Black tank injury March 10, 2016, 11:51:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 159299So I'm rinsing my black tank after emptying and the cover falls off and fortunately mostly water comes rushing out. It doesn't look like anything broke, maybe came unglued? Since I'm on my way to Morro Bay I'm hoping someone there can help diagnose so I can repair? I posted a couple of pictures.Thanks!DeDe 92 RL, 22'
Re: Black tank injury Reply #1 – March 10, 2016, 06:24:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159304Hi Dede,I was at the Mothership a couple of hours ago and mentioned your problem to Vince.Knowing the year and model helped, but he wondered if you were the original owner. If not, then the previous owner could have done any number of things to the connection between the black tank and the valve assembly.I asked if it may have been connected using a rubber boot and hose clamps. He said that may be a possibility. It is unlikely that the union had been glued together.I also spoke to a gentleman, while there, that was having a new AC unit installed on his '92 RL. He said he was heading to the Morro Bay GT and said he would keep an eye out for you.So there you have it.Good Luck.Kent
Re: Black tank injury Reply #2 – March 10, 2016, 10:31:02 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159306Dede, I will be in Morro Bay Friday. I'm the guy Kent mentioned. We can look at my 92 to see if there are any clues. Space 122
Re: Black tank injury Reply #3 – March 11, 2016, 09:07:52 am Yahoo Message Number: 159311Last year I ran over an object on Route 10 in Texas (middle of nowhere), and it dislodged the elbow and drain valve on the black water tank of our 1997/8 26.5 mid-bath. The elbow rotated downwards about 30 degrees, putting the drain valve closer to the road. I did not notice this (duh), and over 2,000 miles later noticed and fixed it at home.What I found on our coach is that the elbow was a slip-fit into the flange on the tank. Around the outside of the elbow, inside the flange, was the ubiquitous LD polyurethane caulk. On the outside of the flange was a stainless steel hose clamp, covered almost completely in a translucent caulk (probably silicone). I suspect that a prior owner added the translucent caulk, but have no way of confirming that.Being the "belts and suspenders" guy I am, I was not willing to rely on a slip fit and single clamp to keep things in place. So, I slipped a cut-down Fernco 1056-44 coupling over the elbow before I slipped the coupling into the tank flange. This replaced the single clamp used before. I did not apply new polyurethane caulk inside the flange. I tightened the Fernco's two stainless steel clamps onto the tank flange and the elbow, loaded the tank with water, and retightened to eliminate a leak.I also added an aluminum support strap between the outlet valve and the side skirt. They grey water tank had a steel strap already. Having a strap means the weight of the valve is no longer cantilevered off the tank flange. In the case of the mid-bath, it also means that when the black tank moves relative to the skirt, a rotational force is applied to the elbow- but I figured the rubber Fernco would mean that wasn't a problem as it might have been should the Fernco not be there.A long post, but maybe some of it will help when you get to your repairs.Mark
Re: Black tank injury Reply #4 – March 11, 2016, 10:24:42 am Yahoo Message Number: 159314MarkTo most, it means little without some photos. Pics please.Larry A rainy day in Morro Bay, siting amongst 50 or more LDs.Larry
Re: Black tank injury Reply #5 – March 11, 2016, 06:43:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159319Larry-You found me out! This is one project where I didn't take any photos. I did post one photo that shows the screws holding the new support bracket to the skirt. But I have none of the tank flange, elbow, Fernco coupling, etc., either disassembled or in place. Sad, I know.Mark
Re: Black tank injury Reply #6 – March 12, 2016, 04:52:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 159322I took a closer look at DeeDee's pictures. It appears as if it worked the same as mine: slip fit into the flange, hose clamp on the outside. I don't see the clamp in the pictures, though. Unless it broke off (they sometimes do), it should have fallen off with the valve. On the other hand, if it broke off, maybe that's why the valve is on the ground!If the assembly goes together the same, then a Fernco fitting such as what I used would be perfect to reassemble it. Here's a link to the Fernco web page for the item. The 4-inch size is common; I picked up mine at a big box home improvement store.The Fernco would lower the valve relative to the skirt by a couple of inches, but I think this would not create a problem with ground clearance.Plumbers use Fernco fittings to repair broken pipes, so this is a suitable application for one.Although it's probably not necessary in this application, if you want to shorten the fitting, slide it over a PVC pipe section and use a hacksaw (or better yet, a Japanese pull saw) to cut around the diameter until it's fully cut through. Make sure you cut the preformed groove for the clamp completely off. Otherwise, the clamp on the cut off end will not seat properly on the fitting.Again, I'm sorry I don't have any pictures.Mark
Re: Black tank injury Reply #7 – March 12, 2016, 05:05:23 am Yahoo Message Number: 159323Oops- I gave an incorrect Fernco part number. The correct number for a 3-inch pipe is 1056-33. Here's a link to the product page on Fernco's Web site.The 1056-44 is for a 4-inch pipe, and would be too big for this application.Mark
Re: Black tank injury Reply #8 – March 12, 2016, 09:54:09 am Yahoo Message Number: 159329Quote On Mar 12, 2016, at 4:05 AM, [lifewithalazydazerv] wrote:Oops- I gave an incorrect Fernco part number. The correct number for a 3-inch pipe is 1056-33. Here's a link to the product page on Fernco's Web site.The 1056-44 is for a 4-inch pipe, and would be too big for this application.Mark
Re: Black tank injury Reply #9 – March 13, 2016, 03:53:10 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159349Hi Paul, Would you mind sending me the pic you took of your black tank valve assembly setup? I went to Ace and picked up a 3" coupler but can't figure out how it is connected. Thanks, DeDe
Re: Black tank injury Reply #10 – March 14, 2016, 02:42:20 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159367A thousand thank yous to Kent, Paul, Mark, and everyone at Morro Bay who took the time to read my post and/or look at the problem. Although I wasn't able to fix it myself, I was able to get a complete understanding of what the problem was. I bought a new valve assembly but wasn't able to find a rubber boot that would connect it to the black tank. I went to Morro Bay RV Repair this morning and Mike found a connector, shortened it, glued it into the valve assembly and clamped the other end to the black tank. The result looks great! As a new RV'er, and full time, I feel like every day is a challenge to learn something new. I'm not sure I'd be able to roll with all the punches if not for all the wonderful people in the RV community, and this LD group in particular. So I thank you for helping me to live my dream. DeDe 1992, 22' TK (now seeking something newer/bigger)
Re: Black tank injury Reply #11 – March 14, 2016, 05:07:56 pm Yahoo Message Number: 159369Dede,Like the old sit-com, "Family Matters", that's LWALDRV. It's good to belong.Congratulations on your repair. Glad it all worked out. Hope that's the toughest hurdle you need to jump.Easyin' On Down The Road.Kent
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