The hot water heater situation
When we got the trailer home and hooked up to a water supply, we noticed it very little water pressure. As I was trying to figure out why near the kitchen sink, I began noticing water collecting near my feet. After shutting the water off, I discovered that the aluminum water heater had a hole in it and the lower connection was broken off. The heater had apparently not been winterized and busted when it froze full of water. Since we are using this trailer primarily at an rv park, the electric bill is not an issue. I decided to go with a point of use single element 19 gallon, 110 residential water heater.
The biggest problem I had, was finding a hiding place for the rather large heater. The only place the heater would fit without removing valuable cabinet drawers in the kitchen, was under the closet in the bathroom. I had to remove all the drawers and reroute the drain for the sink, but the location worked out to be perfect. Because of the proximity to the sink I simply tied into the sinks plumbing and I was almost up and running.
Another problem I ran into was power. A electrician friend of mine, suggested putting the heater on it's own 15 amp breaker. I don't microwave my food, so I was about to use the dedicated breaker for the microwave, when I was struck with a concern. If the trailer were to burn down, my insurance company would probably turn me down because the heater was not designed for a travel trailer. Since most RV power hookups have a 110 plug in addition to the 30 or 50 amp service, I just hooked it up with an extension cord. I can unhook the heater when we leave and roll the cord up underneath the trailer.