Black Tank Fell/Separated

[swtbs81]

I am the original owner of a 2008 CF32QB, have enjoyed it and had very little problems so far, but today had a major issue.

Today while flushing the black tank, I heard a noise under the trailer and then black water was running out from under the trailer where the location of the black tank is (thankfully I had already flushed the tank 3 times and was on the last flush). It has the insulated/sealed bottom so I couldn't see what the issue was immediately. After a huge clean up effort, we made it home and I began the inspection process of what happened. It appears the tank fell away from the plumbing connection of the toilet. It also appears that there is a set of angle iron braces that hold the tank up and secure, but my tank had fallen way below the angle iron. The grey water tank is installed in the same fashion, so I am guessing the shoulders of the black tank should be resting inside the angle iron like it is on the gray water tank???

This looks like a labor intensive repair, but I'm willing to give it a shot before I turn it over to the shop. But I think part of the problem is a lack of bracing of the angle iron, it appears the angle iron rotated enough for the shoulders to fall out of its place and due to the weight of the tank, it fell.

Does anyone have experience with what I am up against and how to go about it? Any tips and/or advice is appreciated.

Thanks!

[Stan]

you are correct in your assessment of how the tank is supported. There are two rather flimsy angle braces that run perpendicular to the main RV frame rails. The tank itself has two ribs that rest up and onto these support braces. It sound like these braces shifted and widened the space enough to let the tank drop. Other than the ABS pipe fittings, there is nothing else holding up the tank. The hard part will be reconnecting the toilet and vent fittings after getting the tank re-supported. Your lucky you weren't on the road when it fell!

[malojeer]

our 08 CF32BL had the same problem the screw broke that held the bracket to the frame broke. I went with a larger size self drilling screw and reinstalled. I also ran two 2 by 2's under the tank and fastened them to the frame. I don't remember exactly how I did it since it happened in 2010. I seem to remember it wasn't that difficult.

[petehami]

Same thing happened to my 2011 Seville. It is built the same way. My problem was my own creation, I forgot the flush was running and overfilled the tank while at NellisAFB where the pressure was very high. The pressure blew it down between the braces. Fortunately, the plumbing stayed in place and all I had to do was jack it back in place. It now is held by a ratchet strap and has been fine for the last 2 years.

You would have thought water would have been going out the roof vent but it never did.

[Lloyd]

The supports for the tanks have been an issue on that vintage unit. There has been a lot of discussion here on that problem.
I know after reading about the issues members were running into, I added extra support under my black tank. Which is pretty easy to do.
Your issue is a little more serious. I'm not just sure what kind of a job it will be to get at the tank to reinstall the plumbing, or if you will need a new tank. Until you get it opened up so you can inspect the damage you won't know if the pipes simply pulled out of the fittings, or pulled everything out of the tank causing damage there that would be need to replace it.
I wish you the best of luck on the project, and please keep us informed on the progress and what you find.

After thinking a little more about this, I believe it was the fresh water tank that was creating the most of the problems. Probably because more people traveled with water in their tank.
There were stories on the black tank also.

[johnboytoo]

THAT is another one of those jobs I'd call crossroads about

not something I'd want to tackle at all !!!

good luck !

[swtbs81]

Thanks for all of the input. I was able to pull back the insulation and get a better look at the issue. The forward angle iron support is what was compromised, it just twisted and the tank fell. As best I can tell, it looks like the plumbing just separated and the tank or fittings to not appear to be broken. Here are a few photo's of what it looks like






I will keep you posted on the progress. I plan to remove the compromised angle iron so that I can raise the tank up with jacks, ensure the tank drains completely, then relower the tank to ensure the tank isn't broken and the pipes are ok, then raise the tank back up and reattach the plumbing...sounds easy but it is definitely a 6 pack repair to start with!

[Lloyd]

It looks like you have a good handle on the task. You seem to be progressing OK. Hopefully the tank won't need to be replaced and you can just raise it back into position and glue the fittings back together.
When you get done with it, make sure to add some more reinforcement underneath. Then take a look at your fresh water tank area and maybe add some reinforcement there also.

[Dayle1]

There are two screws on each side of the brace, if one broke, then the brace can rotate. Sounds like this is what happened. You may have to remove the broken screw or drill a new hole. You can use a larger screw or a bolt and nut. Check and/or replace other screws as well.

[swtbs81]

Update:
I inspected the screws and they were intact, and a PITA to remove as I couldn't get my impact in the tight space. I think the angle iron was installed to far apart, only catching a portion of the shoulders of the tank, and it gave away under the weight of almost a full tank. There was no damage to the plumbing, probably because the inlets to the top of the tank are flexible rubber boots/gasket type fittings. I called CR Service and inquired about what type of sealant I should use and was told to use "regular PVC Glue" to adhere a plastic down drain from the toilet and vent pipe to the rubber boot fittings on the tank. Well we all know that isn't going to cut it, so I am on the hunt for a sealer to use in this application. The other issue I have is the angle iron isn't going to be able to be removed without cutting it out, so I will probably leave it in there, and figure out a way to reinforce it with a piece of tubing and will do the same for the gray tank since it is easily accessed right now. We don't ever use the fresh water tank, so I'm going to save my beer for another project.