upgrading my girard gen2 water heater to the latest gen 3

[Himcules]

still waiting on the gen 3 to arrive (should be here in 2 days). my gen 2 didn't survive this past winter although the rv was plugged in the entire winter. there's a crack in the heating tube pipes inside the heater itself.

so here's the removal of the unit and some instructions. it's not that difficult to do.

Steps:
1. remove the access door like normal. just twist the lock and remove the door panel.
2. remove the screws holding the door flange plate/mounting plate/trim ring. my screws were square drive. initially they looked like torx, but they're square drive. there are screws going into the face of the mounting plate as well as on the side going into the side of the wall of the rv skin. remove all of those (i had about 12)
3. pry loose the mounting plate. you may not be able to save it as it's not very stiff and will bend with the prying and pulling. it's held in place with caulking and waterproofing tape so you do need to pry all around it and pull it out.
4. remove the screws holding the water heater into the side walls of the rv, they are at the front edge. i had 4 on mine.
5. remove the black caulking between the rv wall cutout and the water heater.
6. go inside the rv and under the closet/washing machine area is a small wooden panel. remove that panel to access the rear of the water heater.
7. undo the 3 hookups for the water lines and the gas line. (make sure you turned off the propane at the tank and the water.)
8. disconnect the power and control wires (there's only 3 - white, red, and black). i disconnected mine at the crimp they used in the factory.
9. go back outside and pull out the water heater.

that's pretty much it for the removal of the water heater. just like you would have imagine it...

parts from home depot in case you need it:
1/2" FIP x 1/2" FIP faucet hose. i used 12" hoses but may increase one of them to 24" since the shutoff valve takes up 6"...
1/2" FIP x 1/2" FIP valve
1/2" MIP x 1/2" MIP thread couplers

i could not find a 3/8" gas valve at home depot. may have to find that online.

i added some home depot fittings to make my installation easier. i added some flexible steel faucet lines in case the new hookups weren't close to where the old ones were and added a water shutoff valve since there is no shutoff for this device. silly.. i know...


i'll update this thread with the installation of the new unit as well. i'll also address how the pex pipes are hanging by securing them so the plastic elbows aren't stressed.

[Himcules]

aaarrrgghhh!!!

shipment arrived today. new gswh-2 water heater and new black door kit. BUT no control panel in the box. no instructions either, but i downloaded those and it's very straight forward. wire polarity doesn't matter. you can connect the wires any way...

but no control panel!!!! this was dropped shipped from the manufacturer to me. my retailer is working the issue, but this is killing me with the wait for parts! i need to depart in a few days!

[Himcules]

looking at the hookups on the back of the new unit, i'm glad i added the flexible faucet lines. the new hookups are on the opposite side. i may need a little longer line for the hot water hookup...

[Eagle-751]

What is the difference between the gen two and the gen three? I have the two and love it...

[Himcules]

Originally Posted by Eagle-751

What is the difference between the gen two and the gen three? I have the two and love it...

gen 2 has the rotating dial knob to control the temperature. in my berkshire 390bh, that dial is in the bathroom behind the mirror in the cabinet. in warm places, my gen 2 worked great. endless hotwater like you would expect. in cold places, with snow on the ground and water not frozen, i get luke warm water at best. no matter what i did. water pressure and flow was great and ideal. just the heater couldn't keep up.

the gen 3 has the digital control pad and can show fault codes and such. it has the water pressure valve to control how much cold water goes into it. many have reported the gen 1 and gen 2 models never were able to perform to expectations, but once they got a gen 3, they had hot water like they expected in all sorts of conditions.

as in the case of many products, the newer generation items usually are better than their predecessors.. i'm hoping for similar results as others.

since my gen 2 died this past winter, i'm upgrading it to replace the broken gen 2.

[Eagle-751]

Originally Posted by Himcules

gen 2 has the rotating dial knob to control the temperature. in my berkshire 390bh, that dial is in the bathroom behind the mirror in the cabinet. in warm places, my gen 2 worked great. endless hotwater like you would expect. in cold places, with snow on the ground and water not frozen, i get luke warm water at best. no matter what i did. water pressure and flow was great and ideal. just the heater couldn't keep up.

the gen 3 has the digital control pad and can show fault codes and such. it has the water pressure valve to control how much cold water goes into it. many have reported the gen 1 and gen 2 models never were able to perform to expectations, but once they got a gen 3, they had hot water like they expected in all sorts of conditions.

as in the case of many products, the newer generation items usually are better than their predecessors.. i'm hoping for similar results as others.

since my gen 2 died this past winter, i'm upgrading it to replace the broken gen 2.

Thank You Himcules, I appreciate the information, keeps me from doing all the research... I have used mine in cooler weather but not too cold and mine did do just fine... Not sure what the temp was though. I like the idea of digital and inlet info. I hope my gen 2 holds up for many more years!
Happy Camping!

[Himcules]

Got the new unit installed. Pretty simple and straight forward. Only gotcha I had was that my cut out in the side wall was very tight. So tight that the screws on side of the new unit had to be removed for the unit to slide in. Once in place, I put the screws on the side back on.

Installation Steps:
1. Clear the opening for the new unit.
2. Test fit the unit in place. Make adjustments for the unit to slide in. In my case, I had to remove the screws on the side of the unit only on one side. They stood out too proud from the surface.
3. Slide the unit all the way in flush with the side wall exterior.
4. Caulk with silicon caulking all the gaps and run a bead where the flange of the door mount rests at.
5. Open the door and fit the flange in place. The holes should line up with the mounting holes on the unit.
6. Screw in the square drive screws to mount the flange into the side wall as well as the inside to the walls.
7. Exterior mounting is completed. Caulk the rim of the flange for water protection.
8. Go inside and make your gas and water connections. The flexible faucet lines makes this very easy.
9. turn on the water and test for leaks. Run the hot water to see if water leaks anywhere.
10. Turn on the gas and test for leaks. I used an electronic tester.

If no leaks, then you are done with the physical mounting. I'm waiting for the control unit to hook up the power and ultimately test the unit heating water.

[Himcules]

Hookup pics

[ChateauV10]

I had a Gen 3 installed a couple of weeks ago and it was dropped shipped from Indiana and came without a manual or a control panel too! My dealer was told it was an "OEM" or "manufacturer's" pack and was not supposed to include those tow critical items. He was able to get the panel quickly though and got it all installed.

We like it very much for showers not so much for hands or individual dishes (the first quart problem). That being said, it's much better than the Suburban it replaced.

[Himcules]

Originally Posted by ChateauV10

I had a Gen 3 installed a couple of weeks ago and it was dropped shipped from Indiana and came without a manual or a control panel too! My dealer was told it was an "OEM" or "manufacturer's" pack and was not supposed to include those tow critical items. He was able to get the panel quickly though and got it all installed.

We like it very much for showers not so much for hands or individual dishes (the first quart problem). That being said, it's much better than the Suburban it replaced.

thanks for the info... at first i thought i had a used/returned unit but upon careful inspection, it was new.

i already called my retailer and they have customer service sorting that out. i'll try to give greenrvproducts a call in the morning as well.

[I-RV]

Himcules - I also installed the Gen II myself. You nicely listed the uninstall and install procedure. I however would suggest to self installers to make the final plumbing connections with the heater partially hanging out and prior to the final screwing down and caulking. This makes life more easy.

Also as I reported in my post ................

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...er-109771.html

that my gas line was soft copper tubing which required a 90 bend. I mentioned not to make that bend without a tubing bender; otherwise the tubing will kink in a flash if a bender was not used. I had and still have a problem with the control pad. The back supposedly can be pried off so that it can be screwed to a wall. With concern of breaking the control, I simply Velcro'ed it.

So what are you doing about painting the door?
Hank

[Himcules]

Originally Posted by I-RV

Himcules - I also installed the Gen II myself. You nicely listed the uninstall and install procedure. I however would suggest to self installers to make the final plumbing connections with the heater partially hanging out and prior to the final screwing down and caulking. This makes life more easy.

Also as I reported in my post ................

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...er-109771.html

that my gas line was soft copper tubing which required a 90 bend. I mentioned not to make that bend without a tubing bender; otherwise the tubing will kink in a flash if a bender was not used. I had and still have a problem with the control pad. The back supposedly can be pried off so that it can be screwed to a wall. With concern of breaking the control, I simply Velcro'ed it.

So what are you doing about painting the door?
Hank

I will eventually get the door painted. I'm saving the old door for the painters to match. I have a trip to take next week so no time to get that painted now... just need to get the all the broken water lines from the winter freeze fixed first.

I have not decided on the location where the control pad will go and I'm still waiting on my retailer/greenrv to get me that missing control pad.

[I-RV]

Originally Posted by Himcules

still waiting on the gen 3 to arrive (should be here in 2 days). my gen 2 didn't survive this past winter although the rv was plugged in the entire winter. there's a crack in the heating tube pipes inside the heater itself.

Having the RV plugged in and even if the heaters are on will not insure that the heater will not freeze up. The water heater is in a precarious location; only a sheet metal panel from being outside. The best freeze prevention is either filling the lines with anti freeze or having them blown out.
Hank

[Himcules]

got the control panel in yesterday in the mail and installed it today.

so, here's a little tip. my gen2 has only 3 wires. a red, a black/white, and a white. when i hooked it up to my volt meter, the red is the positive 12v. both the black/white and white wires were ground. i initially connected the black/white to the heater and when i connected the control panel (both blue wires and doesn't matter which one goes to which), the control panel would not light up. when i opened the water heater and pulled off the access panel, i see a green led and a red led. meaning it had power. so i changed the black/white for the all white ground and everything works.

so for folks that have gen2 wiring like mine, the red is 12v+. the white is 12v-. the black/white is the controller from the gen2 remote dial knob.

you can verify this with a volt meter as the remote dial control knob's voltage will vary as you turn the knob (with the volt meter connected to the red and the black/white).

i ended up putting the control unit right outside the wood access panel under the closet/washer door. that way i could see it from the kitchen or bathroom to make sure it's running. no super long wires to fish around or fancy hiding of the wires.. just a short 12" run of wires so nothing binds. the wardrobe slides in just fine without hitting it so no worries there.