Recommended Replacement Water Heater For A 2005 Itasca Spirit

Question:

HI I have a 2005 Itasca Spirit 31T motor home and need to replace my water heater model # G6A8EW, photo attached. Can you recommend a replacement? Will I need to replace the door too and if so do you have a recommendation for that too? Thanks Brad

asked by: Brad S

Atwood G6A-8E RV Water Heater
(click to enlarge)

Expert Reply:

Hi Brad,

To replace your Atwood G6A-8E water heater you'll want the Furrion RV Tankless Water Heater # FR48SR. The industry has been moving towards tankless water heaters and have dropped the size of the water heaters down a bit to minimize the space they require. Tankless water heaters offer a much more efficient and and longer lasting heating option. To put it in perspective the Atwood unit you have is rated for 8,800 BTU's and produces about 7.2 gallons of hot water per hour whereas the Furrion unit is rated for 60,000 BTU's and produces about 19.2 gallons of hot water per hour.

The dimensions I'm seeing for the G6A-8E showing it being 12-5/8" T x 16-1/4" W so the # FR48SR (16" T x 18" W) will be large enough to cover the gap. The unit itself is a bit smaller so you'll have to frame in the sides a bit with some wood in order to mount it. You'll also likely need to run new wires for the unit to your DC distribution panel to provide 12v power to the new unit.

From there you'll want to use butyl tape # AL28FJ on the inside of the mounting flanges for both the door and unit and some non-sag sealant # 344270341437-1 on around the outside of the door for a waterproof seal.