Water Heater Replacement

[inacioface]

The water heater (and accompanying water tank) in my chinook was removed at some point throughout it's life and I would like to install a new water tank and tankless water heater. The previous owner not only removed the water heater and tank but also covered the exterior water heater access panel (as shown in the attached image). I was wondering what is the size of the opening for the water heater access panel? I plan on removing whatever was used to cover the access panel and install a proper water heater (and water tank). Is the opening 12.5"x12.5" and the panel 15"x15"? I am thinking about purchasing this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Tankless-Heater- ... 410bb&th=1

Are there any others you suggest I look into?

Thanks!

[inacioface]

I ended up going with this one and I think it's going to fit

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093Z ... UTF8&psc=1

I removed the fiber glass cover that the previous owner placed over the opening for the water heater and scraped all of the old layers of caulk. Tomorrow I'll try to dry fit the water heater into place.

[BobW9]

You should look up some photos of the water heater installed - it goes in a pan that dips below the floor level. The pan is required for water heaters, and from looking in the photo, your floor even looks a bit higher than usual. This is the best I have from when I replaced mine:

[inacioface]

Thanks! I figured I was going to have to cut the floor out to make space for the water heater, but I really appreciate the photo. That reassures me that I'm going to do the right thing. I'm make sure not to cut through those back posts. I'll post a picture once it's in.

[chin_k]

Looks like you do have the plastic base from your picture, but just that it is covered by the plywood floor that the previous owner added on top to make the floor even.

[inacioface]

I cut the section of plywood out and scraped any adhesive that was left behind. I attempted to install the water heater, but found that it had been damaged either during shipping or direct from the manufacturer. I returned it and haven't ordered a new one yet. I did notice that in order to fit the water heater in the opening, I would have to remove the plastic standoffs; the opening isn't big enough to accommodate the standoff.

Any suggestions on which water heater I should buy?

[BobW9]

I'm not sure what you mean by 'plastic standoffs'? The opening looks like the standard size, relative to the tray. You can see in my photo below that it looks the same size as your opening? I do think you may need to cut further into the flooring to fully expose the back end of the tray - you can see in mine that it goes a bit past the two supports. That space is needed for attaching the pipes from the water heater.

The model heater that fits in the opening is the original 6 gallon Suburban SW6D (or SW6DE or SW6DEL), with its separately purchased front panel. You can see in the image that its backend shape is octagonal and fits just right between the 2 supports. Then you add a strap over the top of the heater to hold it firmly in place with those supports (the front metal part is not strong enough to rely on when the tank has 6 gallons of water sloshing around - the supports with the strap keep it from twisting or rolling). You can also see the front panel.

[inacioface]

Thanks for the info!

I was referring to the "two supports". I wasn't sure what to call them so the best I could think of was "plastic standoffs" . Thanks for sharing that water heater with me. I was hoping I could use a tankless system, but if this is the only model that fits, then I might have to go with it

I cut as far back as the hot water heater needed. The one I purchased must be shorter than the original. If you don't know of any tankless systems that fit, I'll purchase the one you shared with me and cut further back to expose the back of the "plastic tray".

EDIT: Which hot water heater do you recommend? I noticed you suggested three that would fit and cannot find a reason to choose one over another.

SW6D: https://suburbanrvparts.com/suburban-wa ... gas-5238a/
SW6DE: https://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Electri ... 103&sr=8-1
SW6DEL: https://www.amazon.com/Suburban-Mfg-524 ... 28e6d374b3

[chin_k]

On the three models, the difference: (quick scan, so read the full specification to confirm yourself)

SW6D is propane only.
SW6DE has 110V AC heating element with direct connection.
SW6DEL need a 12 VDC relay for the AC heating element, which allows for low-voltage control

I don't see the benefit of a "tankless" unit for the rig. It is not like the tank is 75 gal like in some houses. Maybe the gas elements is much more powerful in the tankless unit compare to the LP unit? Or the possibility of "endless" shower without worry about running out of hot water? I would go with AC heating element if I do a lot of camping on a full service site (free electric, water and sewage), but maybe that is only once every few years. Which option you go with depends on your use case.

[BobW9]

I never looked for a tankless, so I have no ideas. The SW6D is propane gas only for heating. This is the model that I think most of the Chinooks came with back in the day. The SW6DE adds an electric element as well, so you can use propane or 110V AC electric to heat the water (or even both if you really want to heat it fast, though I've never needed that). The SW6DEL model adds a relay so you can use a normal 12V DC switch to turn the electric on/off (the SW6DE model either needs a 110V AC switch wired in, or adding your own relay, or just relying on the outside switch, which I think would be very inconvenient).

When I had to replace mine, I went with the SW6DEL, so when I'm in a campsite with electric shore power I don't have to use propane. Kind of like having the refrigerator working off propane and AC electric. I even looked around for a furnace that might do that, but none would fit in the space under the dinette seat where it currently sits. So I just use a little ceramic space heater when on shore power. Or really low temps, like in the low teens or worse at night, I plug in 2 heaters, front and back (one gets plugged into the microwave's outlet, so I don't blow the AC outlets' 15 amp fuse). Most people might not need 2 in a Concourse, given how small it is, but I am always cold in the winter and can't deal with inside temps even being in the mid 60's at night without ending up shivering all the time (too skinny ).