Water heater tank replacement

[rodreid]

Hi ,lost my log in and had to re-register . I have a 1987 HRC 24 ft unit .The water heater ,which is an American Appliance 6gal finally gave up . The tank finally rusted through ,it is a steel unit , rest of the heater is OK . Does anyone know of a source for replacement tanks ? Thanks . Rod

[rodreid]

Side Note -- Have been reading the suburban installation manual and it is recommended to derate ? the unit if being used above 5000ft . Longmont where we live is already at 4970 and we will be using the water heater in the mountains anywhere from 5000-12000ft . I guess I will have to contact suburban and ask.

[rodreid]

Side Note -- Have been reading the suburban installation manual and it is recommended to derate ? the unit if being used above 5000ft . Longmont where we live is already at 4970 and we will be using the water heater in the mountains anywhere from 5000-12000ft . I guess I will have to contact suburban and ask.

[rodreid]

Hey J-D , yes it has been a long time . Still have our old HR .My wife and I are both retired now ,so hopefully will use the rv a lot more .
Old-Biscuit ,I appreciate your finding my old post and responding . As you can tell I am still trying to figure out what is best .
I think however I have finally made up my mind and will go with a new suburban . From what research I have done the tankless are not really suitable for what we will be doing . Thanks to all for responding . Now have to find the best deal on a suburban . Rod

[DaHose]

I recommend a dual power (110V/propane) Suburban with DSI. They run about $500 ($150 more than just propane). If you run a propane heater, you will really appreciate the dual power. When it is REALLY cold, our little electric heater doesn't seem to be quite enough to keep things toasty. The main heater has to kick in from time to time to help the electric along, so anything I can do to conserve propane is a plus.

If nothing else, why not use someone else's power (you are paying for the connection already) to heat your water?

Jose

[j-d]

Hey, Rod!

Been a ling time. Prev owner of our 24' HRC replaced the water heater, apparently replaced DSI American/Morflo/Suburban with a standing pilot Atwood.s It wasn't a very clean job, and the Standing Pilot was a pain.

Like the others, I think it's time to replace, and I'd do it with a DSI Suburban. If your access door is close to square, then Suburban is the replacement.

The Atwood replacement had an electric element mounted on the inside side of the heater, and I ran it with an extension to an outlet for awhile. But our present coach has a Suburban DSI, and the LPG usage really isn't significant. It heats so fast that we get the hot water we need for dishes and shut it off. Might be different if we were heating water for showers, but we use campground facilities instead.

[ScottG]

And make sure you replace the anode regularly to keep the tank from rusting out again.

[Old-Biscuit]

Here is what you posted back on 1/20/2014.......LINK

Suburban IS American Appliance so replace the whole system with a new Suburban model

[enblethen]

You would be better served by replacing the complete unit. By the time yo find a tank(if you can), removing all the components and installing it in the new tank, you would have a new more efficient unit in place.
You will most likely have problems unscrewing the devices from the tank or breaking them in the process.