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Old 02-27-2008, 06:39 AM   #1
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Paint for water heater door

Just replaces the original water heater with an atwood. It has a white door and I want to paint it gray. Do I need to wuse high temp paint or does it matter. Any suggestions?
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Old 02-27-2008, 07:27 AM   #2
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The whole door doesnt get hot, just the small area above the exaust. I think you do not need high temp paint. But it couldnt hurt.
Personally I would keep my eye open on Ebay and buy an Aluminum or stainless door to replace the white one.
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Old 02-27-2008, 08:36 AM   #3
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I made the same change in water heater not long ago. I, too, didn't like the white door so I took paint remover to it to get it ready for a new coat of paint. The "finish" underneath that was not affected by the paint remover was a grey that fairly well matches aluminum. I managed to do just the outside, so the inside with instructions is untouched. It has been this way for 8 to 10 months now and I may or may not paint it. Try it, you have nothing to lose.
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Old 02-27-2008, 08:55 AM   #4
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We went to Auto Zone and got the chrome paint and it matched our Tradewind perfectly.


Good Luck,

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Old 02-27-2008, 09:51 AM   #5
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I just used a silver paint from Ace Hardware. I say it is temporary as I want to adapt the original (can't recall the make) door. You will notice that I did reinstall the original door face (frame). Since this installation I have gotten used to the 'painted door' and though I want to use the orginal the priorty level is slipping. The Atwood is a great WH though.
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Old 02-27-2008, 10:55 AM   #6
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I used a high temp silver engine spray paint for the Tradewind. Looks pretty good!
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Old 02-27-2008, 11:00 AM   #7
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I had mine nickel plated (or chrome plated - can't remember which) and it looks awesome. No worry of peeling paint, etc.
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Old 02-27-2008, 11:18 AM   #8
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I painted the new door for my Argosy water heater with Keylon about 3 years ago and it still looks good as new. I got the LP/Electric model and have never used it on gas, but don't know if that makes a difference.
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Old 02-27-2008, 02:13 PM   #9
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Took the water heater door and outside furnace cover to an autobody shop and had them painted a nice off silver color. They had started to oxidize, the shop cleaned them up and did a nice job of painting.
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Old 03-02-2008, 07:30 PM   #10
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water heater cover

I took a little different approach. After taking out the old Bowen and getting a new Atwood, I thought it would be something of a challenge to reuse the old stainless steel door. Since I had purchased a piece of 2024 T3 aluminum to do some patching and repairs, I choose to use some automotive epoxy and glue a piece on the white Atwood door. The edges have 3 coats of a cold galvanized paint to cover the 1/4" return on the door.

I still have the old stainless door if anyone wants it for the cost of shipping. The challenges I saw in retrofitting it were:

The new Atwood door has a 90 degree return on the edges, the old one has an angled face and no return.

The new Atwood has two pin hinges, the old one has a piano hinge.

The new Atwood has one camlock in the middle of the door, the old one has two camlocks at the upper corners of the door.

Maybe a better mechanic than I could make quick work of it, if you want to give it a try, please let me know.
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Old 03-02-2008, 08:48 PM   #11
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Roger Williams AS in TX has a SS replacement. I put one on mine and she looks nice. Give them a call and talk to David.
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Old 03-03-2008, 04:31 AM   #12
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Does Roger Williams have a SS replacement for the Suburban too? I really like the idea of SS instead of the faded silver painted version. I inquired baout having it chromed and was told the metal wouldn't hold up to it.

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Old 03-03-2008, 07:25 AM   #13
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Stainless replacement

We replaced our water heater, furnace and range vent with stainless replacement covers from Roger Williams. I believe they have a source in their area that makes them. I had to bend some edges on the water heater to make it fit well but they sure look nice. Why airstream didn't put on stainless or aluminum in the first place kind of annoys me. I know it is cost to manufacture but another $300 would not have disuaded me from buying the AS.
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Old 03-03-2008, 10:06 PM   #14
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Give them a call and find out. I do not know.
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Old 03-04-2008, 04:01 AM   #15
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Here is what I did....
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This was done by using SamB's old Bowen cover. I wrapped the door after painting it silver. There are detailed photos on my blog.
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Old 06-17-2008, 08:19 PM   #16
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I'm in a similar boat. I just put a new 6 gallon gas/electric Atwood in my rig. I got chrome paint at AutoZone. It looked really nice, but using LP it softened and lines formed in it. I had done five coats of chrome and three coats of clear.

Well I spent two hours tonight sanding it and I got most of it off. I picked up two cans of 1200 degree ceramic aluminum colored paint. That should fix it.

My old door is stainless and it looks fine. But, the new Atwood's have a larger grill than the old ones. It's not by much, but enough that it won't work. If I don't use the grill, my old door will mount right up. But, the new grill won't work with the old door. As well, the old one had the grill mounted to the exhaust and the door just had a hole in it; the new one has the grill mount to the door and it sets out a bit, so that furnace exhaust projects slightly out into the hole in the door. I can't see how to make the old one work.

Does the Roger Williams one fit the new water heaters with the larger hole and the grill that attaches to the door itself?
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Old 06-17-2008, 08:50 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thecatsandi View Post
Roger Williams AS in TX has a SS replacement. I put one on mine and she looks nice. Give them a call and talk to David.
Thecatsandi
Can you post a picture of the stanless steel water heater cover you purchased from Roger Williams and provide a ballpark cost?
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Old 06-17-2008, 08:56 PM   #18
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Jim--I'm far from expert in these matters (as I've screwed it up once!), but I re-used my older Atwood shiny door by replacing the heat duct from the new Atwood with the old one. With a little attention to alignment, it will work. Pay close attention where the screws go (ask me how I know!). My old duct was a little rusty, but not enough to bother me. I had to stack some washers as a spacer to take up room between the old duct and the new heater (see second photo). The screws line up well to secure it in the same two spots as the new one uses (see third photo). DON'T put a screw in the bottom right corner where the old one has a spot. It's too easy to hit the tank (as I found out!). The end result (last photo).
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Old 06-17-2008, 09:05 PM   #19
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Thumbs up Roger Williams...the Best

These are great replacements!!!
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Old 06-23-2008, 04:00 PM   #20
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These are great replacements!!!
R. Cross

Thanks for the great pictures of the covers available from Roger Williams Airstream. I've seen posts regarding their covers but never saw a post with pictures. After seeing your pictures I ordered the covers for the water heater and the furnace. I wish Airstream would have spent a few dollars more to upgrade the covers at the factory.

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