Broken latch on exterior water heater door

[gator67]

I went to open my outside water heater door and the clip broke. I looked in the manual for a replacement part number. There is an exploded diagram towards the front of the manual, and it mentions the door latch, but gives no part number. I found a bolt to "screw" into the hole to keep the door from falling off, but I'd like to get a replacement latch. Anyone else ever have this problem? Got a solution?

[Senior Chief]

For Suburban or Atwood water heaters, try this.

Just keep drilling down the menus- the door assemblies are at the very bottom

[Dunner]

Find a spring and grind or file some flats in a washer that is the right length and the same size as the hole.

[daveshan]

Most any RV store will have the part, the local one carried one made by Camco, I just walked in and told them my water heater door latch broke, walked straight over and handed me a pack of 2, ~$6 if I remember right.

They're available in metal or plastic, if you don't want to be doing it again in a few years go metal.

[gator67]

These posts helped me understand how the latch worked. I have the plastic piece and I have the spring. I guess whatever connected the plastic piece to the spring is what broke. I fashioned a widget with a piece of wire hanger, connecting the plastic piece to the end of the spring, and it seems to work now, except, it doesn't pull the door out a little like it did before when I pull the plastic piece. But... close enough! Thanks for the input.

[Dunner]

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention". That deserves a beer.