Grey Tank Leaking Again

apackoftwo · 06-21-2020, 07:58 AM

I did a fix just this past November or December.
THIS TIME my grey tank was very full and it started leaking pretty good.

I have yet to crawl under and see where the leak is THIS TIME. However, it does NOT leak with the grey valve open so it must be the added pressure of a full grey tank which makes me think it may be the entire fitting where the pipe goes into the grey tank?

When repairing it before, I did not use the cement/PVC chip mixture around the whole fitting just the little hole I found at the top where the pipe meets the tank

I will add to this thread once I crawl under my rig and take pictures to see if the repair failed or its leaking from somewhere else

I hope the fitting where pipe meets the tank does not have to be replaced!

apackoftwo · 08-23-2020, 06:36 PM

The leak is coming from a small area at the left side. You can see two drops of water in the pictures from the leak
I decided to close the grey tank so I could see where it was leaking. I crawled under and felt around the pipe leading into the tank and it was dry except for this area however I just can’t see any hole or tear?? I am going to use the pvc chips and cement mixture again on this area and cover it up and down and I hope that fixtures it for good!

**JohnB** · 08-24-2020, 12:04 PM

Joan, getting the pipe dried out, cleaned up and redoing that area should do it, assuming that is the leak area. Just make sure you do 3 coats, 1 per day to cure properly to get a good build up of the cement. If the drain pipe itself has a lot of wiggle to it, then road vibration may be working on that joint.

A little hard to see, my 2004 T1950 has 2 pipe straps on the gray tank drain pipe.

One strap out by the elbow at left side of the camper on the large dump fittings.
A second strap under the camper in the middle on at the end of the drain pipe coming out of the tank before turning and heading over to the side of the camper. Does your have this strap at the end of the pipe coming out of the tank? That will/should limit most of the vibration if it is tight enough to the pipe.

apackoftwo · 08-25-2020, 11:49 AM

Mine has a hanger by the dump valve and another closer to the grey tank
I was wonder if some spray foam to close the gap between the hanger and the pipe or a chicken band on the hanger by the dump valve would help with any vibration?

I have let it dry out 24 hours and after cleaning with acetone and light sanding ready to apply 1st coat

**JohnB** · 08-25-2020, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by apackoftwo

Mine has a hanger by the dump valve and another closer to the grey tank
I was wonder if some spray foam to close the gap between the hanger and the pipe or a chicken band on the hanger by the dump valve would help with any vibration?

I have let it dry out 24 hours and after cleaning with acetone and light sanding ready to apply 1st coat

If the pipe support by grey tank has a good amount of wiggle between the support and the pipe, that may be part of the problem. The other clamp by the dump valve can aggravate it too.

Not sure what a chicken band is in this context. Have not heard that term.

Foam spray will not hold up. While it will fill the gap, it will vibrate apart over time. The next time you crawl under, take a few pics of the pipe hanger, we can then suggest a way to make the clamp tighter with less wiggle.

Sounds like you are off to a start on the repair. Good.

John

apackoftwo · 08-26-2020, 05:30 PM

The hanger by the tank itself is secure and really does not have much discernible gaps. The hanger by the dump valve is secure but there is more discernible gap

At GM we called zip ties “chicken bands” 😊

So some pictures and second coat done today

mainah · 08-27-2020, 09:33 AM

I have repaired the tank on mine and I will suggest this empty the tank jack up the trailer to to force the remaining water to the downhill side and let it sit for a couple of days compressed air helps too to blow any moisture out of the crack. With a small dremel type tool lightly grind the area around the leak it should look kind of light gray then add your concoction of glue. On my T1700 the entire mess of plumbing was solely supported by the tanks so I made a bracket out of pressure treated with pipe size hole then cut it in half one piece on top the other on the bottom and clamped the two pieces together with bolts to the frame.

**JohnB** · 08-30-2020, 06:21 PM

The discussion about Joan's frame rail cracks have been moved to this new post.

https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f...cks-19848.html