If you’ve been shopping for on-demand hot water for a cabin, an RV, an outdoor shower, or a small home, a Camplux water heater has almost certainly popped up. Camplux specializes in compact, propane-fired tankless units — the kind that heat water only when you turn on the tap, with no bulky storage tank taking up a closet.
I’ve set up and used a few of these on job sites and off-grid projects. This guide covers the model types, how to size one by BTU and flow rate, the venting and safety details that actually matter, real prices, and the maintenance that keeps them running for years.
What Camplux Makes
Camplux built its name on portable and residential tankless gas water heaters, most of them running on propane (liquid petroleum gas), with some natural gas models available. Because they’re tankless, they deliver a continuous flow of hot water rather than a fixed number of gallons, and they’re small enough to mount on a wall or carry to a campsite.
The lineup falls into a few clear buckets: small portable units for camping and outdoor showers, mid-size units for cabins and tiny homes, indoor residential units, and RV-specific models designed to replace a built-in RV water heater. Match the category to your use before you get lost in model numbers.
The Main Product Lines
- Portable outdoor units (roughly 1.32 to 2.64 GPM): battery-ignition, propane-fed, with a built-in showerhead hose. Great for camping, horse washing, and rinsing off after the beach or pool.
- Residential indoor tankless: higher flow rates and forced-exhaust or direct venting, meant to be a permanent hot-water source for a small home, cabin, or apartment.
- RV tankless: designed to drop into RV cabinetry and run off the rig’s propane, giving endless hot showers on the road.
- Mini tank electric units: small point-of-use electric tanks for a single sink where running gas isn’t practical.
Sizing It Right: BTU and Flow Rate
Two numbers decide whether you’ll be happy: the BTU rating and the flow rate in gallons per minute (GPM). Flow rate tells you how many fixtures you can run at once; BTU tells you how much you can raise the water’s temperature at that flow.
The catch is temperature rise. A unit rated at 2.64 GPM hits that number only with a modest temperature rise. If your incoming groundwater is 50°F and you want a 105°F shower, that’s a 55°F rise, and the real-world flow will be lower than the headline spec. As a rough guide:
- One outdoor shower or single sink: a 1.32 to 1.58 GPM portable unit is plenty.
- Small cabin, one shower plus a sink: look for 2.5 GPM or more.
- Cold-climate use: size up. Winter inlet water needs a bigger temperature rise, so a higher-BTU unit keeps the shower hot.
When in doubt, buy more capacity than you think you need. An oversized tankless unit just modulates down; an undersized one gives you lukewarm showers in January.
Venting, Propane, and Safety
This is the section I won’t let you skip. Camplux units burn propane, and combustion produces carbon monoxide. The portable outdoor models are designed for outdoor, well-ventilated use only — never run one inside a tent, an enclosed porch, a bathroom without venting, or any closed space. People get hurt every year doing exactly that.
Indoor and RV models must be properly vented to the outside per the manufacturer’s instructions and local code, and I strongly recommend a battery or hardwired carbon monoxide detector in any space with a gas appliance. Check every propane connection for leaks with soapy water at install — bubbles mean a leak. Most portable units include an anti-freezing drain, a flame-failure cutoff, and an overheat shutoff; make sure yours does and that they work.
If you’re installing a permanent indoor or RV gas unit, this is licensed-plumber and code territory. Gas line sizing, venting, and combustion air are not DIY guesswork, and many jurisdictions require a permit and inspection for a fixed gas appliance. The portable camping units are user-friendly; a hard-plumbed indoor install is not.
What a Camplux Water Heater Costs
These units are affordable, which is a big part of their appeal:
- Portable outdoor models (1.32-1.58 GPM): roughly $130 to $250
- Larger portable / cabin models (2.64 GPM): roughly $250 to $400
- Residential indoor tankless: roughly $300 to $600
- RV tankless units: roughly $350 to $700
- Mini electric tanks (2.5-10 gal): roughly $130 to $300
Portable units are genuinely plug-and-play — connect a garden hose for water, a propane tank for fuel, two D batteries for ignition, and you’re running in minutes. A permanent indoor install adds gas-line, venting, and mounting labor on top of the unit price.
Installation Basics
For a portable outdoor Camplux water heater, setup is quick: hang it on a sturdy vertical surface or the included stand, connect the water inlet to a garden hose or a 12-volt pump if you’re off-grid, attach the propane regulator to a standard tank, load the ignition batteries, and open the gas. Set the water and gas control knobs, run the tap, and the burner fires automatically when water flows.
For fixed indoor or RV units, follow the manual’s clearances, vent the exhaust outside, use the correct gas supply and regulator, and pressure-test the connections. You need adequate water pressure — usually a few PSI minimum — for the flow sensor to trigger the burner, so gravity-fed setups may need a pump.
Camplux vs a Conventional Tank
It helps to know where a Camplux unit wins and where a traditional tank still makes sense. Tankless shines when space is tight, when you want endless hot water without a standby tank losing heat all day, and when you’re off-grid running on propane bottles rather than a utility line. For a weekend cabin used a few times a year, a portable tankless unit that stows in a closet beats a permanent tank you’d have to winterize.
A conventional storage tank still wins for a busy full-time household with several fixtures running at once, since a small tankless can struggle to feed two showers plus a dishwasher on a cold morning. If you’re outfitting a primary residence, weigh a larger residential tankless or a standard tank; if you’re covering a cabin, RV, or outdoor setup, the Camplux category is squarely in its element.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
- Burner won’t ignite: check the batteries first, then confirm the propane tank isn’t empty and the valve is open. Low water pressure also prevents ignition — the flow sensor needs enough flow to fire.
- Water not hot enough: turn down the water flow knob (slower flow means more temperature rise) and turn up the gas. Cold inlet water in winter is the usual culprit.
- Unit cycles on and off during a shower: often “cold water sandwich” from very low flow, or fluctuating water pressure. Steady the flow rate.
- Hard-water areas: mineral scale builds up in the heat exchanger. Flush it periodically with a descaling solution to protect efficiency and lifespan.
- Freezing climates: always drain the unit after use in below-freezing weather. A frozen heat exchanger can crack and is not covered by warranty.
- Weak or pulsing flame: often a nearly empty propane tank or a regulator that’s frosted over from heavy draw. Let the tank warm up or swap to a fuller one.
Getting the Most Out of Your Unit
A few habits keep a Camplux water heater running well and safely for the long haul. Store the propane tank upright and check the regulator and hose for cracks each season. Bring portable units indoors for winter storage after draining them fully so no trapped water can freeze and split the exchanger. In hard-water regions, run a vinegar or commercial descaling flush through the unit once or twice a year to clear scale before it chokes the heat exchanger and starves your flow rate. And keep spare ignition batteries on hand — a dead set is the single most common reason one of these won’t fire when you need a shower.
Is a Camplux Water Heater Right for You?
For camping, off-grid cabins, outdoor showers, RVs, and small spaces where a full tank makes no sense, a Camplux water heater is a genuinely practical, budget-friendly pick. The portable models are about as simple as gas appliances get, and the residential units bring tankless convenience to homes that can’t fit a conventional tank. Just respect the fuel: keep portable units outdoors, vent fixed units correctly, run a carbon monoxide detector, and bring in a licensed plumber for any permanent gas install. Do that, and you’ll have hot water on demand wherever you need it.
