coleman hws
Submitted: Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 08:57
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traveln
gday 2all
friends of
mine hav a colaman hws.been working fine till
easter.i must add mit it has had a hammering since they brought it.anyway when connected as per have done the last few yrs with it the water isnt getting no where near as hot as it should on max.the only way i can get the water hot nuff when playing round with it was to slow the water flow goin threw the heat exchanger 2almost a dribble.
any1 got any ideas
jason
Reply By: Best Off Road - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:04
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:04
We are now onto our second one of these, first one replaced under warranty.
Second one has been fine until over
Easter. I had a shower, turned it off. Then the GLW hopped in, I turned it on and it wouldn't work. Plenty of gas, battery fully charged, but still no go. Swapped from gas bottle to canister still nothing.
I've given up on the bloody things. Temperemental, fiddly and inconsistent.
We're going back to a simple bucket of warm water using a kettle.
Cheers,
Jim.
AnswerID:
360103
Follow Up By: Sand Man (SA) - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:45
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:45
Thanks Jim, you have saved me some money.
I have been trying to justify the investment although herself is not too interested, but on reading your comment, I too will stick with the kettle for heating.
I have got a great life so far out of the $30 Coleman battery operated imersion shower.
Bill
FollowupID:
627989
Follow Up By: Best Off Road - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 10:03
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 10:03
Smart move Bill.
Even when they are working "properly" they are fiddly. If the water they are drawing has been in the sun you have to turn it down so low that it blows out in the slightest breeze.
Getting the water "right" takes time and varies according to the temperature of the input water. So, a given setting does not produce the same temp each time. After adjusting
the knob (and it has to be done in miniscule increments) you need to wait about 30 seconds for that water to flow through, and then adjust again as necessary.
More junk to set up and pack away.
I'm going through a "de-gadgeting" phase in my life.
Cheers,
Jim.
FollowupID:
627994
Follow Up By: Member - Paul Mac (VIC) - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 11:42
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 11:42
G'day Jim,
If you have a squiz on the Australian CamperTrailer website you can see under tech tips the hot water system I set up. Used it for the first time in the field so to speak over
easter and it worked brilliantly. Uses about 7 litres of water per shower. No fiddling around with it. Just plugged the power lead into my 12v outlet on the trailer and off it went. Operates from inside the shower tent using a stop valve on the water line.
Nothing like climbing into a hot shower on those crisp mornings up in the high country.
Cheers.
FollowupID:
628015
Reply By: Roughasguts - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:33
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:33
I bought one of these units as
well, it worked great just out of the box. Then we actually wanted to use it, some spark then no pump. Sure flat battery but it wouldn't even run on it's power supply. So back in the box and gave it back to Kmart couldn't be bothered with it either.
Buuuuut me mate over the road has had his for years and works like it should, battery stays charged hot water on demand.
But his wasn't made in Chine like
mine was.
Anyway back to your problem.. maybe run some CLR through the pump and clean it out a bit. The scale build up might be causing the heating problems.
AnswerID:
360107
Reply By: Axel [ the real one ] - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:47
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 09:47
Ours is now somewhere around 4.5 / 5 yrs old , no problems , removed spring under knob years ago ,makes temp adjusting easier , fully drain all water if storing unit for more than a week and clean filter ,,, have run a weak solution of CLR through the unit on the odd occasion after using
bore water or unclear river/creek waters ,,,
AnswerID:
360110
Reply By: Member - Wayne David (NSW) - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 11:01
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 11:01
I'm curious as to why people would opt to go a Coleman style of water heater when there's a style that operates off the car motor?
Personally up to this point we have gone the water boiled on the stove and the APC style of wash. Less hassle, cheap as chips and works everytime.
AnswerID:
360122
Follow Up By: Axel [ the real one ] - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 17:51
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 17:51
Coleman unit is totally self contained and portable , underbonnet units while great require the motor to be running and showering next to the vehicle ,, how is swmbo supposed to have her shower when Im off in the vehicle collecting the fire wood ,,,,,
FollowupID:
628039
Follow Up By: Member - Wayne David (NSW) - Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 18:07
Saturday, Apr 18, 2009 at 18:07
Axel - Isn't there benefits to the underbonnet units too? Such as weight saving.
Also I can't even begin to imagine my missus wanting to shower if I'm off collecting firewood. Someone has to stand guard.
Ive seen both the Primus and the Coleman and to me they just seem way too bulky for what they offer. That's why I'm wondering if the under the bonnet jobby isn't a better option.
FollowupID:
628044
Reply By: PatrolSTL04 - Sunday, Apr 19, 2009 at 00:45
Sunday, Apr 19, 2009 at 00:45
Have hammered my Coleman heavily over the past two years....never had a problem.....apart from one gas cylinder that had some oil in the gas (dont know how but when I opened the cylinder to the air it would spit until it cleared)...then all was good again.
Best to use it to heat a bucket of water, then turn gas off when temp is right. Takes about two minutes tops.
Works
well this way.
Camper trailer has built in hot water, so use this often, but when camping without the trailer, the Coleman is never left at
home.
Top little self sufficient unit.
Brett...
AnswerID:
360266