Hot water heater

[Rostam]

Howdy,

I'd like to replace the hot water heater in our Avion (Its pretty old. Not sure if its the original or not). I cannot find any serial/model number or manufacturer tag! I'd like to replace it with a make/model that is swappable (don't want to re-do the plumbing, etc). Any idea what hot water heater is swappable for a 1978 Avion?

Thanks!

[silverloaf]

If your water heater is OEM, chances are the exterior attachment flanges are designed to conform to the curvature of the skin.... at least that's the way it was with our's.

I ended up having to fabricate a 3-sided sleeve that was independent of the new water heater's housing. The sleeve was done in such a way so I could use the service cover that came with the new water heater.

I opted for an on-demand unit that required re-doing the plumbing. I can can send you some pics as to how the exterior mounting turned out, even if you don't go with a tank less model.

[Rostam]

Thanks Silverloaf, pics would be helpful.

[Rostam]

Hi Silverloaf,
Sorry I forgot to follow up with you. Do you have the photos regarding water heater installation that you had mentioned by any chance?
Thanks!

[silverloaf]

Rostam -

I'm sorry for taking so long to get some pics to you. I lost all my Avion pics when my laptop crashed last year. I took these yesterday. Below is my recollection of the process

You will see the water heater fits into a fabricated 3-sided sleeve (aka: "horse collar"). The water heater sits on the floor of the trailer. The sleeve follows the profile of the outside skin.

The dimensions for the outside mounting flanges were pulled from the original flange shape on the water heater. The outside service cover doesn't know the difference.

Note that 3 of the 4 flanges on the water heater were cut off. I left the bottom flange alone. This enables the water heater to fit snugly against the bottom edge of the floor and outside skin.

The sides of the sleeve are roughly 3" deep. I used some short sheet metal screws to compress the sleeve against the cabinet of the water heater at the front 4 corners. Use caution here to avoid spiking any of the components in the cabinets.

By the way, I lifted the service decals off the original water heater.

I trust you have caught the vision.

[KYAvion]

Nice job on those flanges, and I like your rain guard across the top.

On my Atwood water heater I just slid it right in. I applied Eternabond to the bottom corners of the shell and the floor, and then applied a bead of polyurethane caulking along the face of the outer skin. These pics don’t show the finished product, but they show where I applied the Eternabond for extra protection.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=47

[Rostam]

Rostam -

I'm sorry for taking so long to get some pics to you. I lost all my Avion pics when my laptop crashed last year. I took these yesterday. Below is my recollection of the process

You will see the water heater fits into a fabricated 3-sided sleeve (aka: "horse collar"). The water heater sits on the floor of the trailer. The sleeve follows the profile of the outside skin.

The dimensions for the outside mounting flanges were pulled from the original flange shape on the water heater. The outside service cover doesn't know the difference.

Note that 3 of the 4 flanges on the water heater were cut off. I left the bottom flange alone. This enables the water heater to fit snugly against the bottom edge of the floor and outside skin.

The sides of the sleeve are roughly 3" deep. I used some short sheet metal screws to compress the sleeve against the cabinet of the water heater at the front 4 corners. Use caution here to avoid spiking any of the components in the cabinets.

By the way, I lifted the service decals off the original water heater.

I trust you have caught the vision.

IMG_0160.jpgIMG_0161.jpgIMG_0162.jpg

Thanks Silverloaf, this is helpful, and no worries for the delay.

[Bobbyz]

Don't know if it'll help at this point, just saw this thread. On my 83 Avion the water heater is actually out of a 70s Winnebago. Same kind that's was originally in the Avion, it'd gone missing before I got it.
Anyway when I skirted the thing up for winter living the water heater was an issue. The things are pretty much exposed to the outside, not a good thing when the temp drops to -40! Initially I was going to replace it with something electric until someone on a Facebook group mentioned the Hott Rod electric conversation kit. For 85 bucks I figured I'd try it. It's just a heating element that goes in the drain plug and a thermostat you stick on the tank, takes 400 watts of power.
Thing works great! Actually have more water than I did on propane and I was able to insulate over the water heater on the outside. Been about a year since I put it in.
An on-demand unit might be nicer if you take long showers or have other people using the shower in the morning. But I can keep the water going, turned down a bit, the whole time I'm in there and not run out of hot water. Always had to turn the water on and off before, I hated that.

[Salty]

@silverloaf Love the rain guard. Going to do that to mine!

[silverloaf]

The OEM had a rain guard. I purchased a new one at a local RV store. What you see underneath the guard was some black crap-ola that would't budge without a jackhammer.