Enclosed tanks - T310SR. Any one else have them?

**JohnB** · 11-18-2007, 07:15 PM

Fellow Sunline Campers.

I “think” I have a semi insulated enclosed Fresh, Grey and Black tank setup on my new 2004 T310SR. I have seen this on other brands, but my 2004 T2499 was all open tanks. I did not know this was a Sunline option as I never read anywhere about it. Anyone else have this?

The setup looks like it was meant for cooler weather camping. I know the slider valves on the grey and black tanks are buried up under this plastic corrugated cover. They are not out and exposed. They must be directly on the exit of that tank outlet.

There is also pink foam insulation board on the sides of the tank compartment. I’m trying to find out more about this option I seem to have and what cold weather snaps it is sort of good for.

Now I know it will not hold up to continuous all day long freezing temps, but if I have 40 to 50 degree days and high 20’s at night, well this helps. As we camp all year long if we have a 40 to 50 sunny weekend and use to go totally dry come freeze times. Now it may take a month or so to get one of these weekends as for Central Ohio it can be a totally mixed bag of weather from sub zero to 50…. No we do not go out in sub zero….I only did that in my tent with the Boys Scouts. If we can use running water inside in Oct/November and March/April, that is a big deal as once you get use to running water.... it is hard to go back to dry camping.

Here are some pics. Come spring/summer I will take this cover down and paint the frame and maybe fix it a bit more air tight and investigate tank heaters, maybe once I find more about what I have. May not need them.

Here is the front area. That is a corrugated plastic covered. Looks like cardboard but plastic.

Here is the very front part. Note those pink holes in the frame. That pink is foam insulation behind it.

Here is a long shot of the bottom and shows the dump outlet. All valves are on a long rod pull.

Here is the back. Again more pink covered holes.

Here is the dump outlet. Now for now, I stuffed rags up in these 2 big openings to close it up some last campout. I will make a nice prefect fitting wedge to fit in there.

I stuck the camera up in the wedge holes and took a few inside pics.
Here is the slide motor side (rear)

Here is a close up where you can see the pink foam insulation. Plus the heater duct hose heading to the bath room area.

This pic is not as good, but it of the front side of the dump pipe. This heat duct is heading to the front bed room.

Any one have any more info on this option?

Thanks

John

kanyonkitty · 11-18-2007, 07:26 PM

Darn it John,

Now I'll have to go crawling around under Sunny tomorrow to see what I have. I'm not sure I remember seeing my tanks exposed

I also need to get my pressure pro system set up before I head out tuesday evening.

So, I'll be out around Sunny tomorrow and check things out. Will post what I find and pics if any worth while taking.

Kitty

**JohnB** · 11-18-2007, 07:43 PM

Kitty

Here is what is under my 2004 T2499. All exposed tanks

Here is the fresh

This is a pic of the grey.

The dump valves are out in the open too.

Curious what yours is.

John

**Sunline Fan** · 11-18-2007, 08:00 PM

Message content deleted by author.

**JohnB** · 11-18-2007, 08:45 PM

Jon

The Toy Hauler could be considered an off road vechile. The toys quest for adventure to places where stumps are more often found..... So it being covered in steel is understandable.

I agree, I wish there was more to this then what I have, but I have seen this same thing on other brand Travel Trailers on what they claim to be heated tank comparments. And then there is the weight side of things. Steel weighs more then corragated plastic....

See this from a 2007 Artic Fox. This is a high end camper. I allmost owned one.

See this one from a 2007 FR Sandpiper. This had a nice floor plan, but I'll leave it at that. Glad I found the T310SR...

See this new 2004 Sunny Brook. This is a high end camper. It was the Solanta and smoe how did not sell. This TT was never titled.

It seems in the TT arena, that heated tank compartments means some sort of insulated closed comparment that some put a heat duct down in it off the furnace.

I'm just trying to figure out if this is what I have and any info about it. I'll Dr. it up what ever it is as I have something good to start wtih.

John

PS if you keep your pics to 640 width they do not force scrolling on the screen so much.

emam · 11-18-2007, 09:43 PM

What's all that stuff hanging out of the sandpipers undercarrige holes?

That looks shoddy.

So to inclose the tanks all they use is that plastic corrigated stuff with some insulation? We opted out, but I was thinking of doing it myself by having a company spray some of the Lycene insulation around the tanks and having some aluminum plate either bolted or welded to the frame.

That plastic seems like it would only hold up the insulation, and not really protect the tanks from anything puncturing them?

**Sunline Fan** · 11-18-2007, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

PS if you keep your pics to 640 width they do not force scrolling on the screen so much.

John,

Sorry about that. On a widescreen laptop, I can see the whole pic. I sometimes forget about the whole thing won't show for others. Do you know of a way that you can link from Photobucket for a smaller size? I know you can from Webshots.

Jon

emam · 11-18-2007, 09:56 PM

Click on the picture in Photobucket and hit resize. It will ask you what size you want it. Just pic the size that says Message Board...I think. That's off the top of my head, so I could be wrong

Pat

**Sunline Fan** · 11-18-2007, 10:10 PM

Thanks Pat, it's easier than I thought. BTW, that is the correct wording.

Jon

emam · 11-18-2007, 10:30 PM

And that means that I have officially become a Super nerd if I can recall that info off the top of my head!

I have trouble remembering what day it is, yet I can remember that useless info....LOL

**PTHutch** · 11-19-2007, 12:23 PM

John,

Thanks for sharing and posting the pictures.

From your pictures it almost looks to me like the enclosing of the tanks was done after market.

Is there any indication that it could have been done after market?

Hutch

kanyonkitty · 11-19-2007, 07:20 PM

Hello John,

Well, Ya got me to crawl under Sunny today, and I "do Not" have enclosed tanks, nor any of that black corragated looking stuff. My gray water tank is right over the front axle, and the black tank forward of that.

I'm thinking like Hutch, I am guessing that it might be an aftermarket alteration to your 310. An add on that I'm sure you will be improving

Kitty

**JohnB** · 11-19-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

Hello John,

My fresh water tank is right over the front axle, and the black tank forward of that.

I'm thinking like Hutch, I am guessing that it might be an aftermarket alteration to your 310. An add on that I'm sure you will be improving

Kitty

Kitty, h'mm learn something new every day. My 2004 T2499 has the fresh tank way forward of the axles. Looks like this in relation to the axles.

With the tanks like that, when filled with fresh water it adds 200# to tongue weight. Some parks I have to haul water to. And made my T2499 having a need for major rebalancing to keep tongue weight under 1,200# and still be able to fill the TT to a full 7,000#. I had not realized Sunline changed the T2499 tank locations until Kitty confirmed this on the newer models. Thanks

On the 2004 T310SR, same rear living area layout, the fresh tank is centered over the front axle. So here I can carry water and it does not add to tongue weight, nor subtract from it.

Now to the enclosed tank compartment and to Hutch too.

I do not think this is aftermarket and here is my reasoning. The camper is built with a heat duct in the bath and the bedroom. The way this heat duct gets over there is under the floor. That heat duct runs thru this tank compartment. That way it does not have to cross floor joists. If this was after market, they would of had to find that heat duct in the floor joists and tear into the membrane. I see no evidence of this. The furnace is under my fridge and the hole in the floor for the heat duct looks intentional from the start.

I find it hard to believe Sunline would have left a traditional heat duct out in the open under a camper with no water protection from road water.

Also the black and grey tank valves must be right on the exit of the tanks, not brought out next to the dump connections like normal or like Hutches. This fits with heated compartments so you do not have exposed valves to heat.

From the outside looking in, this looks like it was designed this way from the get go. Come late spring I will have that cover down and can tell then for sure if it was factory or not.

To the comments about this not being a very strong compartment cover against road hazards, I agree this is not rock or stump proof. However neither are most other brand TT's I have seen. My 2004 T2499 direct from the factory has a plastic membrane exposed to the elements and all 3 tanks are exposed. As are most Sunline and other brands TT's I suspect. If you are going to kick up a board, big rock, stump etc, you will rip into most camper bottoms made this way. So why is this heated tank compartment needed to be made from steel or heavy marine board?

Are there any Sunline folks with some form of heavy durable metal or wood protection on the bottom of their campers to protect the tanks and the water membrane?

I stuck my head under every TT brand I looked at buying. I know I look from the bottom up…. The ones claimed to be heated tank compartments had this plastic corrugated cover. The unheated tanks, had exposed tanks and the water membrane that if you push on it, it goes up. So you can puncture it with something flying up off the road.

I do not know how the old campers where made, but when everyone is after “light weight” and this seems to be a norm on how to build a camper now a days.

Still hoping to find someone with a Sunline and this feature if there is anything they can tell us about it.

Thanks

John

kanyonkitty · 11-19-2007, 09:08 PM

OOPS John,

Just re-read my post, typo, fresh water should have said "gray water", so I guess that makes mine the same as yours. I'm not sure where my fresh water tank is, guess I'll go scouting around again, maybe tomorrow. But, might not get to post back, as I'm leavng tomorrow after ork for Pigeon Forge, TN until sunday evening.

Kitty

**Sunline Fan** · 11-19-2007, 09:12 PM

John,

With your large slide, it would be difficult to snake things around like wires, pipes, and ducts. Do you think the reason for the "enclosure" is that was the easiest place to snake the heat duct to the bathroom? I don't recall off the top of my head which side your shower is on, but if it's on the DS, it could be somewhat obstructive when running ducts through there. Depending on the shower unit, there might not be any room for a heat duct down there.

Jon

**JohnB** · 11-19-2007, 09:37 PM

Jon

This is the T310SR layout

The Furnace is under the fridge.

The bath heat duct and bed room heat duct is on the Non door side just in front of the toilet.

There is an access panel to get at the drain pipes under the shower, the trap, there is no room to get a heat duct to the bed room under the shower thru the pipe trap area.

They could have gone across inside a floor joist and come up in the bath sink cabinet, but did not. They went under the camper and came back up. There is one heat duct under the shower on the kitchen end pumping heat out into the shower hall area.

It would have been cheaper to put the heat duct running cross wise next to the toilet inside the floor and come up under the bath sink and then head to the bed room too above floor. At least I would thin they would of.

It just seems to be very intentional to run the ducts into this compartment to allow radiant heat to come off of them. I have not checked yet if there is a small hole on purpose in the heat duct to blow into the tank compartment. It may all be radiant heat.

More questions then answers right now and no Larue to ask.

Thanks

John

**JohnB** · 11-19-2007, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

OOPS John,

Just re-read my post, typo, fresh water should have said "gray water", so I guess that makes mine the same as yours. I'm not sure where my fresh water tank is, guess I'll go scouting around again, maybe tomorrow. But, might not get to post back, as I'm leavng tomorrow after ork for Pigeon Forge, TN until sunday evening.

Kitty

Kitty, thanks for clarifing this. I guess we go back to having a 200# tongue weight adder to haul fresh water....

Have a good trip and travel safe. We hope to get out Friday to Sunday as well.

John

kanyonkitty · 11-20-2007, 06:35 PM

John,

Exactly where is your fresh water tank located? On all my other Sunlines I remember seeing it like under the bed, in a cabinet, but I've yet to see mine

I wonder if somehow they have it tucked under the twin bed on the drivers side. Need to pull that drawer out I guess.

Thanks,

Kitty

**JohnB** · 11-20-2007, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kanyonkitty

John,

Exactly where is your fresh water tank located? On all my other Sunlines I remember seeing it like under the bed, in a cabinet, but I've yet to see mine

I wonder if somehow they have it tucked under the twin bed on the drivers side. Need to pull that drawer out I guess.

Thanks,

Kitty

Kitty, I suspect your 2006 T2499 is still in the same place as my 2004 T2499.

Try this. Open up the side storage compartment with the peg board on your TV drivers side. Look at where your water pump is in the front part of that compartment. See that green and white striped fresh water fill hose?? That hose goes down to the tank under the TT.

Looks like this. NOTE: I upgraded to a variable speed water pump so mine looks different. Along with a specail compressed air blow out setup.

Then under the camper, about under the bed area it looks like this. One nice looking fresh tank with metal reinforced bottom tank holder. This is special for Sunline. A lot of TT makers do not put those metal bands under the tank to help support it while traveling with fresh water. it's a wonder they do not fall out when filled trucking down the road.

I also upgraded that take forever drain valve and where the pump draws from to actually be able to use all of the fresh tank down to about 1 pint of water.

Both of these upgrades will occur on the T310SR in the near future.

John

kanyonkitty · 11-21-2007, 05:07 AM

DUH , Gosh John
I'm really being the dumb blonde

here about this tank stuff. Well, I just looked under Sunny and, yep, there it is right where you said it would be and it does have the metal cage supporting it. Trying to get mom 82 moving as we are to meet friend (Sunline owner) at 8am, and mom (82) is really slow. I tried to get her to get her stuff together yesterday, but she didn't. So now I'm playing time games

Yal'' have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving

Kitty