HELP - Hot water heater replacement

[ebg338]

I have a 1992 Winnebago Adventurer that has a cracked hot water tank (improper winter storage did it in). It looks like I have 2 options to remove it - Take out the norcold refrigerator located over it or take off the side panel - by side panel I mean removing the screwed in inner panel, cutting through the sealent, etc. Anyone done this and have a recommendation? Also looking for the best place to buy a replacement.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

[AFChap]

Haven't seen any experienced responses as yet, so I'll throw in what little I know... While you may be able to access parts of the WH from above, I suspect you will have to removed the WH from the outside wall of the MH. That is how all I have seen are configured. They have an outside vent/cover (which may in fact be a part of the WH itself), and then the WH is installed with both screws and sealant.

As for where to buy a replacement (actually, having a replacement on hand to look at will tell you a LOT about how to get the original one out), I would recomment you get the model number off the existing WH, and maybe the s/h of your Winnebago, then call Lichtsinn Motors at (800) 343-6255 in Forest City, right down the street from the factory. They are great at providing parts, normally at better price than you can buy them locally. If they cannot provide the appropriate replacement, I am sure they can refer you to the best place to get one.

Good luck!

[ebg338]

Thanks much for the response. I decided to just replace the tank rather than the whole unit ($200 vs. >$400) so I pulled the refrigerator out and cut out an access panel. I realized quickly that if I tried to pull the whole hot water unit out the side I'd do a number on the flange that holds it in place. Not a big deal if you're replacing the whole unit but in my case I'm just doing the tank and was concerned I would make a mess of the outside panel. It's also very difficult to get to the water lines to disconnect them - you're basically reaching under the fridge right behind the main electrical box - not fun - water+electrical=bad. Although pulling the fridge added some time it actually worked nicely and I was able to pretty easily pull the hot water tank out without messing with the outside of the RV (just had to disconnect a few items - pressure relief valve, burner, etc.). Now I'm just waiting for the tank to arrive.

Thanks again for the recommendation.

Bill