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Replacing water heater due to age........

VA-Apraisr
Explorer II
Explorer II
Ok, was at the beach last week and one of my friends suggested I should change out my Atwood 6-gal. water heater since it is 17 years old. It's working just fine, but, he feels it could be deteriorating on the inside and could start leaking/flooding the RV. Seems replacement is $375-$475 so not a lot of cost. Obviously, anything can wear out and start leaking, but, wondering if anyone has done this simply due to the age of the unit?
11 REPLIES 11

TechWriter
Explorer
Explorer
My the Atwood in my 2001 Sea View has some "issues" when using gas heat so I'm trying this Atwood Tune-Up Kit.
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Dutch_12078
Explorer
Explorer
This past summer I replaced an original working Atwood water heater in a 1989 travel trailer. The reason it was replaced was because the owner wanted electronic ignition instead of having to go outside to light the pilot. An area RV rebuilder bought the standing pilot heater for $45. My own Atwood heater is 20 years old and working fine. The oldest working water heater I can recall seeing was in an early 60's trailer. The heater was made by Bowen, who was bought by Atwood a couple of years later. Atwood of course, is now owned by Dometic.
Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F53 chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
Bigfoot Automatic Leveling System
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/Blue Ox baseplate

LittleBill
Explorer
Explorer
2000 atwood here. use it all the time. i drain it every trip, 0 crud

Chum_lee
Explorer
Explorer
larry cad wrote:
21 year old Atwood in my motorhome working fine.


Yep! Me too. I have a 21 year old 6 gallon gas/electric Atwood in mine and it's still working fine. All I've ever done is regularly clean the flue/burner/ignitor. IMO, the water heater is probably the most reliable appliance in my Class A. (so far)

That said, I've seen a lot of aging RV's with carbon/soot/burn marks up the exterior panel right over the water heater cover. Don't ignore regular maintenance especially if the heater is having trouble lighting or staying lit.

Chum lee

VA-Apraisr
Explorer II
Explorer II
Thanks for the replies!!......yes, always have water pump OFF and rarely in a campground. Never hurts to verify with the RV elite on this site (always appreciated!!).

toedtoes
Explorer II
Explorer II
I agree that replacing it when it is working fine is not necessary.

My 1998 trailer has the original water heater and has had no problems.That's 23 years. My 1975 clipper had a new water heater installed at some point in its 46 year old lifetime. I don't expect to have to do so during my ownership.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
1998 American Clipper Fold n Roll Folding Trailer
Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)

larry_cad
Explorer
Explorer
21 year old Atwood in my motorhome working fine.
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DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
I wouldn't replace a perfectly working water heater just because it's almost old enough to vote, either in an RV or a house. I do think it wise to turn off the water pump or campground spigot when away from the RV to prevent flooding in the event of a leak somewhere in the system.

bobndot
Explorer II
Explorer II
If its an Atwood its aluminum and they last a long time.

I always have bad luck with inexpensive electronics and replace the boards so i dont get stuck while off grid.

I usually replace the OEM circuit boards in my rv appliances using Dinosaur boards which are very reliable. Keep the OEM board as a spare , just in case.

Mel_Stuplich
Explorer
Explorer
A wise man once told me: "If it ain't broke DON'T FIX IT"

PartyOf_Five
Explorer
Explorer
2001 still going strong thankfully.
PartyOf5 appreciating our Creator thru the created. 5 yrsL 50k, 49 states & 9 provinces.

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