Water heater

[rdelcamp]

My 96 32' Windsor has a 6 gallon Suburban water heater that needs repairs.
I would like to install a new 10 gallon heater. The box under the sink that houses it looks big enough to hold the larger 10 gallon heater but the cut out in the outside wall is about 3 1/2" larger both height and width. Does any one know if you can just enlarge the wall opening and install the larger heater? Does any one have a coach of this size and year that came with a 10 gallon water heater?
Ron D
96 32' Windsor

[jacwjames]

The limiting factor on cutting a larger opening is whether there are any structural members of the frame on either side or above the existing opening. I would not recommend cutting any tubing.

You might take a strong magnet on the outside and see if there is metal. Depending on the space where you want to locate the water heater you might be able to move it left or right to accommodate any structure.

[ShapeShifter]

I would think that there would have to be some structural reinforcing around the water heater opening. I've had my water heater out, and there was definitely a welded frame of square aluminum tubing that supported the water heater and reinforced the wall panel that holds the heater.

Of course, a '96 Windsor certainly has a lot of differences from my coach, but given the weight of a water heater and the water it contains, and how it is simply mounted by screws around the perimeter of the front frame, I just can't see it being held in place without some additional structure.

[rdelcamp]

Does any one know how the box under the sink that houses the water heater comes apart? It is covered with carpet and there are no obvious seams or screws.
Ron D

[ShapeShifter]

My rig is very different than yours, and I have no access to the back of the heater (other than a small hatch that lets me reach in to operate the winterization bypass valve.) When I replaced my electric heater element, I had to work entirely from the outside: remove the multitude of screws around the front perimeter, break the seal, and pull the heater out of the wall from the outside.

You may very well have to do the same.