This will be hilarious some day: our blackwater tank fell off

[Bearcatrp]

Where they better built before 2017? I assumed it has always been rather random.

I think I will start a new thread on this subject.

-Don- Mission, TX

Owned 2 rvs prior to my current one. A used tow behind (2010) and a 2017 new 5th wheel. Both were rock solid. The new 2017 had one problem during ownership. Everyone I have talked to at Rv parks with newer rvs after 2018 complained about all the crap that needs fixing. One guy had his thermal stuff underneath come off as he was heading to the campground

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Not a happy camper. There was something about using a grinder to clean the pipes. Something about having to smooth out adhesive so things don’t get stuck there.

Many jokes.

And this: “why couldn’t it have been the grey tank?”.

The hefty brackets arrived and will go on tomorrow. The marine adhesive needs to cure 24 hours. He’s Not sure if any strapping will work because the only place to attach is the underside of the plywood floor which is where the brackets attach. He got meatier screws too.

Apparently the repair went very well. “Textbook” he said. He also said “it should be better than when it came off the line.”

We plan to test it by filling it up (with water and ice to clean it) and taking it down our lane.

 

[JudyJB]

I guess I am lucky it was my refrigerator door that fell off last week!!!

 

[Bearcatrp]

I guess I am lucky it was my refrigerator door that fell off last week!!!

What needed replacing?

 

[JudyJB]

The hinge on mine was plastic and part of the door frame, so I could not replace the entire door. Also all the dealers around here are backed up for several weeks. Will try it myself and then try to find a mobile RV mechanic.

I picked up an entire door today. Now I just need to find good instructions. I did find some videos, but they referred to three small silver screws, which mine does not have. But it looks like the top snaps off easily.

 

[dufferDave]

How to repair?
You already have been given some ideas, they are much better than mine. Perhaps not quite as satisfying.
I was thinking of a match....

 

[Isaac-1]

Where they better built before 2017? I assumed it has always been rather random.

I think I will start a new thread on this subject.

-Don- Mission, TX

Well mine turns 22 years old next week, hit 100,000 miles in May and still has its original black tank.

 

[DonTom]

Well mine turns 22 years old next week, hit 100,000 miles in May and still has its original black tank.

My Y2k motorhome still has all the original tanks as well. It's a year (or two) older than yours. and around 140 K-miles, IIRC.

-Don- 78572-4848

 

[Onyrlef]

View attachment 169044
Not a happy camper. There was something about using a grinder to clean the pipes. Something about having to smooth out adhesive so things don’t get stuck there.

Many jokes.

And this: “why couldn’t it have been the grey tank?”.

The hefty brackets arrived and will go on tomorrow. The marine adhesive needs to cure 24 hours. He’s Not sure if any strapping will work because the only place to attach is the underside of the plywood floor which is where the brackets attach. He got meatier screws too.

Apparently the repair went very well. “Textbook” he said. He also said “it should be better than when it came off the line.”

We plan to test it by filling it up (with water and ice to clean it) and taking it down our lane.

Am I to understand you glue brackets to the black tank, 50+ gallons ~ 400 lbs full, and screw those into the plywood subfloor? Not clear as well why attaching a bracket to the plywood subfloor will work but attaching straps won't. Just my two cents but I'd do both, I'm just too old school to trust a setup like that, if the picture I'm getting is accurate.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Am I to understand you glue brackets to the black tank, 50+ gallons ~ 400 lbs full, and screw those into the plywood subfloor? Not clear as well why attaching a bracket to the plywood subfloor will work but attaching straps won't. Just my two cents but I'd do both, I'm just too old school to trust a setup like that, if the picture I'm getting is accurate.

The discharge pipe above the waste valve according to the schematics was supposed to be screwed into the tank, instead it was glued and clamped. The tank relied on 4 brackets holding it to the plywood subfloor. 1 of those brackets was missing and the 2nd was just hanging there, that’s what caused the tank to fall. The glue failed on the discharge pipe coming out of the tank causing the full tank to empty and slide down.( Interestingly, the grey tank has same setup, but 6 brackets holding the tank to the floor.)

The repair was to remove the 4 screws on the waste valve to be able to extract that section so it could be cleaned (using a 3” sanding flap wheel) for the new glue. Then to use marine adhesive, which is flexible but watertight, to replace the inflexible glue that was used by manufacturers to hold the pipe to the tank and then reclamped to the tank/drain pipe with a better clamp. (Kind of like the photo below, if it stops raining I’ll try to take a picture of the repair job)

The tank will be reattached to the subfloor by 3 of the original brackets and 3 meatier brackets and better screws once the glue cures. We don’t think additional straps will help because there’s really no place to secure/attach them.

If I can get a photo of the repair job I’ll post in case anyone else hits this bit of fun.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Drain pipe to tank repair. Once we get the brackets back on we’ll try to take a photo of that. The tank is currently being held up by a car/scissors jack.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

I guess I am lucky it was my refrigerator door that fell off last week!!!

Probably an easier, and more pleasant fix!

 

[Ex-Calif]

Drain pipe to tank repair. Once we get the brackets back on we’ll try to take a photo of that. The tank is currently being held up by a car/scissors jack.

Hat's off to you. Good looking repair. I am still flabbergasted that you are having to do this on a 2023 RV.

 

[Onyrlef]

I'd look into the compatibility of marine adhesives to abs plastic as well, most are not. ABS adhesive, the black stuff, works best.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Hat's off to you. Good looking repair. I am still flabbergasted that you are having to do this on a 2023 RV.

Thanks. We’re still flabbergasted too.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

We wanted to post a photo of the actual culprit of this “event”. One bracket fell off and the other detached. This photo is after we reattached the one bracket. We have upgraded these brackets, and when/if the ground ever dries out we’ll take photos of the better brackets we installed. We also added another stap to support the pipe that detached, again, when it dries out we’ll snap a photo to close this issue out for anyone else who may hit this.

 

[Ray-IN]

I would file a complaint with the NRVIA and the coach Mfgr. The regulations state the support must be adequate to support the weight of a full tank while driving.

 

[Laura & Charles]

I have a black tank tale. Our starter coach was a 2010 Pace Arrow. It had a Vacu-Flush toilet. They move the contents of the toilet bowl to the black tank when the toilet cannot be located above the black tank and a gravity toilet used.

I blame Indiana’s highways for our problem, not Fleetwood. We hit a patch of really rough road on I-70 with no warning… bouncing to where I nearly lost control (and probably lost some fillings). The tank didn’t fall completely off, but a bracket gave out and the tank dropped to the sheet metal that enclosed our tanks and plumbing; breaking the inlet fitting to the tank.

This all unbeknownst to us. The Vacu-Flush toilet continued to empty the contents of the bowl, but now into the space between the floor and the sheet metal where tanks and plumbing reside. Because of the proximity of the broken fitting’s (now two) parts to each other, some of the flush did go into the black tank… so the issue went unnoticed. After a couple of months, we started to notice a smell. The sheet metal that formed the bottom of our new ‘holding tank’ allowed liquid to dribble out, leaving a thick sludge. (I have pictures that are too disgusting to share.)

Hats off to Countryman’s Marine and RV Services in Foley, AL. They cut access panels, cleaned out all the sh*t, figured out and fixed the problem.

We had an extended service agreement at the time. They didn’t cover this. I saw the email they sent to Countryman’s saying the agreement didn’t cover “bracketology”(!).

Just thought I’d share my black tank tale to maybe make you feel better (if that’s even possible; our story was in 2018… we’re not laughing yet).

 

[Onyrlef]

We wanted to post a photo of the actual culprit of this “event”. One bracket fell off and the other detached. This photo is after we reattached the one bracket. We have upgraded these brackets, and when/if the ground ever dries out we’ll take photos of the better brackets we installed. We also added another stap to support the pipe that detached, again, when it dries out we’ll snap a photo to close this issue out for anyone else who may hit this. View attachment 169568

The brackets are great, lag bolts in plywood for overhead support of anything, much less 500 lbs, not so great. There should have been blocking installed behind the subfloor to support that much suspended weight. 1/4 turn too much on a lag bolt, especially in plywood and it's useless.

 

[Ex-Calif]

Those bolts under tension appear to be a bad solution. In the open holes it doesn't appear that there is any wood backing behind the fiberglass and the fiberglass looks pretty thin.

If I had to repair this type of install I would seriously consider adding more brackets to share the tension loads.