New Water Heater...

[dalej]

We have installed in our bus two 10 gallon Mor Flo hot water heaters. They are electric with motor aid head exchangers. We had one of them devlelop a small leak a couple of years ago, so I just unhooked one and just use one. We have not been able to tell that we now have only one. I was told that Suburban Mfg. makes a replacement, do you guys know anything about this?

I'm thinking of taking out the two and just going to one since they are from 1986.

Do you guys use the motor aid water heaters? They just work good for us while driving?

Any other thoughts on water heaters?

[garyde]

Hi Dale. Liberty uses one 20 gallon with a coil in the tank for the engine/Webasto coolant heating. It is electric as well. Let me know if you want the name and I'll get it for you.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Dale we have Raritan, 10 gal. electric with a heat exchanger.

[dreamchasers]

Dale,

My Country Coach is set up similar to yours. We have two 10 gallon units that water can be heated by electric, circulating engine coolant (Engine heated or Wabasto heated).

Mine are not leaking now. I think the brand is Atwood Marine water heaters.

Hector

[dalej]

Thanks guys for the help. I report back when I find a replacement.

[truk4u]

Raritan 20 in the Liberty Dale..

On my plastic coaches, the Suburban and Atwood heaters had anarode rods that had to be changed out annually. Maybe it was because they were propane heated, not sure. Supposedly, the rod would deteriate from electrolysis instead of the heaters.

[stevet903]

There is also a SuperStor water heater with a stainless tank - comes in 6, 12 and 20 Gal sizes...

http://www.htproducts.com/literature/lp-13.pdf

[dalej]

I just might have to keep with a box shape unit(s) to fit back into the area that is there. Putting a cylinder shape into a box seem to waste square inches that I should be able to use.

Thanks for giving me the information on the companies guys.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

How can you get a pressure vessel to be box shaped?

I thought because of internal pressures equal to that of the water system pressure HW tanks are all going to be cylindical. I'll bet a square or rectangular one is going to be excessively heavy due to reinforcements, or will make some interesting noises as the sides and ends "oil can" as water pressure varies.

[dalej]

You know that is true, they just put a rectangle package over it. Good point!

[dalej]

Thought I would do a follow-up and let everyone see how the water heater bay turned out.

The bay started out with 3/4 inch plywood with gray formica facing on the bottom that was rotton. the sides had 3/8 inch plywood with gray formica facing. I gutted everything and polished the stainless to a satin finish on the bottom and repainted the back wall grey. I used 12 gauge aluminum to finish the side walls and make the shelf. I made a door in the shelf to access the water heater and store items that I don't use very often.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

That turned out really nice Dale. It looks better than when new!

JIM

[lonesome george]

Sweet Dale!

[GDeen]

That is outstanding - nice job!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Dale,

You have access to a metal fab shop. Tell us about it.

[dalej]

Jon,

I just cut, bent, and screwed things in my shop.


If I ever break down and buy a TIG welder.... watch out! :)

[phorner]

That looks great Dale!

You have every reason to feel quite proud about the way this project turned out.

Great job!!:D

[Jon Wehrenberg]

So you have a shear, a press brake, either a punch press or notcher. Maybe an ironworker? I was a tin knocker for about 30 years but never had my own fab shop at home.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

WOW, Dale, really nice job. That deserves 3 atta-boys...!

And I was impressed with myself for finally figuring out what type of light bulbs to put in my dining room chandelier? :eek: :D

Very Nice. :)

Gary S.

[dreamchasers]

I impressed!

Hector

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Turned out great!

I can't figure out the first picture. Your propane tank is in that HVAC bay on the drivers side and the hot water heater is in the same bay or the plumbing bay.

[Jeff Bayley]

I'm not the "real deal" handy man, just a hacker, but when it comes to jobs like Dales, it pays to just put your head in gear if your able because the old saying "If you want a job done right.........". By the time you do the mind meld of what you want and get someone else to do the work, it's astronomical in price, plus the never finish it out the way you would yourself. Even if you can russtle up a friend to help you do the work, at least your supervising and directing exactley what you want. We wanted someone to do the TV revision / upgrade in our bedroom but there simply wan't anybody around that was in the business of doing that. Even if we had gone to a converter.........look at this........it took one full day to pick out the right size TV that would work for the application.

Some people like Dale and John can pretty much do it all. Others have to go to the shop to get a fuse replaced and there is every kind somewhere in the middle.

We're all lucky we've got this site to inspire each other and get help.

[garyde]

Hi Dale. Very nice work. It always feels so much better when you do the job yourself. Is there any sound issues, or did you already have some sound deadning material around the bay.

[lewpopp]

Dale,

You told of 3/4" ply in a grey color. Did this happen to be the 3/4" ply with a brushed aluminum finish on it. I think to match that I was told I could order a sheet of the finish and glue it to the ply like Formica.

I've wanted to replace a couple places on mine and I was wondering, do those stainless carriage bolts come out from below? I have a lot of foam there and never looked.

Nice job. I have to add this....Was the picture of the propane tank taken from another trailor?

[truk4u]

Very nice job Dale!;)

[dalej]

Joe- I don't have OTR air.

Lew- It was 3/4 inch plywood with a gray formica glued on for the finish. 3/8 on the sides. The bolts holding the tank down twisted off when I tried to loosen them. The photo was taken of my driver side, 3rd bay.

Gary- There was a while polystyrene foam in the cavities. No sound issues.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Yes Dale all the CC have no OTR a/c and the ones with propane put that tank in the 3rd bay drivers side that would usually house components for the OTR a/c.

However I have also seen the hot water heaters in that same bay on CC but your propane tank sitting sideways looks like it takes up the whole compartment.

Where is your hot water heater, In the plumbing bay. I still can not decipher your first photo:eek: I thought you guys were professional photographers:confused:

Lew that gray on the bay floors and walls is the same grey prevo uses in the engine compartment as well as some suspension components.

I took my fuse panel cover off the engine fuse box and took it in and had Home Depo computer color match it to high gloss interior/exterior enamel and I brush it on.

I have been using it on the wood bay floors as well as metal areas in the upper engine compartment and to the radius rods. Cheep great results and the color match is PERFECT.

[dalej]

Ok Joe, right after I make Jan and I some breakfast, I'll draw it out on the photo. Check back in 45 minutes.

[truk4u]

Most CC's have OTR, but it's CC's own design and not Prevost!

[dalej]

Joe,

I hope this diagram helps you to see how I did things.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

O/K Dale thanks.

The early 90's CC propane coaches I have seen had the 2 hot water tanks stacked ,facing the door, at the rear of that bay. CC originally put the aux air compressors and additional air tank behind the water heaters too.

Another question
If the unit is both electric and engine heat exchanger that facilitates having to access both the front and back side , all the electric and plumbing at the front and the heater hoses in the rear. It looks kike you have it in the rear corner of the bay? how does that work.

[rahangman]

My 1990 CC has the 2 Atkins 10g AC/Eng wabasto heat in 3rd bay along with my LPG tank but the LPG is facing out instead of along the bus side. My 12v Aux air pump sits behind the Atkins heaters and I had to take the shelving for hoses/cords out to access it to change the Aux air pump recently. Wished I would have just replaced with a 120v AC compressor and gotten a lot more air compressed timewise. Oh well. Mine has the gray formica covered plywood also and I think that due to heat given off by water heaters helped to keep me from freezing up in -30 Wind chill this past Dec in Ohio. The Webasto heater for the water tanks is in the #4 compartment and I augment that witha 1500 watt AC heater from Walmart, seems to keep everything pretty much up, even though the Elec htr probably overwhelms the Webasto.

[dalej]

Joe, everything comes out on one end, see photo.

I used to have a couple of small aux. air tanks, there gone now!

[Joe Cannarozzi]

That is the first one I have seen configured like that. It is a good design if it allows you to shove it in the corner as you have done.

Were the old ones the same?

[dalej]

Yes, the old ones were just like it.

[dalej]

I was talking to Jerry about his water heater plumbing when they were here.

He seemed to think that while the engine is running, it's circulating through the water heater. He called and confirmed it, he said they tested the hot water coming from the faucet and it was 175 degrees after running down the road.

On our bus, I have to have the hot water switch at the dash turned on. When it is in the on position, it opens a solenoid valve and starts the circulating pumps and lets the engine heat the fresh water in the tank. If the engine is not running the Wabasto turns on. I have a thermostat set at 130 degrees that I added to the tank to shut down the heating so our water doesn't get so hot.

My question is.... how is your bus plumbed, in order to keep the fresh water heating while going down the road?

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I think mine is as Jerry's. There is a gate valve to control the flow of engine coolant through the heat exchanger.

JIM

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Ours is like Jerrys when the bus is running the water pump on the 8-V is what is circulating things. I have a gang valve in conjunction with a bypass tube that I can shut to stop the circulation there if say it is winter and no water in the tank.

[BrianE]

Dale, What software are you using to label your photos so nicely? Looks great.

[dalej]

Brian, I use Adobe Photoshop. Thanks

[Joe Cannarozzi]

Dale getting more in detail 1 big loop from engine to plumbing bay: heater core for plumbing bay heat then hot water heater then e-spar then OTR heater core then return to engine. There is a bypass around the e-spar like the hot water heater.