RV water heater repair

TJdamon · May 1, 2015

i accidentally forgot to drain my water heater in our trailer and it froze and cracked. I'm looking for anybody who knows of a good place in Milwaukie/ OC area to get it welded up

Martini_Up · May 1, 2015

new is 250-275 (6 gal) if nobody will stitch that up.

mjbskwim · May 3, 2015

Martini_Up said:
new is 250-275 (6 gal) if nobody will stitch that up.

Yeah I wanna say if you don't know a heliarc guy,you gunna spend as much as new to weld that

mjbskwim · May 3, 2015

Oh and plug off the lines to that and check to see where else broke.

Stomper · May 3, 2015

I have an Oregon class-5 boiler/pressure vessel license, and I HIGHLY suggest that you do yourself a favor and just replace it.

First, unless it's stainless steel the tank will be glass lined and if not re-lined properly it will corrode from the inside and weaken, not to mention produce nasty rust/sludge in your potable water.

Second, welding a crack is one thing but the designed structural integrity of THAT tank has been compromised due to being "stretched out" and literally ripped. It will never be 100% up to to original design safety standards.

No legitimate/responsible class-3 (boiler structural repair/welder/) would put their name on that one.

Just sayin'...

IronMonster · May 3, 2015

Stomper said:
I have an Oregon class-5 boiler/pressure vessel license, and I HIGHLY suggest that you do yourself a favor and just replace it.

First, unless it's stainless steel the tank will be glass lined and if not re-lined properly it will corrode from the inside and weaken, not to mention produce nasty rust/sludge in your potable water.

Second, welding a crack is one thing but the designed structural integrity of THAT tank has be compromised due to being "stretched out" and literally ripped. It will never be 100% up to to original design safety standards.

No legitimate/responsible class-3 (boiler structural repair/welder/) would put their name on that one.

Just sayin'...

As a welder/fabricator I second this. I will not touch ANY pressure vessel that has a crack. The liability is simply not worth it. That being said aluminum is far, far worse to repair simply because of weld characteristics. A 100% weld on steel is considerably stronger than the surrounding base material. A 100% weld on 6061 aluminum is only about 60% as strong as the surrounding material (because the alloy is no longer heat treated in the weld zone)

mjbskwim · May 3, 2015

These aren't glass lined,but I understand your point.
I have gone to smaller RV shops that have bought parts for people that left before the part was in and now they have something they don't stock.
I bought a 10 gallon tank this way. And would suggest ,if you have room,to upgrade to 10 gallon.You will love the extra 4 gallons when you shower.

Velzey · May 3, 2015

Weld that up and its just going to split apart a 1/2" over from the current split. ( I am not a certified welder) but I have done repairs such as this. And its just a waste of time, should do it right the first time.

I agree with Ironmonster and Stomper 100%

I would keep an eye on craigslist for a used one..Also I think somewhere around Porkland there is a RV salvage yard?

jbett98 · May 3, 2015

eBay has a bunch of new and used ones for decent prices.

Martini_Up · May 4, 2015

On a similar note: You may have lines / mixing valves that popped at well. Pressure test after the W/H gets repaired to ensure the system is closed up.