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  1. #1
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    Furrion Tankless Water Heater - Cold Weather

    I find it aggravating and misleading to have an "Arctic Package" RV that can only handle temperatures below 39 degrees if you accept having no water. it's not just no hot water but no water period. The tankless water heater was installed with no ability to bypass it.


    I emailed Grand Design the following:

    My wife and I just purchased our second Grand Design RV. We bought the 2022 Grand Design Reflection 367BHS. This model came with the Furrion tankless water heater. Furrion indicates that this water heater has no cold weather protection and will be in jeopardy if not winterized during freezing temperatures. However, I am thinking that our RV with the arctic package should provide some protection to the water heater as it is surrounded by the RV structure, insulation inside the RV, and probably some ductwork related to the propane heating system. Is this a correct assumption? Do you have a “don’t go lower than” temperature that would be advisable for using the water heater in cold weather versus having to winterize it?

    15 days later I received this email in response:

    Good afternoon,

    Thank you for reaching out to Grand Design and I apologize for the delayed response. The Furrion tankless water heater does not have an internal temperature gauge and is heated based on the flow of the water. When you are not using your hot water, the water will sit in the tank. The arctic package does not provide extra coverage for this. The arctic package refers more to the living space of the unit and not as much of the plumbing.

    Furrion indicates the temperature should not go below 39 degrees.

    Thank you,
    Customer Service
    Grand Design RV
    11356 CR 2
    Middlebury, IN 46540
    574-825-9679
    Last edited by newbold1; 08-11-2021 at 06:53 PM.

  2. #2
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    How can they say the Reflection fifth wheel "remained functional" when tested at zero degrees? The truthful answer would be that it remained functional except for the plumbing / water system which has to be disabled.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by newbold1; 08-11-2021 at 02:23 PM.

  3. #3
    Site Team Ynot4me2's Avatar
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    That would really be a show stopper for a lot of us. Also why 39f, doesn't freeze at 32f.

    Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk
    Steph & Lise
    2019 F150 Lariat 2.7 EB
    2020 Imagine XLS 22MLE

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ynot4me2 View Post
    That would really be a show stopper for a lot of us. Also why 39f, doesn't freeze at 32f.

    Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk
    They claim 39 degrees due to the potential for frost causing an issue. At least that is what the manual indicates. This winter I am going to see if I can manage to keep the RV basement warm enough to prevent any issues. We usually stop using the RV once the weather gets into the 20s at night. In late Sept / early Oct we will be camping in Wyoming for a couple weeks and while the days should be mild we will likely have some evenings where the temps are in the low 30s and high 20s. This will be a good test. If we have issues then I suppose in the Spring of next year I will be looking into swapping out that tankless water heater. I'll either get a tankless one that has freeze protection built into it or else revert back to a 6 gallon or 10 gallon tank heater... which we are accustomed to having anyway.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by newbold1 View Post
    They claim 39 degrees due to the potential for frost causing an issue. At least that is what the manual indicates. This winter I am going to see if I can manage to keep the RV basement warm enough to prevent any issues. We usually stop using the RV once the weather gets into the 20s at night. In late Sept / early Oct we will be camping in Wyoming for a couple weeks and while the days should be mild we will likely have some evenings where the temps are in the low 30s and high 20s. This will be a good test. If we have issues then I suppose in the Spring of next year I will be looking into swapping out that tankless water heater. I'll either get a tankless one that has freeze protection built into it or else revert back to a 6 gallon or 10 gallon tank heater... which we are accustomed to having anyway.
    I certainly would have NEVER purchased a 2021 311 BHS had I known the deception of the Artic package and tank heater’s for cold weather living.
    I think that Grand Design will be needing to replace Tankless with our traditional electric/ gas hot water heater.
    My unit is in the shop for numerous flaws and this will add to the frustration.
    Very disappointed
    2016 Ram 3500 SWD 3:73 Turbo Diesel 6'4"" box
    OEM puck Pro 16K
    2021 Reflection 311BHS
    Previous:
    2017 Reflection 29RS
    Reese Sidewinder Hitch
    Platte Lake MN.

  6. #6
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    I'll post my cold weather results with this tankless water heater after I have some experience with it. Hopefully, I'll find that the basement warmth keeps it working in temps lower than 39 degrees and maybe even a bit below freezing temps. I think that would be some good news for those of us that have this water heater and worry about whether it will be a problem or not.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by pnoetzel View Post
    I certainly would have NEVER purchased a 2021 311 BHS had I known the deception of the Artic package and tank heater’s for cold weather living.
    I think that Grand Design will be needing to replace Tankless with our traditional electric/ gas hot water heater.
    My unit is in the shop for numerous flaws and this will add to the frustration.
    Very disappointed
    Sorry to hear you're dealing with a number of problems and this is yet another one.

    I don't know whether you have tried your unit out in cold weather with the tankless water heater. I am going to be doing that soon and will be posting my findings afterward. Hopefully, I may find that the basement heat is sufficient to allow for lower than that stated 39 degree limit and if so maybe that will relieve you of one issue. Depending on how cold you go with your RV.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by newbold1 View Post
    Sorry to hear you're dealing with a number of problems and this is yet another one.

    I don't know whether you have tried your unit out in cold weather with the tankless water heater. I am going to be doing that soon and will be posting my findings afterward. Hopefully, I may find that the basement heat is sufficient to allow for lower than that stated 39 degree limit and if so maybe that will relieve you of one issue. Depending on how cold you go with your RV.
    That below freezing information would be good to have. Too many nights go at or below freezing, then into the 50/60 temperature range during the day as we camp in the SW during the winter.
    Also, I need to get more information on the bypass, the red knob on the PS1 used to be the bypass switch.
    Thanks for the information
    2016 Ram 3500 SWD 3:73 Turbo Diesel 6'4"" box
    OEM puck Pro 16K
    2021 Reflection 311BHS
    Previous:
    2017 Reflection 29RS
    Reese Sidewinder Hitch
    Platte Lake MN.

  9. #9
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    So, although the Furrion tankless water heater doesn't have any bypass valves installed on it, the red knob on the Nautilus P1 takes care of it. Turning the knob sideways cuts the water flow from going to the water heater. So, at least bypassing is not an issue.

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper mbergthold's Avatar
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    Remember that for the holding tanks to get any warm air through the ducting, you have to run the propane heater. IMO that's expensive and short-lived with 40# tanks. I've run out of propane at 2am with 40#ers, and learned quickly that electric heaters were the way to go, so the 20#ers that GD is sending many models out the door with today are, IMO, a joke. Our plan is to either stay home during cold spells or install electric heating pads on all 4 tanks. From the looks of my honey-do list, we'll be staying home.
    Mark and Judy
    USN/USAF family (parents and kids)
    2021 F350 Lariat Crew 4x4 SRW 7.3 Godzilla
    2021 Imagine 2500RL w/Hensley Arrow hitch

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