The Camper Saga. Opened a can of worms or mice..

Explorer

Aug 01, 2017

tinner12002 wrote:
djousma wrote:
Just wondering out loud if there are any mice carcasses in the fresh water tank? That's a pretty big hole, and it wouldn't surprise me if they went in there.... They would get in, but would not be able to get out.

That was my thoughts also after seeing that pic of the fill tube.

Yep. Exactly what I was thinking. I haven't touched the fresh tank or inlet at this point except to use some aluminum duct tape to try keeping them from traveling. At this point too, the mice had chewed through some of the wire insulation. Everything looked intact so I electrical taped it to provide some insulation until I can figure out what the plan of attack is.

SteveB wrote:
Outlaw,
The waste tanks do not have an overflow. Either the tank is cracked or a connection (in, out or vent) is leaking. When I replaced the black tank in my Jayco I cut the top pipes and unbolted the drain valve. The new tank I used rubber grommets made for the purpose with black silicone automotive gasket sealer and short stubs. Fernco couplings completed the connections.
For the sensors you can get Horst Miricle sensors. Leave the old ones in place and put the new ones nearby.
The waste tanks are mostly black ABS. Cracks can be repair with black ABS cement (from a big box store) and some "boat cloth" fiberglass which can be sourced from a rust repair kit or marine parts place. I fixed my old black tank bottom and it held up great until the top cracked-thus the replacement.
For the fresh tank you could install a 6" dia deck hatch to gain access to the inside of the tank for a good clean out and sanitizing. I put one in the top of my old Dutchmen FW tank but the whole tank was accessible under the couch. The deck hatch is water tight for incidental contact but I would not put one on a side. https://www.amazon.com/Seaflo-Round-Inspection-Hatch-Detachable/dp/B01ASBBZXQ/ref=sr_1_16?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1501243588&sr=1-16&keywords=deck+hatch
Great work keeping this one going!

Thanks for the confirmation. I didn't think so for multiple reasons.. main being that would just be nasty! lol Since I'm not able to see everything, even with pulling down the under belly panels and some of the fabric, I'm going with the same thing as the first quote above.. mice likely chewed through it at some point. Thanks for the sensor reference! If/when (more like when after talking to my dad, lol) I get to dropping the tanks, these will be the sensors to go in. Once the tank gets dropped I'll be able to confirm the damage and thanks for the tank fix stuff. Sounds easy enough. My guess is the pipe is chewed up but a tank crack somewhere near the top should be an easy fix too.

For the hatches, I like the idea, but I'm not sure how/where I could use this. Maybe in the storage floor which is just above 3 of the 4 tanks? At least for inspections maybe, then one in the top of the tank itself your saying?. Will definitely consider once the tanks are dropped and I can see what is between the floor and tanks though.

laknox wrote:
SteveB wrote:
quote quote

Personally, I'd also put in a main drain on the FW tank to aid in flushing. I have one on my Komfort, and it makes cleaning it a breeze. I think it's a 1.25 or 1.5" line and valve.

Lyle

Thanks for the advice. I did a little research and this shouldn't be too difficult compared to some of the other work already or needed to be completed. Most of the "kits are only the smaller NPT style drain valves. The larger diameter you're talking about sound like it is just a box store visit for some pvc and adapters. I would just need to come up with a way to secure it out the side. I could have it hang just below the belly pan but would prefer side exit with rest of plumbing... and even though it's older, my "ocd" says I need to have a clean/flush install to look factory.

Thank you all for the info, advice and/or encouragement to keep on keeping on! :D It definitely helps.. until we get to the delam issue :/

Updates------------

Took it out for a weekend trip. Only had one spill issue with the grey 1 tank for the bathroom because I forgot the shower was on. I wanted to have water in the tank to follow the black tank dump. oops... but also shows there are issues there too.

I think the wife forgot about the big issue (delam) because on the way up she brought up updating the interior (fixtures, flooring, cabinet repair/refinish...etc) but leaving the outside look original. I am completely on board with interior update IF we are able to afford the delam/structure and celing repairs. I know this isn't cheap but may be quite a bit cheaper than something else that may have it's own set of hidden problems.

At the end of the trip, I decided to replace the led rope light with a multi-color led strip due to the fact of the rop light ends were pushing on the awning and would stretch it. Being it's original to my knowledge, I don't want to have that added pressure on it. The led strip is very low profile and can be connected/disconnected very similar to the rope light.

I finally replaced the city water connection and will have to replace the FW tank fill too, at least when it's functional.

While the AC seemed to do a better job dispersing the cool are through the ducting I ran, I think the ceiling insulation is fubar. I ended up poking some hole into the temp block off we cut out to get a little more flow directly into the camper. The flow to the bedroom was not ideal. Overall temp struggled to maintain anything under 75-80F ish. outside temp during the day was low-mid 80F's.

On to the goods :D Some pics!

Pretty much how all the vents looked. Insulation stuck in them or push out onto the floor