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View Poll Results: Which brand of replacement hot water tank would you go with and why?
Atwood 3 15.79%
Suburban 16 84.21%
Other, specify in the thread, please. 0 0%
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 05-10-2009, 10:08 PM   #1
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New hot water tank - Atwood or Suburban

Very soon, I will be making a decision for my replacement hot water tank for the Roo and I wanted to ask if there is one better then the other and why. I think that i'll stick with the 6 gallon tank, but I'm still deciding on the electric/LP combo or go with LP only for now and add on an electric aftermarket element later on (which can void a warranty).

I read that the Atwood tanks are made of aluminum clad which eliminates the need for an aluminum anode rod and I can pick one up in the range of $300-$600, depending on the heating option. XT model's are slightly higher. It runs at 8800 btu/hour and has a 11.6 gallon recovery rate, +6.2 if i add the electric along with the gas option. The entire unit comes with a 2 year warranty.

The Suburban has porcelain-lined steel tanks and foam insulation on the outside of the tank (i thought they both had insulation, but i'm not sure). It runs at 12000 btu/hour and has a 10.2 gallon recovery rate, +6 if i get the electric along with the gas option. The tank has a 3 year warranty and the other parts have a 2 year warranty.

So there's pro's and con's of either one and they both do the same job. Does it just come down to the amout of money a person would want to spend?

Thank you for your input
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Old 05-11-2009, 06:45 AM   #2
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I'd replace mine with a suburban because it's what I have and it works well for us. I really have no experience with the Atwood but would assume it would work equally as well. I'd definnitely go with the Gas/Electric/DSI unit.
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Old 05-11-2009, 07:31 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bama Rambler View Post
I'd replace mine with a suburban because it's what I have and it works well for us. I really have no experience with the Atwood but would assume it would work equally as well. I'd definnitely go with the Gas/Electric/DSI unit.
Ditto.
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Old 05-12-2009, 06:30 PM   #4
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I like the Suburban because it keeps the water hot for a long time, and it has a large capacity that seems to recover very quick. Also easy to maintain. Randy
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Old 05-12-2009, 06:36 PM   #5
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i have had both, and both worked quite well
the suburban comes with an easy to replace anode rod,
but the new atwoods make tons of hot water pretty quick

in the magic bus we have an atwood xt and it does recover pretty quick, but when running on LP its LOUD compared to the suburban.
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Old 05-12-2009, 09:13 PM   #6
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Excellent, just what I was looking for!
Thank you for all the input. Choices are good, but convincing evidence is better...
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Old 05-13-2009, 11:51 AM   #7
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We've had both in 6 gallon and 10 gallon size tanks. Never had one problem with either. I'd stick with the Suburban since it would be a direct replacement and installation would be simple.
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:42 PM   #8
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The trailer came with a Suburban. Because I'm seeking the path of least resistance, I'll replace it with the same in hopes to not have to re-engineer the entire water works to get the thing installed!
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Old 05-15-2009, 03:48 PM   #9
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OH....
Some very good points here...
I'm heading into the dealer this afternoon to pickup my spare tire cover and to talk about some options on the replacement water heater. We'll see what they come up with. I'm going to take the model number with me to see if they have the exact replacement, but an upgrade to electric or dual i hear is the way to go. It all comes down to price at this point.

Suburban it is.

Thank you all for the input and ideas to think about. I would rather not have to customize the cover on the outside when i know it fits perfectly as is. 13 more minutes til i can log off of work related stuff and get the wheels rollin.
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Old 05-31-2009, 12:22 PM   #10
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Just an update: I took the Roo in this weekend and had them check out the hot water heater to see why the pilot won't light. Come to find out, I have a bad valve and they also wanted to replace the pilot setup. A better option was to replace it and we discussed some options (upgrading would be roughly around the same price as fixing this one) and come to find out, the shop guy had one in storage that is 6 months old and a DSI model for the same price as a pilot lit one. So we talked about it and agreed upon a price and he'll back up the heater and the work if I chose to replace mine. Bottom line, I took the deal and should have a newer heater in the Roo by next week with a switch to turn it on and off...no more pilot lights. Wooohooo!
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Old 06-04-2009, 08:11 PM   #11
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Ok...i guess i wasn't listening when i talked to him the first time.
This one has both electric and gas heating options, 5 gallon, and has been completely installed now. I cant wait to give it a try! I'm glad i stopped in there when i did, i got exactly what i wanted, installed, for the price of a new pilot-type tank WOOOOHOOO!!!!

And now to get the walls in the shower put up....
The walls in there now are the same tape and texture that's in the hallway, so i bought some "rebath" material and will be installing my own bath walls this weekend.

Thanks everyone....it's all coming together great and I appreciate the inputs on the poll.

Joe
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