this product years ago.

Length:: 0:16 Mins

We have our Triton installed permanently outside our RV in the same area that we set up for the replacement conventional 20 gallon we started with :( see below, PLEASE don't do what we did! The Triton is set up with insulated galvanized piping running hot water into the trailer. Check out our video! We used flexible washing machine hoses using a nipple from Home Depot to adjust for the hose2pipe difference. It is attached with metal strapping/nuts and bolts onto a free standing upside down U shaped galvanized pipe bolted down onto a sturdy/stable wooden platform covered in galvanized sheet(we're in earthquake country in the SF Bay Area CA.) We also used a modified aluminum roof vent, also from Home Depot (LOVE them!) to protect the heater from the drizzle and rain in the coming winter months, which you can't see in the photos.

When the old 6 gal RV heater died, we went with new 20 gallon conventional heater replaced 2X - &%X#*! headaches replacing elements, thermostats, hours on phone troubleshooting with the CS rep finally giving up with BS excuse about an electrical issue on our end - NOT TRUE, just wanted us off his case!
Frustration sent me to research small portable tankless heater products, and are we ever glad we did! Total cost of heater and permanent installation of galvanized pipes and fittings/hoses/vent cover, still LESS $$ than the conventional 20 gallon heater.

This little unit packs POWER, works like a CHARM and delivers HOT water in seconds! NO issues - EASY/NO problem with set up, NO waste of energy, NO tank, NO problem with simultaneous kitchen faucet use, NO running out of hot water! Perfect for two adults and two cats, who can all take comfortable showers and kitty baths. It's not even cranked up for high heat/water output, so looking forward to using the 20 gallon propane tank for awhile! BTW, I later saw a portable set up on a heavy duty hand truck sold as Hazmat/Military Equipment for 10X more $$$ AAAAA+++++

We bought this unit to replace a malfunctioning Eccotemp L5 unit we had to return. This Camp Chef was easier to set up, had a superior instruction booklet in English, came with all parts that worked and functioned and fired right up. We were able to set it up on the hand cart with a propane tank and it is easy to use and move around. It has a longer, non kinking spray hose and makes it very easy to rinse the mud off the dogs before they come in the house. Looking forward to using it all year round for washing dogs and horses and rinsing off muddy horse blankets. Glad we had to purchase the Camp Chef Triton HW Heater instead, in our opinion it is a better unit.

My family and I went camping with our new camp chef hot water on demand system last week. Four other families came with us for a total of around 20 people. It was, without a doubt, the hit of the whole camping trip. People thought I was joking as I set up the water heater, the Texsport Deluxe Camp Shower/Shelter Combo and the GSI Outdoors Cedar Shower Deck. But no one was laughing when it came time to shower! The Camp Chef really does provide as much hot water as you want.

A couple of things though: I added an additional 6 feet of shower hose to the output so that I could place the heater unit a few feet away from the Texsport shelter. I just used a 1/2" threaded PVC pipe to connect the new shower hose to the existing hose, a little teflon tape and it was good. Without it you have to get the heater a bit too close to the shelter for my liking. Also next time, I need to add a light to the inside of the shelter for use at night. I just ordered the Sport Flare Flashlight, since that is completely waterproof.

The one draw back is that it is difficult to fully get the water out of the unit after you are finished with it. There is the on-demand switch-valve thingy that fires up the gas and ignitor, but it has an operating pressure of a few PSI I would guess. This means that water doesn't drain out on it own since that valve is normally closed unless the pressure is over the amount required to fire the thing up. I would agree with the other reviewers that you should blow the unit out with a compressor or something when you go to store it, especially below freezing.

This on-demand water heater is a very good value. Cannot comment on the durability, have not used it enough yet. It is easy to install. Comes with many options for hook-ups. There are plenty of adjustments for different situations. The one thing I did not realize with on-demand is the fact that in order to ignite the heater it requires a bit of back pressure. This reduces the output water pressure slightly. If you have very little water pressure to begin with this can be a problem. I'd recommend this water heater to anyone looking for inexpensive and simple, low volume on-demand water heating.

Triton specs say: 1.5 gallons per minute adjustable water temp from 80 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit. This only true if you turn the flow down to a trickle. Takes me 17 minutes to fill my washer with water hot enough to wash whites! Yes, I use it as a hot water heater and not a shower, I am on an RV lot in the winter and we have a washer but NO hot water.
It is supposed to be used outside so you think it would work with or without wind. It is windy a lot of days in Yuma in the winter........it has to be constantly watched or the flame will go out.
I contacted Camp Chef about the wind problem and did not receive a reply.

It does the job but could have been so much better with a little more thought

We took this unit hunting in the Mountains in North West Washington with snow on the ground and it provided adiquite hot water showers for 10 hunters for ten days.
We collected rain water from the tarps into a 55 gallon barrel and pumped the water to the unit with a sureflow pump hooked to deep cycle 12volt battery.
I was absolutly the hero at camp this year after the 3rd day.

Thank you Camp Chef!

I was delighted when I found this product, which was exactly what I needed to provide hot showers at my remote mountain cabin. I love going there, but didn't like having to go too long without a shower, especially when working on projects which are dusty or dirty. This little unit now allows me to feel fresh and clean while in the boondocks.

It was not without its tribulations, though. When I first connected the unit to an LP tank (standard 20 lb container used for outdoor grilles) and a water supply, I was delighted to have hot water emerge from the spray handle. I shut it down and planned to take a shower a bit later. A few hours later, as I was preparing to savor my first hot shower in the wilderness, I was surprised when the battery compartment on the bottom (which takes 2 D cells for the igniter) was very warm to the touch. And the unit wouldn't heat. :-(

Disappointed, I had to give up on having my long-anticipated shower. Later in the day when I reached an area with cell phone reception I called Camp Chef's customer service. The company is in Utah, and someone answered immediately and took my info. A short time later a very helpful "engineer" came on the phone, who immediately offered to ship me a replacement unit overnight. Given my remote location that didn't seem like a good option, so then he told me that likely the batteries were shorted somehow (creating heat) and gave me simple instructions on what I might try to fix the problem. Again he emphasized that he could send me a replacement as well.

Back at my cabin I followed his instructions to remove the cover (1 screw) and found that the insulator that was supposed to cover the spot where some wires connect to the battery compartment had slipped, allowing the battery connect to short to a pipe inside. I easily correct this and - voila! - hot water again.

Some other things I learned by talking to the helpful engineer that were not covered in the instruction manual:
- It's OK for the unit to get wet, e.g. if it is out in the rain.
- Might be obvious, but if you leave the unit somewhere where it might freeze, be sure to drain it thoroughly. There is an unlabeled knurled knob on the bottom that can be unscrewed to ensure it drains thoroughly.

Summary:
- Unit is made in China (like everything these days) and should not have been designed to allow the battery contacts to come into contact with other internal metal parts, even if insulated. I would expect this problem to affect every unit, even if there is an easy work-around.
- Once working, the unit is great.
- Camp Chef is to be highly commended on their prompt, knowledgable and personal service. Even if the unit is made in far-away China, the service is right here in this country by real people who care.