Need Blackwater Tank

Randy Gulley · 04-28-2009, 02:42 PM

Hello Everyone,
Could anyone tell me where to buy a blackwater tank for a 1981 15.5SB?
Any help would be appreciated.
We took our sunny on our first trip & found that the toilet tank leaks inside the trailer under the furnace.
Got the old tank out thanks to a thread on this forum.
Now if I can find a replacement, I'll try to get it back together.
Thanks,
Randy

MACK C-85 · 04-28-2009, 02:48 PM

Google "RV tanks"......all kinds of places.

However, check out freight rates, it might be cheaper to buy through a local RV place.

There was a good article in Trailer Life not to long ago about replacing tanks, too.

larry818 · 04-28-2009, 04:31 PM

How did you get it out? I'm still reluctant to force mine out!

Where is it broken? I've got a sneaking suspicion that the axle on mine did it. It seems that the axle can smack the elbow.

kanyonkitty · 04-28-2009, 07:22 PM

Here are a couple places to look:

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...nitation-1.htm

http://www.rvsurplussalvage.com/cata...category_id=47

larry818 · 04-28-2009, 07:26 PM

I forgot to mention, depending on the kind of damage, you may be able to fix it. These tanks are made of ABS plastic. You can buy sheets of ABS and use abs glue to patch a crack.

Randy Gulley · 04-29-2009, 06:48 AM

Thanks for all the info. Larry you asked how I got the tank out. I loosened the shower bottom, removed toilet & adapter from tank, then just pulled the toilet support out to get to the tank.
Had to cut out an opening behind toilet to get the tank out.
I'll ask my wife if she will post pictures while the tank is removed.
Randy

larry818 · 04-29-2009, 07:02 PM

Did your sewer pipe unscrew from the tank? Mine looks like it's screwed in, but it won't budge. I can't lift it out with the elbow still in place (actually, half an elbow, I sawed through it).

Randy Gulley · 04-30-2009, 02:06 PM

Hey Larry,
The sewer pipe on my tank is glued to the tank outlet.
It was broken almost all the way around, so I just broke it the rest of the way off.
I was unable to find a replacement, so I took the tank to my local RV dealer & their parts guy ordered me one custom made.
He had to give the manufacturer all the measurements & is charging me $510.20.
Sure hope you are able to repair your tank.
Randy

larry818 · 04-30-2009, 02:53 PM

That's a lot of $ for a vacuum formed ABS tank. Since it is all ABS, glue joints would be as strong as the original plastic. I'm hoping to repair mine. I already have a sheet of ABS I'm using to repair the air con shroud.

You did just give me an idea to remove the outlet. I can jack the trailer up, put a 2x4 under the elbow, and let gravity to the rest.

I am thinking of angling the outlet to keep it away from the axle. I'm sure that's what broke it in the first place. Check yours, mine had the elbow directly over the axle.

Also, you may need to remove the heater to get the new tank in. It seems this is how they went together.

ScottK · 05-07-2009, 08:31 AM

I repaired a nasty hole in my greywater tank and it has held beautifully. Check my post here for my repair pictures and materials. As long a you use the correct industrial adhesives and materials it should be repairable. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

WandaLust · 05-15-2009, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottK

I repaired a nasty hole in my greywater tank and it has held beautifully. Check my post here for my repair pictures and materials. As long a you use the correct industrial adhesives and materials it should be repairable. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

My husband Randy *almost* has the new blackwater tank fulling installed. Looking at the damage to the old tank, it looked like they ran over something that jammed the sewer pipe up into the tank, splitting, breaking and cracking the tank around the sewer pipe (where it attaches to the tank). We could see where it was repaired in the past, but didn't hold. Too much damage was done to the tank itself.

I don't know what we're going to do about the odor problem from the sewerage that leaked into the floor and and made it's way under the stove and sink area. The odor is coming up out of the draws in the sink/stove unit. I can't see how we can seal the odor in since the floor can't be reached without ripping out that whole unit.

larry818 · 05-29-2009, 11:09 PM

My 1550 has the same trouble, but no odor at all. It's probably been at least two years since the problem was discovered, tho. Thankfully, it's clean around the tank. Also thankfully, I decided to test the black tank with water before our first outing and found the problem...

Still gives me the willies, tho...