RV Water Heater Repair & Replacement Across Florida
Atwood, Suburban, and Dometic gas/electric water heater swaps. RecPro and Furrion tankless conversions. Annual mineral flush for Florida hard water. Most jobs finish in 3-4 hours on-site - same week appointments across all 18 service cities.
Who: RV owners with no hot water, scale buildup, a smelly tank, or a heater that finally gave up after 6-8 Florida summers.
What: 6-gal and 10-gal Atwood / Suburban / Dometic gas/electric replacements, RecPro and Furrion tankless conversions, annual flush, anode rod replacement, and burner-orifice cleaning - all on-site.
Where: All 18 Mission RV cities across Florida - from Key West to Panama City Beach. Call (888) 647-7466.
Cost: $785-$1,395 for tank swaps, $1,150-$1,950 for tankless conversions, $145 flat for annual flush + anode. Phone quote before we dispatch.
Florida is brutal on RV water heaters. Hard water lays down mineral scale inside the tank, summer heat bakes the gas valve diaphragm, and most owners go a full season without realizing the unit died because they've been on shore power and warm Gulf water at the campground. By the time you actually need hot water - first cold morning of the season - you find out the burner won't light or the breaker on the electric element popped two trips ago.
About 60% of the water-heater calls we run finish as full replacements. The unit lasted 6-8 years (factory rating), the tank is corroded past reasonable repair, and the cost to chase a half-dead unit isn't worth the labor. The other 40% are flushes, anode rod swaps, gas valve replacements, or thermostat work that gets you another 2-3 years.
Signs Your RV Water Heater Needs Repair or Replacement
Three patterns cover almost every water-heater call we run. If your rig is doing one of these, the diagnosis is usually quick:
1. No hot water at all
Burner ignites then dies, or the electric element breaker keeps tripping. Usually a failed gas valve, a corroded electric element, or a bad thermostat. Repair is $245-$425 if the tank is sound. If the tank is corroded, full replacement is the call.
2. Hot water smells like rotten egg
That's sulfate-reducing bacteria reacting with a magnesium anode rod. Swap to an aluminum anode rod, sanitize the tank with hydrogen peroxide, and the smell is gone within a day. Common on Suburban heaters in central-Florida well water. Quick fix - $145.
3. Tank weeps or pools water under the rig
That's a corroded tank or a cracked drain plug threading. Drain plug fix is fast. A corroded tank means full replacement - patching never lasts. We'll show you the corrosion before quoting.
4. Long recovery time / lukewarm hot water
Scale buildup on the heat exchanger from years of un-flushed Florida hard water. The burner runs but heat can't reach the water. Annual flush plus anode rod swap usually fixes it. Bad cases need replacement.
What We Fix — RV Water Heater
What's Included in a Mobile Water Heater Service Call
Every water heater call starts with a 15-minute diagnosis. We pull the access panel, check the burner area for soot or scale, look at the anode rod (if present), and pressure test the tank. From there it's either a flush, a part swap, or a full replacement.
For replacements, the standard sequence is: drain the tank, disconnect the gas line, disconnect the 120V element, pull the unit out of the bay, prep the opening, slide in the new unit, hook up gas/electric/water, fill, pressure test, and run a full burner cycle. We finish with a flame check and tag the unit with the install date and serial number.
Tank vs Tankless — Which is Right for Your Rig?
About one in four customers asks about a tankless conversion. Here's how the two compare in real Florida service:
| Spec | Tank Heater (Suburban / Atwood / Dometic) | Tankless (RecPro / Furrion) |
|---|---|---|
| Hot water capacity | 6 or 10 gallons - one shower before recovery | Unlimited (continuous flow at ~1.5 GPM) |
| Recovery time | 20-25 min for 6 gallons (gas), 60-90 min (electric) | None - heats on demand |
| Weight | 30-50 lb full | 15-20 lb (saves 30-35 lb full) |
| Annual maintenance | Flush + anode rod (Suburban) - $145 | Coil descale - $185 |
| Florida hard-water lifespan | 6-8 years (with annual flush) | 10-12 years (with annual descale) |
| Cold-snap safety | Drain freely for storage | Need power-vent freeze protection |
| Total install cost | $785-$1,395 (in-kind swap) | $1,150-$1,950 (conversion + plumbing rework) |
Our Read
For full-time RVers in Florida, tankless wins on capacity and weight. For weekend campers and snowbirds, a quality Suburban or Atwood tank heater is simpler, cheaper, and more forgiving when you forget the annual flush. Either way, we install both - tell us how you use the rig and we'll quote both options.
RV Water Heater Repair & Replacement Pricing
Flat rate, written quote at your site before any work starts. No hourly creep, no diagnostic surcharge.
| Service | Parts / Brand | Typical On-Site Time | Flat-Rate Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-gal gas/electric replacement | Suburban SW6DE / Atwood G6A-7E / Dometic | 3-4 hours | $785 - $1,250 |
| 10-gal gas/electric replacement | Atwood G10-2E / Suburban SW10DE | 3-4 hours | $895 - $1,395 |
| Tankless conversion (with PEX rework) | RecPro / Furrion | 4-6 hours | $1,150 - $1,950 |
| Annual flush + anode rod | Vinegar / descaler / aluminum or magnesium rod | 45 min | $145 flat |
| Tankless coil descale | RecPro / Furrion | 1 hour | $185 flat |
| Gas valve replacement | OEM Suburban / Atwood | 1-2 hours | $285 - $445 |
| Electric element replacement | 120V 1400W | 1 hour | $165 - $245 |
| Thermostat / ECO replacement | OEM Suburban / Atwood | 1 hour | $185 - $295 |
| Burner orifice clean & tune | OEM brass orifice | 1 hour | $135 flat |
| DSI module replacement | Atwood / Suburban DSI board | 1-2 hours | $245 - $385 |
Florida Hard Water + Anode Rod Maintenance
Central Florida well water averages 12-25 grains per gallon - that's officially "very hard." Mineral scale builds inside the tank's heat exchanger, and within 4-5 years it insulates the burner from the water so the unit overheats and the gas valve safety-shuts. The fix is preventive flushing.
Suburban tanks use a sacrificial magnesium or aluminum anode rod that should be replaced every 1-2 years in Florida. Atwood tanks are glass-lined with no anode (they rely on the lining itself - no rod to replace). Dometic varies by model - check the manual.
If your unit smells like rotten eggs, it's the anode reacting with sulfate-reducing bacteria. Swap a magnesium rod for an aluminum one and the smell stops within a day.
Repair vs Replace — Quick Decision Guide
| Symptom | Repair Likely | Replace Likely |
|---|---|---|
| Burner won't ignite | Gas valve / DSI module / thermocouple - $245-$445 | If tank weeps or rusts under burner |
| Electric won't heat | Element + thermostat - $165-$295 | If tank shorts the element repeatedly |
| Lukewarm only / slow recovery | Annual flush + anode - $145 | If unit is 8+ years old in Florida |
| Rotten egg smell | Aluminum anode rod swap - $145 | Almost never a replacement |
| Drain plug weeping | New drain plug - $45 | If threads are stripped |
| Tank weeps from underneath | Never - corrosion only gets worse | Full replacement - $785-$1,395 |
| Want unlimited hot water | N/A | Tankless conversion - $1,150-$1,950 |
Brands We Service
We carry parts for and install all four major RV water heater brands. Most rigs we see in Florida run Suburban or Atwood. Dometic is gaining share on newer Class A coaches.
- Suburban - SW6DE / SW10DE / SW16DE gas-electric (anode rod, magnesium or aluminum)
- Atwood (now Dometic) - G6A-7E / G10-2E / GC10A-4E gas-electric (glass-lined, no anode)
- Dometic - DM2842 / DM6E gas-electric direct replacement units
- RecPro - tankless gas/propane (most popular conversion choice)
- Furrion - tankless propane (Class A and fifth wheel OEM since 2021)
- Truma - AquaGo Comfort Plus tankless (premium option, growing on Class A motorhomes)
Other RV Plumbing Sub-Services
If your call goes wider than the water heater, we can handle the rest of the plumbing & water system on the same visit. Cross-links to the other 8 specialties:
RV Faucet Repair & Replacement
Kitchen, bath, and exterior shower faucet swaps. Cartridge rebuilds for high-flow brands and quick swaps for Dura, RecPro, and OEM units.
View faucet serviceRV Pipe Repair & Replacement
Push-fit and crimp repairs on 1/2 and 3/8 PEX, plus copper and PVC drain runs. We carry the tooling on every truck for one-visit fixes.
View pipe repairRV Water Pump Replacement
Shurflo Revolution, Aquajet, and Flojet diagnosis and swap. Accumulator-tank installs to smooth pump pulsing on 30-amp rigs.
View water pump serviceRV Toilet Repair & Replacement
Dometic 310, Thetford Aqua-Magic, and Dometic 510 swaps. Ball-valve seal kits, foot-pedal repair, and porcelain-to-plastic upgrades.
View toilet serviceRV Tank Repair (Fresh / Gray / Black)
Cracked-tank patching, baffle repair, and tank-sensor cleaning. We replace whole tanks on-site when patching makes no sense.
View tank serviceRV Tank Valve & Macerator Replacement
Black-tank flush valves, gray-tank gate valves, and Sani-Con / Drain Master macerator pumps. Same-visit on most calls.
View tank valve serviceEmergency RV Plumbing Leak Repair
Active leaks across Florida. Cut city water, kill the pump, call (888) 647-7466. We dispatch the closest tech with PEX, fittings, and a vacuum on the truck.
View emergency serviceRV Winterization & De-Winterization
Antifreeze pump-through and seasonal recommissioning. Most Florida rigs ready in 90 minutes flat - $185 winterize, $165 de-winterize.
View winterizationRV Water Heater — Common Questions
Straight answers from the water-heater call log. - Coop
How much does an RV water heater replacement cost in Florida?
A 6-gallon Suburban or Atwood gas/electric replacement runs $785-$1,250 including parts, labor, and on-site dispatch. A 10-gallon Atwood is $895-$1,395. Tankless conversions to RecPro or Furrion run $1,150-$1,950. We give you a phone-quote range before scheduling and an exact written quote at your site before any work starts.
How long does it take to replace an RV water heater?
Most 6-gallon swaps finish in 3-4 hours on-site, including drain, removal, install, fill, pressure-test, and burner cycle. Tankless conversions take 4-6 hours because we usually re-route the gas line and add a 12V circuit for the unit's controller.
Can I replace my Atwood water heater with a Suburban or Dometic?
Yes - the standard 6-gallon and 10-gallon footprints between Atwood, Suburban, and Dometic are interchangeable in 95% of rigs. We carry adapter plates for the rare frame mismatch. Pick the brand based on availability and price, not loyalty - all three are reliable when serviced annually.
How do I know if my RV water heater is bad or just needs a flush?
Three signs it needs replacement instead of a flush: (1) you smell rotten egg even with a fresh anode rod, (2) burner ignites but won't hold flame after 60 seconds, or (3) the tank weeps water from underneath the rig. If it just heats slowly or short-cycles, an annual flush usually fixes it - $145 flat, 45 minutes.
Are RV tankless water heaters worth the extra money?
For full-time RVers in Florida, yes. RecPro and Furrion tankless units run unlimited hot water, weigh 35 lb less than a 10-gallon tank, and don't need annual mineral flushes the same way a tank does. For weekend campers, a tank water heater is simpler and cheaper to maintain. - Coop
Why does Florida hard water kill RV water heaters faster?
Central Florida well water averages 12-25 grains per gallon - that's "very hard." Mineral scale builds inside the tank's heat exchanger, and within 4-5 years it insulates the burner from the water so the unit overheats and the gas valve safety-shuts. An annual flush adds 5-7 years to the unit's life.
Can you flush my RV water heater on the same day you replace it?
Sure - most maintenance calls combine a flush with anode rod replacement and burner-orifice cleaning. The full annual service is $145 flat and takes about 45 minutes. If we find the tank is corroded past saving during the flush, we can quote a replacement on the spot.
Do you replace anode rods on Suburban water heaters?
Yes. Suburban heaters have a magnesium or aluminum anode rod that should be replaced every 1-2 years in Florida. Atwood heaters use a glass-lined tank with no anode. We carry both types - rod replacement is part of our annual flush service at no extra charge.
What's the warranty on a new RV water heater installed by Mission RV?
Suburban and Dometic units carry a 2-year manufacturer warranty on the tank, 1-year on parts. Mission RV adds a 90-day workmanship warranty - if the install causes any leak or burner issue in the first 90 days, we come back free. We register the unit serial number in your name.
Will my RV water heater work on shore power and propane both?
Yes - the dual-fuel models (DSI gas/electric) we install run on shore-power 120V or LP gas. We always recommend dual-fuel because Florida campgrounds with metered electric encourage you to run electric, but boondocking trips need the gas option. Adds $40-$80 to the unit cost vs gas-only.
Where We Replace RV Water Heaters in Florida
Mission RV Repair runs RV water heater repair and replacement calls across these Florida cities. Click your closest one for local-specific info, response times, and campground coverage.