Repair/Upgrade Fastener for Hot Water Heater Cover

[gordonsick]

Preparing for a cross-Canada trip, as I opened the cover on my Hot Water Heater, the plastic tab lost its grip and the fastener fell apart. The first photo below shows the faulty original parts at the top.

At the bottom of that photo, I show the parts I used to fashion a repair/upgrade. I ran a black screw through two faucet washers and ran it into an auto-body clip that can hold screws going through sheet metal. The black washer is to cover the hole in the existing cover. It is a loose fit on the screw. The orange washer is a tight fit on the screw and goes inside the panel so the screw is captured by the panel. The black fastener works like a nut.

The second photo shows the screw going through the cover, and lined up with the nut-like fastener. The third photo shows the finished job.

I’ve heard of people having their cover fly off while driving and this will prevent that, so it’s an upgrade

[Bob K4TAX]

Those factory-supplied fasteners always seem to fail at the most inopportune time. Carry a couple of spares just in case.

Sorry, I don't care for your "improvement" method as it requires a tool to access the business end of the water heater.

Bob

[Trappfarmer]

Where are you getting your spares and how much do they cost.
Of course these are covered under warranty, right?

[jeff64]

Originally Posted by Trappfarmer

Where are you getting your spares and how much do they cost.

Of course these are covered under warranty, right?

Google- latch for suburban water heater

[gordonsick]

Originally Posted by Bob K4TAX

Those factory-supplied fasteners always seem to fail at the most inopportune time. Carry a couple of spares just in case.

Sorry, I don't care for your "improvement" method as it requires a tool to access the business end of the water heater.

Bob

There are two ways to look at the need for a tool to open the water heater cover. As you say, it is a hassle, but it is only problematic if you have a troublesome water heater and need to open it often. I don't.

OTOH, making it more awkward to open thwarts another potential for vandalism.

I do have some screws with knobs that wouldn't require a tool, but none had the right threads for my sheet metal anchor.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by gordonsick

Preparing for a cross-Canada trip, as I opened the cover on my Hot Water Heater, the plastic tab lost its grip and the fastener fell apart. The first photo below shows the faulty original parts at the top.

At the bottom of that photo, I show the parts I used to fashion a repair/upgrade. I ran a black screw through two faucet washers and ran it into an auto-body clip that can hold screws going through sheet metal. The black washer is to cover the hole in the existing cover. It is a loose fit on the screw. The orange washer is a tight fit on the screw and goes inside the panel so the screw is captured by the panel. The black fastener works like a nut.

The second photo shows the screw going through the cover, and lined up with the nut-like fastener. The third photo shows the finished job.

I’ve heard of people having their cover fly off while driving and this will prevent that, so it’s an upgrade

Here’s the last replacement latch you’ll need. Camco has tons of RV parts. This one’s metal so it won’t break like your original plastic one. Sorry it’s blurry but you see the part number.
Sometimes even available at Canadian Tire. ��

[Larry-NC]

Gordon, haven't heard from you in a while. Hope all is well.

Iin the image you posted, you have the Tinnerman clip on the screw backwards. It's supposed to enter the flat side.

If you look closely at the little lips that engage the screw threads, you can see that if the screw came in the other side, tension would cause the lips to bite into the threads. As you have it, tension will tend to cause the lips to open and release the screw.

[gordonsick]

Larry,
Thanks for the correction. I actually described it incorrectly, but installed it correctly.

My first photo does have the Tinnerman nut backwards: the flat side is to the back. But, my second installation photo has the flat side towards the front so that the thread is at the back, which is consistent with your explanation.

Thanks, also, for the name. I had forgotten the Tinnerman name, since I haven't used one for 40 or 50 years.

Also, FWIW, I am healthy — didn't even get Covid. Finally took my first flight since 2018 – to go birding in Ecuador and the Galapagos.

KenandTerry do suggest a reasonable Camco replacement, and people would be wise to buy one proactively before the OEM breaks. In my case, I'm short of time to get on the road and it was quicker to fashion a repair than look all over for a part (or wait for one from Amazon).

–cheers, Gordon