Replacement valve assembly for Atwood water heater

[somatronicon]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post. The community seems like a very knowledgeable one so I thought I'd ask my question here. We have a '91 Winnebago Chieftain class A with an Atwood GH6-6E water heater. I've had about three people look at the issue, and it appears one of the two solenoids/valves are faulty. One of them appears to open, and the other doesn't, so no flame. It's an electric ignition as well. So, at this point, we are looking for a replacement valve. However, given the age of our RV, it's a bit tricky for me to find an exact replacement. Can anyone tell me if it's common/okay to use a different valve than the exact model that's currently on the water heater?

For example, there was a service company that recommended an AT93844 valve assembly. I looked it up, and only found the following possible replacement part:

http://m.opentip.com/product.php?products_id=6168695&osCsid=b359421l2kv2pv232d5090ta35&ats=product_landing

Looking at it, they definitely appear to be different. However, conceptually I think they do the same thing. One thing I'm concerned about is that the clearance between the top of the valve and the flu vent (above) may not be sufficient. Is it possible to rotate the valve so that it will fit? I wonder if that would impact the performance/safety characteristics of the valve.

Here is an image of the existing valve:



And an image of the replacement valve:



Any help on this would be appreciated. I'd hate to get the wrong replacement valve and end up down a hundred bucks 😄

Thanks everyone!

Christopher

[Old-Biscuit]

somatronicon wrote:
Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd post an update and let you all know the part I ordered, and finally got today works!

We've got hot water and so my wife, 5 kids and I thank you all for the prompt and accurate replies.

I thought I'd upload a few photos showing what we've got going on now. It wasn't as daunting of a task as I originally built it up to be.



Fieyorrrrrr!




A couple things I did while installing:


* Bent the input pipe a bit with my hand to make sure it wasn't putting too much strain on the new valve body.

* Blew out the orifice that attached to the out-flow side of the valve. I looked through it and there was a bunch of scum inside, once I blew it out it was much larger.


Thank you all again for the help and suggestions. If there is anything you see in the pictures or notes above that is incorrect, feel free to let me know 😄

Christopher

Howdy,

Nice install..........looks good.
Glad it is making hot water for you and family

Couple of things to improve function
*Gas orifice...you blew it out---hopefully just by blowing on it and NOT using high pressure air hose (or poke anything thru hole)
To properly clean.....remove it, soak it in alcohol and then pucker up and blow it dry. Poking/high pressure air can damage orifice

*Burner tube.......hopefully it is still aligned so gas flows down center of tube where it creates a venturi affect to pull air in thru air shutter and then properly mixing air/gas.
If not.gas bounces down inside of tube and air doesn't get properly mixed upsetting air/fuel ratio

*Burner flame.......WAY too much YELLOW. Flame should be strong BLUE with tinges of yellow at tips.
Yours could just be a 'rich fuel' condition and opening the air shutter a bit more may correct it. Shutter looks a bit to closed off.
If not....reclean orifice and burner tube (small bottle brush down thru tube)

Correct that flame and ENJOY!




OH yeah.....that petcock?
Did you at least open/drain/flush tank when gas valve was removed??

Really should be a NYLON plug.....:B

[D_E_Bishop]

Congrats Christopher. Nice job and resourcefulness like you're showing, it is a real asset when it comes to keeping older or for that matter all rigs on the road.

I will say that old rigs are only slightly more likely to have a water heater fail than a 26 year old tank fail. Old-Biscuit is right about that part there is no time frame. If your water heater does leak, you will most likely notice it very soon after it starts. The way the one in our Bounder was mounted, it was contained in a small area with a drain hole directly below the tank.

Well enjoy your Winnie and your kids will remember your trips forever and yes they will bring up things from time to time that really impressed them, ours are in their mid-fifties and still talk about camp as kids.

[somatronicon]

By the way, you'll probably notice that I didn't address the petcock issue as suggested by Old-Biscuit. I would have liked to, but simply forgot about it until I re-read the first page of replies 😄

[somatronicon]

Hi everyone,

Just thought I'd post an update and let you all know the part I ordered, and finally got today works!

We've got hot water and so my wife, 5 kids and I thank you all for the prompt and accurate replies.

I thought I'd upload a few photos showing what we've got going on now. It wasn't as daunting of a task as I originally built it up to be.

Here's a flash-back to the old non-working system.


Fieyorrrrrr!


The original bracket did the trick, with some careful manipulation with a pipe wrench.


Slightly different angle showing the finished product.


Installation instructions showing how it recommended installing the valve body sideways.


Close-up showing the sideways installation and the new bright yellow gas rated tape.


Moar bright yellow tape.


A couple things I did while installing:

* Bent the original mounting bracket to make sure there was room for the new valve.
* Bent the input pipe a bit with my hand to make sure it wasn't putting too much strain on the new valve body.
* Clean off the threads of the pipe connectors with a wire brush and make sure to dig all the old tape out with my pocket knife. They looked like new when I was done... Very satisfying.
* Blew out the orifice that attached to the out-flow side of the valve. I looked through it and there was a bunch of scum inside, once I blew it out it was much larger.
* Test the pipe connections with soapy water before kicking everything on to make sure there are no leaks.

Thank you all again for the help and suggestions. If there is anything you see in the pictures or notes above that is incorrect, feel free to let me know 😄

Christopher

[somatronicon]

shastagary wrote:
this looks like it would install the same as the old one if your still thinking about repairing it. Atwood (93844) Water Heater Gas Valve

I must say I do like Amazon Prime. I added it to my cart in case the part I already ordered doesn't work/fit.

Thanks for taking the time to dig into this shastagary, much appreciated 😄

Christopher

[somatronicon]

wasatchmtnatvr wrote:
He is on a budget. Try coil 33475 white Rodgers may work. Or update 31000. Less than 18 bucks. These are atwood part numbers.

Nice! I like the modularity. I wonder if something like the 33475 or 31000 you recommended would work with the old (original) valve assembly. If so, that's a great idea. I'll mess around with the old one when I get it off and see if the valves are removable. Of course, I already have an entire new assembly coming tomorrow, but it's good to know for next time 😄

Thanks for the suggestion wasatchmtnatvr!

Christopher

[somatronicon]

robatthelake wrote:
I know someone will flame me for this suggestion but!

Those solenoid used replaceable coils ....well back in the late 80'S they were pretty common. Anyway they are relatively easy to take apart. Once apart if you ever took a close look you will find that the coils are fine copper wire and if you check the resistance ..well just start unwinding the wire until you find where it has broken. If you are lucky it will be in the first couple of feet,maybe five!

Try applying 12 volts to see if it works without the removed wire!

This doesn't always work ,but it did for me about ten years ago and that old water heater is still working today!

Interesting! I like your resourcefulness 😄 This is more my speed actually. I already have a part coming that someone else suggested, but I may give this a shot with the old one that no longer works to see if it's a viable solution in the future.

I wonder if newer valves can still have the coil removed... That'd be interesting to see.

Thanks for the great suggestion robatthelake!

Christopher

[wasatchmtnatvr]

He is on a budget. Try coil 33475 white Rodgers may work. Or update 31000. Less than 18 bucks. These are atwood part numbers.

[robatthelake]

I know someone will flame me for this suggestion but!

Those solenoid used replaceable coils ....well back in the late 80'S they were pretty common. Anyway they are relatively easy to take apart. Once apart if you ever took a close look you will find that the coils are fine copper wire and if you check the resistance ..well just start unwinding the wire until you find where it has broken. If you are lucky it will be in the first couple of feet,maybe five!

Try applying 12 volts to see if it works without the removed wire!

This doesn't always work ,but it did for me about ten years ago and that old water heater is still working today!

[shastagary]

this looks like it would install the same as the old one if your still thinking about repairing it. Atwood (93844) Water Heater Gas Valve

[somatronicon]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Actually for that vintage and model the gas valve is installed with solenoids DOWN

As for how long tank with last....until it leaks :B

Seriously.......no time table

Pin hole leaks or cracks in welds are types of leaks on tanks

LOL, that is a totally reasonable answer 😄 It's good to know that the old one is correctly installed right now. I'll do the same with the replacement solenoid, or at least try to. I should have the parts either today or tomorrow.

Thanks again for the information and the background on the upside-down orientation of the valve.

I can access the hot water heater under one of the twin-beds in the back. I'll take some time to inspect for leaks while I'm installing the new valve.

Christopher

[Old-Biscuit]

Actually for that vintage and model the gas valve is installed with solenoids DOWN





As for how long tank with last....until it leaks :B

Seriously.......no time table

Pin hole leaks or cracks in welds are types of leaks on tanks

[somatronicon]

Busdriver wrote:
Looks like the old one is upside down, have never saw one that solenoid on bottom

Hi busdriver, I know right? It seemed odd to me as well. I wonder if that was part of the reason it failed, or if it was just due to wear over time.

In either case I'll try to put the new one in right-side-up 😄

Thanks for the reply Busdriver.

Christopher

[somatronicon]

Hi everyone, wow you have been more than helpful!

I just read through the follow-ups and was stunned by the comprehensive nature of the posts. My wife, five children and I are all very greatful.

For now due to our budget I think we'll have to get the valve assembly and mounting bracket. In the future though, I think you're right and we ought to spring for a new one. Do you know how often the hot water tanks go and what symptoms I should look for to tell if it's going?

We've followed the links and have ordered the parts. I also appreciate the information on the petcock. TBH I had no idea what that word meant until I googled it. Makes sense now 🙂

I'll reply back when I get the parts installed and working to let you know how it went.

Thanks again for all the help!

Christopher