Upgrade water heater

[psmith0803]

Ya you're right the 10/12 are about the same the 6's are in world almost by themselves. I should write my congressman and get 6gallon water heaters banned ! I'm joking of course but they sure do not have much value.

[wiredgeorge]

We have a 6 gallon Suburban water heater. Our 3 previous campers had the same. Never felt there was much need to upgrade the size but since our camper is a 2002 with a Suburban tank, will eventually have to put in a new one and will be watching this thread to see if anyone has anything useful to say regarding an upgrade to 10 or 12 gallon water heater.

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by psmith0803

Ya you're right the 10/12 are about the same the 6's are in world almost by themselves. I should write my congressman and get 6gallon water heaters banned ! I'm joking of course but they sure do not have much value.

I’ve always had 6 gal water heaters. You learn how to conserve and deal with that limitation. Haven’t had an issue yet. But like everything else, YMMV.

[JRTJH]

All the Suburban water heaters use the same gas burner control, the same electric heater element and the same thermostat/over-temperature switch. They all have the same 17 gallon/hour recovery rate and they all use the same wattage electrical input and the same BTU/hr propane burn rate....

In other words, the only difference is the size of the tank. With the 17 gallon/hour recovery rate, the 6 gallon water heater provides 23 gallons the first hour and 17 gallons every hour after that, the 10 gallon appliance provides 27 gallons the first hour and 17 gallons/hour after than (4 gallons more than the 6 gallon water heater. The 12 gallon model provides 29 gallons the first hour and the same 17 gallons per hour after that. That's 6 gallons (the tank size difference) more than the 6 gallon model and 2 gallons more than the 10 gallon model, again, that's 2 gallons which is the tank size difference between the 12 and the 10 gallon models....

All three "are the same water heater with the same capabiiities to heat water". The difference is "what's contained in the storage tank behind the controls.....

[wiredgeorge]

The three water heaters have different dimensions. Does the front part that fits through the outside have the same dimensions on all three types of Suburban water heaters, 12, 10 or 6 gallon?

[Javi]

Just an observation of comparison... the lat two trailers had 6 gallon water heater tanks, the new one is 12 gallons... the DW would scream bloody murder for me to turn the gas on if she forgot to before starting her bath in the old trailers.... She has not uttered a peep since we got the new trailer. I've never turned on the gas switch.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Javi

Just an observation of comparison... the lat two trailers had 6 gallon water heater tanks, the new one is 12 gallons... the DW would scream bloody murder for me to turn the gas on if she forgot to before starting her bath in the old trailers.... She has not uttered a peep since we got the new trailer. I've never turned on the gas switch.

And as sort of a tangent to Javi's observation; the AC side of our water heater went out as soon as we got to FL. I used the LP side only of the 12 gal. Suburban for 5 months with nary a hint of no hot water. That was impossible on the 6 gal. tanks previously even using LP and electric.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

The three water heaters have different dimensions. Does the front part that fits through the outside have the same dimensions on all three types of Suburban water heaters, 12, 10 or 6 gallon?

No, they are the same components but are installed on the tank face which is smaller on the 6 gallon unit. The 10 and 12 gallon units use a larger tank which has a larger tank face with the same gas control unit, same electric element and same thermostat components as the 6 gallon water heater...

In other words, "the innerds" are the same but the tanks are 3 different sizes and the faceplate for the 10/12 gallon heaters are interchangeable but the 6 gallon heater has a smaller faceplate and a smaller tank footprint

[psmith0803]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

No, they are the same components but are installed on the tank face which is smaller on the 6 gallon unit. The 10 and 12 gallon units use a larger tank which has a larger tank face with the same gas control unit, same electric element and same thermostat components as the 6 gallon water heater...

In other words, "the innerds" are the same but the tanks are 3 different sizes and the faceplate for the 10/12 gallon heaters are interchangeable but the 6 gallon heater has a smaller faceplate and a smaller tank footprint

My comments about the 6 gallon being in a world all it's own was directly related on the size of the face of the unit.I understand what your saying about the internal parts and the total water heated per hour. All that really matters is that initial tank, how long will it last? The 12 gallon will last twice as long and lead to a much more enjoyable shower.



Can you survive on a 6 gallon water heater? Sure. Can you survive on no hot water ? Sure. It's all about enjoyment and quality of RV'ing that's the difference. The issue has certainly taken considerable joy out of our new RV experience.



Like others have posted on a 12 gallon I'd rarely even turn the gas on as the electric was all I needed to keep everyone happy.