BAC Forum
General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Corey Osborne on June 08, 2015, 08:10:40 PM
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Help
Looks like my water tank is leaking and it appears its coming from underneath the tank, so I am assuming the tank seal or weld is leaking. I have checked all connections in the front of the water tank.
Questions is this repairable? If not is there a better for longer lasting option than replacing with the same model by seaward f600?
I do have hurricane installed as well but not as familiar how this interacts with the water tank.
all feedback welcomed.
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Corey,
You can either replace the tank or just replace the whole hot water heater, depending on how confident you are with the rest of the hot water heater (heating element controls and wiring). The usual reason that the tank starts leaking is because of a lack of maintenance in replacing the anode rod. However, if you stop and think that it is a 17 year old hot water heater, how can you expect on to last much longer? If the hot water heater in your home failed after 17 years, would you complain and look for something that would last longer?
Gerald
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thanks Gerald I would plan to replace the whole thing however wondering if there was better option of newew different unit or if this a solid unit to go ahead and get the same model for an easier replacement process. I am pretty amazed that it made it that long and I have only had it for a year so highly likely that the rod wasn't replaced either at all or often enough.
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Corey,
In my opinion, the hot water heater that you have is still the best one for your application, and it is still in production, primarily for marine applications.
Gerald
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Cory,
I replaced the tank and anode a year ago or so Cost about $400 from Rixens. Installation was straight forward. I also replaced the old copper heat exchanger as the PO had disconnected it (suspect leak due to freezing) with the "brick" form factor. Cost was ~$280. System working great. I've got hot water using shore power (50A) w/o having to use Diesel and have it when dry camping or on 30A with the Hurricane. I had a Hydro hot in my last coach and have found the Hurricane much better and more reliable (so far). Only downside I see is that if you are on 30A and need air you might not have enough amperage available to use the water heater.
Steve
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Corey, if you go to the website for Seawod they have scratch and dent specials. I paid $175 for mine and was brand new with no obvious scratch or dents.
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I replaced the one in my PT and bought it from Defender Marine. They are very common HW heaters for boats. I like them a lot but figure a 5 year life.
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I replaced the tank and anode a year ago or so Cost about $400 from Rixens.
If that was the price without installation then Rixen charged you full MSRP. They're available online for ~$250.
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thanks everyone for the quick and insightful info. can you advise what the copper tube and plate mounted up top of the water heater is? I assume this has to do with the hurricane system. Also is seems straight forward replace all lines and wires as you see, beyond the obvious drain, disconnect power and replace as is?
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Howdy Corey, I had to replace the hot water tank in my 1999 Beaver back in 2005. Had it shipped to Florida and with help from the Beaver Community in Florida installed it. It is still working ten years later, and I'll knock on wood. The cost was minimal then. Good luck.
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Cory, the copper plate atop your tank may be the external heat exchanger that helps heat the domestic water with the boiler coolant. The photo is our heat exchanger that is outside the Seaward tank.
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Thanks again looks like a pretty straight forward swap though so I will be ordering one and doing the best I can from the campground. and of course I will be back here asking for help if I run into anything. ;D
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a couple questions, is there anyway to just shutoff the hot water tank off and not disconnect the whole coach, my coach is in Parker, AZ right now and being 115 degrees out makes it brutal to have to turn the whole coach off to replace the hot water tank. There is a switch in the bedroom that appears to control the hot water heater, along with the hurricane switch on the cabinet in the kitchen. any thoughts on this would be grateful, if I must disconnect full power to coach I may have to leave the wife and dog at home to make this repair.
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You should have a breaker in the main panel that is dedicated to the hot water tank. Turn off that breaker and you shouldn't have to disconnect anything else.
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so quick update, got the water tank installed with no issues, I have filled the tank and bled the water lines, I did lose through install about 4 oz of coolant what I need to know is from the attached picture which reservoir of the two are for the hot water tank and what type of coolant if different then that of what goes into the radiator for the motor. also is there a bleed process to get coolant back into the heat exchanger or will it flow as normal and pull from reservoir once the system starts back up?
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If this is the hurricane system, and it appears to be from the picture, then you should use pet friendly anti-freeze. That's what they recommend, so that just in case something happens to allow the anti-freeze line fluid to mix with your hot water, you don't die before you find out why the water tastes funny. :)
Mike
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great thanks Mike, can you advise which reservoir is which they seem to both have coolant and confirmed it is hurricane system. So any antifreeze coolant that is pet friendly? Sorry don't want to contaminate the system.
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Corey,
Your picture was of the pressure tank and recovery reservoir for the Hurricane system. Your hurricane system has a double wall heat exchanger that is designed to use regular automotive ethylene glycol coolant. The Hurricane system will usually self bleed any small quantity of air as it runs if you completely fill the pressure tank (black tank with radiator cap) before start-up and have the recovery tank at the "full hot" mark after it reaches operating temperature.
The term "pet friendly" on automotive antifreeze does not mean that it is nontoxic. It just means that a bittering agent has been added to it so that pets will not drink the normally slightly sweet antifreeze if it spills on the ground. If you want nontoxic coolant to use in your Hurricane or Aqua Hot system, you need to use boiler fluid instead of automotive coolant.
Gerald
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Thanks Gerald that answered all my questions, much appreciated.
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I think that the tank on the left of the picture is the pressurized tank and the one on the right is the overflow tank; both are for the heating system. My suggestion for getting the air out of the system would be to remove the cap on the pressure tank and letting the circulating pump run if you know how to do that without putting the heater on. As the coolant circulates the air should come out and you can top off the tank before putting the cap back on.
If your system is a Hurricane the circulating solution is standard green glycol antifreeze 50/50 with distilled water. You can buy it premixed, which makes it easier.