Suburban RV Hot Water Heaters – On-Demand to Direct Spark, What’s your 1st choice?

Last Updated on January 27, 2024 by Jeremy

Having a warm/hot shower in your RV is a very comforting experience, especially when you are at a campground for longer than 3 days, and you’ve completely missed every opportunity to be fresh and clean.

It’s even more comforting knowing that your Suburban RV hot water heaters have done what they are supposed to do…which is keep water hot, and your kids happy!

In today’s article, you will read about what Suburban RV Appliances has manufactured in the water heater line, in relation to complete units, and accessories that go along with said water heaters. As well, you’ll be notified where to get each part, so grab a cup of warm water, coffee or tea, and proceed to be amazed by what they have to offer.

WHY SUBURBAN WATER HEATERS?

It’s a little known fact that many brands have manufactured the same products for RVs as others have. An example of this in a previous article I wrote about RV Propane Parts, states how brand names like BlackStone and CampChef have both made propane outdoor grills.

In the water heater industry mind you, other than Suburban, these companies have made water heater products that offer similar features, and all while claiming to be “the best”.

Below, in no particular order, they are:

• -Furrion – Tankless Gas Water Heater
• -Girard Products LLC. – Tankless Water Heater
• -Truma AquaGo – German engineers, replaces any tankless or 6-16 gallon RV water heater
• -Dometic – Direct Spark Water Heater

So why Suburban water heaters? Well, just like their furnace products, they are backed by 75 years in the RV appliance product manufacturing business. That in itself should explain the quality and commitment behind each product, not to mention the valuable training they offer for installation and troubleshooting for each product.

PARTS AND ACCESSORIES

Anode Rod

To begin, the most replaced part inside of a water heater (home or RV) is the Anode Rod. Anode rods preserve life of a water heater by corroding themselves so the water heater doesn’t.

Simply, replace the 1/2″ to 3/4″ pipe thread head drain plug with the anode rod to protect the tank. You can see a video of this replacement (along with others) being performed by reading this article: Suburban RV Appliances – The top 4 manufactured by this company – Everything RVs and More.

The anode rod is available from the dealer-locator page (click the previously pasted article link), as well as from Amazon.

They come in two options:

• Part# 232767 – Magnesium Anode Rod
• Part# 232768 – Aluminum Anode Rod

Element

The second part or accessory available alongside the water heater themselves is what is called an element. The Element of the hot water heater is what heats the water.

Re-Ignitor Kit

This tiny device eliminates the need for matches to light the pilot light. Under windy conditions, it will maintain the flame of the pilot, plus it has an alarm that sounds when the flame extinguishes OR if the LP supply is turned off.

The compact size of this kit helps to make installation easy on most heaters. Available from any RV dealership or parts supplier from the Suburban RV site, you’ll want to reference Part# 520569.

Vent Cap & Exhaust Tube

If you have an on-demand tankless water heater from Suburban, then this part/accessory is going to be in your catalogue of things to be able to purchase.

Available on their website, or Amazon, this product comes in 3 different options:

• -Part# 260616 – 0-1″ Vent Cap & Exhaust Tube
• -Part# 260617 – 1″-2″ Vent Cap & Exhaust Tube
• -Part# 260618 – 2″-3″ Vent Cap & Exhaust Tube

Switch Plate & Control Center

First up, is the switch lamp plate which is being used on new production water heaters that begin with serial numbers: 924102517.

It is available in two color choices, and they are part# 234589 – white, and part# 232229 – black.

The available products in relation to other water heater choices from Suburban can be purchased from Amazon and are as follows:

• -Part# 520764 – White (pictured above)
• -Part# 234795 – Cream
• -Part# 232882 – Gas/Heater Combo switch – White (replaces obsolete 232881)

Next, is the Tankless Water Heater part/accessory which is the On-Demand control center. Suburbans only model of demand water heaters has one model, which means they only have one model of control center.

It is Model IW60, and the control centers part# 162291 comes in white, or part# 162292 comes in the color black. They are also available from Amazon, as well, the Suburban dealer page (mentioned above).

Water Heater Doors & Access Panels

Wrapping up the parts and accessories list for water heaters, before we get into water heaters themselves, we are introduced with water heater doors & access panels.

Starting with the water heater doors, there is only one available choice, and that comes in a gaggle of color options.

Below I will compile the part numbers in list form with a brief description of each:

• -Part # 6261ACW – Colonial White, Fits the Standard 3 & 6-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6259ACW – Colonial White Flush mount for 10, 12, and 16-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6255ACW – Colonial White Flush mount for 3 & 6-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6255APW – Polar White Flush mount for 3 & 6-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6259APW – Polar White Flush mount for 10, 12, and 16-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6261APW – Polar White, Fits the Standard 3 & 6-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6255AEB – Black Flush mount for 3 & 6-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6259AEB – Black Flush mount for 10, 12, and 16-Gallon Tanks.
• -Part # 6261AEB – Black, Fits the Standard 4 & 6-Gallon Tanks.

As for the Access Panels that Suburban manufactures – you can find them available in the same locations as I’ve been mentioning throughout this article, and you can find them in Part # 522147 for 6 gallon tanks, or Part # 522150 for the 10 gallon tanks.

The only color option available for each is Polar White.

HOT WATER HEATERS

Within this article of Suburban RV Hot Water Heaters, we have finally reached the hot water heaters category.

Below I will break them down into sections to hopefully make it easier to seek your desired tank, or at least, obtain more information from them should you consider replacing your current hot water heater.

1) On-Demand

For the Suburban line of On Demand Tanks, as mentioned earlier, they only have one available brand and that is the IW60.

Pictured below, enjoy all the hot water you need with an efficient, propane-powered, on-demand water heater that only heats water as you need, instead of using energy to keep stored water hot.

The technology behind this product is that this model is to have built-in freeze protection using a state-of-the-art 3-try direct spark ignition for easy lighting.

Part # 5286A, available in White, operates at 60,000 BTU, and measures 50.8 x 31.75 x 31.75 cm (for you imperial folk).

2) Advantage

This Direct Spark style water heater is available in 3 options, and are all 6-gallon tanks:

1. -Part # 5320A – Gas Only
2. -Part # 5321A – Gas/Electric
3. -Part # 5322A – Gas/Electric w/ Relay

With all 3 of these options being based off of the same specs, measuring 12.5″ x 16.125″ x 17.625″, the purpose of these units was to take advantage of the same cut-out of another water heater brand, Dometic, and their Atwood style water heaters.

The difference is that these types are manufactured with a porcelain lined steel tank that, with the use of an anode rod, is expected to have a longer life that aluminum model tanks.

Replacement doors are sold separately for these models and are available in Polar white and Black in colors.

3) Pilot Ignition

Available in 4 different options and 3 different gallon sizes, these porcelain-lined, steel water heaters feature an anode rode to absorb the electrolytic action, ensuring that your entire water heater system lasts longer.

With such a unique design for quality, these systems give you more hot water and fewer cool water cycles, and are listed with part #’s below:

• -5117A – 6-gallon pilot – Measures 12-11/16″ x 12-11/16″ x 19-3/16″
• -5118A – 6-gallon pilot & electric – Measures the same as the previous model
• -5122A – 10-gallon pilot – Measures 16-7/32″ x 16-7/32″ x 20-1/2″
• -5123A – 10-gallon pilot & electric – Measures the same as the previous model

4) Direct Spark

Lastly, in the line of Suburban RV Hot Water Heaters, are these direct spark models. Each with its own specification, I will categorize them based on gallon sizes to give you a better idea of what is available for replacement or purchase.

6-Gallon

• -Part # 5224A – New model Gas/Electric – features 12,000 BTU’s with a porcelain lined steel water tank. Measures the same as part # 5117A above.
• -Part # 5138A – Gas – Ideal for poor weather conditions, porcelain lined steel water heater, 12,000 BTU’s
• -Part # 5141A – Gas/Electric w/ Motor Aid – same specs as above.
• -Part # 5139A/5239A – Gas/Electric – same specs as above.
• -Part # 5140A – Gas/Electric w/ Relay – same specs as above.

10-Gallon

• -Part # 5142A – Gas model – features a remote switch with electronic action. With a fast recovery of 10.2 gallons per hour, you can enjoy more hot water and fewer cool water cycles. With 12,000 BTU’s, and measuring 16-7/32″ x 16-7/32″ x 20-1/2″ the remote switch and access doors are sold separately. Available on Suburbans dealer page, this model is also available from Amazon but under a different part #. (Ex: #5143 = #5243)
• -Part # 5143A – Gas/Electric model – same specifications as above.
• -Part # 5244A – Gas/Electric w/ Relay – same specs. as above.

12-Gallon

Available only in 2 part #s: 5146A – Gas, and 5147A – Gas/Electric, this tank is considered an upgrade from the regular 10-gallon models, which coincidentally, has the same cut out dimensions.

These exact unit measurements are 16-7/32″ x 16-7/32″ x 22-1/4″ and utilizes the same features as the 10-gallon tank as well. This unit can be found on Suburban RVs website.

16-Gallon

The last tank on the list of direct-sparkers, and the largest tank capacity in the RV industry, is the 16-gallon models, available in 6 different part #’s.

They are:

• -5150A – Gas model
• -5151A – Gas/Electric
• -5153A – Gas/Electric w/ Motor Aid
• -5233A – Gas/Electric w/ Power cord
• -5082A – 120V DSI Gas/Electric
• -5081A – 120V DSI Gas Electric (Park Model)

Of all the above mentioned, none of these are available from Amazon, and only 1 is listed on the Suburban website. A search through their dealer page (linked above), might be able to put you in touch with a center to find out more information on availability.

CONCLUSION

Wrapping up with these appliances, we are very aware about the extremely popular Suburban product in water heaters. Having such an immense line of parts available is a relieving factor knowing that at any given time, you have access to new or replacement products.

Just like their furnace parts list, the hot water heater parts available via their website or through Amazon are rather incredible. Take into account the delivery times they can be shipped to you prior to departing on your next camping adventure, seem like an even better reason to consider Suburban as your manufacturing company of choice.

Perhaps, now that you are more aware of what is available, you can finally answer that question we mentioned at the beginning – What’s your 1st choice?

Leave your answer below in the comments section, or feel free to ask other questions and I’ll entertain you with a response!

Cheers!