water heater replacment
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10-15-2007, 05:26
Post: #9
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water heater replacment
Robert,
One of the first projects on my PT-40 after purchasing last July was to replace the leaking water heater. While I knew there was a leak, the damage was hidden and not easy to identify. When I pulled apart the water heater shelf area, there was softness in the wood below. So it was clear that it had been sitting wet for a long time. In my case, I decided to do a total bed/rear decking replacement. I spread the work out over a week. My queen bed is centered and against the rear cabinets. I used the Atwood EHM11SST tank to replace the original. It has all the connections on one side and stainless steel housing. You can find them for around $425 if you shop. On the '86 PT-40, there are two pieces of wood on top of the engine housing. One goes from the queen all the way to the rear under the cabinets. It has a cut out for an access door to the engine compartment. The wood is on top of a small felt pad which is on top of the steel engine housing. You should pull the wood over the engine access door to determine if the felt pad underneath has any moisture. If it does, it will be trapped between the wood and the steel and never escape. Eventually you will have mold and dry-rot. If this pad is dry...you are a step ahead. I removed all the rear cabinets below the overhead. The overhead is self supporting and can remain. There is a heat exchange in the center-bottom of the cabinets that is used for bedroom heat. I did not remove the heat-exchanger, but I did remove the screws holding it down and removed the wood from under it. This kept me from having to undo the hot water hoses from the engine. I might be easier to remove it if you have to. Hopefully, when you remove the HWH, you will not have had any water get under the wood. If you did, and it is contained to just one local area, you could possibly cut out the damaged section and leave the remaining. In my case, I wanted to be sure I got out all the moisture so I removed everything. I touched up the steel housing (a few scratches). Sealed all the existing screw holes from the old plywood mount holes. Put down a thin foil insulation pad. Then put down the plywood. I pre-drilled each hole through the wood / engine housing and attached the new wood with stainless steel screws. Take plenty of pictures to remember how it goes back together if you have to disassemble anything. There are a lot of very similar parts in removing the cabinets, that took me a few extra minutes to remember how to get it back together...however it will only go back one way. The best choice for wood in my opinion is a Marine Grade Plywood. Expensive, but it has glues that will not break down to water exposure. You can special order it through Lowes here in my town. Another choice that might be OK would be to use a copper based pressure treated plywood. Do not use the arsenic based wood, unless you want to expose someone to the arsenic ![]() When I put the wood back down, I did it in three sections. One section was the width of the coach, and went from the back wall to about one inch forward of the rear cabinet wall (just about 1/2 inch to the rear of the engine access door). Then I put a piece to the left of the access door and another piece to the right of the access door. I used 3/4" plywood. I also put down new wood for the access door. For it, I used a 1/2" piece because the steel access door is raised about 1/4" from the rest of the housing. Hopefully in your case, you won't have to remove any of the decking. Be sure that no water has gotten between the wood and the steel housing. If that happens, it will not be apparent by looking at the top of the wood, but hidden problems will arise over time. If you don't have to replace any wood and not remove the cabinets, 1 day should be no problem. It will be tight getting the HWH out and the new one back in, but it will fit through the door opening. You will need to remove the door and the shelving/panel above, in the rear, and to the driver's side of the HWH to make it easier. I tried to find a pan to put under the HWH but could not find one to fit. I still would like to custom make a pan and set it under the HWH and have a drain out the rear through the engine compartment in case of a leak. I did use 3M 4200 marine caulking to seal the seams to prevent water penetration. The biggest thing you will need is moral support if you have to pull it all apart. My old body complained for a few days afterwards from all the bending and weird positions required to remove the rear cabinets. Glenn Allen 1986 PT-40 Marietta, GA --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Robert & Teri Rahn" > > I was able to get back to the water heater and check for leaks. It is > not leaking out of the pressure relief valve and there is no leaking at > any of the pipes. It is a little wet way back at the corner back there > which must be directly above the hole where the water is dripping out. > I turned the water heater off a few days ago and water is still > dripping slowly out of the hole in the engine compartment. So the water > heater must be rusted out and the leak is coming from below it. Where > is the best place to buy one of these heaters and what is the best way > to remove it? It looks like it is going to be quite a chore to get it > out of there. > > Robert Rahn > Kalispell, Mt. > 1988 PT 40 > |
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Messages In This Thread |
water heater replacment - krminyl@... - 10-14-2007, 12:59
water heater replacment - Robert & Teri Rahn - 10-14-2007, 15:03
water heater replacment - Rob Robinson - 10-14-2007, 15:15
water heater replacment - Stephen Birtles - 10-14-2007, 15:46
water heater replacment - Rob Robinson - 10-14-2007, 15:51
water heater replacment - krminyl@... - 10-14-2007, 20:38
water heater replacment - Stephen Birtles - 10-14-2007, 23:27
water heater replacment - Wilhelmus Schreurs - 10-15-2007, 03:38
water heater replacment - ragster_ga - 10-15-2007 05:26
water heater replacment - Curt Sprenger - 10-15-2007, 05:38
water heater replacment - Robert & Teri Rahn - 10-15-2007, 05:52
water heater replacment - ragster_ga - 10-15-2007, 07:50
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