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05-28-2009, 03:34 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
scottsville
, Kentucky
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 22
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Hot Water tank leaking on bottom
my hot water tank is leaking, not from hoses, it is from bottom of tank as what i can see, any suggestions, with out me taking out tank....
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05-28-2009, 04:09 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
Lexington
, Minnesota
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,982
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If it's the actual tank that's leaking, the only fix is to replace it. Just like a leaking hot water tank in your home.
Chris
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05-28-2009, 05:03 PM
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#3
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Obsessed with Moonunit
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Love It Here
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 957
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Hello CuckooMan - why have you not posted on my "Calling all Minuet Owners" thread? I would be interested in the history of your 6.0. We have the 6.7metre.
I hope others will post some ideas here on your problem. We found our water heater w/a split on the seam this yr. We had just replaced it only a yr or so ago, so were quite surprised as we had drained & winterized. We disconnected it, and have not had hot water (except from heating on stove), BUT, I had read somewhere that the tank might be fixed w/a waterproof sealant??? Can't find now to get info. Or, I thought maybe some welding could be done? If others can add their thought to mine, I would greatly appreciate it.
__________________
Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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05-28-2009, 10:28 PM
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#4
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2 Rivet Member
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre
scottsville
, Kentucky
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 22
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6.0
tell me more about the posting, i would like to know more---rob
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05-29-2009, 03:39 AM
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#5
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Rivet Master
1971 27' Overlander
Central
, Ohio
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,365
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Rob,
If your tank is leaking, as Minno said above, you need a new unit. A sealant won't hold and if you can find someone who will weld galvanized - welding will destroy the galvanized finish in the welded area. The newer units from Atwood have an aluminum tank. Your looking at around $500 for a new gas/electric unit if you have a 10 gallon model now. When you install it you should put in a bypass kit so it can be fully drained for winter. Good luck....
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05-29-2009, 07:04 AM
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#6
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Rivet Master
1977 27' Overlander
1973 27' Overlander
1963 19' Globetrotter
Naples
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,259
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The aluminum can can be tig welded with good results,just don`t try the galv.,even if you get it to stop it`s only temporary,it will rust out real quick,you will also have rusty water. Dave
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05-29-2009, 08:21 AM
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#7
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The handy accountant
1976 27' Overlander
Scarborough
, Ontario
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 167
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I thought my hot water heater was leaking too, because I had water coming out just below it. Turned out the water leak was clear on the other side of the trailer, and just draining out below the water heater. So check your outside compartments for water leaks, and wherever you can see pipe connections, to see if they're leaking.
__________________
_____
Kevin and Leah
Accountants who tow sans regret
"I nostri cuori e le menti appartengono al flusso d'aria"
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05-29-2009, 02:56 PM
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#8
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Obsessed with Moonunit
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Love It Here
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 957
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Easyride -
I have a friend who's son has done some welding, but don't know if he is familiar w/TIG welding. Do you have any idea what the cost would be to have someone fix the seam on an Atwood tank if we looked into this route? Would it be more/less/equal to replacement? We just don't look forward to replacing a tank we just replaced, not to mention having to take the whole darn thing out again. We did put in a bypass & did the whole drain/winterize bit, so not sure how we got this problem
the TIG welding sounded interesting so I googled it and saw this....
Why should I try TIG welding?
1. Weld more metals and alloys than any other process TIG welders can be used to weld steel, stainless steel, chromoly, aluminum, nickel alloys, magnesium, copper, brass, bronze, and even gold. TIG is a useful welding process for welding wagons, bike frames, lawn mowers, door handles, fenders, and more.
Build and Repair
Automotive Work
Create Art
2. Create high quality, clean welds With superior arc and weld puddle control, TIG allows you to create clean welds when appearances count. Because the heat input is often controlled by pressing on a foot pedal, similar to driving a car, TIG welding allows you to heat up or cool down the weld puddle giving you precise weld bead control. This makes TIG welding ideal for cosmetic welds like sculptures and automotive welds.
Cuckooman - I think if you search "Calling all Minuet Owners" it will come up for you. There have been quite a few Minuet owners who have posted some interesting info related to our wonderful little trailer there. Would love to have you add to same.
__________________
Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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05-29-2009, 07:48 PM
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#9
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Rivet Master
1971 27' Overlander
Central
, Ohio
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 2,365
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[quote=COArgosy78;703219]Easyride -
I have a friend who's son has done some welding, but don't know if he is familiar w/TIG welding. Do you have any idea what the cost would be to have someone fix the seam on an Atwood tank if we looked into this route? Would it be more/less/equal to replacement? We just don't look forward to replacing a tank we just replaced, not to mention having to take the whole darn thing out again. We did put in a bypass & did the whole drain/winterize bit, so not sure how we got this problem
No matter what you do the unit still will have to be pulled. I don't see how you could weld on it in place. Another option:
Marksrv.com Atwood water heater parts page
But, you'll have close to $300 into this with shipping.
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05-29-2009, 08:05 PM
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#10
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Rivet Master
1977 27' Overlander
1973 27' Overlander
1963 19' Globetrotter
Naples
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,259
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If it`s not to large it could be tiged or miged,more people have mig welders,the weld is just not as pretty,if it`s a place showing a lot of corosion a patch could be applied.It would surely be cheaper than a new unit.Dave
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05-30-2009, 03:02 PM
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#11
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Obsessed with Moonunit
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Love It Here
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 957
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Well, did find this while researching. Looks to be the tank needed. We are busy w/other costs related to our bottomless needs trailer (like a 3rd child!) right now, so will probably keep heating our water on stove. But, for the future I will save this thread.
Replacement inner tank for 6 gal. gas water heater
__________________
Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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05-30-2009, 03:51 PM
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#12
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Obsessed with Moonunit
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Love It Here
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 957
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http://www.airforums.com/forums/f227...ers-45519.html
Rob (Cuckooman) I think I copied my Minuet Owners thread here for you, if you are interested. Hope to hear from you there. :]
__________________
Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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05-30-2009, 06:15 PM
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#13
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Moderator
Vintage Kin Owner
...
, ...
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,696
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Someething To Consider...
Remember the the tank on a water heater is a pressure vessel. There is a significant amount of liability associated with welding such devices.
Any work done on a pressure vessel should be performed by a shop authorized to perform ASME repairs. Such a shop should possess a ASME "R" Stamp.
If you want to see something cool...err hot. Check out what happens when PRV doesn't pop open and and OPE occurs.
http://www.waterheaterblast.com/waterheaterblast.wmv
__________________
"One of the best lessons I've learned is that you don't worry about criticism from people you wouldn't seek advice from."
William C. Swinney
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05-31-2009, 07:06 AM
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#14
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Rivet Master
1977 27' Overlander
1973 27' Overlander
1963 19' Globetrotter
Naples
, Florida
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,259
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Well if all that stuff went wrong ,I think I would rather have a weak weld joint,so the heater wouldn`t go thru the roof.Myth Busters also blew one thru the roof of their made on site house.After 36 years of plumbing I have never seen it happen,nor heard from from any other plumber of actually seeing one.I can see how it can happen,but a bunch of things would all have to go bad at once. Dave
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05-31-2009, 10:09 AM
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#15
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Moderator
Vintage Kin Owner
...
, ...
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 11,696
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The point of my post is that repairs to a pressure vessel should only be made by Qualified personnel. An OPE (over pressurization explosion) is typically contributed to the lack of, or a non-functioning PRD (pressure relief device), a system blockage, or a faulty tank. It does not take much over pressurization to cause a vessel to explode. If the tank is old this can occur at a pressure below the PRD rating. The water heater in out trailers is just that…a pressure vessel.
In the case of Avon High School it was only a 5-gallon water heater that exploded. The subsequent investigation showed several contributing factors lead to the failure and the subsequent explosion. Pay particular attention to paragraphs 6, 7, and 8. What I’m getting at, is that a pressure vessel is nothing to screw around with. How many of us visually inspect, or manually open the PRD on our water heaters, or have the means to perform an internal visual inspection? You combine a back flow prevention device (check valve), a possibly compromised water heater tank, in a closed system, you’ll fortunate if all you end up with is a leak.
If a 5-gallon water heater can do that to a CMU wall, think about what it would do to an aluminum clad trailer. When I sleep, my head is within 3 feet of the water heater in my trailers. If that thing ever gives me any hint of trouble it will be replaced.
In my other life I am involved in the evaluation of fired, and un-fired pressure vessels. In a typical year we examine 200 to 300 of them. Several years ago I was involved in a failure analysis that resulted in a death. The incident occurred when a portable air compressor tank exploded. The air compressor was mounted on a service truck behind the cab. It exploded at a pressure of around 90psi, which was less than the MWAP (maximum allowable working pressure), and less than the PRD pop-off rating. The report contributed the failure to cross sectional wall loss (thinning of the vessel tank shell).
The bottom line is: Are willing to put your family at risk to save a few bucks?
http://www.masterplumbers.com/plumbnews/2001/dec/avon.asp
Disclaimer: This is not directed at anyone, it is for the benefit of the group. Please don't take this as an attack on any posts, or forum memebrs.
Off the Bully Pulpit.....Respectfully I might Add...
__________________
"One of the best lessons I've learned is that you don't worry about criticism from people you wouldn't seek advice from."
William C. Swinney
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05-31-2009, 11:32 AM
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#16
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Obsessed with Moonunit
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.7 Metre
Love It Here
, Colorado
Join Date: Sep 2002
Posts: 957
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Kevin - I couldn't get the video to work, but even w/o I can certainly get your point & respect it!!! My thoughts on a possible weld for the HWT were exactly why I am glad you put in your post. I think safety is of utmost importance & having others contribute to the whys and why nots of a given question only help the majority. Thank you for taking the time to put in the words of caution to any of us who are non-experienced do it yourselfers.
__________________
Leigh (IB Aluminated)
"When a great ship is in harbour and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But that is not what great ships are built for." by Clarissa Pinkola-Estes, author of ‘Women Who Run With the Wolves’
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