Stubborn water heater

[twobikes]

Anyone have any hints on getting the old water heater OUT ? 1997 Safari. I can access from both inside and outside. I have removed all the screws in the face plate, run a painters four-way tool all the way around the caulking as deep as it will reach, bent back the flanges on the water heater body, tugged, prayed, cussed, kicked, pryed, wiggled....

Does anyone have a trick?

[rmkrum]

When I tried to remove mine, there was a huge blob of caulk run around the water heater flange from inside. I had to carefully peel and cut that away because it was literally gluing the heater in place.

Pull on it gently and see what distorts or tries to move as you work around it with the putty knife. It will take some time to find all the stuff holding it in and cut through it...

[64airstream]

Al and Pat,

Other than the water heater, we hope all is well.
We're guessing there's still a fastener in there somewhere. It's guaranteed to be well hidden, just out of your line of sight. It might be a steel strap with both ends screwed to the floor, or a couple of screws through the floor or top flange installed by the previous owner. If you have an inspection mirror and a good flashlight, it may help. Unfortunately, we've found a few hidden fasteners the old fashioned way, through the use of more force until the threads or floor board pulls loose.
Let us know if you're traveling through western Pennsylvania, it'd be great to get together again. If you haven't replaced the heater by then, we'll help you get it loose, one way or the other.

Marie and Roy

[rmkrum]

And, of course, if all else fails, the angle grinder, the big crowbar, and a bigger hammer....or the reciprocating saw!

If it won't come out in one piece, it should come out in several smaller ones...

[twobikes]

Thanks guys...going out for another look.

Roy and Marie, great to hear from you. We will surely give you a hail if we are in your neck of the woods.
On the WH removal, I have yet to hear from my son who always has a good suggestion. Sometimes it involves hooking the jeep winch to it… I suppose Roy would suggest utilization of a small troop of Boy Scouts?

[64airstream]

Still chuckling. Remember, Force=Mass X Acceleration. While the mass of a scout troop is modest compared to your son's Jeep, their acceleration is legendary.

Keeping tugging,
Roy and Marie

[twobikes]

Final report: Well, the Old water heater is OUT. A combination delicate surgery to cut through about a pint of sealant applied to the back edges, a little reciprocating saw , and a good bit of grunting. Thanks for all the insights.

The bare wood floor of the compartment is well dried now. I sprayed a coat of a Rust oleum rubber coating (white) and plan to lay in a layer of rubber stair tread to finish the floor ( and make any future drips more obvious). The corrosion from the pinhole leak was pretty obvious when all the tank insulation was removed.

There was a great deal of sediment in the tank. The PO had installed a brass petcock drain; I was always afraid to put a wrench on it, so the tank never got the rinsing it deserved...

NOW we are just waiting for the new WH which Should have been on the truck from Texas on Monday..

Thanks again for sharing your experience and encouragement . Al