Getting My '69 Bowen Water Heater OUT

[adamperine]

I just finished replacing all of the plumbing in my '69 Soveriegn with PEX, and now I am going after the original (leaking) water heater. I have removed all of the screws around the outside flange and pried away the flange from the trailer skin. I removed whatever screws on the inside that I can find too, and the thing won't budge. Does anyone know if I am missing some additional anchors or if it just needs to be strong-armed.

[idroba]

My experience is you need to be strong armed. They are sealed in at the factory with a sealant that may have oozed inside the outer skin and formed a bead there. No way to get at it, so you PULL. You can even remove the outer flange and PUSH it in, if you can get at the thing to remove from the interior. That sealant also may be on the bottom, so again, removing the flange may allow you to put a sharp putty knife along the bottom to cut the stuff. Since you are replacing it, who cares if you destroy the heater itself. Just be careful of the Airstream.

[mimiandrews]

This info is from my experience with removing a Bowen from our '66 Safari. Don't know if the '69 is the same, but maybe it is.

The Bowen water heater has a fitting in the center of the bottom of the tank that engages a bracket in the floor of the trailer. The floor bracket has a V-shaped slot in it that should point toward the opening in the side of the trailer. Slide the water heater approximately four inches toward the opening, and it should come loose.

Ours was a tight fit, but it did slide through the opening in the side of the trailer.

Sorry I don't have any photos, but there are some good ones on the forum--that's how I found out how it works. All I can recommend is a search.