Water Heater Leak 2007 Journey 36SG

[tim myers]

I noticed a slow drip from the cold water incoming line to my water heater. Thinking back. I had always had an issue with the pressure pump running periodically re-building lost pressure, but could never figure out where the leak was. I had resigned myself to a leaking Normal/Fill Valve, but I was wrong.


Rather than really mess things up the day before my trip, I decided to leave things be and would plan to turn the pump off between uses. One day into our first stop, something must have let go because the pump would never pressurize the system till I bypassed the WH.


From looking through the access panel of the WH before the trip I am assuming it it the pex connection to the inlet of the WH. It looks to be a threaded connection.


Does someone know what type connection this it, I am thinking 1/2" pex and compression ferrule but I am not sure what to order. Is this a Lowes/HD item?


My WH also has the heat exchanger that allows the engine coolant water to preheat the WH while driving. These will need to be disconnected to provide access to the water lines. Anyone know how much coolant I am going to have leak out of these lines when I disconnect them?

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Tim-

Plumbing diagrams for your coach are here. The parts list for your coach is here.

I find it easier to read the 36SG wiring diagrams than the plumbing diagram. That said, it appears as if your coach follows the usual Winnebago practice of having a check valve on both the water heater inlet and outlet. These check valves can fail (open or closed), or corrode and leak. You should be prepared to replace one or both. They look to be male-male threaded. Note: The check valves could be close to the bypass valve, rather than at the water heater.

It's always an option to eliminate the check valves completely. I did that on my coach. You may have to modify the bypass piping. I could say with more certainty if the plumbing diagrams were better for the piping behind the bypass valve.

The piping is 1/2-inch PEX, and the connections are 1/2-inch NPT (National Pipe Thread) for both the water heater and the check valves. Please confirm for yourself by visual inspection. A smartphone camera can reveal details you can't see, especially up close and through the small access holes Winnebago normally provides. If I had a Winnie I'd consider making those access holes larger, if possible.

I have no idea how much coolant you may lose if you disconnect the "Motoraid" heating lines. You could install shutoff ball valves in the two lines while you have them off the water heater, in some convenient location(s). Both the lines and the heating loop on the water heater can fail (and have for some owners, according to my reading). By isolating the "Motoraid" feature you protect yourself against being unable to run the coach should those failures occur. I also suspect you might find it difficult to replace the water heater with a new unit that includes the "Motoraid" feature; shutoff valves would give you a way to semi-permanently eliminate that feature.

[tim myers]

All good points, I will have to wait till returning to the home base this weekend to get under it again.

[tim myers]

I got a good look at the water heater yesterday, there is a hole eaten through the cold water inlet bung that is welded to the tank. I am pretty sure if there is enough corrosion in the bung, the rest of the tank is probably shot as well. Now to figure out where to get a replacement.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

Tim-

When Dometic bought out Atwood's water heater line they discontinued making them, in favor of their own designs. For 10-gallon tank-type heaters, your choices are now Dometic and Suburban. Neither offer the "motoraid" feature, and both usually require modifying the opening and exterior door and possibly the plumbing behind the heater.

Here's a link to an iRV2 thread on the Atwood GCH10A-4E, for this time last year. I don't think there are any more new GCH10A-4E or GC10A-4E (non-Motoraid) to be found, anywhere.

[Morich]

ARGH!!
Not good at all, so that may mean doing something that we don't want to do, but might get us by the big issue for a while?

So it looks like you are in a situation where you ave to fix the hole or do the trauma of replacing the whole thing but likely lose the motoraid?
At this point, I might be inclined to do a no-no and do a shadetree trick!

One for you to decide but I might lookat doing a fix which has be done on some really old RV which did not warrent high dollar repairs!

This appears to be where you might be able to get to it to do some work.
Could you see scraping sanding to get the spot somewhat smoothed to fit a patch of gasket material over it and clamped on solidly?
Are you familiar with "perforated plumbers tape"?
https://www.amazon.com/LASCO-13-1601...0083GC8V2?th=1

I have made some repairs that lasted for a long time using this and most any rubber type gasket to cut a patch. Cut the tape to a length a bit longer than one full wrap around the pipe, fold the end to make them doubled stronger and then use a bolt to draw the ends together to tighten down over the gasket material.
Maybe some form of gasket sealer for setting up to hold?

Did I mention this is the shade tree version ??? But I put off changing out water heaters as long as possible!! Especially if I would lose the motoraid as a feature I really liked.

[tim myers]

I appreciate the encouragement and ideas, but I am concerned that one leak repaired will just need to another and another. Atwood's decision to tell us we did not need anodes has most likely lead to a quicker death of our hot water tanks. I am pretty sure the rest of the tank is in as bad a shape at the area of that hole.

While I don't really want to spend the money, I don't want any additional failures when traveling. The Suburban IP-60 instantaneous water heater is of a size that the flue bent can discharge through the hole in my compartment bay door. Yes I will loose my Motor-Aide, and will loose electric heating but will likely save money on propane as it only runs when needed, which in the long run works for me.

[Morich]

Options and alternates are what make the world go round!
No complaints here as it does add lots of value to have it done, rather than wonder.
Sometimes it's the little points like if you can get it done before some really important schedule hits us.

[l1v3fr33ord1]

I copied this document down from iRV2 a few years ago. It may help someone who plans to remove the water heater and/or the coach heater. It lists the author as "Dean Moxness."

[tim myers]

I have two options I have been exploring:


1. Have the old WH replaced with a Suburban IP-60 instantaneous WH


2. Replace with a New, Old Stock 10 gallon Atwood, I found on a repair shops shelf.


After much thought we just don't need the constant flow of HW from an instantaneous and it is more costly. We are going with the Atwood. The one I found does not have the AC heating or the Motor-Aid system, and is simply propane. The shop is going to give the old one back to me and I will bore scope it, to see what the shape of the tank is, If it is good, I may have that hole fixed and make it serviceable again, and either keep it as a spare, re-install it, or sell it.

[tim myers]

I have noticed a few valves located in the coolant lines as they run here and there under the Journey. I am assuming these are shutoff valves to stop water from running to the from heater coil and maybe even to stop water from running to the Water Heater Heat Exchanger.



Next time I am under the coach will attempt to trace these out, just wondered if anyone has a document that located these valves.

[Brian_G]

Tim,
You probably already have this, but I looked at your plumbing diagrams.
https://www.winnebago.com/Files/File...36sg_plumb.pdf
Specifically, on page 4, I don't see a lot of valves when I blow up the images.
Good luck with your search.
-Brian