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bigcitypopo's avatar
bigcitypopo
Explorer II
Oct 10, 2014

Class C Elec Hot Water upgrade...

Yo...

So my mom's new 2014 Coachman is rigged with a propane only HW heater... So i fixed that.

Install pics below...

Got one of these off of trusty ole' amazon... $55 on sale delivered with prime... Boom!!!



Pulled the panel from the HW heater bay, cut a piece of the foam out.. wedged the T-stat in there, used the dbl sided stick-um tape... used the color coded wiring diagram...



Pulled the drain plug, used the supplied heat rod, compression fittings... and installed



small hole drilled and cables pass through to t-stat and switch....





Switch...



installed inside cabinet, our of way....



used a 10Ga cord end, wired directly to accessory breaker.. there is only one outlet on this breaker... odd. The heater probe power supply uses an A/C grade cord, so i matched it.. and kept it easy disconnect should i have to replace anything or service it without having to flip the breaker.



Done....

The temp is set to 125, by default... plenty hot. It took about 35mins to heat the 6gallons. I ran a test with the propane and heater on... with the oxygenics shower head... took a 15minute shower.. no problem... I was also doing a good clean of the rear grey tank... so i wanted it full of hot water for a drive around the hood before i dumped... (into the planter for watering mind you)

all said and done... my mom is very happy!!

5 Replies

  • I put one in my 1983. It works AWESOME. I use JUST the electric when I have full hookups and have yet to run short on hot water.

    Jose
  • Very nice, I've been wanting to do this retrofit, too.
    Off to Amazon I go.
  • Ya.. I thought about he warranty... For about a minute... Lol

    I also got one of those stay longer LP do-hickeys. So she can run off a 20lb bottle if she needed...
  • Nice install...clean job.....good to have dual heat source.

    BUT-------
    Hopefully your Mom doesn't have any warranty issues with that Atwood water heater cause the aftermarket heat rod voided the factory warranty.

    And makes it a bit more of a pain in the backside to drain/flush tank.
    Fortunately it is an Atwood and doesn't need an anode rod....but still needs to be drained/flushed at least once a year.

    Check that AC circuit breaker connection occasionally where you doubled up and make sure it stays tight.

    Oh well......you'll take care of her cause that's what sons do :B

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