Camco 08773 Atwood Water Heater Gas Pilot Assembly

The Camco 08773 is a gas pilot assembly built as a direct factory replacement for older Atwood RV water heaters. It's cut to a 9-inch length and sold as a single assembly. If you've got an Atwood gas water heater that suddenly won't give you hot water, and the pilot is the culprit, this is the part that brings it back.

Here's what the pilot assembly actually does. On a standing-pilot gas water heater, a small flame stays lit and waits. When you call for hot water, that pilot flame is what lights the main burner. The pilot assembly is the piece that carries propane up to that little flame and holds it steady in the right spot. Over the years the tube can corrode, the pilot orifice can clog, or the whole assembly can just wear out from heat cycling. When that happens, the pilot gets stubborn.

You'll usually know it's time. The classic signs are a pilot that won't light at all, or one that lights while you're holding the valve but dies the moment you let go. Sometimes it's a weak, floppy flame that can't do its job. Before you condemn the whole water heater, it's worth checking the pilot assembly. It's a fraction of the cost of a new unit, and on a lot of Atwood heaters it's the single most common failure point.

Length matters here. This one is the 9-inch version, so it's meant for the Atwood models that call for that reach. Atwood built several sizes over the years, and the pilot tube has to be long enough to sit the flame exactly where the burner needs it. Too short and you'll fight it. The simple move is to pull your old assembly and compare. If yours measures out to 9 inches, this is your part.

Atwood water heaters have been out of production for a good while now, which makes finding the right service part harder than it should be. That's the whole point of a direct factory replacement like this. It's made to match the original assembly, so it drops into the same location and ties into your existing gas supply without any modifications or adapters. You're not re-engineering anything. You're putting the heater back to how it left the factory.

A word on the install. This is a propane part, so treat it with respect. Shut the gas off at the tank, kill the power to the water heater, and let everything cool down before you start. Give yourself room to work at the burner area. Most folks who are comfortable with basic hand tools and careful around LP gas can handle this swap in a driveway afternoon. If working around propane isn't your thing, there's no shame in handing it to an RV tech. A pilot that's set wrong or a gas connection that isn't tight is not something to guess at.

One thing to be clear about. This is a gas pilot assembly, not an electric heating element. If your Atwood water heater runs on the electric side and the electric heat is what failed, this isn't the part you need. This is for the propane burner's pilot system on gas and gas/electric Atwood heaters. When the flame side is the problem, the 08773 is the fix.

Who's this for? Anybody running an older camper, travel trailer, or motorhome with an Atwood gas water heater that's gone cold on the pilot. It's a maintenance part every long-term RV owner ends up needing eventually, and keeping a known-good replacement on hand beats a cold shower at the campground. Camco has been making RV parts since 1966, and the 08773 is a straightforward, honest fix for a common problem.