Our L10 and FVI12 tankless water heaters are best fitted for a small residence such as RV's and cabins, as well as tiny homes. Both of these units are rated at 74,000 BTUs and would work for overall the same applications.
Tiny house owners sacrifice square footage for free living, preferring homes less than 1000 square feet in size. Less space means less chores, greatly reduced upkeep costs and the ability to move on a whim. More and more families, including those with pets and children, are catching on to the tiny house movement. Investing in a tiny house also means choosing new appliances that maximize space, as well as saving on energy-so as you can see, tankless water heaters are a natural fit for tiny house owners.
However, there are a few things you'll want to take into consideration as to which of these units would work best for your tiny home application. First, let's focus on our L10 tankless water heater in comparison to a tiny house installation:
- This unit is an outdoor-only, stationary unit...which is essential to consider when you are trying to get the most out your living space.
- Due to this model is an outdoor-only unit, it does not need any ventilation, as it vents on free air flow.
- The L10 model also runs off of 2 "D" cell batteries for ignition...making this unit more energy efficient and off-grid friendly.
- Our L10 unit is rated at 2.6 GPM-which is perfect for application that require it to be plumbed in, such as a kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower/tub.
- This model also works great on modified water systems with items such as a 12 volt on-demand pump.
Our FVI12 tankless water heater is ideal for a tiny home installation as well, however, there are a few details that certainly separate itself from our L10 model...and may overall work better for your application. Let's take a look at a few of these key points below:
- Our FVI12 model is an indoor-only unit, and would need to be installed on the inside of an exterior wall. One reason that this is a plus for some setups, is if you are located in an environment where there are freezing or below temperatures, in order to avoid freeze damage.
- This model does have to be vented, being that it is indoor-only...however our FVI12 includes a horizontal vent kit which is the most common venting option on our indoor units.
- The FVI12 is rated at 3.6 GPM, making it a bit more powerful than our L10 unit--and suitable for an overall residence with a family of 3 or more.
- For ignition, this unit also runs off of a standard 120V, instead of batteries, and is rated at energy factor of 79%.
Overall, tankless water heaters are extremely efficient, beating out old school water heaters in terms of cost-effectiveness by over 30 percent. The compact size and minimal footprint does not impact the performance of tankless water heaters. High-performance models deliver endless hot water that is instantly heated on demand.
