Forum Discussion

msmith1199's avatar
msmith1199
Explorer II
Nov 20, 2018

Water Heater Repair

Easy question, but a little bit of a complex explanation: My water heater shifted downward inside it's box. This caused it to tilt and cause a tear in the metal facing of the enclosure. This resulted in a piece of the exhaust deflector to drop down in front of the exhaust and block it which caused the fusible link to heat up and pop. That was how I knew something was wrong.

So the current situation is after I replaced the fusible link the water heater works fine in both electric and gas but I'm not using it with gas right now because of the tear in the metal facing. That tear would allow exhaust fumes to enter the motorhome.

I was going to just go ahead and replace the water heater, but apparently the model I have is not made anymore and the replacement is a different size which would require some modifications to make it work. So I've decided to try and just keep what I have. So I'm going to try and get in from the access in the back and move the tank up into the proper position and if I can do that I then need to repair the tear in the metal facing.

So after all that reading here is the question: Is there some type of heat proof duct type tape that I can put on the metal face? All I really need to do is seal it up so exhaust doesn't get inside the motorhome but the tear does go right up to the exhaust pipe so whatever I put on the tear has to be able to stand the heat from the exhaust. Does a tape (or something else) exist that can do this?
  • msmith1199's avatar
    msmith1199
    Explorer II
    Nov 30, 2018
    The first photo about shows the access panel I had and the second in taken from right at that access panel. A little hard to tell in the photo but basically the entire water heater was supported by the screws in the front frame. The tank was basically just hovering over the base of the cabinet.

    So I’m trying to fix this as easy as possible. All I need to do is get something under the styrofoam on the tank. I’m thinking a small section of 2x4 would probably work just fine. The only problem is that access panel is small and I can get one arm in there, but not two. I tried lifting the water heater but that isn’t going to work with the angle. That and it’s filled with 10 gallons of water. So first thing I’ll try is draining it and seeing if I can lift it. If that doesn’t work, I guess I’ll have to take all the screws out of the front and pull it out far enough to get something under it. Based on the looks of the pipes and wiring I shouldn’t have to disconnect anything to pull it out enough.

    Anybody got any better ideas?
  • msmith1199's avatar
    msmith1199
    Explorer II
    Nov 29, 2018
    I went to the motorhome yesterday and pulled off the access panel inside the motorhome so I could see the back of the water heater. The water heater and the rear furnace are both in this same compartment. I was surprised how clean the area was. All the wood was in very good shape and there was no sign of any type of water damage at all. Now for the problem. There was nothing supporting the water heater at all. The unit was just slid in and screwed in at the front, but the entire water heater tank was suspended a few inches off the bottom of the compartment. It’s a 10 gallon tank so that’s 80 pounds of water plus the weight of the tank all being held by the screws around the front flange. Took it 13 years, but that’s what eventually what caused the heater to tear the metal facing and drop down a couple of inches.

    So the good news is to fix it all I have to do is get something under the tank to raise it back up to where it should be and then put the muffler tape on the tear in the metal and we’re good to go until it eventually breaks and needs replacing.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Nov 20, 2018
    Regarding heat proof duct tape. YES. Check Muffler repair products though I truly do not like them.

    Make sure you support the water heater so it does not tear again

    Better option would be a sheet of LIKE METAL (have a metal shop find out what it's made of) Cut to fit over the tear.
  • msmith1199's avatar
    msmith1199
    Explorer II
    Nov 20, 2018
    Is the tank sitting directly on top of wood? I have an access panel inside but I haven’t taken it off yet. I was hoping once I got it off I could see an easier way to prop the tank back up. But if I have to pull it out anyway, I may just go ahead and have it replaced. It is a 14 year old water heater.
  • Old-Biscuit's avatar
    Old-Biscuit
    Explorer III
    Nov 20, 2018
    You have an Atwood (thermal fuse)
    You have a 10 gallon combo (gas/electric) model
    Your MH is 2004 but sounds like you have one of the last version GC10A-3E
    That one is last of the models that used separate controls for electric & propane
    120V AC set of t-stats and element on backside of water heater tank
    12V DC set of t-stats in outside compartment for propane

    The 'drawn pan' IS available.....Atwood 93871
    You would also need the ring/gasket kit (metal seal rings that secure pan to tank)....Atwood 96010

    You would have better luck repairing fallen floor/support by pulling water heater completely out so you could remove rotten/damaged wood and rebuild it
    (only reason for tank to drop)

    Also if you do want to replace the whole water heater the GC10-4E IS the replacement....fits same opening as 3E and previous models.

    Per Atwood
    The 3-E and 9-E are no longer available, if an entire water heater must be replaced it will be replaced with the new 4-E or 10-E.
    There are no changes in the physical dimensions, but a wiring
    change will be required.


    Wiring change is the use of Common DC circuit to power both on/off switches and the 120V AC going to the DC Relay before going to the element
  • msmith1199's avatar
    msmith1199
    Explorer II
    Nov 20, 2018
    agesilaus wrote:
    Yeah they sell aluminized tape for car exhaust systems. Try your local auto parts store


    Didn’t even think of that, but that is exactly what I was thinking about. Thanks.
  • agesilaus's avatar
    agesilaus
    Explorer III
    Nov 20, 2018
    Yeah they sell aluminized tape for car exhaust systems. Try your local auto parts store
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Nov 20, 2018
    What make and model do you have? Generally speaking a brand will have a very similar rough in opening within the same size.

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