Atwood E20-220 parts or replacement?

[TheWolfTC]

Hi all,
I have been searching without luck to find a new heating element for the above referenced water heater on my 2000, 510 Dancer. Technically the heater is working fine, but it is 23 years old and who knows if/when the element has ever been replaced. I am currently doing a salon floor upgrade and the heater is under the salon steps so now is a good time to tackle it since the steps are apart. Every site says the part is temporarily unavailable, out of stock or discontinued.

The heating element is #91581 (220v/1500 W). Has anyone dealt with replacing this in the past year or 2, if so were you able to find a direct replacement?

Worst case scenario, I replace the entire unit, but that too is an interesting search.

 

[hughespat57]

elements are not made by them
Look up any flange water heater element 1500w 240v

Camco 04383 on amazon for 16$

Just check length of yours

 

[TheWolfTC]

elements are not made by them
Look up any flange water heater element 1500w 240v

Camco 04383 on amazon for 16$

Just check length of yours

Awesome thank you! I was just about to pull the trigger on an all new water heater...just saved me $826 bucks!!
I can drain it and check the length tonight.

 

[hughespat57]

Well maybe yea maybe no

While you have the element out grab a shop vac and suck out any build up in the bottom. See how much comes out. The aluminum tanks tend to corrode from the inside mostly.

 

[hughespat57]

My ‘94 leaked at 20 years so you may want to bit the bullet now while the floor is out.

 

[TheWolfTC]

My ‘94 leaked at 20 years so you may want to bit the bullet now while the floor is out.

Very true!
The back of my mind says to do just that! I am heading there to drain it and see about cleaning the tank bottom. We shall see what we find!
Thank you again!

 

[TheWolfTC]

Hi Patrick,
Good call on your part! I am ordering a new heater. The amount of "crud" in the bottom of this tank was insane and disgusting. To think I have been using this water the past summer, yuck! The hard water sediment build up was crazy! The pictures don't show the entire story as there were 4 more buckets like this. It turns out the heater was manufactured 9/17/98. It has lived a good life and served its purpose.

Also, what a dumb ass design! The mounting bracket to the deck is also the bracket holding in the heating element. After that, the 2 bottom screws for the heating element are slightly lower than the outer metal shell so you have to bend the outer "shell" to get the socket on the bolt heads.

To be honest, the water coming out while draining was clear, but the water in the bottom of the tank was disgusting.



Thanks again,
Bill

 

[hughespat57]

Not surprising given the age.
Most of use that have replaced them have added some thin PVC under the mounting tabs to raise rhem off the deck a little and allow some air under them. If you have enough clearance.

 

[TheWolfTC]

Not surprising given the age.
Most of use that have replaced them have added some thin PVC under the mounting tabs to raise rhem off the deck a little and allow some air under them. If you have enough clearance.

That's a GREAT idea!

I was also going to add a larger accumulator tank as well and get rid of the tiny Jabsco 1 qt. tank. I replaced this last winter but it just doesn't really work as well as we would like. I have checked the pressure on it multiple times but the water pumps run continously when taking a shower etc.

 

[hughespat57]

Depending on your space.
I went with a 2.1 gallon Falcon
The “stainless” is a little misleading only the neck is inside it has n water bladder so can be mounted in any position. The tank is regular steel.

 

[TheWolfTC]

While doing some reading this morning about accumulator tanks, I see that most instructions state it should be placed after the pump and before any outlets such as the water manifold. (Makes sense)

Why did Sea Ray place it on the line feeding the water heater at the water heater?? Does the placement really matter? My 370 Sundancer had it in a similar location but my 460 had it just after the pump output to the engine room faucet.

I would like to place it next to the water heater under the steps where the current Jabsco is located.

Just curious if it really matters?
Thanks for the pic and info!

 

[TheWolfTC]

From the 510 parts manual and water system diagram. Item 25 is the accumulator and it is next to the water heater and the W/D.

In my case, it isn't actually in line as it shows here. Mine is tee'd off the water line and the other end of the manifold simply has a plug. Same principle I guess, but it doesn't work all that well and the pumps cycle when just washing dishes.

 

[hughespat57]

Makes no real difference where as long as on the pressure side of the pump. The problem is the small size. They are so small not really an accumulator they just smooth the pump pulses.

 

[Pgeee]

I just replaced my accumulator tank with another small one. I placed it near the ER water supply valve horizontal position, in line, as the original position on the far inside of the starboard hull was nuts, impossible to get to, I can’t even get the old one out easily so left it there. The original was not inline, it was at the end of a line from the pumps. These small units just allow for the pumps to operate on off cycles less. But once you have a shower , the pump will be on constantly pretty quickly, but I don’t see that as an issue, as it would probably be on constantly recharging the accumulator tank once it’s pressure drops anyway however big the accumulator is. Sharbite fittings helped a lot with the install. As to the original subject , I’m going to pull my element out sometime and see what the inside of the tank looks like thanks to above advice. And try lift the heater up a bit . And I’ll get a new element anyway. Seems these Camco units on Amazon are the go?

 

[TheWolfTC]

I installed the new 2.5 gallon tank above the water heater in a new location for easier access later. Where it was before was virtually impossible to work on as I had to access it via the middle step access. Now it can be inspected by removing the access panel in the port side cupboard as you enter the salon at the bottom of the steps.

The water heater is still in "shipping" mode, until I get it, I can't really test the new tank to see if the pump cycles less. Stay tuned!!

 

[TheWolfTC]

Had to run down to Mexico for a few days while waiting for the water heater to arrive. Got it installed yesterday and it was easy peasy! I ordered all new fittings for it but still need to finish the TP valve overflow line this morning. The cold inlet and the TP valve were in different locations so a little modification of the lines was necessary. Luckily I had some 15mm pex on hand for the cold line.

The new 2.5 gallon accumulator tank is the bomb. It made a huge difference in the pump cycling at the sink. (About 25-30 seconds between cycles). I also added foam insulating pads at the bottom, as suggested by another contributor, to give the floor under it some venting space.

On to the next project!