Leaking fresh water tank

[LITEPHIL]

Has anyone replaced their under trailer frame mounted 40 gallon fresh water tank? I bought my 08 25 ft Salem used and first time I used it I noticed a drip near the drain plug but it stopped and didn't leak on my second trip. Now I filled it up and it's got a pretty good drip going, so I will have to fix it when I get back. But looking closely at the leak, it looks like it has been repaired and is leaking above the drain plug and not the plug its self. I suspect it had a low hanging drain valve that got ripped off and then was repaired and now there is just a plug there. I can tell the tank had been out before since there's a unpainted weld. Anyhow, has any one replaced their under belly tank ? and if so, where did you find one. It looks like a pretty straight forward job, with a small amount of welding on the cross support.
Thanks!

[WayneAt63044]

I would suggest you go the plastic welding route for simplicity. An alternative would be going to http://www.ameri-kart.com for a new tank. Your tank may have numbers written on it that identify the manufacturer and tank model.

[LITEPHIL]

I believe it's a standard size and hangs from the frame of the trailer. I want to get an exact replacement. Guess I should have made that clear that I want to replace it since it looks to have been repaired before. Don't want a custom tank just a replacement tank. My 2007 Forest River toy hauler had an identical set up and I remember the drain hung pretty low on that trailer.
My question is, has anyone replaced their underbelly tank and if so, where did you find it? If it's $1,000 I'll repair it but if it's $250-300 I'll buy a new one.
Thanks!

[midnightsadie]

there,s also shops that can weld plastic.

[Gdetrailer]

LITEPHIL wrote:
...I can tell the tank had been out before since there's a unpainted weld. Anyhow, has any one replaced their under belly tank ? and if so, where did you find one. It looks like a pretty straight forward job, with a small amount of welding on the cross support.
Thanks!

You answered your own question.

Typical RV construction the tanks are dropped in before the floor is installed, the walls are installed over the floor and the roof installed on top of the walls.

Tank is at the very bottom of the entire pile and after the fact removal means you will have to cut and remove the steel cross members that the tank was installed on top of.

There are some specialized plastic tank builders out there that with careful measurements should be able to make you a replacement tank. Pricey and depending on size may require truck shipping.

Here is one that I bookmarked many yrs ago when I was considering a from scratch trailer build.. RONCO-PLASTICS Ended up finding a donor trailer that I rebuilt instead of starting from scratch so I can't attest to how good they are.

You could also try finding someone local to you that does plastic tank repairs. The best way to repair them is using a plastic welding technique. Plastic welding as implied means the plastic is heated then a filler material is added which adds and reinforces the welded areas. Might even wish to consider additional plastic reinforcement around the affected area in case of spider cracks that can't be seen.

[Grit_dog]

Haven’t, but if it looks straightforward to you then it likely is.
The googler says there’s all shapes and sizes of tanks available.
I’ve “replaced” the tanks in our old TC. Not with new, but rebuilt the structure and support around them. Basically removed save for disconnecting the top side connections. It’s just a handyman project. Nothing technical or structural about it I’d imagine.