atwood GHC6A-10E water heater

[bmwdriver2019]

good morning and hello to all ,
im new here , and glad to be here , i retired form bmw and purchased a rv for my fiancée and myself, we totally enjoy rving and the people , but as stated, im new ,doing my best to learn
on our rv, a winnebago vista 35f , we have the atwood water heater, it has power from 110 volts/LP / and has motor aide where it uses engine coolant to heat the water in the tank , the dometic company has purchased atwood , and the line of water heaters has been slashed to a few, out water heater is 6 gallons, has anybody had this water heater replaced , it is very common , and if so with what model
any help would greatly be appreciated , the dometic line has no water heaters with motor aide
thank you so much in advance
safe travels to all
michael

[bmwdriver2019]

this is more common than people know, imagine if you are a full time rver and you decide to stop , for lunch or what ever , you have hot water from the system, it just makes things more convienent and easy , and why it was installed in the first place , personally , i like it as well as many other people
dometic should have given it better thought then simply trashing all of atwoods product line

[navigator2346]

I would contact eTrailer and ask about a replacement as they do have rv parts.
Otherwise, remove the tank and get it welded where it is cracked

[dougrainer]

garyemunson wrote:
The Motoraid unit is Winnebago specific. You can source one from them. In my opinion, it's a worthwhile feature, providing you with a tank of hot water for free on arrival at your campsite. Why are you looking for a complete water heater?

Motoraid is NOT Winnebago specific. Winne for years(about 1980 and on) used them as standard equipment on Class A models. BUT not Winne specific. Other OEM's optioned the Motoraid feature over the years. Unless times have changed, Atwood used to have BOTH Motoraid and standard replacement tanks. BUT, if the W/H was over 10 years old, it was best to buy a complete new W/H. The Motoraid is very simple. It is just an Aluminum hollow tube welded to the outside of the back of the Inner tank. You then connect the Engine water hoses to it. Most newer Motorhomes the water flows all the time. After doing an Internet search, it appears that Replacement tanks with Motoraid are no longer made. Winnebago has this as a P/N for a replacement tank. 145541-02-700 Tank-w/Insulation-6 Ga. But I doubt Winne has any. You need to call Winne parts in Iowa. I also could not find any NEW Atwoods with Motoraid for sale. So, you CAN use the standard replacement inner tank . You will just have to connect the 2 Heater hoses together with a nipple and clamps. Doug

[Gdetrailer]

bmwdriver2019 wrote:
the tank is cracked sir, sorry to say , it was discovered on its winterization

Attwood tanks are aluminum, depending on the severity of the cracks any good fabrication shop that has experience with welding aluminum can weld it back together..

[Y-Guy]

I would reach out to the folks at Lichtsinn RV they probably have the best selection and knowledge outside of Winnebago itself.

[Gdetrailer]

Reason you want to replace?

If it isn't leaking, generally everything else can be fixed..

Do you HAVE to have "motor aide"?

I can understand why those have been eliminated, any device which has the potential to mix extremely hazardous and deadly engine antifreeze with any potable (drinking water) system can pose high risks to the new company..

Not to mention, I would say that "motor aide" is not all that common in the vast majority of RVs, basically a feature specifically with motor homes (and even then perhaps in certain price levels), not in travel trailers or 5th wheels which make up more of the real RV market.

If leaking, Attwood used to sell just the aluminum shell as a replacement part for most of their products, not sure on the one with motor aide since that feature requires some sort of heat exchanger which provides isolation of the engine antifreeze and the potable water..

In reality one could buy a plate heat exchanger (the two water systems are isolated by a air gap but heat is exchanged between the two) and a couple of pumps and create their own motor aide from scratch..

[bmwdriver2019]

the tank is cracked sir, sorry to say , it was discovered on its winterization

[garyemunson]

The Motoraid unit is Winnebago specific. You can source one from them. In my opinion, it's a worthwhile feature, providing you with a tank of hot water for free on arrival at your campsite. Why are you looking for a complete water heater?