Broken connections

[Leoleorec]

I now have 3 broken connections on my holding tanks. The first one that broke is the vent pipe on the black water tank. After the next trip the sink drain going to the top of that holding tank broke off and finally the shower drain going to the third holding tank has broken. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 2012 Cruiser Sahara 330.

[MartyinSC]

Wow, this is serious. If one tank did it, you might think the strapping that held the tank up came loose. But for three tanks to do this indicates (to me) something structural. The bottom sheeting is going to have to come off. This may be a job for a pro.

[Leoleorec]

That's what I was afraid of. My initial thought to fixing it was to use a flex attachment much like you would find on a roof penetration to maybe absorb some of the flex and vibration.

[Lloyd]

Are they actually broken, or did they just pull apart?

[socoguy]

Originally Posted by Lloyd

Are they actually broken, or did they just pull apart?

My first thought also. Poor or no cement at all.

[MartyinSC]

I discounted the bad glue when I saw it is a 2012 model. Presumably, it's been OK for 3 years. For all the tanks to come loose now is very strange.

[Stan]

I would not use flex pipe. You will have to drop the membrane and fix it right. You may need to drop a tank to get to the fittings. ABS pipe is pretty easy to work with and use black ABS glue. You my also want to inspect how the tanks are mounted...maybe they shifted which is what caused the issues.

[Alchemistic]

Originally Posted by Stan

I would not use flex pipe. You will have to drop the membrane and fix it right. You may need to drop a tank to get to the fittings. ABS pipe is pretty easy to work with and use black ABS glue. You my also want to inspect how the tanks are mounted...maybe they shifted which is what caused the issues.

Seeing SunSet Trails built I agree
Tank fittings are spin friction welded to tanks
Tanks are loosely held in by cross braces between frame rails
Piping to tanks were slip fitted(saw no gluing), allowing plumbing or tank work late-er

[Leoleorec]

Yes they are fusion welded to the tanks. This is not something that has just happened it is usually one per pull. I only move the camper one maybe 2 times a year.

[r2millers]

Until you pull the membrane down, you can speculate on many possibilities.

I would pull the membrane, look for structural support for each tank, drop if necessary to repair. Many tanks with drain lines use no hubs as connectors and may simply need to be reattached, once the tanks are secured.

When that happened to me, I used "weather shade" as a new membrane as pulling back the original together is almost impossible.

[malojeer]

I took my membrane off and found the bracket that held up the black water tank used 2 small sheet metal screws drilled into the frame sheared off. Talk about a stupid way of doing something. Going down rough roads in Louisiana will do it. Used much bigger screws and added support, problem solved. Not a difficult job even by yourself.