It's a fairly well-known occurrence, but I hadn't expected mine to fail!
The water heater tie-rod holds the main water reservoir onto the heat exchanger, and normally I'd not have given it much of a thought, but I had to take the tank off mine today to get at something right by the wall, and the tie-rod just snapped off at the point where it screws into the heat exchanger.
The rod is aluminium, painted but unprotected where the water takes most effect, at the joint into the heat exchanger. Hard water is at its most corrosive where there is heat, and the pictures show what it does.
I think that the long-term answer is a bit of 316 or 304 stainless steel in there, but for now I've ordered a new anodised rod from fleabay, from which I shall take dimensions to have a batch of stainless ones made up.
The remains of the old one will need to be carefully drilled out, if the corrosion is really bad it may need a Helicoil inserted.
Well, you can forget stainless, aluminum expands 4 times greater than steel so presents different but equally damaging problems. Second, stainless is going to produce more galvanic action, not less! so again no good.
You have though pick perhaps the best tie rod choice off ebay, V-4 I presume?
I though, I think, supply the only correct set of seals as well as the knowledge to get that broken stub out without damage in five minutes flat!
PS, a good tip is to unscrew that fusible plug sticking out in the picture before it gets snapped off or that will be £20 odd quid down the swanny!!
Just an update, the casting was very porous around the region of the female thread that takes the tie road, so we elected to go for a helicoil insert, rather than relying on the casting.
After fitting it and screwing the new rod in to the required depth, we put some etching primer on the joint area, followed by three coats of paint, hopefully to seal against water ingress.
In any event, it will probably outlast our operating time with the trailer, the original lasted 23 years.
The controller is working OK, just need to get the Propex warm air heater finished off before we get the gas on and test that side of things.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Carver Cascade 2GE Tie Rod Failure
