need advice on replacing water heater.

[Hillbilly75]

So far I've been able to make the repairs on this 1975 Sovereign without deviating from the original. Not going to be the case with the water heater. I would be satisfied to downgrade to a 6 gallon tank, but would like to keep it looking like it is. Has anyone found a way to use the old door on one of the new h2o heaters? I've kept the door as well as the exhaust vent from the old unit in hopes of finding a new one that will match. I've also thought about a 7 gallon point-of-use tank that runs on 120 volt, but it would be a very tight fit in the cabinet (rear bath). Any pictures you could post on here would also be helpful.

[TG Twinkie]

Can you post pics of the outside hatch?

[Minno]

We replaced the old 10 gal water heater with a 6 gal model on our '72. We bought a silver door from Out of Doors Mart to replace the standard white one 'cuz I was too lazy to paint it and it was on sale at the time. We added a strip of aluminum across the bottom of the water heater opening to fill it in. You can see pictures of it in our thread:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f185...-50967-18.html

Post 252 and 254.

Chris

[Hillbilly75]

I have to wait until later to post pictures from my phone, but here's what I basically ended up doing: I dissected the old water heater and salvaged the entire outer shell of it. I built a small platform that supports the tank portion of the new water heater, then installed the new unit inside of the old shell. The new unit is raised to the very top of the opening, and recessed about 3 inches to make it easier to plumb the gas line. The original door is used, and the new vent screen fits in the hole left in the door. I have to engineer a way to attach the screen to the door so it can't fall out, and seal off the extra space at the bottom to keep fumes out of the coach.

[Hillbilly75]

The shell of the old water heater, with the top removed, door still attached.

[Hillbilly75]

The new one fits inside, with the top reattached. Had to leave out the two rear screws on the top, as they interfered with sliding the case over the Styrofoam during final assembly.

[Hillbilly75]

Had to bend this tab flat, for clearance.

[Hillbilly75]

It's really inside there!

[Hillbilly75]

Platform to support the tank so the extra space is at the bottom. 1 and 3/8 inch, if I remember correctly

[Hillbilly75]

The tank sets on the platform. One person holds it from inside while the case is pushed over it.

[Hillbilly75]

The new tank is recessed about 3 inches or so to leave room for gas connection without relocating the gas line.