Sitting outside one evening I noticed some water marks between our water heater frame and the encasement it was in. This was not a good sign as I had already replaced all the electrical components a while back. I opened the front of the water heater and noticed that my high limit thermostat was already rusting after only being a few months old (photo below left). Also, not a good sign.
Well the next morning after breakfast when I inspected the water heater I could see water was dripping out of the compartment. I decided it was time to replace our water heater. Online research verified it especially given the fact our water heater is 12 years old. The water heater in our Tiffin Allegro Bay 37QDB is the standard Suburban SW10DE model found in many RV’s so there happened to be a lot of online info. However, there was no information on how to remove one from a closed in compartment like ours. There are NO panels allowing access to the rear of the water heater.
Below is how I removed it…
Removing the Water Heater
1. First I made sure to shut off gas supply, turn off the water and turn off the electricity by turning off the appropriate circuit breaker. CAUTION! 120 Volts AC kills a lot of people make sure power is off!!!
2. I made sure I turned off both switches inside the motorhome that control gas and electrical current to the water heater (mine are in our bathroom).
3. With electrical power, water and gas off, I then removed the four retaining Philips screws found in each corner of the inside of the water heater.
4. There are also two or more screws in the bottom or top of the basing (I had two in the bottom) which needed to be removed.
5. Using a plastic putty knife I slowly worked my way around the outer flange of the water heater to separate the outer flange from the actual water heater itself. ( I had to be very careful here as this flange is the panted part that shows on the outside. Any damage to it would require purchasing a new outer flange and have it painted to match the RV colors). Photo above left.
6. Next I disconnected the gas supply line from water heater by removing the 3/8" gas supply line to the 3/8 flare fitting.
7. With the water shut off we now needed drain all of the water from the tank
- I made sure the water pump was off.
- I opened both hot and cold water faucets.
- I removed anode rod from tank as can be seen in photo above right.
8. I then disconnected the hot and cold water lines from water heater. In my case, since I have no access to the back of the water heater, I had to pull the water heater out as far as I could (about 6 inches) and using a Pex Cutter I cut both the cold and hot water lines in the back of the water heater.
9. I disconnected all of the wiring going to the circuit board. This amounts to four wires (one red, one black, two green in my case). I also was able to unplug the water heater from an electrical outlet in the compartment it is housed in. You may have to remove the white and black wire inside of the electrical box on the left side of the water heater
10. I slid out the old water heater and set aside. I later salvaged all the good electrical components off of the old unit before discarding it. Now after inspecting my old unit it was obviously rusted all over the bottom insinuating a leak somewhere – more about this later).
It was a bear getting that dang water heater out without any access to the back. So once I got it out I marked a 18”x18” square in the back of the galvanized steel compartment my water heater was in. I drilled a small hole using a steel cutting drill bit along the edge of the marked square. I kept re-drilling the hole gradually increasing the bit size until the hole was large enough to put a jig saw metal blade into it to cut out the square. A tedious but worthy task as now I have an access panel to the back of the water heater compartment should I ever need access again.
I was now ready to replace the water heater but that will have to wait till the next blog…
NOTE: We are at our winter site until March 1st in Bonita Springs, Florida…
Oh my that does not look like an easy project! Is there an option to having the water shut-off until the new unit is installed? I know I do not have a separate shut-off at the water heater, but at least I have access to the rear! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat I wouldn't have done for an access panel...
DeleteGlad you were able to do the replacement yourself. Big Cost Saver.
ReplyDeleteAll our previous Water Heaters had a bypass valve on the rear. Our present trailer has it in the Control Center. The cost of a new Water Heater is only slightly less then an On Demand System that not only saves Propane but Water as well.
Be Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Yes but the On Demand systems means less boondocking probability
DeleteIt's a good thing you were in your winter location in a place where you should be able to get a new water heater.
ReplyDeletethought about as we drove by Cudjoe Key yesterday... visiting Key West one more time.
DeleteThat looks like a job, Guess we are lucky our Atwood water heater is 20 years old . no anode rod needed in these, and it still works wonderfully. Good luck with the install.
ReplyDeleteThanks you will see why ours failed in an upcoming blog...
Delete