Poo water

[Leaks]

Hello all, Here goes my inaugural post!

I've been reading this forum for a bit and found good advice before. Just like a lot of others, I've finally joined up to share/ask for some information.



I have a 2015 Gateway 3900SL. We use it very frequently and in our current location there is no sewer hookup. So Im buying a tank to take the black water to a dumping area. Of course I'm late in doing this and the tank is full. The problem is the camper smells like a portapotty! I've been needing to seal up all the open areas since we got to the humid South FL a couple weeks ago (its condensing into a torrent of flood waters inside), so why not look for the source of the stink at the same time.

Well, I found it (and a lot of areas not sealed up from the factory - more on that later). I was dreading, but secretly hoping it was just a simple pipe where the shoddy workmanship of a gateway employee just press fit the poo pipe, neglecting to glue it. It wasn't that easy. The top of the black water tank and the flange interface has standing water around it. I cannot see how far the water extends, but the resulting stink is enough to make your eyes water inside the camoer. SO, what do I do? I will dry it up, but should I run water over it, clean it, then pour grey PVC cement on it? Epoxy?

Any suggestions would be wonderful.

[GDS-3950BH]

Leaks wrote:


What is strange is that a lot of the responses (besides reprimanding me), seem to assume that leaks are normal? Am I reading that right?

You are reading that correct, just tour an RV factory and if you have the slightest amount of mechanical aptitude it may leave you wondering why you would ever buy one. Everything from solvent joints where they forget solvent to pex fittings clamped with hose clamps or barbed fittings clamped with pex rings. These things are junk, every one that has ever rolled out a factory door. They're assembled by nose picking pieceworkers with little to no training and no QC or QA other than a statement on a brochure telling you how high quality they are. Its all BS.

[Leaks]

Thats what I figured! Thank you for chiming in, RLS.

[RLS7201]

I don't believe the leak you experienced is normal. But into todays age of no quality, any thing can happen. MY 25 year old coach has never had a black tank leak or a gray tank water leak. I have experienced a couple anti-syphon trap vent failures.

Richard

[Leaks]

The other thing is the vent pipe is fully sealed with no leaks, tank side. The pipe is in tact to the roof.

What is strange is that a lot of the responses (besides reprimanding me), seem to assume that leaks are normal? Am I reading that right?

I am hoping I am wrong about that. No matter how full a blackwater tank gets, as long as it doesn't make it to the toilet or out of the vent pipe, I don't believe there should ever be an allowable leak in that system! Full or not - camper, home, or other, a black water tank MUST be sealed. Are the people that are expecting leaks actually experiencing constant leaks and considering it normal?!

[Leaks]

I appreciate the responses.

Here's what happened and what I did. I removed the wall between the front lower storage and the inner workings where the poo pipe enters the tank (wires and such are back there). The top of the black water tank has a pp fitting friction welded into the tank. That particular fitting has an ID thread. My search showed me that the threads are secure, so re the glue joints. The issue is the friction weld has partially failed or may have never been leak checked at the factory (more likely).

I emptied the blackwater tank into an external tank, which I brought to the local waste dump. From there I cleaned the poo juice around the tank top and fitting, resealed the top, and foamed the openings where humid air was coming in.

The smell is gone, the poo juice leak is done, and the camper is now fully sealed. I also put a dehumidifier in the storage area and resealed the interior.

[Oasisbob]

Take it to the dump station, rinse and repeat. Hopefully you have a tank flusher built in. Never, never let it get that full again. You can damage the wood under the toilot as it leaks around the base. Only way to really check tank level is to look down the toilot when flushing. I am not a fan of chemicals but this may be needed. If you still smell sewer gas check the drain vent tube first of all. If the bowl holds water your flush seal is good

[Bumpyroad]

midnightsadie wrote:
hose it off ,get that tank emptyed it might just be the vent pipe .and never let the poo get that fool. ask at the office there might be a poo truck that services the area.

there should be a honey wagon in the vicinity.
bumpy

[Lwiddis]

Since the black tank is full and you may need to clear the vent, forget the portable tank this time. Take the RV to the dump site then dump, fill, dump, fill and dump.

[midnightsadie]

hose it off ,get that tank emptyed it might just be the vent pipe .and never let the poo get that fool. ask at the office there might be a poo truck that services the area.