John Stephens
Well-known member
When my wife and I attended the big RV show in Tampa this past January, the propane side of the water heater wouldn't work. Since it got pretty cold there, we kept the generator on the whole time and used the 110v side and didn't have any problems.
Last week as I was getting the coach ready for our upcoming vacation, I blew out the flue tube with some compressed air and got the propane side working again. An easy fix. But the electric side wouldn't work. I checked the breaker, the light on the switch was on, the connections all looked good, but it wouldn't work. So I took it to my mechanic who was doing a couple of other repairs for me and asked him to find out what was wrong.
He called me yesterday and told me there are four parts that need to be replaced on the electric side. I remember him saying the element was one of them because that's what I suspected had gone bad. Other items he listed meant nothing to me and I now can't remember what they were. The long and short of it, though, is that he said they went bad simply from age - 13 years old - and nothing I did or didn't do regarding maintenance. He said that because of the age of the unit, he suspects I will continue to throw money into parts as they go bad and suggested installing a new water heater instead. Much more expensive, but we'll know it's new and will last for several years. I agreed and will pick up the coach this afternoon with a new heater. He was talking about charging around $700 to replace the parts, while the new heater installed will cost roughly $1300. He's replacing it with what was already there - an Atwood 10g with DSI - unfortunately one of the most expensive they make.
What I'm wondering is this: is this normal for a water heater to last 13 years and then begin to go bad? In your home, the residential water heaters usually last between 7-15 years, so if comparing it to that, this seems to be a reasonable assumption. However, the water heater in your house is being used all the time, while the heater in your coach is being used a few weeks out of every year. Do they go bad simply over time, or should usage be considered? I guess I'm trying to determine if my mechanic is leading me in the right direction or just trying to take my money. Any thoughts or opinions or personal experience will be welcome.
Last week as I was getting the coach ready for our upcoming vacation, I blew out the flue tube with some compressed air and got the propane side working again. An easy fix. But the electric side wouldn't work. I checked the breaker, the light on the switch was on, the connections all looked good, but it wouldn't work. So I took it to my mechanic who was doing a couple of other repairs for me and asked him to find out what was wrong.
He called me yesterday and told me there are four parts that need to be replaced on the electric side. I remember him saying the element was one of them because that's what I suspected had gone bad. Other items he listed meant nothing to me and I now can't remember what they were. The long and short of it, though, is that he said they went bad simply from age - 13 years old - and nothing I did or didn't do regarding maintenance. He said that because of the age of the unit, he suspects I will continue to throw money into parts as they go bad and suggested installing a new water heater instead. Much more expensive, but we'll know it's new and will last for several years. I agreed and will pick up the coach this afternoon with a new heater. He was talking about charging around $700 to replace the parts, while the new heater installed will cost roughly $1300. He's replacing it with what was already there - an Atwood 10g with DSI - unfortunately one of the most expensive they make.
What I'm wondering is this: is this normal for a water heater to last 13 years and then begin to go bad? In your home, the residential water heaters usually last between 7-15 years, so if comparing it to that, this seems to be a reasonable assumption. However, the water heater in your house is being used all the time, while the heater in your coach is being used a few weeks out of every year. Do they go bad simply over time, or should usage be considered? I guess I'm trying to determine if my mechanic is leading me in the right direction or just trying to take my money. Any thoughts or opinions or personal experience will be welcome.