Where Are RV Water Heaters Located? (4 Places To Check)

Your RVs functioning water heater is one of the most crucial components to ensure you have an enjoyable motorhome experience regardless of whether you’re a full-time RVer or only use your motorhome for holidays.

Unfortunately, RV water heaters are not built to last forever and can experience breakages.

That’s why it’s essential to know where yours is so that you can have it fixed or replaced by yourself or a technician.

In our article, we’ll discuss a few places you can check to find your RVs water heater:

What Is An RV Water Heater?

Before we look at where you can find your motorhome’s water heater, we want to discuss exactly what it is.

An RV water heater is the same as a household water heater, and it’s designed to heat the water that comes from sinks and showers.

RV water heaters are not the same size as those installed in residential homes.

Unlike these water heaters that are either 40 or 60 gallons, a motorhome’s water heater is usually six or 10 gallons. This is because water heaters fitted in an RV need to be smaller to fit inside the various compartments they are placed within.

Additionally, RV water heaters come in tank or tankless styles. If your motorhome has a tank-style water heater, it will be connected to your motorhome’s water system and will heat and hold the water.

A tankless water heater will not heat and store water but instead heat it instantly as it emerges from a faucet or shower head. Moreover, either water heater types can be powered by electricity or propane.

Read also: How Do Tiny Houses Get Water & Power? (Explained For Beginners)

The Four Places To Check When Looking For An RV Water Heater

RV water heaters can be difficult to locate, so we have discussed a few places you should check below.

If you still cannot find your water heater after checking these places, consult your owner’s manual or hire a technician to locate it:

Under A Booth Or Behind A Wall Panel:

An RV water heater is sometimes located under a booth or behind a wall panel inside your motorhome.

Usually, you will know if a water heater is in these locations if there are two low-point drains for the hot and cold water.

There should also be a freshwater tank under the tank that feeds water into it. If it’s tankless, there will still be a water tank.

Many crossroads motorhomes have an RV water tank under a booth or wall panel.

Beside A Furnace:

Many Keystone owners have said that their RV water heaters have been installed beside a furnace under a range.

If your water heater is in this spot, you can access the outer parts of it by looking under the sink at the cupboard divider that separates the range cabinet from the sink cabinet.

You can also get to it outside if it’s found in this location.

There is an access door to it that’s located on the exterior of some motorhomes. Look for a hinged door with a nylon twist lock and two sets of vents.

Once you’ve found this, you can look at the various parts of your water heater if you’re trying to replace anything or repair it.

Under A Bed:

It might be surprising, but some motorhomes, especially Keystone fifth wheels, have water heaters installed under a bed.

It would be best if you lifted your bed to find storage space to access water heaters in this location.

Once you have access to this storage space, you’ll need to remove a small panel, and you’ll find the water heater.

Under A Fridge:

Surprisingly, one of the strangest places a motorhome’s water heater is located is under the fridge in the kitchen.

You can check if your water heater is in this location by removing the fuse box assembly found under the refrigerator.

Usually, it’s easiest to remove the plastic access door by unscrewing four bolts.

There are many wires behind the fuse box, so it’s crucial to be careful if you don’t want to get hurt. This is typically the first place to check if you have an R Pod motorhome.

Citations:

What to Know About RV Water Heaters

Cross Roads Forum

Keystone Forum