Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » Stainless water heater tank?
| Stainless water heater tank? [message #76412] |
Fri, 12 March 2010 07:39  |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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For those that don't know, I have a '73 23' that was well maintained by at least two prior owners (I am grateful).
I have never looked at the sacrificial anode that has not been looked at in at least four years and does not show up in any of the legible receipts that are in the coach's file. I began to worry about it.
Yesterday I crawled into the head and took apart the cabinet under the sink so I could actually get arms in where the waterheater lives. There was some concern that I might discover something that I really didn't want to know, but with the coach in the barn until enough warm rain washes the salt off the roads, this would be as good a time as any to find out. I looked and I searched and even took off the cover and got a mirror and a flashlight and never found the separate plug indicated in some manuals that would carry an anode.
I never found any.
What I did find was a very shiny tank. After extricating my body and retrieving a magnet-on-a-stick tool from the box, I confirmed what the shiny tank had made me suspect. The tank is a non-magnetic alloy. It could be something else, but it sure does look like a good stainless steel to me. The unit case is galvanized and shows its age.
There is no way that I have any clue how many coaches have this feature. The unit appears to have been remounted at some point. It does have an Atwood tag.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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| Re: [GMCnet] Stainless water heater tank? [message #76416 is a reply to message #76412] |
Fri, 12 March 2010 08:19  |
Rick Denney
Messages: 430
Registered: January 2004
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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Matt wrote,
>
> What I did find was a very shiny tank. After extricating
> my body and retrieving a magnet-on-a-stick tool from the
> box, I confirmed what the shiny tank had made me suspect.
> The tank is a non-magnetic alloy. It could be something
> else, but it sure does look like a good stainless steel to
> me. The unit case is galvanized and shows its age.
>
There are many stainless-steel alloys that are non-magnetic.
Nickel is often added to the alloy to harden the
self-generating chromium oxide layer that is inert and makes
it stainless, and to improve the malleability. The nickel
makes the alloy austenitic and non-magnetic, instead of
martensitic carbon steels (including high-chromium stainless
versions) and ferritic conventional steels, both of which are
magnetic.
Rick "being verbose again, heh, heh" Denney
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'73 Glacier 230 "Jaws"
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| Re: [GMCnet] Stainless water heater tank? [message #76462 is a reply to message #76412] |
Fri, 12 March 2010 15:42 |
Chuck Garton
Messages: 54
Registered: June 2006
Karma: 0
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Member |
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The original Type 1 water heater was made of aluminum, which stays
shiny and is non magnetic and I believe was made by Atwood.
The water heater drain was set up to keep the heating element covered
and did not drain the tank completely. When my 1974 Sequoia water
heater began leaking, I removed it and, using a wire brush, found the
bottom to be rotten. I then cut the tank in half with a band saw and
found corrision from the drain plug to the bottom. The top part was
fine.
The only replacement at the time was another aluminum tank. I took
this one to a welder and had him weld a boss on the bottom of the tank
and I installed a new drain so I could drain the tank completely. It
freezes here in the winter, so I am in the habit of draining the water
heater after every trip.
Within two years the coach burned, ending data on the modified water heater.
I replaced the water heater on my 1977 Kingsley with the Jims
stainless steel one. Beautiful tank!
Chuck Garton
77 Kingsley 455
Ridgecrest, CA
On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 5:39 AM, Matt Colie <mcolie@chartermi.net> wrote:
>
>
> For those that don't know, I have a '73 23' that was well maintained by at least two prior owners (I am grateful).
>
> I have never looked at the sacrificial anode that has not been looked at in at least four years and does not show up in any of the legible receipts that are in the coach's file. I began to worry about it.
>
> Yesterday I crawled into the head and took apart the cabinet under the sink so I could actually get arms in where the waterheater lives. There was some concern that I might discover something that I really didn't want to know, but with the coach in the barn until enough warm rain washes the salt off the roads, this would be as good a time as any to find out. I looked and I searched and even took off the cover and got a mirror and a flashlight and never found the separate plug indicated in some manuals that would carry an anode.
>
> I never found any.
>
> What I did find was a very shiny tank. After extricating my body and retrieving a magnet-on-a-stick tool from the box, I confirmed what the shiny tank had made me suspect. The tank is a non-magnetic alloy. It could be something else, but it sure does look like a good stainless steel to me. The unit case is galvanized and shows its age.
>
> There is no way that I have any clue how many coaches have this feature. The unit appears to have been remounted at some point. It does have an Atwood tag.
>
> Matt
> --
> Matt & Mary Colie
> '73 Glacier 23 Chaumiere (say show-me-air)
> SE Michigan
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
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| Re: [GMCnet] Stainless water heater tank? [message #76480 is a reply to message #76478] |
Fri, 12 March 2010 18:06 |
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USAussie
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
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Senior Member |
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Matt,
Avion used the Atwood EH-6 and Double Trouble had/has one in it. I wound up
replacing it because the Avion had been stored for three years with water in
it before I bought it.
As Chuck Garton noted the drain does not empty completely it only drains it
half way which keeps the element submerged.
The first time I turned on the hot water at the kitchen sink it came out
black! I kept running it until turned clear but it never lost the odor of
sulphur. We did not drink the tap water or use it for cooking, coffee, etc.
It never dawned on me to hook up to city water and open and close the drain
at the tank. I reckon the flow rate would have been much higher and it would
have cleared / cleaned it out.
I noted that whenever we were hooked up to city water there would be a
slight drip out through the hole where the lines went up to the engine.
When I removed it at the COOP at the end of our 4000 mile / two month trip
around the east coast in 2008 and up ended it the water that came out was
still black! I removed the cover and you could see the pin holes through the
tank.
When I got Double Trouble ready for our 2009 tour I flushed the EH-6 by
opening and closing the drain valve. I also installed a cartridge in the
dedicated water filter tap and that's what we drink.
Double Trouble still has all the copper tubing in it also. I fixed one tube
that ran up to the shower that had split from freezing and now it's leak
tight.
Regards,
Rob Mueller
Sydney, Australia
AUS '75 Avion-The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
USA '75 Avion-Double Trouble TZE365V100426
-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Matt Colie
Sent: Saturday, 13 March 2010 10:31 AM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Stainless water heater tank?
Rob,
I saw the picture and I bet you got it. The tanks is real shiny, but that
might just be an artifact with the spun end cap that is visible. It is an
EH-6G (whatever the G means). Believe it or not, but I have put more than
a few of this type Atwood into cruising boats. It seems when you are doing
something for money you can't take a whole lot of time to look at what you
bought.
I'm still going to worry a little. This is one of the coaches will all
copper plumbing and it is connected to the aluminum tank.
Matt
--
Matt & Mary Colie
'73 Glacier 23 Chaumiere (say show-me-air)
SE Michigan
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List Information and Subscription Options:
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Regards,
Rob M. (USAussie)
The Pedantic Mechanic
Sydney, Australia
'75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428
'75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
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