Water Heater Warranty Issue

[TEB]

Group , we need some advice.

We bought a new 2021 Sunseeker 2440DS in October from RV One.

We also bought all the extended warranties.

I watched all the videos and read all the manuals and winterized it myself with RV antifreeze through the lines.

Well, I went to de-winterize it for a trip on Monday. It was a 70 degree day. Everything went well until I turned on the water heater and water started to gush out of it.

So now, the dealership is telling me that because I winterized it they will not warranty it and want to charge me $1400 for a new heater and fittings.

They told me that if they had winterized it they would have covered it. They charge $299.

They said it is a maintenance issue.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I asked how they know I did it wrong or what if we kept it in heated storage?

Seems like a total scam. So essentially I have to have them to any maintenance or they will not cover warranty issues.

I also want to add at no point did they tell me this when I picked up the RV.

We leave Thursday for a trip and are beyond frustrated.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, Tom

[Oaklevel]

Not really enough info. Where did the water gush out.

Did you bypass the water heater when winterizing? Did you leave water in the water heater or drain it when winterizing? Not sure how you winterized it. If you missed and left water in areas that froze then it would not be covered.

Sorry to say it sounds like it was something that you did or did not do that caused the damage.

[TEB]

Hi, yes I drained all the lines and heater. Then bypassed the heater and filled the lines with antifreeze.

They told me the tank and fittings ruptured because I did not winterize it correctly.

But, my point is how do they know that for sure?

It could also be a manufacturer defect.

[Oaklevel]

I doubt that it is a manufacturing defect sounds like it was not winterized properly........... sorry.

Tank heater? You took the plug out of the outside of the water heater? or was it a tankless heater?

Any pictures of the leakage areas?

[NavyLCDR]

Did you remove the anode rod? If you did not remove the anode rod, then you did not properly drain the water heater.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by NavyLCDR

Did you remove the anode rod? If you did not remove the anode rod, then you did not properly drain the water heater.

If it's really gushing, did the OP put the anode back in before turning on the water? Maybe it's gushing out the anode port.

Or maybe he flipped up the lever on the T&P valve to vent it so it drained faster and it's gushing out the T&P valve.

TEB, can you tell us EXACTLY where the water is gushing from? Open the louvered door on the side of the trailer, run water, take a picture and post it here. It is possible that there's a fix that won't cost a penny.

If you can't reproduce the gushing with water, take a picture and mark it up to show where the water was coming from and post it here.

To post a picture, put it on your computer.
Click Reply under this post.
Type your comments.
Click the paperclip item.
In the popup, click Choose File
Navigate to where you stored the picture and select it. (Open)
Click Upload.

[Bob2019]

If the water heater is shot, consider replacing it yourself. I had a Atwood that developed a hole in the bottom. Can't locate what I paid but I think it was under $400. They require some time, but doable. I bought a unit that did not light automatically and I just moved the controls from the old heater to the new and it worked perfectly. You have to be comfortable with the gas piping, plumbing, 110v electric and a 12v line. Usually you just disconnect piping and electric from old and everything lines up perfectly from old to new. These dealers don't have the curtesy to wear a mask when they rob you.

[campers302]

Originally Posted by TEB

Group , we need some advice.

We bought a new 2021 Sunseeker 2440DS in October from RV One.

We also bought all the extended warranties.

I watched all the videos and read all the manuals and winterized it myself with RV antifreeze through the lines.

Well, I went to de-winterize it for a trip on Monday. It was a 70 degree day. Everything went well until I turned on the water heater and water started to gush out of it.

So now, the dealership is telling me that because I winterized it they will not warranty it and want to charge me $1400 for a new heater and fittings. OMG check out these prices for heaters. You are certainly in a bad place.
Good luck.

https://www.google.com/search?client...r+water+heater

They told me that if they had winterized it they would have covered it. They charge $299. Highway robbery with out a gun. Being generous only takes 4 gal of antifreeze at absolute most. I like plenty as it cost about 4 bucks a gallon. For safety I will spend 16 bucks without question.

They said it is a maintenance issue.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I asked how they know I did it wrong or what if we kept it in heated storage?

Seems like a total scam. So essentially I have to have them to any maintenance or they will not cover warranty issues.

I also want to add at no point did they tell me this when I picked up the RV.

We leave Thursday for a trip and are beyond frustrated.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks, Tom

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