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12-28-2012, 01:02 PM
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#81
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Junior Member
Name: Doug
Trailer: Still craving...
Wisconsin
Posts: 29
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Wow, I am really appreciating this forum more every day. Thanks for the expedient reply.
Funny thing is, everything you wrote I learned WHILE you were writing it... hahaha...
Once I moved up to the right size drill bit, I had all the rivets out within about two or three minutes, and had the entire water heater apparatus sitting in my kitchen sink about three minutes after that... THEN I came to the computer and read your perfectly articulated advice... super easy job, so far...
The crack in the tank is right at the "front", almost hidden by the black metal housing that holds the tank in place. It is a very severe crack, and I doubt repairable.
I have found some new replacement tanks on eBay, but I need to determine EXACTLY what my model is before buying a tank. So that's my next step at the moment.
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12-28-2012, 01:08 PM
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#82
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyplain
Funny thing is, everything you wrote I learned WHILE you were writing it... hahaha...
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You learned it by the same method I did, then...
Per the new tank- are you planning to use the "guts" of the old one as suggested earlier?
If so, and hopefully before you get too far down that path: Is there any way that the works can be tested for proper functionality before you go to all the trouble of changing things out?
I thought I'd suggest that since the trailer's new to you and you have no way of knowing if the water heater worked before the freeze damage was done- or for that matter whether it damaged the works themselves.
Francesca
__________________
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12-28-2012, 01:50 PM
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#83
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Senior Member
Name: Steve
Trailer: Scamp 13
California
Posts: 1,889
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Look into having an electric heater up grade to the tank that way you can run either one depending on the camp ground. When I had my motor home I installed a 120 heater in my existing tank and then could use the power I was paying for at the camp ground.
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12-28-2012, 02:41 PM
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#84
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Junior Member
Name: Doug
Trailer: Still craving...
Wisconsin
Posts: 29
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My "situation" is a bit unusual, whereas I don't see myself using the Scamp in a campground setting very often. 99 out of 100 times I expect I will not have access to 120v.
I called Atwood to find out exactly the tank number, since it is not listed on the Atwood labels that tell me the Model number and the Serial Number of the water heater itself. Their cost for the tank only, is $265, which is what Scamp charges for the entire water heater. The Atwood Customer Service guy was very informative, and easy going.
Previously, I had put a bunch of these tanks in my eBay watchlist, for future reference. It just so happened that one of them IS exactly my model, so I made an offer and will see if the seller accepts it.
As far as testing the other components, although this is good advice, I always tend to be the type to "go by the evidence"... this camper is a 2010 model, and appears to have had very little use. Since the tank was full of water, and all the other systems are functioning fine, I am going to guess that the water heater also worked fine prior to freezing up.
I can't think of how freezing could damage any of the other components, and even so, they are fairly easy to replace also, so I'll just trudge forward one step at a time.
UPDATE: Negotiated with eBay seller and bought the tank, with pertinent washers and some fittings, for under $100 including shipping. Pretty hard to turn that down.
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12-28-2012, 02:52 PM
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#85
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Senior Member
Name: Mike
Trailer: 93 Burro 17 ft
Oklahoma
Posts: 6,025
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Sweet!
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12-28-2012, 04:41 PM
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#86
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Great deal!
Keep us posted...
Francesca
__________________
............... ..................
Propane Facts vs. Fiction:. Click here
Tow Limit Calculator: Click here
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12-28-2012, 05:22 PM
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#87
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Senior Member
Name: Ron
Trailer: 2008 13' Scamp
British Columbia
Posts: 325
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OK, in the end, not too much of a price to pay. Only about 2 weeks worth of staying away from the pub
Great work on the attitude. No waiting until Spring wondering what damage etc. has been done.
Gotta love ebay, that price really took the edge off the damage.
Ron
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12-28-2012, 05:32 PM
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#88
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Senior Member
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 5,112
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ron in BC
OK, in the end, not too much of a price to pay. Only about 2 weeks worth of staying away from the pub
Great work on the attitude. No waiting until Spring wondering what damage etc. has been done.
Gotta love ebay, that price really took the edge off the damage.
Ron
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Good job searching out a new water heater!
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12-29-2012, 05:56 PM
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#89
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Junior Member
Name: Doug
Trailer: Still craving...
Wisconsin
Posts: 29
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Quote:
OK, in the end, not too much of a price to pay. Only about 2 weeks worth of staying away from the pub
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Well, I guess today will be my first day of those 2 weeks then, since I felt so good about finding an affordable solution for the water heater that I ended up at the pub yesterday!
What I could not help but notice is that of the MANY Atwood tanks on eBay, the ONLY one that was exceptionally low priced (comparatively) was exactly the model number I needed... even an Agnostic Extremist (I think I'm the only one) such as myself does wonder sometimes if there's not somebody looking out for me...
The tank is unused, and comes with quite a few washers and I think two brass fittings... so as long as I pay attention to the disassembly, putting it all back together correctly should not be too difficult.
Since I don't have a rivet gun, and may never need one again, I am thinking about installing some 1" x 2" wood around the inside of the water heater opening... then I could use some stainless steel screws in place of rivets. Would make the next removal even easier. Or maybe bolts with washers and Nyloc nuts would be even better. No need for wood then. The only problem might be reaching the bolts/nuts along the bottom edge once the water heater is reinstalled. Any ideas/experience with not using rivets?
Also, there are so many different types of soft sealants, what is the best stuff to apply along the edges of the water heater "housing" when I reattach it to the fiberglass?
My mind just can't stop pondering all the potential modifications... nice little stereo system, 60" HDTV, screen porch... and since the Scamp is so light, I'm even wondering about installing a chopper prop system on the roof, and devising some way of "releasing" the egg from the metal trailer for take off... I think it would legally fit into the category of an "ultralight"...
I'd better study about how to post some photos on this forum.
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12-29-2012, 07:19 PM
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#90
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Senior Member
Name: jim
Trailer: 2022 Escape19 pulled by 2014 Dodge Ram Hemi Sport
Pennsylvania
Posts: 6,710
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Screws would work into the wood frame and use butyl tape/putty around perimeter.
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12-29-2012, 08:44 PM
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#91
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Senior Member
Trailer: 92 16 ft Scamp
Posts: 11,756
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I think you would be better off using rivets rather than wood and screws. You can pick up a rivet gun pretty cheap. Harbor Freight for example has a number of types and one of them is on sale of $4.99. If you are going to own the new to you Scamp for more than a month or two I am pretty sure you will find a need for the rivet gun again in the not to distant future.
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01-11-2013, 12:44 PM
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#92
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Junior Member
Name: Doug
Trailer: Still craving...
Wisconsin
Posts: 29
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Quote:
If you are going to own the new to you Scamp for more than a month or two I am pretty sure you will find a need for the rivet gun again in the not to distant future.
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First of all, that is an excellent point. And secondly, once you actually get your hands on a good Scamp, is it even POSSIBLE to let it go?
Anyway, I just thought I'd update my scenario... my eBay Atwood tank arrived, and I finally grabbed a wrench, thinking I'd get everything switched over in less than a half an hour... BUT, it seems it might be a bit trickier than I was thinking...
Has anybody swapped tanks on one of these Atwood water heaters, and if so, can you offer your best tips? It's not rocket science, but I suspect there is a best method, and that's what I'm looking for... thanks.
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