Install fresh water tank

[d-mac1]

I am contemplating installing a new fresh water tank in my trailer. Its a long story, but the short version is I've apparently got a couple hairline cracks in mine as a result of how the vent is installed (it goes under water and the tank expands until the pressure is enough to blow water out the vent line)...plus possibly some freezing at the pump line connection last winter.

If I can find a tank that fits, which seems like I should be able to, can anyone tell me how to drill in the fittings for the fresh water fill, vent and pump line connections? From what I've been told, manufacturers don't use glue, but they spin em in and allow the heat generated to seal them. I dunno if thats right or not.

Thanks.

[slomark]

Last year, I installed a secondary 45g fresh water tank. Some tanks come pre plumbed, others you can specify where the connections are, in my case when I purchased the tank I ordered a set of compression type bung fittings. After looking at how flimsy the connection would be, the local rv store recommended a repairman that uses spin fittings that melt into the side of the tank. Worked out great, however save the hassle and find a tank that is pre plumbed.

[d-mac1]

Thanks okan-star. I've looked at how mine comes out and was afraid the cross members that it sits on would be welded in, fortunately, they're bolted in. They're bowed down from the weight, so seems like crappy design all the way around.

Time to vent...pun somewhat intended...I am not in favor of more regulations, but it seems that the stuff the RV industry does is nearly criminal. Post after post after post of manufacturer issues. Imagine if when you bought a car, the first thing you had to do if you wanted to drive it was go buy new tires...and in my case, rims to handle the tires I wanted. Has anyone considered making a fuss with some regulatory body about what we are subjected to? Many thousands of dollars spent, and in some cases, on something barely north of junk. Probably need a separate thread for this vs buried here where only a few will see it.

Thanks for allowing the vent.

Dave

[okan-star]

d-mac1 wrote:

okan-star wrote:
I had the same , or similar thing on my Hitchhiker water tank .
Tank vent was at the side on top , and would be water logged , venting no air as tank would continue to blow up like a balloon with a huge air pocket in the top center
It cracked at an inside corner at the top , because of the stress.

I pulled it out and had a shop weld the cracks and put a gusset on it
Also had them weld in a new fitting in the top center , which I tee`d into the existing vent line
I don't fill the tank until the vent line pucks water , I stop when the panel says its full , all good now

Sounds like same thing!! Yes...vent is near top but on side. Also, the routing of my vent line goes up and down along the bottom of my trailer to an opening up by the rest of my connections on the side of my trailer. When I got the trailer, the vent line hung underneath and it would siphon. Took it back and dealer 'fixed' to like this.

How did they weld the cracks and what is the gusset? Is the latter essentially a strap around it to keep it from expanding?

Who did you find to do the work? I dunno if there is a shop in the Denver area that would do it, but I like it better than buying a new tank for around $500. Of course, my dealer wants hundreds just to install and remove so I'm hoping to fix it myself and will prolly hafta stop the fill like you do....i.e. before its really full.

I can hear my vent line go under water when filling...a vent at the top should be the only way to do things on a tank, but perhaps there is no space. I won't know until I really get in there. My tank is a 100 gallon flat rectangle the full width of my trailer between the frame. Why did you leave the side vent line on?

The cracks in mine would open up more when I filled it

I pulled the tank out and filled it on the ground , the vent on the side top would go under water and the center top would have a huge air pocket with nowhere to relive it . When the tank was installed there are steel joists that would keep it from expanding at a certain point , but on the ground a 70 gal low flat tank would keep filling until it looked round
The tank was square except for one corner that was cut out , inset for the drain , to form an in side corner and at the top , where it cracked .
Look for a shop that does tanks and other plastics for plating and such things , should be some in the phone book in the Denver area
The gusset was just another piece of plastic over the crack .
I left the vent on the side because it was there and it does release air until it goes under water
Pull it out and look at it , you have to anyway to replace it . It wasen`t easy to get mine out , but it was made to come out . I could have bought a new tank from Kansas rv they had left over but for a hundred bucks to try this and my labor was better than $500. plus truck freight

[d-mac1]

TrickyRicky wrote:


Where are you getting your tank from? If from the manufacturer of your trailer it may come with the fittings already installed. On the few I have worked on they have been already installed.

Its like most things RV....they (the dealer) doesn't even know (and they say Forest River won't know) what tank they put in, so I need to take it in to dealer for them to pull it out. They allege they may have just put in whatever they had sitting around. Absolutely BS. Bottom line, they just want my $.

I'm pretty sure that if I try to buy it from the dealer or Forest River, it will cost about 2x what it should. I actually started that direction, but learned what I mentioned above.

So, my dealer gave me the name of a couple companies where they get tanks. Pelland Enterprises was one.

[d-mac1]

okan-star wrote:
I had the same , or similar thing on my Hitchhiker water tank .
Tank vent was at the side on top , and would be water logged , venting no air as tank would continue to blow up like a balloon with a huge air pocket in the top center
It cracked at an inside corner at the top , because of the stress.

I pulled it out and had a shop weld the cracks and put a gusset on it
Also had them weld in a new fitting in the top center , which I tee`d into the existing vent line
I don't fill the tank until the vent line pucks water , I stop when the panel says its full , all good now

Sounds like same thing!! Yes...vent is near top but on side. Also, the routing of my vent line goes up and down along the bottom of my trailer to an opening up by the rest of my connections on the side of my trailer. When I got the trailer, the vent line hung underneath and it would siphon. Took it back and dealer 'fixed' to like this.

How did they weld the cracks and what is the gusset? Is the latter essentially a strap around it to keep it from expanding?

Who did you find to do the work? I dunno if there is a shop in the Denver area that would do it, but I like it better than buying a new tank for around $500. Of course, my dealer wants hundreds just to install and remove so I'm hoping to fix it myself and will prolly hafta stop the fill like you do....i.e. before its really full.

I can hear my vent line go under water when filling...a vent at the top should be the only way to do things on a tank, but perhaps there is no space. I won't know until I really get in there. My tank is a 100 gallon flat rectangle the full width of my trailer between the frame. Why did you leave the side vent line on?

[okan-star]

I had the same , or similar thing on my Hitchhiker water tank .
Tank vent was at the side on top , and would be water logged , venting no air as tank would continue to blow up like a balloon with a huge air pocket in the top center
It cracked at an inside corner at the top , because of the stress.

I pulled it out and had a shop weld the cracks and put a gusset on it
Also had them weld in a new fitting in the top center , which I tee`d into the existing vent line
I don't fill the tank until the vent line pucks water , I stop when the panel says its full , all good now

[CapnCampn]

When I wanted to add a gray tank to my 1970 trailer, I found a tank manufacturer pretty local to me & just gave them the dimensions & locations & sizes of holes. Yes, they spun the fittings right in while I was standing there & then leak checked it in a big water tank.

CC

[TrickyRicky]

d-mac1 wrote:
I am contemplating installing a new fresh water tank in my trailer. Its a long story, but the short version is I've apparently got a couple hairline cracks in mine as a result of how the vent is installed (it goes under water and the tank expands until the pressure is enough to blow water out the vent line)...plus possibly some freezing at the pump line connection last winter.

If I can find a tank that fits, which seems like I should be able to, can anyone tell me how to drill in the fittings for the fresh water fill, vent and pump line connections? From what I've been told, manufacturers don't use glue, but they spin em in and allow the heat generated to seal them. I dunno if thats right or not.

Thanks.

Where are you getting your tank from? If from the manufacturer of your trailer it may come with the fittings already installed. On the few I have worked on they have been already installed.