Suburban heating element 520789 replacement

[Nomore9-5]

The owners manual for our SW10DE shows the part number for the electric element is 520789. I ordered one from Amazon and received an element in a package marked Suburban Genuine Suburban Repacement Part 520900 with a sticker over it marked Suburban 520789 1440w .
I 've been looking on the internet ( were you can take everything as gospel ) and it appears the 520789 has been discontinued and replaced by the 520900 . The concern I have is the 900 is longer than the 789 and I'd like to avoid damaging a new water heater ( installed in 2021) if I ever have to replace the element .
Can anyone confirm it's ok to use - they've installed it

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

The owners manual for our SW10DE shows the part number for the electric element is 520789. I ordered one from Amazon and received an element in a package marked Suburban Genuine Suburban Repacement Part 520900 with a sticker over it marked Suburban 520789 1440w .
I 've been looking on the internet ( were you can take everything as gospel ) and it appears the 520789 has been discontinued and replaced by the 520900 . The concern I have is the 900 is longer than the 789 and I'd like to avoid damaging a new water heater ( installed in 2021) if I ever have to replace the element .
Can anyone confirm it's ok to use - they've installed it

Suburban Manufacturing directly told us back in 2017 that they were installing the 520900 in ALL their 120 volt AC water heaters. You can view their email in post # 6 at this link:

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1661524

I do wonder why your owners manual shows the 789. I wonder which one superseded the other? Does it have a printed date anywhere on this manual?

Was this just a spare element you bought or has the original element been ruined?

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

The owners manual for our SW10DE shows the part number for the electric element is 520789. I ordered one from Amazon and received an element in a package marked Suburban Genuine Suburban Repacement Part 520900 with a sticker over it marked Suburban 520789 1440w .
I 've been looking on the internet ( were you can take everything as gospel ) and it appears the 520789 has been discontinued and replaced by the 520900 . The concern I have is the 900 is longer than the 789 and I'd like to avoid damaging a new water heater ( installed in 2021) if I ever have to replace the element .
Can anyone confirm it's ok to use - they've installed it

Here’s what I replaced our water heater element with from Canadian Tire.
Not all things have to be bought at an RV dealer. Just be aware that you purchase THIS model (see part number listed) because it’s 120 volt, not 240 volt.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Suburban Manufacturing directly told us back in 2017 that they were installing the 520900 in ALL their 120 volt AC water heaters. You can view their email in post # 6 at this link:

https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ml#post1661524

I do wonder why your owners manual shows the 789. I wonder which one superseded the other? Does it have a printed date anywhere on this manual?

Was this just a spare element you bought or has the original element been ruined?

Thanks for sending this - feel better about things. To answer you - the reason my manual shows the 789 is ( and I now realize much to my dismay ) I've mistakenly mixed up the manual for my old water heater and the new one and tossed the wrong manual . Here's hoping there were no other significant changes.
The element was bought as a spare . I've recently discovered a site called RV Street which I'd reccomend to everyone .One of the videos Martin does is on critical spare parts . I've started gathering some up and also added a spare anode and the electric element to what he's suggested

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

Thanks for sending this - feel better about things. To answer you - the reason my manual shows the 789 is ( and I now realize much to my dismay ) I've mistakenly mixed up the manual for my old water heater and the new one and tossed the wrong manual . Here's hoping there were no other significant changes.
The element was bought as a spare . I've recently discovered a site called RV Street which I'd reccomend to everyone .One of the videos Martin does is on critical spare parts . I've started gathering some up and also added a spare anode and the electric element to what he's suggested

Manuals are available online so you can get a current one if you so desire.

Spare parts are insurance and I carried a lot of them around for years and never used many. But... it's all about what YOU are comfortable with.

Things like anodes and heating elements are available almost everywhere so my need for carrying things like that are not huge and certainly not critical. Other things like a Sharkbite PEX repair fitting or brake backing plate spring kit are more valuable to me.

[wmtire]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

The element was bought as a spare . I've recently discovered a site called RV Street which I'd reccomend to everyone .One of the videos Martin does is on critical spare parts . I've started gathering some up and also added a spare anode and the electric element to what he's suggested

Like you, I also do carry a spare element but have never used it. Not sure I personally would ever classify it as critical, since you could always just use your water heater in the propane mode (unless it's broke too) until you replaced the element. You wouldn't be without heated water unless you had a bad element AND were out of propane. That's what I like about the dual heating modes on a Suburban, is that you can use both or individually as wanted/needed.

I did give my element away once to a fellow camping friend, who purchased another for me....so it did help him.

I can't even count how many tire chocks I have given away to my buddies who forget theirs.

I also lost a brand new gravity lounger to a camping friends wife who I let set in it for the weekend. She wouldn't let me have it back. They replaced it with a super nice chair I still use. That is a hilarious story on that one. I told her she could have it, since she fell in love with it. At the end of the weekend, she was loading it up in their RV, and her husband was in shock as he didn't know I gave it to her. He pulls me off to the side away from everyone and pulls his wallet out, trying to pay me for the lounger as he said his wife had loaded it up in their RV. Instead of telling her to give it back to me, he was just going to pay me for it and keep everything calm. You ought to have seen the look of relief on his face when I told him I had given it to her.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by wmtire

Like you, I also do carry a spare element but have never used it. Not sure I personally would ever classify it as critical, since you could always just use your water heater in the propane mode (unless it's broke too) until you replaced the element. You wouldn't be without heated water unless you had a bad element AND were out of propane. That's what I like about the dual heating modes on a Suburban, is that you can use both or individually as wanted/needed.

I did give my element away once to a fellow camping friend, who purchased another for me....so it did help him.

I can't even count how many tire chocks I have given away to my buddies who forget theirs.

I also lost a brand new gravity lounger to a camping friends wife who I let set in it for the weekend. She wouldn't let me have it back. They replaced it with a super nice chair I still use. That is a hilarious story on that one. I told her she could have it, since she fell in love with it. At the end of the weekend, she was loading it up in their RV, and her husband was in shock as he didn't know I gave it to her. He pulls me off to the side away from everyone and pulls his wallet out, trying to pay me for the lounger as he said his wife had loaded it up in their RV. Instead of telling her to give it back to me, he was just going to pay me for it and keep everything calm. You ought to have seen the look of relief on his face when I told him I had given it to her.

I was of the same opinion until I went to the local home depot were we stay in Florida. They used to have an end section for RV stuff but not any more. The walmart here is a joke . I've been looking for a slide rubber conditioner I really like and the usual sourses have no stock due to supply chain issues .

Love the story about the lounger etc

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by 5picker

Manuals are available online so you can get a current one if you so desire.

Spare parts are insurance and I carried a lot of them around for years and never used many. But... it's all about what YOU are comfortable with.

Things like anodes and heating elements are available almost everywhere so my need for carrying things like that are not huge and certainly not critical. Other things like a Sharkbite PEX repair fitting or brake backing plate spring kit are more valuable to me.

Wouldn't mind knowing more about the PEX repair fitting you mentioned . Sounds like something I should throw into my plumbing parts box

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

Thanks for sending this - feel better about things. To answer you - the reason my manual shows the 789 is ( and I now realize much to my dismay ) I've mistakenly mixed up the manual for my old water heater and the new one and tossed the wrong manual . Here's hoping there were no other significant changes.
The element was bought as a spare . I've recently discovered a site called RV Street which I'd reccomend to everyone .One of the videos Martin does is on critical spare parts . I've started gathering some up and also added a spare anode and the electric element to what he's suggested

As 5Picker says, think about priorities and availability. In this case, any 120V, 1440 or 1500 watt units will work in your 10 gallon unit and in the smaller 6 gallon models. And there's no hurry. If the element burns out, you can always use the propane feature. We did that for a year or two in the Cherokee 38P while I was dealing with more important things.

Anode rods age slowly in most water conditions. When you look at it and see 90% consumed, you've probably got a year left on it.

By the way, you DID buy the special wrench needed to change the element and the somewhat rare 1-1/16" socket for the anode rod, right?

My need-it-now items are fuses and hose washers. I used to have light bulbs on the list but have converted to LEDs.

[Nomore9-5]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

As 5Picker says, think about priorities and availability. In this case, any 120V, 1440 or 1500 watt units will work in your 10 gallon unit and in the smaller 6 gallon models. And there's no hurry. If the element burns out, you can always use the propane feature. We did that for a year or two in the Cherokee 38P while I was dealing with more important things.



Anode rods age slowly in most water conditions. When you look at it and see 90% consumed, you've probably got a year left on it.



By the way, you DID buy the special wrench needed to change the element and the somewhat rare 1-1/16" socket for the anode rod, right?



My need-it-now items are fuses and hose washers. I used to have light bulbs on the list but have converted to LEDs.

yes I do have the wrench . Bought it years ago . This could evolve into a what does everyone carry as " critical " parts

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

yes I do have the wrench . Bought it years ago . This could evolve into a what does everyone carry as " critical " parts

We had one of those about 2 months ago. And then there was the long thread about preferred flashlights.

[NavyLCDR]

The water heater elements are very generic. You can use 1400 - 1500 watt 120v elements available at hardware stores.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Nomore9-5

yes I do have the wrench . Bought it years ago . This could evolve into a what does everyone carry as " critical " parts

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

We had one of those about 2 months ago. And then there was the long thread about preferred flashlights.

When it comes to spare parts, I've always found the one I needed was on the shelf in my garage.

[dieselguy]

Like above, next time try going to Lowes or Home Depot and buying one of their replacement heater elements that are generally within a few watts of what the Suburban is which translates into around .2 amps difference. They are way cheaper, do the same job, same thread size, and are readily available.