Grey tank leak

[Ahkhira]

Here I go AGAIN. I was de-winterizing, and sanitizing water lines when I heard a dripping noise. I thought maybe my toilet leak broke open again, but I followed the sound of the drip to the underneath of my trailer! I was shocked to see a waterfall from the gray tank. Upon further inspection, it looks like the plumbing exiting tank has sort of failed. I find no crack in the tank itself. I will add a photo below.

If my suspicion is correct, what sort of glue/goop should I use to seal the flange back to the tank, and what is the best way to get it to seal tightly again? uploadfromtaptalk1399509379966.jpg

[jim44646]

hope you find this post helpfull

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...air-14865.html

[OhhWell]

Since the tank is probably empty at this point.... Can you get the pipe out? If so, there are many different cements to use when joining it back up with the tank. Is yours threaded? The toilet pipe on my black tank was. If it were me and possible, I would get the pipe free, clean it and the tank then re-attach it with the proper cement. I'm sorry I can't tell you the cement, you may want to ask at an RV parts store.

[Ahkhira]

Thanks for the help all. I managed a rather inexpensive and somewhat unorthodox repair. It turns out that someone (HUSBAND!) had bottomed the trailer while moving it and didn't tell me. He darn near managed to tear the flange off the tank, and snap both of the hangers that hold the pipe up. (NO, he is not allowed to move the trailer without my being there ever again!)

I sanded the old adhesive off and then left it to dry. Much to my surprise, husband decided to prowl the garage and mix up some shredded fiberglass body filler that I use for fixing cars and sailboats. The stuff is called Kitty Hair. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it worked like a charm. It mixes like a 2-part epoxy, but for this application, you need to mix a little extra hardener into the resin, because gravity is against you. So far, so good.=, and all that's left to do is stabilize the plumbing under the trailer, and take away husband's truck keys!

I will have to add Kitty Hair to my camping toolbox. That stuff has saved my neck more than once. I just didn't think it would work on ABS plastic, but it did.

Now on to more serious matters like tire replacement, wheel bearing packing, and brake re-wiring...

[jim44646]

It's not a long term fix on ABS. PO tried to fix my black tank with fiberglass kitty hair. Fiberglass don't flex like ABS. It held for part of a season then started leaking again. Patch had to be ground off to get down to original ABS for a new ABS patch to work.
New patch is working well. The only way to patch ABS is with ABS.
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...air-14865.html

[Ahkhira]

Thanks for the warning. I had thought this to be only temporary (and I would not have done it this way myself). THe damage is kind of bad... the tank is cracked all around the pipe. I was planning on getting an ABS repair kit, but husband decided he had other plans. Hoping I can get through most of the season, maybe half a dozen trips or so. I know the only way to fix this long term is to replace the tank. It's not going to last forever, but it's doing well so far. I've repaired some marine tanks with cloth and resin, so maybe I can stabilize the plumbing enough to hold for the season.

Now that you mention it, I am seeing an old cloth and resin patch on the black tank too.... Uh-oh....

[jim44646]

If you look at that link where I repaired my tank. You can see it was really bad. I was looking for a new tank. Then I found out direct fit wasn't happening. All the plumbing was have to be redone just to get a new tank to work. That's when I found Plasti-mend. It comes with ABS screen and a thick ABS liquid. When applied in layers it actually burns into the old ABS and the new becomes one with the old. It's not a patch it's a rebuild of the old.
My tank is just as sound now as when I did it.

[ScottK]

Here is a similar gray tank repair repair. It worked great and I was very confident in it for a long term repair.

Since then, I have used this product several times on other ABS repairs (lawnmower discharge chute and another black tank repair) and it work very well there too.

[Ahkhira]

WOW! Thank you so much to the best forum ever. I have a wealth of info whenever I need it. You guys ROCK!!!!

WHat I've decided to do is A) keep an ABS repair kit for emergencies, along with sandpaper and other things that will make this type of problem better. B) Also, I do like my Kitty Hair, as it has multiple TEMPORARY uses. If you may ask why temporary, here goes: Fiberglass is not always solid. It may end up porous, depending on a lot of factors, including how it was mixed with hardener. Fiberglass repairs only work on fiberglass. Bottom line is, the kitty hair can get you out of immediate trouble, and upon returning home can be easily removed with a Dremel and sandpaper so you can effect a proper repair. Finally, this brings me to point C. C) Forget about any manner of JB Weld for ABS, or Plasti-Weld, or any other sort of goop. Truth is I have peeled off 4 of husband's repair attempts. That junk-in-a-tube stuff literally peels off with fingernails, and has NO place in my toolbox! Even the goop 'designed' for Marine/potable water tanks' did NO good, and was a huge waste of time.

Will Kitty Hair last the season? Probably.
Will I fix this right after I'm done living in the trailer for the summer? You bet.

Thank you for showing me how to make an ABS repair when all looks nasty. I'm not a great plumber, and I am truly thankful for your help!

Jen

[Gene]

I will just add my 2 cents even though you already have the solution to your situation.

When I bought my (ab)used 2363 I discovered a crack in the grey water drain aparently because the previous owner that had it only one season (and one Winter!) left water in the drain pipe. Here is the crack that went almost all the way around the pipe.



After a lot of study I determined that ABS cement was the only solutiion on ABS pipe. (Plasti-Mend is also an ABS cement) This is what I used.



The Oatey is only a few dollars at Lowes. Fortunately I did not need to fill a big void as others mentioned earlier in this thread. After wiping off all the mud I used an ABS cleaner, let it dry, then filled the crack with the Oatey cement. That stuff slightly softens the ABS and welds the pieces together. Regretfully I didn't get an after picture but the weld smoothed over and you can hardly see where it was repaired. That was in 2004 and it it still going strong.

[Ahkhira]

Thanks Gene. Not sure if that will work given the void here, but I will consider it.

One thing I did pick up on was the cleaner you mentioned. What is the ABS cleaner(as in what kind of chemical is it), and is it also from the same company that made the cement? I was considering cleaning the surface with something, but not knowing what would or would not damage what was left of the ABS, I went the sandpaper route.

Again, thanks so much. I am learning as I go. I truly appreciate all the help!

[Gene]

I was trying to remember what the cleaner was, maybe I will have to rummage through the shelves in the garage to see if I still have the can. I know it was in the aisle with the ABS cement and it may have been an "all purpose" cleaner/solvent also use on PVC and probably by Oatey. The main idea was to get off any grease or oil or stuff that may be on the pipe. Both of them smell and need to be used with good ventilation just like the fiberglass resin that you are familiar with. Lying under the trailer doing the repair I recall being sure I was "upwind" .

We are ALL learning as we go, that is why we all need this great forum.

[bunjin]

P05-16-14_1031_zps02e39b62.jpg Photo by bunjin-gi | Photobucket

[Gene]

Originally Posted by bunjin

P05-16-14_1031_zps02e39b62.jpg Photo by bunjin-gi | Photobucket

YES!!! that is the one. Thanks.