Forum Discussion

Usmcsousa's avatar
Usmcsousa
Explorer
Jan 31, 2014

Heated tanks?

Hi again folks,
so My Class A has "heated waste tanks" as labeled on the waste tank compartment door.
I'm trying to figure out how this works.
there's no on\off switch that I can find anywhere .
is it an automatic thing? Electric? Should I be concerned about a parasitic load off the house batteries when boon docking?
both my black an grey tanks have a female port to connect a hose and flush the tanks, how often should I use these? I've currently been using them every time I dump my tanks. I'll dump grey than black, then fill the tanks at those fittings with the outdoor shower hose mounted adjacent to the tank. Then dump again.
any help or advice is appreciated as always.
thank you
Semper Fi.
  • PastorCharlie's avatar
    PastorCharlie
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    Probably will have to take a bright light and mirror and look for a 2-3" hole that was drilled through to the furnace floor duct. They usually do not put a grate over the hole thus making it difficult to locate. If both gray and black tanks are in the same bay there is only one hole located somewhere over the tanks in the floor above them, if separate bays are used both should have a hole for the heat.

    The furnace needs to be operating for the heat to work in the bays as in the house.
  • Hank_MI's avatar
    Hank_MI
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    If they're heated by electric heat tape or pad there should be a switch somewhere to turn them off. Ours our heated by the furnace. There are ducts/registers in the top of basement compartments, they can be closed off just like the ones inside.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Jan 31, 2014
    Generally. "Heated Tanks" means that there is a heat vent on the furnace system in the wet bay.

    Optionally, it means there is some kind of aux heater (Usually an electric tape on taped to the bottom of the tanks) but frankly.. I like the air duct method better. .HERE is why.

    Tanks are not the only thing in the bay, There are pipes (Which survive freezing rather well) and fittings (Which do not).
  • Usmcsousa's avatar
    Usmcsousa
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    95 Gulfstream sunstream GXL 34' on a f53 chassis,
    I can find very little about this model, I've seen a lot of good info for the SUN VOYAGER , but not sunstream.
  • LynnandCarol's avatar
    LynnandCarol
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    We have a TT and a switch to turn on our tank heating pads which are DC. We have only used once or twice, but it works well. Our goal is to try to not have to use them!!
  • Usmcsousa's avatar
    Usmcsousa
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    rockhillmanor wrote:
    Don't know about your particular coach but on many they split the furnace duct work in the bedroom in half. Half goes to the sewage bay and half goes to the bedroom. Makes for a cold bedroom in some RV's.

    Look on the side or on top of your sewage bay for an opening. In actuality the ones that are heated this way only keep the valves from freezing not the entire tank.:(
    That's how it is on my MH.

    I'm not sure that's the case here, I just crawled under the bedroom into the storage space a while back to fix the duct work for the bedroom. Something crushed it up from the previous owner. So I replaced that section and I didn't see any split of duct toward my waste tanks. Just the one duct to the floor register at the foot of the bed
  • rockhillmanor's avatar
    rockhillmanor
    Explorer
    Jan 31, 2014
    Don't know about your particular coach but on many they split the furnace duct work in the bedroom in half. Half goes to the sewage bay and half goes to the bedroom. Makes for a cold bedroom in some RV's.

    Look on the side or on top of your sewage bay for an opening. In actuality the ones that are heated this way only keep the valves from freezing not the entire tank.:(
    That's how it is on my MH.

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