2006 fema Gulf stream rv black and grey tank instalation help

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anthony hos

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Jul 31, 2010
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I purchased a 2006 Gulf 30"fema Trailer I could not pass it up for the price and it is in stellar condition. I had A 1971 20" Holiday  ramber at my club that leaked so i didn't use the toilet sink ect.
Thats why i  picked up the fema trailer so my wife and daughter didn't have to use a port a potty in the restroom any more.
Well the guy at the rv place Failed to tell me that fema rv had no water or sewer tanks.
so im still primitive Rvin it!!
So my question is kinda 3 part so bear with me.
First how do i install the tanks and how many do i need? someone said i need 3,It does have a 8gal hot water tank on it now. all pluming lines are there also so it should be pretty easy i think, so how do i do it and what do i need?
Also can i take the pump and tanks off of the Holiday Ramber? the tanks dont leak the pump works it just had some leaks in the lines.
Any advise would be great
also where would i get the tanks i need? should i order direct from gulf stream? or would after market be fine?

Also it was after i purchased the rv that i herd about the fermeldihide.it is a 2006 does that were down should i be worried about that. i was so excited to see the condition this thing was in. solid floors everything seems to  work great. just some were on the couch but no prob there. anyway any advise ? i have been on this computer foe hours. oh and it does have a real toilet not a camper toilet. 
Thanks
Tony
......
 
I also have a FEMA trailer and have been looking into doing the same thing. Best I can figure we need 2 tanks. I figured a fresh water tank and a black tank. The black tank will be very simple, removed the house toilet and install a RV toilet, put the black tank directly under the toilet and route the other drain lines into the black tank. The Fresh tank shouldn't be hard either. Any fresh water tank will do. Plumb it into the existing water lines, have a toggle switch to power the pump off when connected to city water. You will need a one way valve that will not allow water from city connection to go into the fresh tank cause it would make it overflow through the vent line the tank must have. The city water already has a one way valve that will prevent water shooting out of the city water inlet. I have found many places online to buy tanks.
 
You should want 3 tanks, fresh water, black (toilet only) and gray (sinks & shower). If you mix your black & gray, it will fill fast. If you're at a campground and use the showers there, and just use your toilet, you could go quite a few days without need to empty to empty the black. Start showering in the trailer, it will fill fast if you don't conserve.

From what I have seen, black can be the smaller, but fresh and gray should be close to the same size. If you have x gallons of fresh water, you need to have at least x gallons of tank to put it, and you can't rely on a split between gray/black filling up. Toilet uses little water compared to a sink/shower.

I found this site useful when I was rebuilding a '71 Coachmen, http://www.marxrv.com/plumbing/plumb.htm

 
I'm in the same FEMA trailer predicament as you guys. I couldn't pass the trailer up for the price. It's nice to know there's other people out there in the same boat... or trailer. Mine trailer is a 2005 gulfstream cavalier, 32? feet. Same toilet setup and everything. It was never used and is mint.

Depending how mobile your trailer will be you could just install a freshwater tank and use a portable black/grey tank. The site where I keep my trailer has water and electric but no septic. I'm thinking about picking up one of these tanks. http://www.watertanks.com/category/108/. This isn't ideal if you're going to be moving the trailer a lot since it will approximately weigh 2,000 lbs full for a 250 gallon.  If that will be too much weight you can get a portable septic tote like this. http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-toilets-tanks/25608.htm.  The largest portable tank you'll find is about 40 gallons but it will work in a pinch.

Obviously, the best choice is to install tanks on the trailer but I have two issues with this. 1. the reason I bought the trailer in the first place is because it was cheap. If I install 3 new tanks on the trailer how much added cost am I going to have? Is it worth it? 2. Holding tanks can get heavy. I have no idea if the trailer is constructed to carry the weight of an additional 3 tanks. These were my main concerns with this route.

The formaldehyde issues in these trailers are real. My best advice is keep the trailer as cool as possible. Formaldehyde fumes seem to multiply exponentially as the temperature goes higher. I looked at the trailer I bought and another, both FEMA trailers. It was warm inside and my eyes immediately started to burn when I went in. I suppose a HEPA air filter will help also. I'm putting one in mine.

Hopefully this helps. I'm still learning also.
 
Do any of you have any experience with the fleetwood morgan?  I can not figure out the water system.
 
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