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Raritan Water heater replacement
Ok everybody, before I go out and buy a new water heater, I want to know where to get the best price. I found one online for $834.99. Just wanna be sure there’s no other option before I order one from the Boatersland website.
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23 Replies
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That is probably your best option..
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Thanks for the reply Jeff!
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Dana, surprised it needs replacement, but having a new one is peace of mind.
There are a couple of things that tend to get owners to replace one and I hope you are aware of them because the replacement is affected.
The first thing to be sure of is that the accumulator tank has the correct bladder pressure. That becomes the means by which pressure that damages a water heater is relieved.
The new one comes with a 75 PSI temperature / pressure relief valve. Make absolutely certain you never use the more common 175 PSI valve typically found at the big box stores.
If your old tank ends have expanded to wedge the tank between the bay floor and ceiling one or both of the above items have not been taken care of so you will understand why they are important. While you are in there I suggest you consider adding a second 125 degree snap disc thermostat that controls a solenoid valve to limit water temp from coolant to 125 degrees. As long as the tank is out and you have room in there to work that is the ideal time.
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Thanks Jon, I’ll check into those items.
Im replacing the old one as i have a unidentified leak that seams to be around the base of the water heater. An with the Water pump and holding tank both new and not leaking i feel this is the last item that needs replaced. I searched through out the whole bay with video scope and the Water seems to be coming from the base of the Water heater.everything else is dry.
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My OEM water heater is the 20 gallon Raritan model R20E. Is the current replacement model 1720-01? Thanks. Don’t need one yet, just getting ready.
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I believe the replacement is 1720-11
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Dana,
That looks like a fair price. We paid something similar 2 years ago. We called Raritan; and if I remember correctly, they gave us a discounted price since we were replacing a failed unit. It was better than any price that I could find online. The rep also told us that most heaters drop ship from Raritan in NJ anyway.
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Finally able to replace the water heater. When finished, do I top off the antifreeze for the engine to top off the wabasto for the heat exchanger also or are the systems seperate?
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Top it off through the engine, they are one system with shut offs to isolate the two if you wish to during the summer or due to a leak..
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And Dana, to protect your new tank make absolutely certain the accumulator tank in your coach has the correct pressure. If the pump short cycles (comes on immediately) or if water won’t run for a while with the pump switch off the accumulator may have a bad bladder or needs a little pressure.
The reason this is a concern is if you start with a cold HW tank and your engine coolant brings it up to temperature as you drive the water in the tank expands. That expansion is absorbed by the accumulator tank (or the pressure relief valve opens). There is a potential for the tank ends to expand and more than one owner has found the tank ends bulged out and removal of the tank from the coach required the tank to be cut in half with a sawzall.
On a new tank with the pressure temperature relief valve set at 75 PSI you don’t have much concern, but when folks go to Home Depot and buy a valve that looks exactly like the one on the tank, but with a 175 PSI limit bad stuff happens.
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The new water heater came with a 75psi relief valve. Where is my accumulator tank? Is it under the kitchen sink behind a panel. I saw something there that resembled an accumulator when I had my floor replaced. But its not in line with the pump. I thought it was for reverse osmosis system.
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Dana,
My 01 Liberty Classic didn’t have an accumulator tank, I had to add one. The RO tank was behind the fridge. I also had to add a shut-off valve for the toilet water supply line and a check valve.
Your configuration may be different.
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I haven’t been able to find an accumulator tank on our Liberty either.
Dana if you find yours, let us know where.
If any late 90’s Liberty owners have found their accumulator tank, I’d be interested in knowing where it is.
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The last generation Headhunter water pump originally used in our vintage Liberty’s (can’t remember it’s name…current is Mark V I believe) has a built-in accumulator tank. The current gen headhunter does not so if you replace the old pump, you will have to add an accumulator tank.
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The accumulator tank could be anywhere, or nowhere.
Just keep in mind that the water expands as it is heated and the extra volume has to go somewhere, preferably into the accumulator.
This is getting more complex than it has to be but it is important to state. Libery has a check valve on the cold water supply to the HW tank. That is a safety device to stop the unintended back flow of hot water if the pressure on the cold side should drop. The problem is that check valve prevents excess pressure from increase HW volume from going anywhere other than out the pressure relief valve or it prevents the tank from expanding and wedging between the top and bottom of the bay.
But Liberty is pretty smart and know their stuff so they install a check valve with a very small hole in the ball that functions as the check and as the tank water expands it escapes from the tank via the teeny weeny check valve hole into the cold water side of the system and into the accumulator tank. So today’s advice is to never change out that check valve unless a very tiny hole is drilled into the ball.
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