FAW3
Advanced Member
I was doing some dishes and the OEM Atwood water had been on awhile. Suddenly I heard a "pop" and I was standing in hot water. Later investigation showed that the aluminum tank on the heater had ruptured along a welded seam.
I found that trying to repair the OEM unit was not possible as some parts to include the tank are now out of stock. I also found that the most similar replacement unit from Dometic WH6-GA is a different size. To do a decent replacement into a FWC required that I modify some internal cabinetry and move the water pump over an inch or so. Note that the optional "refit kit" (#94067 for Black) provides a OEM size door and side panels which fills the OEM hole in the exterior wall. With use of this kit the finished installation looks OEM from the outside.
The OEM wiring and gas line did not require any modifications. I did buy 2x 90 degree street elbows and used them on the pump outlet fitting and the hot water outlet fitting to better match up/fit the existing hose set up.
The WH6 has it's water inlet/outlet fittings halfway up the tank body. There is no low water port other than the outside plastic drain plug. With the inlet/outlet fittings so high up...there is no reason I could see to reconnect the OEM system that included a easy "tank drain" option. Sadly, this eliminates the hot water tank as a 5-6 gallon reserve water cask and the easy method to drain the hot water tank. I just plugged the former drain line with a cap, reused one of the FWC 90 degree chrome shut off valves on the inlet fitting and ran the outlet directly to the hot water manifold.
I found that trying to repair the OEM unit was not possible as some parts to include the tank are now out of stock. I also found that the most similar replacement unit from Dometic WH6-GA is a different size. To do a decent replacement into a FWC required that I modify some internal cabinetry and move the water pump over an inch or so. Note that the optional "refit kit" (#94067 for Black) provides a OEM size door and side panels which fills the OEM hole in the exterior wall. With use of this kit the finished installation looks OEM from the outside.
The OEM wiring and gas line did not require any modifications. I did buy 2x 90 degree street elbows and used them on the pump outlet fitting and the hot water outlet fitting to better match up/fit the existing hose set up.
The WH6 has it's water inlet/outlet fittings halfway up the tank body. There is no low water port other than the outside plastic drain plug. With the inlet/outlet fittings so high up...there is no reason I could see to reconnect the OEM system that included a easy "tank drain" option. Sadly, this eliminates the hot water tank as a 5-6 gallon reserve water cask and the easy method to drain the hot water tank. I just plugged the former drain line with a cap, reused one of the FWC 90 degree chrome shut off valves on the inlet fitting and ran the outlet directly to the hot water manifold.
