Gray Tank Repair

[Vermilye]

Well, I'm joining those that need to repair a tank. Hit a chunk of road debris on my trip to the DC area, and punched a 3" hole in the front (as well as a crack top to bottom) of the gray tank.

I plan to plastic weld the crack, and until I get home to crawl under the trailer, haven't decided how to deal with the hole. I've seen suggestions of JB Weld Waterweld, using Eternal Bond roof seam tape, even Gorilla Tape, but finding stuff that will stick to the polypropylene tank is difficult. For those that have made repairs in the past, how well did what you used hold up?

[MyronL]

A 3 inch hole?? Well that's a major bummer, Jon. Good luck with repair attempts -- but you know it -- repairs to that specific plastic material is a tough one.

[stephen99]

Sorry to hear that Jon.

[MVA]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

Well, I'm joining those that need to repair a tank. Hit a chunk of road debris on my trip to the DC area, and punched a 3" hole in the front (as well as a crack top to bottom) of the gray tank.

I plan to plastic weld the crack, and until I get home to crawl under the trailer, haven't decided how to deal with the hole. I've seen suggestions of JB Weld Waterweld, using Eternal Bond roof seam tape, even Gorilla Tape, but finding stuff that will stick to the polypropylene tank is difficult. For those that have made repairs in the past, how well did what you used hold up?

Jon,

Sorry that you have to deal with this problem. I am interested on your approach (repair/replace/tank vender source) so I can mentally log it for most likely future needed reference.

[WaltP]

Good luck with that repair Jon. We'll all be watching your progress.
I had a recent accident that caused me to think I'd need the answer now.
Driving on I81 in traffic, all of a sudden there was tire and wheel laying on the road in front of me. The other lane was full so I had nowhere to go.
My TV cleared it but the bottom of my power tongue Jack caught it and flipped it into my axle, bending the axle by about 15°.
I've replaced the jack and am impatiently waiting on a replacement axle, estimated to take 5 to 7 weeks. It's already cost me two rallies and more to come.
But one more problem. There was water leakage from under my grey tank. To learn more I had to cut away a lot of foam to see how bad it was. Well, I lucked out on this one I think. It seems the plumbing cracked at the junction with the tank.I should have all the fittings in hand and replaced by the weekend. I think, with fingers crossed, there's no damage to the tank and no remaining leak.
I worried about getting the axle order right but learned something important. When I removed the axle I found on it a label containing the Dexter model and serial numbers.
With that information Dexter was able to send a copy of the original invoice of my specific axle from 4 years ago. Wow! Problem solved.
If I may offer some advice, I recommend crawling under your trailer, locating that label, and taking a picture of it, while hopefully it's still legible. Mine was worn enough to be barely legible.
Walt

[MyronL]

Tough break, Walt. Especially now - the long wait for a replacement axle.

[WaltP]

Yeah, but today was 5 weeks, so hopefully soon.

[Eggscape]

If it was just the hole I would try to fix it with something that I could bolt on, not screw on. Something that I could seal to the tank and get my hand through to attach stainless steel nuts and washers to the back side. I would be thinking on a toilet flange or marine hatch and doubling up on the mounting holes. Once the flange of either was sealed and bolted in place and my hand was not required on the inside, I would deal with the remaining much friendlier hole to seal…call it an access point.

It is the cracks that scares me if they are not apart of what can be covered with a hatch. I guess you will have watch some You Tubes of fixes on melting on similar material.

Good luck with your fix.

On a similar note…and I am sure many will laugh at the idea, but I will be installing a skid plate/rock guard under my trailer just to help prevent such a thing happening. It will also smooth out the underside of the trailer for better air flow and limit the bulge under each water tank. All for about $100 and 50 lbs of added weight.

[WaltP]

So many modifications...so little time.

Well that's good right? I mean if you finished them all then what would you do?
Oh yeah. Go camping.

Walt

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

On a similar note…and I am sure many will laugh at the idea, but I will be installing a skid plate/rock guard under my trailer just to help prevent such a thing happening. It will also smooth out the underside of the trailer for better air flow and limit the bulge under each water tank. All for about $100 and 50 lbs of added weight.

I'm not laughing at that. After fixing a crack in the front of the grey waste tank in our trailer, caused by road debris impacts, I added a row of rubber mud flaps in front of the tank. A more sophisticated and functional skid plate sounds like a great idea.

[Oldtimer]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

If it was just the hole I would try to fix it with something that I could bolt on, not screw on. Something that I could seal to the tank and get my hand through to attach stainless steel nuts and washers to the back side. I would be thinking on a toilet flange or marine hatch and doubling up on the mounting holes. Once the flange of either was sealed and bolted in place and my hand was not required on the inside, I would deal with the remaining much friendlier hole to seal…call it an access point.

It is the cracks that scares me if they are not apart of what can be covered with a hatch. I guess you will have watch some You Tubes of fixes on melting on similar material.

Good luck with your fix.

On a similar note…and I am sure many will laugh at the idea, but I will be installing a skid plate/rock guard under my trailer just to help prevent such a thing happening. It will also smooth out the underside of the trailer for better air flow and limit the bulge under each water tank. All for about $100 and 50 lbs of added weight.

Lol I’m working on a skid plate for our 21 also.

David

[MyronL]

Why take a chance? You just convinced me to to something similar.

[Eggscape]

A few months ago I just could not wait any longer to test what looked like a possibility. I put a floor jack under the trailer with an 8 ft 2 x 4 on top of it and started pumping the handle. I was right…the bottom of both tanks are at the same level as the bottom of both axles of our 19. A little shimming might be required but I have a plan burnt into my head…it however is not a priority right now and on the back burner.

[HABBERDABBER]

True plastic welding can certainly deal with the crack, but a big old hole is another matter. Previous suggestions of a deck plate do seem to be a very good option for that damage. I'd also check out cost and availability of a replacement tank. Does your insurance cover that sort of damage?
There's temporary fixes, and there's permanent ones. Temporary is only a word, not a time limit, and could last a long, long time. Or not.



bon chance,

[Defenestrator]

With that much damage, I'd consider just replacing the tank.

Otherwise, definitely stick with plastic welding over adhesive. I think the tanks are HDPE rather than polypropylene, which is even harder to stick anything to. There's a couple adhesives that theoretically work, especially with flame treatment first, but I'm still not sure I'd trust it with weight. I'd definitely lean towards getting a sheet of HDPE the thickness of the tank, cutting it to size, and plastic-welding it into place.

[Mike G]

A hole that large, replacing the tank seems best to me also. But I do have a wild idea for an attempted repair.

I've seen how a person can fix a hole in sheetrock by finding a piece of cardboard that can be somewhat manipulated and shoved through the hole. But first you make a little hole in the middle of the cardboard and put a string through it with a knot on the other side. Using that string to pull the cardboard up against the hole, a surface is created that will hold spackle or whatever it's called as one fills in the hole.

What if a similar technique were used with a piece of plastic pushed through the hole of the tank? The inside edges of the hole could be cleaned and prepped with an adhesive or whatever to keep the plastic there. After the adhesive cures, snip off the string and cover the entire area on the outside with Flex Seal. It's just an idea.

[kathytony1985]

Will having the lift that Escape offers raise the tanks above the axle on the 21NE? And will this offer some protection for the tanks?

[Eggscape]

The grey water tank is in front of the axles so they will not protect it.

The fresh water tank is behind the axles and in stock form the bottom of the tank is aprox level with the bottom of the axles.

Raising the trailer will also raise the fresh water tank the amount of the raise and the axle will hang down in front that much.

[Defenestrator]

Originally Posted by Mike G

A hole that large, replacing the tank seems best to me also. But I do have a wild idea for an attempted repair.

I've seen how a person can fix a hole in sheetrock by finding a piece of cardboard that can be somewhat manipulated and shoved through the hole. But first you make a little hole in the middle of the cardboard and put a string through it with a knot on the other side. Using that string to pull the cardboard up against the hole, a surface is created that will hold spackle or whatever it's called as one fills in the hole.

What if a similar technique were used with a piece of plastic pushed through the hole of the tank? The inside edges of the hole could be cleaned and prepped with an adhesive or whatever to keep the plastic there. After the adhesive cures, snip off the string and cover the entire area on the outside with Flex Seal. It's just an idea.

The general principle is pretty solid, but I'd make a few changes. Similar to patching drywall, start by cutting a neat even rectangle around the jagged hole.
You can probably put a larger sheet of 1/16" or so plastic through the hole by bending it, so you're ahead of the game a bit compared to drywall. Second, once it's through just weld on a plastic "stick" to pull on it if needed rather than cutting a hole through it. Third, stick with plastic welding over adhesive, and in particular not Flex Seal. It won't stick well, and it definitely won't hold up well under pressure. You can weld the thinner sheet into place, then a thicker piece cut to fit the square hole, then a thinner patch sheet on the bottom. May want to put a bit of water inside at each stage to verify that it's sealed, though that's a bit of a pain.

[kathytony1985]

Thank you for the info!