Getting ready to replace the water heater in my wife's mobile dog grooming van, it has the same model water heater. Thank you so much for the detailed look at the process
Wow, Thank you so much for walkin' me through this. I just ordered my replacement. I hope I did the right thing though, I went to the company you purchased your unit from and they now want over $700.00. I found one on Ebay for $450.00. So thank you again so much much for I live full time in my RV and have not had hot water for over two years.
Just replaced my 14 year old suburban water heater. Watched your video first. Very helpful. FYI the PEX valve you thought was for winterizing is actually a mixer valve. You can adjust it so the hot water going to a faucet is mixed with cold water so you are not scalded. Adjust it as necessary.
interesting, I've never heard of using it for that. . I've used it as a bypass valve for winterization as explained in this video - ruclips.net/video/OJFJjIgNV74/видео.html My system doesn't have the 3 valves since it uses a check valve on the hot water supply instead it just needs the one bypass valve. Cheer, Ray
I really enjoyed your video. You made the repair or installation so easy. I think the hardest part was getting the water heater out. Thanks for taking the time to show us the repairs.
Now I know how to replace my leaking hot water tank AND pump. Ugh. Hopefully replacing mine will be as simple as you made it look. Thanks Ray appreciate the video.👍
Thanks so much for posting!! Just returned home with a hot water tank leak! I think I will be able to save myself some money and replace it myself! Great video!!
Thank you so much for this video! My pressure relief valve leaks a bunch, I tried to remove and replace the valve, but it's stuck, and I don't want to break anything lol. So I'm about to order a new suburban water heater, and follow your lead. Thanks again!
Just the video I needed. I've got the same model water heater (leaking near the anode) and a 2013 Keystone Cougar so it's very close. Price has increased quite a bit since your video. Amazon was $430 USD / $510 CAD (cheaper than PPL)
Thanks for the tutorial. I wonder if a drip pan under the water heater would help in case of future leaks such as from the cold and hot water connections.
I had the very same problem with my Suburban (a weld inside the burner cavity leaking). It threatened to ruin my vacation, so I decided to try some radiator sealant to see what would happen. This required shutting off heater, partly draining, removing the pressure relief valve, adding solution through the hole, and sealing with teflon tape. AlumaSeal (and similar brands) come as a fine, silvery, aluminum powder suspended in gel-like liquid in a pint-sized bottle, far more than needed. After refill and restart, in about 15 minutes the leaking had stopped I then drained the water and could see no trace of sealant. Aluminum is used in the anode to prevent corrosion (which I replaced too), so there is that chemistry already in use. Since hot water is not consumed (only used for washing), I flushed the tank twice for good measure, concluding that the rusty interior had absorbed it all. That was three years ago now, and the leak has never since returned.
Thank you for this video! You gave me the courage and critical information to tackle this job... could not have done this job without you! Having gone through this now, I hope it is okay if I share my experience with your viewers. 1) Some may find it impossible to free the door frame from the water heater. This happened to me. There is a tremendous amount of sealant applied there and this is done on purpose to seal the bottom when letting water out with the pressure relief valve. My advice: don't bother trying... even if you are successful, you have to spend lots of time removing old sealant. Spend the $40 dollars and just get a new heater door/door frame. (By doing this job yourself, you are saving hundreds of dollars) 2) Speaking of sealant, the rubber grommet around the copper gas line is gobbed with sealant to keep possible propane fumes from entering the coach. You will not re-use this part and a new replacement suburban will come with a new one. (I wasn't sure in the beginning and tried to carefully remove it to preserve it... don't, just rip it out. 3) You will want to keep the water heater out of the way during installation. I found the DC line length Suburban gives you coming off the DC control unit were too short. I cut these lines and added extra 2 feet wire (there are 4 lines and this required double soldering on each wire so this did add time to the installation). This gave me lots of room that I needed to work and I feel the extra time spent was worth it. 4) As Love Your RV encountered in the video, removing the hot and cold water couplings is a challenge. My secret... I used an impact wrench and they came right off! (This was after having tried with conventual monkey wrench and socket wrench). 5) The propane input copper pipe uses a "flared fitting". The pipe is pre-made to have a trumpet like end and this interfaces with a special brass fitting you can see on the heater. This is designed to not use any special sealant... In order to get the connection right, the copper input line needs to perfectly line up with the brass fitting... can't approach on an angle. Even the slightest bit off will give you leaks. Took me a few times to get it right and success was reached in my case when I manipulated the position of the copper pipe so that it was directly inline with the fitting. This is particularly challenging because the pipe presses against the Styrofoam insulation making it difficult to maneuver. 6) Lastly, don't make the dumb mistake I made... when starting the job and trying to get off the silicone surrounding the heater, be very careful if your rig has decals where the filter is. I ended up damaging my decals in a few spots with the scraping tool : (
I have used PPL for years; mostly for RV covers. I bought a Thetford Curve Porta-potti from them. I find it cheaper to go to them and pay the freight than buy it in the Salt Lake City area. Ray I sure do like your videos; you rock.
As usual, thanks Ray! We are on a trip to Oregon from Southern Calif and of course started getting a leak coming out not directly from the burner area but immediately under. Your video was very helpful. Once we get back home, guess what I will be doing! Lol. Thanks again. Regards, Bob
Of Course you know I was kidding with you.... well what happened is I used my inside water, with the water pump and then I thought I would try using the outside water one more time (making sure I didn't turn the pressure up too much coming into the trailer) and would you believe there is no more leaking under the water tank, and I was finally able to get ALL the leaks from the hoses fixed and so there is NO MORE LEAK.... I am so very grateful.... God has really had great compassion on me trying to get this fixed.... finally ALL IS GOOD..... Thanks For Your Reply!
The same thing just happen to mine. I was using my water pump at the time and it went off, looked at the water heater to see a tiny pinhole leaking water.
Thanks for comment by Love Your RV. Homeless folks surviving in an RV may be unable to afford a new WH, but a $10 bottle of Alumaseal will fit most budgets. RVers too would much rather spend the install time and $500 on their vacation. Like many Suburban's, my unit has the built in "free" heat exchanger fed by engine heater hoses (while traveling). That feature is not standard, adding more cost and difficulty to the replacement job as well. Much cheaper to keep the old one going, and perhaps add a "Hott Rod" element kit if electric hookups will save you more $$.
Ray, you did the same thing I would do, I'd also want to find out why the (HOT) Water Heater failed !!! I recently replaced my Water Heater (Atwood), however, I decided to replace the Water Heater with a Propane Only model versus the Propane/Electric model.
Thanks for shooting this video. Our five-year old Suburban water heater just developed a similar leak to the one you showed in your video. It was in the burner chamber. After watching your video, I'm confident we'll discover the problem is a failed weld. We bought our 2010 Tiffin Phaeton motorhome in February 2021. The folks we bought it from had replaced the water heater in December 2016. More to the point, they had never heated their water with propane, just electric. Wonder if Suburban is have quality control problems. Thanks for your great video!!
Jim Grossi Excellent video!! very well explained and talked through. Love the way you do your videos and make them so easy to understand they are a true asset to us all. You and your excellent videos are the best thing to happen for a DIYer. THANKS SO MUCH!! I think your have the most helpful videos on youtube for anyone who owns a trailer or RV
The cut frame is a bit disturbing. I agree with you that they should have planned that installation better in the design. Thanks for sharing the maintenance activity.
Such a great video. You see too many with not enough explanation and too much BS ;-) Especially like the focus on testing the gas line!!! Just bought our RV and the prior owner did not winterize properly so the heater was full of rust which pretty much ruins the whole dang unit. We have the SW6DEL model on order to replace existing one. Should be basically the same install. THANKS AGAIN
They use a thermostat device set for 130F It could be changed. See this video where I had to change a faulty one www.loveyourrv.com/rv-water-heater-not-fully-heating-failed-130-degree-thermostat/ Also, here is a simple hack that I use to monitor my water heater temp www.loveyourrv.com/rv-water-heater-temperature-monitor-tip-dry-camping/ Cheers, Ray
Great video...I switched my Atwood water heater with Suburban advantage which is a direct replacement but I'm getting lot of air at faucet every time I use the water heater.. how do you remove the air..? When I'm filling up the tank for first time?
I open my faucets while the tank is filling so the air can escape. Once they all run only water I'm good to go or there is a pressure release valve on the water heater that can be opened as it fills the air will be force out.
Excellent video. Many thanks for the step by step demonstration. One question : how did you discover the source of the leak ? Was there water on the floor under the heater or somewhere else ? We have water under the floor and we are not sure where it is coming from. We are suspecting the water heater and will check next time we are at the lake whether we are having the same problem as you identified. Many thanks again !
I started seeing water dripping outside from the water heater and hearing a sizzling sound. The leak was dripping water right into the gas flames burner area. Inside the rig was dry. Cheers, Ray
Thanks! It doesn't get secured to the floor in any way just sits on it, the outside frame clamps it to the sidewalls aluminum frame with screws that's what holds in in place. I did see the install manual says to screw in a 2x2 board to the floor on each side of the tank, although the factory never did it and it hasn't been an issue for us with over 50,000 miles traveled and on some pretty rough roads.
Great video, as per usual, Ray. Yeah, that would have bothered me also about the cut frame. It looks like there was plenty of topside clearance, they could have just put down a 1" plywood platform and cut the access hole an inch higher and voila, complete wall frame. Sometimes, I just don't understand...🤔🤔. Beautiful scenery, too! Later... Terry
Great video!... I was wondering how you initially noticed the leak?... Seems like you would only notice when looking right in there or did not all of the water evaporate from the flam3 heat and leak out?...
I first noticed when the flame wasn't burning right and could hear lots of sizzling noises, then saw a bit of water dripping out the front of the water heater.
The check valve is there for winterizing. Here is a video where I take it apart and explain the operation - www.loveyourrv.com/squealing-rv-water-heater-fix-failed-check-valve/ You could try changing yours and see if it solves the problem. Cheers, Ray
Great detail as always. Hope the same water heater in our 2011 Cougar 31sqb doesn't suffer the same fate. You must be close to the GM test facility north of Yuma? My wife and I will be boondocking around there the first week of March.
Not likely, if not for the bad weld I bet this tank would last 15 or 20 years if maintained. We are just north of the Yuma Proving Ground. :) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuma_Proving_Ground
At 17:28 you uncovered the finished product. It had a silver mounting bracket around the hole for the water heater. Did that come with the flush door or did you have to order that separate.
Thanks for recording this video! Very informative. I'm about to upgrade my old SW6P water heater to the SW6DE. I'll obviously need to run both 12v and 120v power to the new water heater, but being an electrician, I'm not expecting too many problems. We love the deserts of Arizona as well! Happy trails!
That depends on various factors like how fully the faucets are turned on and how hot you like your shower and how cold the cold water is that mixes with the hot water. So for example summer showers would last longer than winter showers. Most water pumps in RVs do 3 gallons a minute. If fully turned on using 6 gallon hot water tank and is mixed 50/50 with cold water that's 4 minutes. So I find about 5 minutes at full blast water flow but like I said longer in the summer when the cold water may be 80+ degrees already so less hot water mix is needed. At half blast you may get much longer showers. Cheers, Ray
It's only set up for AC or LP Gas, you could use an inverter to power using 12VDC batteries, but would be wasteful as it draws around 1500 watts so would draw around 150 amps from the batteries quickly running them down, best to use LP Gas mode or a generator when off-grid unless you have a huge solar system and lots of battery power.
Yes, it worked fine that way for 6 years prior to the water heater swap and has worked fine since. Also the connection is inside a metal junction box. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV love your detailed dc wiring specifications. So for non gas rv just ignore the orange wire; and just WHT wire to old heater wall switch and ground green to chassis, right ?
If you aren't going to use it's gas functionality then hook up is pretty simple as you don't need any DC wiring. See page 10 of the manual www.nroa2003.com/download/Service%20Manuals/Suburban_Waterheater_service_manual.pdf 120VAC only diagram. In it the black hot wired goes through the on/off switch Don't wire AC power through the old wall switch unless it is rated for the AC voltage 120VAC and amperage 15A minimum. Many of the WH wall switches on RVs are for gas on/off operation only and use lower voltage/current DC power switches. If you use one of those it may be underrated for the power. But I don't know what your RV is wired for so can't comment for sure. Maybe your RV has an internal AC rated WH wall switch. This water heater has its own AC switch on it and then usually the AC WH power feed has a 15 amp breaker located in the RV power panel.
@@LoveYourRV I should have been clearer. The old wall switch is dc hot. I hate 120v toggle switches. So I could use the old lp wall dc switch to On-Off the new 120v relay switch that's inside the new water heater. The wall dc idiot light ground path would I think be blue ?
By the looks of the 12V diagram, blue is the warning light + feed Comes on red on my panel if the gas fails to ignite via the sparker or the on other models if the pilot light goes out.
Excellent video, thank you very much for sharing details " How to do "
Getting ready to replace the water heater in my wife's mobile dog grooming van, it has the same model water heater. Thank you so much for the detailed look at the process
Your video is literally going to save us over $600 by doing it ourselves. Thank you!!
Awesome!
Wow, Thank you so much for walkin' me through this. I just ordered my replacement. I hope I did the right thing though, I went to the company you purchased your unit from and they now want over $700.00. I found one on Ebay for $450.00. So thank you again so much much for I live full time in my RV and have not had hot water for over two years.
You're welcome. :) Mine is still working well all these years later. Cheers, Ray
well done, very informative, saved me $500 install costs!!
Glad it helped
Just replaced my 14 year old suburban water heater. Watched your video first. Very helpful. FYI the PEX valve you thought was for winterizing is actually a mixer valve. You can adjust it so the hot water going to a faucet is mixed with cold water so you are not scalded. Adjust it as necessary.
interesting, I've never heard of using it for that. . I've used it as a bypass valve for winterization as explained in this video
- ruclips.net/video/OJFJjIgNV74/видео.html My system doesn't have the 3 valves since it uses a check valve on the hot water supply instead it just needs the one bypass valve. Cheer, Ray
I really enjoyed your video. You made the repair or installation so easy. I think the hardest part was getting the water heater out. Thanks for taking the time to show us the repairs.
You're welcome, glad you liked it. Cheers Ray
Very nice documentation of "how to do it yourself" Happy trails friend!!!
Nice How To Ray and perfectly timed. My friend's Suburban failed last fall and he's invited me over to do the swap out.
Cool. Hope it helps out.
Excellent presentation, I am also a retired electronics tech and RVer. Great work and thanks!
Now I know how to replace my leaking hot water tank AND pump. Ugh. Hopefully replacing mine will be as simple as you made it look.
Thanks Ray appreciate the video.👍
Great video! Loved how you followed up and found the faulty weld.
Thanks so much for posting!! Just returned home with a hot water tank leak! I think I will be able to save myself some money and replace it myself! Great video!!
You're welcome, glad it helped. Cheers!
Thank you so much for this video! My pressure relief valve leaks a bunch, I tried to remove and replace the valve, but it's stuck, and I don't want to break anything lol. So I'm about to order a new suburban water heater, and follow your lead. Thanks again!
You're welcome. :)
Wow - what a job! thanks for the information. My SWG6 tank began leaking to but I replaced it with a gas only instant heater.
One of the best videos I have seen in a while. Great on the details. Thanks for your demonstration and excellent coverage of every step.
Just the video I needed. I've got the same model water heater (leaking near the anode) and a 2013 Keystone Cougar so it's very close. Price has increased quite a bit since your video. Amazon was $430 USD / $510 CAD (cheaper than PPL)
Thank you for the video. I've learned alot. Best get a call into the RV dealer for a new tank.
Nicely done with helpful details. Also, appreciate you taking the extra time to do the post mortem.
Thanks!
Thanks for the tutorial. I wonder if a drip pan under the water heater would help in case of future leaks such as from the cold and hot water connections.
I had the very same problem with my Suburban (a weld inside the burner cavity leaking). It threatened to ruin my vacation, so I decided to try some radiator sealant to see what would happen. This required shutting off heater, partly draining, removing the pressure relief valve, adding solution through the hole, and sealing with teflon tape. AlumaSeal (and similar brands) come as a fine, silvery, aluminum powder suspended in gel-like liquid in a pint-sized bottle, far more than needed.
After refill and restart, in about 15 minutes the leaking had stopped I then drained the water and could see no trace of sealant. Aluminum is used in the anode to prevent corrosion (which I replaced too), so there is that chemistry already in use. Since hot water is not consumed (only used for washing), I flushed the tank twice for good measure, concluding that the rusty interior had absorbed it all. That was three years ago now, and the leak has never since returned.
Wow, amazing!
Make a video! probably could of saved hundreds on a new one. But I’m still saving doing it myself!
There’s a humming bird in the begging of the video when your looking at the pond!
Yes, we had a feeder out and they were coming all the time. :)
Thank you for this video! You gave me the courage and critical information to tackle this job... could not have done this job without you! Having gone through this now, I hope it is okay if I share my experience with your viewers. 1) Some may find it impossible to free the door frame from the water heater. This happened to me. There is a tremendous amount of sealant applied there and this is done on purpose to seal the bottom when letting water out with the pressure relief valve. My advice: don't bother trying... even if you are successful, you have to spend lots of time removing old sealant. Spend the $40 dollars and just get a new heater door/door frame. (By doing this job yourself, you are saving hundreds of dollars) 2) Speaking of sealant, the rubber grommet around the copper gas line is gobbed with sealant to keep possible propane fumes from entering the coach. You will not re-use this part and a new replacement suburban will come with a new one. (I wasn't sure in the beginning and tried to carefully remove it to preserve it... don't, just rip it out. 3) You will want to keep the water heater out of the way during installation. I found the DC line length Suburban gives you coming off the DC control unit were too short. I cut these lines and added extra 2 feet wire (there are 4 lines and this required double soldering on each wire so this did add time to the installation). This gave me lots of room that I needed to work and I feel the extra time spent was worth it. 4) As Love Your RV encountered in the video, removing the hot and cold water couplings is a challenge. My secret... I used an impact wrench and they came right off! (This was after having tried with conventual monkey wrench and socket wrench). 5) The propane input copper pipe uses a "flared fitting". The pipe is pre-made to have a trumpet like end and this interfaces with a special brass fitting you can see on the heater. This is designed to not use any special sealant... In order to get the connection right, the copper input line needs to perfectly line up with the brass fitting... can't approach on an angle. Even the slightest bit off will give you leaks. Took me a few times to get it right and success was reached in my case when I manipulated the position of the copper pipe so that it was directly inline with the fitting. This is particularly challenging because the pipe presses against the Styrofoam insulation making it difficult to maneuver. 6) Lastly, don't make the dumb mistake I made... when starting the job and trying to get off the silicone surrounding the heater, be very careful if your rig has decals where the filter is. I ended up damaging my decals in a few spots with the scraping tool : (
You're welcome!. You'll be happy to hear my replacement water heater still works well six years later. Thanks for sharing the tips. Cheers! Ray
Well done. Thanks for sharing the panorama with us. Beautiful campsite!
Excellent video about replacing the water heater!!
I had the exact same problem this weekend. Great video. Just ordered from PPL. $342.49 and free ground shipping. Thanks for the details.
You're welcome, best of luck with the install. Hope you get her fixed up. Ours is working well again. :)
Cheers Ray
I just wanted to add that the Video was excellent as well !
Thanks. :)
Very good video of the H2O heater and it's workings, removal, replacement. Thanks.
Glad you liked it. Cheers! Ray
Same model, same problem. Thank you for this video.
You're welcome!
Thanks for taking your Time Ray, to explain step by step. Love the way you explain. Thanks again from the end of the World Argentina.
You're welcome. Cheers! Ray
Love the videos Ray, thanks! Great job catching a hummingbird in the first few seconds of the video!
haha, ya, bit of a fluke :)
I have used PPL for years; mostly for RV covers. I bought a Thetford Curve Porta-potti from them. I find it cheaper to go to them and pay the freight than buy it in the Salt Lake City area. Ray I sure do like your videos; you rock.
Thanks! :)
Another job well done, solder and shrink tube is the only way to go. Thanks for showing what the problem was.Safe travels,,,,
Thanks. :) I think so.
ray great video my water heater is also leaking your video helped me a great deal with replacing mine thank you! god bless 👍🙏
Glad it helped :)
Had exact same problem fixed with JB Weld
Thanks Ray all your videos are very useful, you are saving some people allot of money. Thanks again
Thanks for sharing and posting a great how to video, my water heater is doing fine but now I know how to replace if needed.
You're welcome Mick
Thank you for the nice and informative video. Very helpful to me as I face the same task of replacement in a few days!
You are welcome, its still working well. :)
The video made the replacement of my water heater easy. Thank you!!!
Awesome! :)
Great job. Clear and concise video. Easy to understand. Thank you.....
As usual, thanks Ray! We are on a trip to Oregon from Southern Calif and of course started getting a leak coming out not directly from the burner area but immediately under. Your video was very helpful. Once we get back home, guess what I will be doing! Lol. Thanks again.
Regards,
Bob
You're welcome Bob, hope the repairs go smooth. Cheers, Ray
Thank you for the great video. I also have a leak and was wondering what lurks on the other side of the panel. Good to know.
Of Course you know I was kidding with you.... well what happened is I used my inside water, with the water pump and then I thought I would try using the outside water one more time (making sure I didn't turn the pressure up too much coming into the trailer) and would you believe there is no more leaking under the water tank, and I was finally able to get ALL the leaks from the hoses fixed and so there is NO MORE LEAK.... I am so very grateful.... God has really had great compassion on me trying to get this fixed.... finally ALL IS GOOD.....
Thanks For Your Reply!
Excellent! :)
The same thing just happen to mine. I was using my water pump at the time and it went off, looked at the water heater to see a tiny pinhole leaking water.
Thank you for the education video. I always love those types of videos on subjects we may run into. Happy trail to you as well.
Thanks for comment by Love Your RV. Homeless folks surviving in an RV may be unable to afford a new WH, but a $10 bottle of Alumaseal will fit most budgets. RVers too would much rather spend the install time and $500 on their vacation.
Like many Suburban's, my unit has the built in "free" heat exchanger fed by engine heater hoses (while traveling). That feature is not standard, adding more cost and difficulty to the replacement job as well. Much cheaper to keep the old one going, and perhaps add a "Hott Rod" element kit if electric hookups will save you more $$.
Thanks for the tips, Cheers, Ray
We have a Cougar TT with Suburban utilities. Your vid will probably be a big help in the future. Thanks!
Hope it helps but you never need it. ;) Cheers! Ray
Getting ready to do mine. This weekend and your Video was a great help
Thank you sir!
Glad it helped :)
I'm having to change mine out this weekend. Very helpful! Thanks for the video!
You bet, have fun. :)
Super video! I applauded for $2.00 👏
Thanks. :)
Ray, you did the same thing I would do, I'd also want to find out why the (HOT) Water Heater failed !!! I recently replaced my Water Heater (Atwood), however, I decided to replace the Water Heater with a Propane Only model versus the Propane/Electric model.
I'm always curious. :)
Thanks Ray, very useful information. You made it sound simple.
You're welcome. :)
Ray, Nice find and fix! Unfortunate tho...Glad you post DIY videos to show us the life of full timers! It looks like Angie is still curious!
Mark
Thanks Mark, always nice to figure out what went wrong. Angie is nearly 14 but still full of spunk. :)
Thanks for shooting this video. Our five-year old Suburban water heater just developed a similar leak to the one you showed in your video. It was in the burner chamber. After watching your video, I'm confident we'll discover the problem is a failed weld.
We bought our 2010 Tiffin Phaeton motorhome in February 2021. The folks we bought it from had replaced the water heater in December 2016. More to the point, they had never heated their water with propane, just electric.
Wonder if Suburban is have quality control problems.
Thanks for your great video!!
You're welcome :)
Thanks for the video! Looks like I’ll be replacing mine
Based on your recommendations I bought a new water heater. Sadly I don't own a rv and I'm not sure how to install it in my bathroom.
Thank you very much for putting this out there, much appreciated!
You're welcome. :)
Jim Grossi
Excellent video!! very well explained and talked through. Love the way you do your videos and make them so easy to understand they are a true asset to us all. You and your excellent videos are the best thing to happen for a DIYer. THANKS SO MUCH!! I think your have the most helpful videos on youtube for anyone who owns a trailer or RV
Thank you for the kind words. Much appreciated. Cheers! Ray
You provided the transition from anxiety to "I can do this."
The cut frame is a bit disturbing. I agree with you that they should have planned that installation better in the design. Thanks for sharing the maintenance activity.
Great value video, I'll save and help me in the future. Thanks Mr Ray.
9:48 Every RV owner is capable of getting half their money back by selling their extra screws lol
Such a great video. You see too many with not enough explanation and too much BS ;-) Especially like the focus on testing the gas line!!! Just bought our RV and the prior owner did not winterize properly so the heater was full of rust which pretty much ruins the whole dang unit. We have the SW6DEL model on order to replace existing one. Should be basically the same install. THANKS AGAIN
You're welcome. :) Cheers, Ray
Awesome video, job well done! Saved you a pocket full of $ and you did a very professional job! Really enjoyed the informative installation video!
Thank you. :)
Is there a way to regulate water temperature? Great video
They use a thermostat device set for 130F It could be changed. See this video where I had to change a faulty one www.loveyourrv.com/rv-water-heater-not-fully-heating-failed-130-degree-thermostat/
Also, here is a simple hack that I use to monitor my water heater temp www.loveyourrv.com/rv-water-heater-temperature-monitor-tip-dry-camping/ Cheers, Ray
What an amazing detailed video!
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. Gotta do mine next week. Thanks!!!
Good luck!
Love your videos Ray. Safe travels!!
Thanks!
thanks doing mine tomorrow from edmonton alberta
Nice install you did...
Great video...I switched my Atwood water heater with Suburban advantage which is a direct replacement but I'm getting lot of air at faucet every time I use the water heater.. how do you remove the air..? When I'm filling up the tank for first time?
I open my faucets while the tank is filling so the air can escape. Once they all run only water I'm good to go or there is a pressure release valve on the water heater that can be opened as it fills the air will be force out.
Excellent video. Many thanks for the step by step demonstration. One question : how did you discover the source of the leak ? Was there water on the floor under the heater or somewhere else ? We have water under the floor and we are not sure where it is coming from. We are suspecting the water heater and will check next time we are at the lake whether we are having the same problem as you identified. Many thanks again !
I started seeing water dripping outside from the water heater and hearing a sizzling sound. The leak was dripping water right into the gas flames burner area. Inside the rig was dry. Cheers, Ray
Another great video Ray!!!
Thank you
Great clean installation. On question, how does the unit get secured to the RV floor so it does not move around while on the road?
Thanks!
It doesn't get secured to the floor in any way just sits on it, the outside frame clamps it to the sidewalls aluminum frame with screws that's what holds in in place.
I did see the install manual says to screw in a 2x2 board to the floor on each side of the tank, although the factory never did it and it hasn't been an issue for us with over 50,000 miles traveled and on some pretty rough roads.
I think the 2x2 boards on each side would give me a better night's sleep specially with a unit bigger than 6 gallons. Thanks again.
great video. we have the sw10de. helped out a lot.
Great video. Very informative. Good job.
Great video, as per usual, Ray. Yeah, that would have bothered me also about the cut frame. It looks like there was plenty of topside clearance, they could have just put down a 1" plywood platform and cut the access hole an inch higher and voila, complete wall frame. Sometimes, I just don't understand...🤔🤔.
Beautiful scenery, too!
Later... Terry
What an amazing video. So we’ll done & complete.
Well done Ray! TY
Thank you so much Sr. Very helpful your video.......looking good looking good !!!
Thanks Ray, great video.
As always, nice job Ray :)
Great video!... I was wondering how you initially noticed the leak?... Seems like you would only notice when looking right in there or did not all of the water evaporate from the flam3 heat and leak out?...
I first noticed when the flame wasn't burning right and could hear lots of sizzling noises, then saw a bit of water dripping out the front of the water heater.
Great explanation. Thanks for the video.
You're welcome. Cheers!
So surprised there is a Check valve on the hot water output, would this be the fault that I have hot water for just a short time than none?
The check valve is there for winterizing. Here is a video where I take it apart and explain the operation - www.loveyourrv.com/squealing-rv-water-heater-fix-failed-check-valve/ You could try changing yours and see if it solves the problem. Cheers, Ray
Thanks for help in solving my heater problem, it turned out to be a faulty check valve, keep up the great video’s.
Very Well Done. Thank You! I'll be doing exactly what you did.
what is that stuff around the rubber grommet that wraps around the propane line? Do I need that if I have to remove it?
Its just some silicone sealant so the gas fumes can enter back into the RV. I had some high temps stuff used for car engines on hand so used that.
Great detail as always. Hope the same water heater in our 2011 Cougar 31sqb doesn't suffer the same fate. You must be close to the GM test facility north of Yuma? My wife and I will be boondocking around there the first week of March.
Not likely, if not for the bad weld I bet this tank would last 15 or 20 years if maintained. We are just north of the Yuma Proving Ground. :) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuma_Proving_Ground
At 17:28 you uncovered the finished product. It had a silver mounting bracket around the hole for the water heater. Did that come with the flush door or did you have to order that separate.
I reused the original outside metal flashing and door.
RAY, WOULD YOU BUY A NEW COUGAR 5th WHEEL AGAIN. JUST WOUNDED SEEING HOW YOU PERFORM ALL YOUR MAINTENANCE. I ALWAYS ENJOY YOUR VIDEOS
Here is a post I just did answering the question - www.loveyourrv.com/cougar-trailer-review-fulltime-rving/
Cheers! Ray
hanks Ray for the video!! Great info as mine is getting older something I might have to do in the future!!! W.
Very informative. Thank you
Thanks for recording this video! Very informative. I'm about to upgrade my old SW6P water heater to the SW6DE. I'll obviously need to run both 12v and 120v power to the new water heater, but being an electrician, I'm not expecting too many problems. We love the deserts of Arizona as well! Happy trails!
You're welcome. :)
Hi John. I am going replace my SW6P with a SW6D. did you run into any issues? Thank you
@@Chris1969o No problems at all! It was a breeze to replace, and so much easier to use. So glad I made the switch!
How long does the hot water last while taking a shower?
That depends on various factors like how fully the faucets are turned on and how hot you like your shower and how cold the cold water is that mixes with the hot water. So for example summer showers would last longer than winter showers. Most water pumps in RVs do 3 gallons a minute. If fully turned on using 6 gallon hot water tank and is mixed 50/50 with cold water that's 4 minutes. So I find about 5 minutes at full blast water flow but like I said longer in the summer when the cold water may be 80+ degrees already so less hot water mix is needed. At half blast you may get much longer showers. Cheers, Ray
Hey, good job. When do you have a stop over in British Columbia, you could give me a hand with my w.heater 😉
Thank you! I'm having the same problem.
You're welcome. :)
Very thorough. Thanks
your the man ray very good job
Is it necessary to power with 110V or can it function with only 12V DC?
It's only set up for AC or LP Gas, you could use an inverter to power using 12VDC batteries, but would be wasteful as it draws around 1500 watts so would draw around 150 amps from the batteries quickly running them down, best to use LP Gas mode or a generator when off-grid unless you have a huge solar system and lots of battery power.
I see you were ok wire nutting stranded 120v wires to Molex solid wires ?
Yes, it worked fine that way for 6 years prior to the water heater swap and has worked fine since. Also the connection is inside a metal junction box. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV love your detailed dc wiring specifications. So for non gas rv just ignore the orange wire; and just WHT wire to old heater wall switch and ground green to chassis, right ?
If you aren't going to use it's gas functionality then hook up is pretty simple as you don't need any DC wiring. See page 10 of the manual www.nroa2003.com/download/Service%20Manuals/Suburban_Waterheater_service_manual.pdf 120VAC only diagram. In it the black hot wired goes through the on/off switch
Don't wire AC power through the old wall switch unless it is rated for the AC voltage 120VAC and amperage 15A minimum. Many of the WH wall switches on RVs are for gas on/off operation only and use lower voltage/current DC power switches. If you use one of those it may be underrated for the power. But I don't know what your RV is wired for so can't comment for sure. Maybe your RV has an internal AC rated WH wall switch. This water heater has its own AC switch on it and then usually the AC WH power feed has a 15 amp breaker located in the RV power panel.
@@LoveYourRV I should have been clearer. The old wall switch is dc hot. I hate 120v toggle switches. So I could use the old lp wall dc switch to On-Off the new 120v relay switch that's inside the new water heater. The wall dc idiot light ground path would I think be blue ?
By the looks of the 12V diagram, blue is the warning light + feed Comes on red on my panel if the gas fails to ignite via the sparker or the on other models if the pilot light goes out.