Jayco 285RKS DIY Black Tank Replacement
My DIY project for the past couple of weeks has been to replace the black water storage tank in my Jayco 5er. I searched around a bit and came up pretty empty for black tank repairs so I am posting for future reference. Hopefully someone finds it helpful for fixing their old camper. In the end in was not very difficult, just time consuming.
The original tank developed cracks along the center rib on the bottom a couple of years ago which were successfully repaired by using ABS cement and fiberglass cloth. It held up but on our last trip over the Memorial Day weekend I allowed the tank to fill too much and the top started to leak. I was using the tried and true "burb" method to indicate the dump requirement but it failed to do so after I had gone through a couple of dump cycles. I was greated by a smelly stream from the top of the tank. I surmised that the plastic was brittle and nothing short of total encapsulation would fix it. Instead I opted for replacement.
Visited Jayco's web site and found that an authorized dealer is required to order replacement parts so with VIN in hand I contacted Van's RV near Hartford, CT. The new tank arrived quickly and I drove out to pick it up. The replacement tank is made by Ameri-Kart. On my way home I stopped at Arlington RV in RI to get some additional plumbing items because ABS is not sold in big box stores around here. I got 3" and 1.5" rubber inlet grommets, 3" and 1.5" flexible PVC couplings, 3" 45 ell, 1.5" 90 ells, some 3" ABS pipe and some 1.5" ABS pipe. From Amazon I got a new closet flange gasket, toilet ball seal kit (Sealand 210), a Quickie Flush, and Horst Miracle Probes. Part of this project is to re-route the LAV sink from the black tank over to the shower gray tank thus the extra 1.5" pipe.
My camper is very high and the tanks are exposed so it made the job much easier.
To start the job I used my Sewer Solution and Flush King in an attempt to dump and rinse the black tank as much as possible. It took a long time and even when I thought it was done it wasn't. In the end I still got over 5 gallons of crud out of it after I moved the camper back up the diveway where I would work on it. After this was done I removed the toilet and closet flange bolts to see if it was glued or screwed. Its glued. I went into the basement area to inspect the inlet connections and found that the 3" was screwed onto the tank and the vent was glued.
Too much stuff jambed in the basement. It all needs to come out:
The Miricle Probes arrived very quickly so I installed them into the new tank before doing anything else. It is so easy when you have unlimited access.
Marked for probes:
Miricle Probes installed:
Before cutting the inlet plumbing I removed the drain plubing manifold from the 3 waste storage tanks. It was easy and light weight. I left the valves in place which turned out to be a good move when removing the black tank. The tank actually hangs from the front and rear long flanges at the top and only one of the mounts is removable from the camper frame.
Drain manifold removed:
Next step, back into the basement to cut the toilet and vent pipes. I was still up in the air about the method of reconnection so I left plenty of pipe for whatever I decided to do.
Toilet pipe cut:
The lever sensor wires were cut close to the terminals and I supported the tank with a floor jack and a very short step ladder. Once I removed the mount from the frame I noticed that the tank was very heavy compared to the new one. There was still a LOT of sludge remaining that did not come out during my 1 hour draining session. Good thing the valve was on there. Got the tank out and on the ground without incident. The top was caved in and there is a water spot where the waste water collected from the leak. Apparently the toilet inlet coupling cracked.
Tank supported before removal:
Old tank removed:
Compared the new and old tanks then I temporarily installed the new tank and drain piping so the I could glue the drain valve in the proper orientaion and to located the tank to mark the top inlet locations. Back into the basement with a yellow crayon.
Old tank and new tank:
Marked for vent inlet:
Removed everything (again) and then made my decision to go with the rubber inlet grommets that I purchased insted of gluing the fittings that came with the tank. Using my circle cutter I drilled both holes and managed to keep the drops from falling into the tank. Using a Permatex automotive silicone sealant in the groove I installed the grommets and let them cure for a couple of days. I was waiting for the Quickie Flush before continuing. The QF was installed using the same Permatex and stainless steel screws.
Quickie Flush installed next to the toilet pipe inlet:
Quickie Flush connection fastened to lower valance with stainless screws:
The tank was then installed and locked into position with the frame rail. The sensor wires were reconnected. The 3 valves were well lubed with silicone spray then the drain manifold was reinstalled. It was then time to reconnect the inlets. Fortunately the toilet pipe is close to the access door so I made a new section from the 45 ell and ABS pipe. Sealed the pipe to grommet with a little Permatex and re-attached the existing closet flange piping with the 3" flexible coupling. Back into the basement to measure for a stub pipe for the vent. The vent was also sealed to the grommet and a flexible coupling connects it to the original vent pipe.
New sensors connected:
Veiw of the toilet pipe and the modified vent pipe:
With all that done, the toilet ball seal was replaced while it was out of the camper. Then the new floor gasket was installed and the toilet was re-installed.
The next thing was to re-route the LAV sink plumbing. A trip to Lowes netted another 1.5" flexible coupling, a 1.5" flexible cap, and a flexible drain T. I also picked up a PVC saw because the hacksaw is too difficult to cut a straight line through the pipe. Back into the basement to cut of the old drain pipe and to install the cap over the old drain to the black tank. The vent to the gray tank was cut in 2 places and the new T installed. Some measurements, cut ABS pipe, glued 90s and plumbing strap hangers and the job is complete.
New LAV sink plumbing:
To check for leaks the black tank was back filled using the Flush King. I used the water afterwards for the plants because it was clean. The sink drain was checked and is leak free.
All that was left was to re-pack all the stuff I had to take out of the basement. JOB COMPLETE!
Last, but not least, here is Moe keeping watch from on high:
One last thing I should mention. The "stuff" that remained in the tank had to be disposed of properly. I put it in a 5 gallon bucket (then covered) then quickly dumped it in the house toilet. Its very smelly so if you have a weak stomach this might be better left for someone else. Of course a "Slinky" dump or macerator may have worked better initially. I just would not dump it on the ground. Especially in a tight neighborhood.
EDIT> I forgot to indicate the cost for this project. The new tank was $330 shipped to the RV dealer. Plumbing, ABS and flexible PVC $150. Toilet repair and Miricle Probes $70. So the total job cost $550. I would imagine the cost for someone to do this would have been substantially more.
My DIY project for the past couple of weeks has been to replace the black water storage tank in my Jayco 5er. I searched around a bit and came up pretty empty for black tank repairs so I am posting for future reference. Hopefully someone finds it helpful for fixing their old camper. In the end in was not very difficult, just time consuming.
The original tank developed cracks along the center rib on the bottom a couple of years ago which were successfully repaired by using ABS cement and fiberglass cloth. It held up but on our last trip over the Memorial Day weekend I allowed the tank to fill too much and the top started to leak. I was using the tried and true "burb" method to indicate the dump requirement but it failed to do so after I had gone through a couple of dump cycles. I was greated by a smelly stream from the top of the tank. I surmised that the plastic was brittle and nothing short of total encapsulation would fix it. Instead I opted for replacement.
Visited Jayco's web site and found that an authorized dealer is required to order replacement parts so with VIN in hand I contacted Van's RV near Hartford, CT. The new tank arrived quickly and I drove out to pick it up. The replacement tank is made by Ameri-Kart. On my way home I stopped at Arlington RV in RI to get some additional plumbing items because ABS is not sold in big box stores around here. I got 3" and 1.5" rubber inlet grommets, 3" and 1.5" flexible PVC couplings, 3" 45 ell, 1.5" 90 ells, some 3" ABS pipe and some 1.5" ABS pipe. From Amazon I got a new closet flange gasket, toilet ball seal kit (Sealand 210), a Quickie Flush, and Horst Miracle Probes. Part of this project is to re-route the LAV sink from the black tank over to the shower gray tank thus the extra 1.5" pipe.
My camper is very high and the tanks are exposed so it made the job much easier.
To start the job I used my Sewer Solution and Flush King in an attempt to dump and rinse the black tank as much as possible. It took a long time and even when I thought it was done it wasn't. In the end I still got over 5 gallons of crud out of it after I moved the camper back up the diveway where I would work on it. After this was done I removed the toilet and closet flange bolts to see if it was glued or screwed. Its glued. I went into the basement area to inspect the inlet connections and found that the 3" was screwed onto the tank and the vent was glued.
Too much stuff jambed in the basement. It all needs to come out:
The Miricle Probes arrived very quickly so I installed them into the new tank before doing anything else. It is so easy when you have unlimited access.
Marked for probes:
Miricle Probes installed:
Before cutting the inlet plumbing I removed the drain plubing manifold from the 3 waste storage tanks. It was easy and light weight. I left the valves in place which turned out to be a good move when removing the black tank. The tank actually hangs from the front and rear long flanges at the top and only one of the mounts is removable from the camper frame.
Drain manifold removed:
Next step, back into the basement to cut the toilet and vent pipes. I was still up in the air about the method of reconnection so I left plenty of pipe for whatever I decided to do.
Toilet pipe cut:
The lever sensor wires were cut close to the terminals and I supported the tank with a floor jack and a very short step ladder. Once I removed the mount from the frame I noticed that the tank was very heavy compared to the new one. There was still a LOT of sludge remaining that did not come out during my 1 hour draining session. Good thing the valve was on there. Got the tank out and on the ground without incident. The top was caved in and there is a water spot where the waste water collected from the leak. Apparently the toilet inlet coupling cracked.
Tank supported before removal:
Old tank removed:
Compared the new and old tanks then I temporarily installed the new tank and drain piping so the I could glue the drain valve in the proper orientaion and to located the tank to mark the top inlet locations. Back into the basement with a yellow crayon.
Old tank and new tank:
Marked for vent inlet:
Removed everything (again) and then made my decision to go with the rubber inlet grommets that I purchased insted of gluing the fittings that came with the tank. Using my circle cutter I drilled both holes and managed to keep the drops from falling into the tank. Using a Permatex automotive silicone sealant in the groove I installed the grommets and let them cure for a couple of days. I was waiting for the Quickie Flush before continuing. The QF was installed using the same Permatex and stainless steel screws.
Quickie Flush installed next to the toilet pipe inlet:
Quickie Flush connection fastened to lower valance with stainless screws:
The tank was then installed and locked into position with the frame rail. The sensor wires were reconnected. The 3 valves were well lubed with silicone spray then the drain manifold was reinstalled. It was then time to reconnect the inlets. Fortunately the toilet pipe is close to the access door so I made a new section from the 45 ell and ABS pipe. Sealed the pipe to grommet with a little Permatex and re-attached the existing closet flange piping with the 3" flexible coupling. Back into the basement to measure for a stub pipe for the vent. The vent was also sealed to the grommet and a flexible coupling connects it to the original vent pipe.
New sensors connected:
Veiw of the toilet pipe and the modified vent pipe:
With all that done, the toilet ball seal was replaced while it was out of the camper. Then the new floor gasket was installed and the toilet was re-installed.
The next thing was to re-route the LAV sink plumbing. A trip to Lowes netted another 1.5" flexible coupling, a 1.5" flexible cap, and a flexible drain T. I also picked up a PVC saw because the hacksaw is too difficult to cut a straight line through the pipe. Back into the basement to cut of the old drain pipe and to install the cap over the old drain to the black tank. The vent to the gray tank was cut in 2 places and the new T installed. Some measurements, cut ABS pipe, glued 90s and plumbing strap hangers and the job is complete.
New LAV sink plumbing:
To check for leaks the black tank was back filled using the Flush King. I used the water afterwards for the plants because it was clean. The sink drain was checked and is leak free.
All that was left was to re-pack all the stuff I had to take out of the basement. JOB COMPLETE!
Last, but not least, here is Moe keeping watch from on high:
One last thing I should mention. The "stuff" that remained in the tank had to be disposed of properly. I put it in a 5 gallon bucket (then covered) then quickly dumped it in the house toilet. Its very smelly so if you have a weak stomach this might be better left for someone else. Of course a "Slinky" dump or macerator may have worked better initially. I just would not dump it on the ground. Especially in a tight neighborhood.
EDIT> I forgot to indicate the cost for this project. The new tank was $330 shipped to the RV dealer. Plumbing, ABS and flexible PVC $150. Toilet repair and Miricle Probes $70. So the total job cost $550. I would imagine the cost for someone to do this would have been substantially more.
