WOW-- I Got a dose of sticker shock today

[Scooter Ride]

We sold our '83 Holiday Rambler in August 2010 and the original Attwood was still going strong so 27 years is not out of the question and prior to that our '76 Champion never had any troubles and was still going when we sold it in '87. Our current 2000 Discovery has an Attwood that is still going so I guess we have had good luck with water heaters?

[bob109]

Originally Posted by bachler

I repair the Atwood tanks. If you carry them in stripped clean It's $35.00, To weld and test them.;; Now the rest of the story; Nornal life is about 10 years; That is average.. Now the cost for a ned tank is that price shock, It is a sit down price. Near $400.00 That seems high . But;; life is good; Oh let it be clear I am not solusiting work.;

Are you TIG Welding the tank with 4043 filler wire/rod?????

[wa8yxm]

Something to consider since it appears you are going to be replacing the heater is the new "Flash Heaters" also called Instant or Tankless. These things work amazingly well, they do (As a general rule) suck propane when operating however THEY ONLY OPERATE WHEN WATER IS FLOWING.. So, I go to bed, for the next 8 hours my Attwood is burning energy (usually electric) or, else, when I get up I have to wait for the water to heat. But with these flash units.. The water heater burns no energy overnight, or when I'm out and about, but the instant I want hot water, it's dispensing hot water.

Recreational Vehicle LP Gas Tankless Water Heater. RV 500 on demand hot water heater by PrecisionTemp

Is one such I came across on the web recently.

[Ray,IN]

The RV500 sound good up-front, but when I read every link and the comparisons, it began to sound not-so-good. I read that you cannot drain all the water out when you are winterizing it, you must pump RV anti-freeze through it, which uses another gallon.
It has an automatic startup feature when outside temperatures drop to around 20*F. It will light and warm the water even when no-one is calling for hot water.
My Suburban 10G water heater takes around 15 minutes to heat from ambient temperature to cut-off temp. I'm retired, I can wait that long.

[PNWGirl]

My 1985 had the original water heater until 2010 when I forgot to drain it and the 'ice aliens' burst out of it. It was 25 years old and worked great, unitl I killed it.

Sheila

[Triker56]

6 gal Atwood 12 years 7 months. Used full time over 8 years.
It gets flushed out every 3 years if it need's it or not.