Ultraheat Melted Black Water Tank!

[SLE]

So, I come back from fishing to a prominent sewer smell. Look under the Cedar Creek and noticed a drip from the belly pan. Figured a fitting or something was leaking. Pulled the belly pan and insulation (which was a bit of a nasty job when it's full of sewage!) and start inspecting for a leak. Notice a very slight drip coming from the tape pad that holds the Ultraheat tank heater to the tank. I reach up and touch the tank heater and notice the darn thing is hot! WTH, I get out from under and go into the RV expecting one of the kids flipped the switch on and see that everything is off as it should be. Of course I grilled everyone and nobody had touched it. I went back out, snipped the wires and pulled it off to find it melted a fairly significant hole in the tank (that sucks).

This is where it gets interesting. I pull the pan for the grey tank and touch the heater and notice it's warm but not near as hot as the one I had just removed. Go back in and check the switches to see that they are indeed still off. Start checking a few things with my limited tools and decided I must a have a short somewhere and decide to just remove the 15 amp fuse that runs the tank heaters and the monitor panel. Low and behold and hour later the damn pad is still warm! At this point, I decide I better check the galley tank. Pull the pan to find that one is cold. Well this makes some sense as this heater is on a separate switch from the other two. At this point I clip the wires to the grey tank heater and taped off all of the wires to make sure I don't burn a hole in the grey tank also.

I'll be taking the multi-meter with me back to the lake next weekend to do some checking. If anybody has any suggestions where to start I'm all ears! Second, has anybody had any luck patching a tank? I am hoping to epoxy or jb weld the hole shut as a temporary fix until I can get it home to be worked on. If anyone has some advise, feel free.

Thanks

[0rion]

not only that but depending on the draw, which I'm not sure of, you would probably pop a fuse due to the current anything that heats or cools demands. It being wired incorrectly makes the most sense really. Have you used it in the past during warm weather? Perhaps it's always done it and just never gotten hot enough to melt the tank. To me at least that makes the most sense. Any easy way would be to put a meter on it and have someone topside start pulling fuses until you lose power and see what circuit it's on.

[Weldon]

A second vote for WATER WELD.......I had a leak in the seam of my galley tank, the bottom side. Has held for 2 years with no problem.

[SLE]

Thanks for the info! All I know is they are powered up with the switches in the off position and the 15 amp fuse removed! Obviously they are tied to something else or have a short causing a hot connection. Thinking about this a bit make me wonder if I have a short with a hot connection why the light on the switch isn't lit?

[lakeside013104]

My problem with our new 2014 Bighorn was not exactly like yours, but this may give you an idea. To make a long story short, when you turned on the inside panel switch for the 120v electric water heater, the current went to the YETTI cold weather heating pads on the holding tanks. When you turned on the switch for the YETTI heating pads, the electric water heater was powered up. In behind the switch panel on the inside of the 5er there are five relays that are connected with color coded wires. Two of the relays had the wrong color wires on them. I swapped out the two wires and put them with their corresponding colored wires and everything works as it should. Good luck and keep us informed.

Lakeside

[pianotuna]

Hi,

A double layer of Eternabond will work. One patch to cover the leak, and then another larger piece to cover the patch.

I would still let the ultra heat folks know that under certain conditions their unit can melt the tank.

[SLE]

The unit is 5 years old so I'm pretty sure I'm on my own.

Thanks for the input on patching the tank, especially the Water Weld Suggestion. I may use a combination of things but the water weld should get me started since it may be slightly wet even after it's been drained. I was thinking some 3000 psi marine epoxy as a final smear on product. The stuff is tough as nails but it has to be dry to apply. I'm pretty handy as far as electrical goes but without my trusty multi-meter I couldn't do much out side of clip a couple of wire, tape them off, pull the fuse that it's suppose to be tied to and hold off until I can be properly prepared. I'll know more next weekend when I get back down to the lake with some tools. FYI, the camper is set up on a season site and typically only comes home at the end of the season.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I would be contacting the Ultraheat folks.

[Ed9824v]

are they temperature controlled and switch on and off??

[schlep1967]

I think I would Remove wiring all the wiring going to those pads and reinstall everything with new wiring and pads. If you use them. If you removed the correct fuse and there is still power there, you have to have some wires shorted so power is coming through another fuse. Hook up the multi-meter and pull fuses one at a time until you lose power to those heater wires. Then figure out if it is wired to that fuse or if a few wires have been rubbed enough to remove the insulation and short together.

[0rion]

I can't help you with the first part really.....just sounds like a short somewhere. Have you checked that switch to make sure it's not bad? I would think it almost has to be either in the switch or between the switch and heater.

I would make a patch for that tank and epoxy it on there really good. I see no reason why that wouldn't work. Just make sure it's clean and dry before you do it.

[rockhillmanor]

WATER WELD by j-b weld.
Drinking water safe
Repair and Seal underwater or in wet conditions

Ace Hardware carries it.

You can actually permanently patch a hole under water with it! It comes in a tube the size of a jumbo crayon. It's 2 colored putty, mix together and slap it on. Dries as hard as concrete that you can drill it or sand it. I've used it several times and it's a permanent fix that works when it comes to water items.

This stuff is incredible. You most likely will not have to even drop it to have it repaired after you patch it with this stuff.

check the specs out here
http://www.jbweld.com/product/j-b-waterweld/