Converting fresh water tank to grey possible???

[Minno]

I swear I saw a thread about this not long ago, but cannot find the thread for love nor money! Our fresh water tank is a lovely shade of green and because of it's configuration, I'm not sure it's cleanable. (or that I want to try!) Is it doable to convert it to a grey water tank, which we need anyway?

Kay

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Minno

I swear I saw a thread about this not long ago, but cannot find the thread for love nor money! Our fresh water tank is a lovely shade of green and because of it's configuration, I'm not sure it's cleanable. (or that I want to try!) Is it doable to convert it to a grey water tank, which we need anyway?

Kay

Not really, because it holds 50 gallons of water.

That's an extra 400 pounds of loading, in the wrong place, since your 72 is very prone to rear end separation as well.

Andy

[Minno]

We would change the location to above the axles. Would that make a difference?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Minno

We would change the location to above the axles. Would that make a difference?

That's ball park where it's at now.

The light green colored tank, is original, back then.

Then what will you use for fresh water tank?

Andy

[Minno]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

That's ball park where it's at now.

The light green colored tank, is original, back then.

Then what will you use for fresh water tank?

Andy

So, the tank plastic itself is colored green?? I'll have to take a picture once the sun is up a bit higher and post it so you can see it and let us know if it's the normal color.

The fresh water tank is in front of the axels. We are planning on adding a gray water tank behind that, so the gray water tank would be above the axels like I show in the attached PDF file.

Andy, you mentioned earlier what sounded like a concern of using a 50 gal. gray water tank because of the weight. Any thoughts on what size tank would be ok? 99% of the time, either the fresh water tank would be full, or the contents of it would be distributed between the gray water and black water tanks. I can't see traveling with all 3 tanks full.

We were thinking that the green color was algae, and we'd never get it cleaned out completely, so why not use it for a gray water tank. We would buy a new fresh water tank if we did this.

I know we'd have to install new fittings to make the current fresh water tank into a gray water tank, but I've seen clamp on fittings online, so I don't think that's an issue. If we used this tank, I'd build a support structure very similar to the current fresh water tank (metal frame and 1" thick plywood under it). And put a bit of a slope into the bottom so that the tank drained towards the rear and the new 1½” drain fitting I’d install.

Chris

[Minno]

Andy,

Ran out back at lunch and took a few pictures of the fresh water tank. Love this working out of a home office! Now that you've mentioned it, and I'm looking at it closer, it does look like the plastic itself is colored green. It still looks pretty grody inside though.

Thoughts? Is the tank itself colored green and not algae? Think the tank is useable for fresh water? If not, what about our idea to convert it to a gray water tank?

Thanks,
Chris

[DaveFL]

Bleach will cure most problems of tanks.
If you change it to grey water, you will need to put in a vent, which would be more trouble than filling with bleach and emptying a couple of times.
Most grey tanks are smaller than fresh water tanks as some water will be sent to the black water tank.
I would like to have a larger grey but not worth the install hassle, epecially since the present one is working.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Minno

Andy,

Ran out back at lunch and took a few pictures of the fresh water tank. Love this working out of a home office! Now that you've mentioned it, and I'm looking at it closer, it does look like the plastic itself is colored green. It still looks pretty grody inside though.

Thoughts? Is the tank itself colored green and not algae? Think the tank is useable for fresh water? If not, what about our idea to convert it to a gray water tank?

Thanks,
Chris

That is not the green colored tank that was used.

Yours does have algae.

Your tank layout looks good.

Andy

[Jim Foster]

Would a swimming pool supply have something to get rid of the algae? Might be easier to get rid of the algae than make changes. Maybe? I don't know myself, but I think I would give it a good try. Making changes always leads to more than originally thought.

If not, replacing the tank might be easier than changing the plumbing etc.

[Minno]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

That is not the green colored tank that was used.

Yours does have algae.

Your tank layout looks good.

Andy

Thanks Andy. That puts us back to where we thought we were. I don't know if we'll try and clean it out this fall, so it'll probably be a next spring project. If we can't get it clean, we'll buy a new fresh water tank and then look closer at converting this one to a gray water tank. That'll primarilly depend on being able to install a 1 1/2" drain on it somewhere - most likely out the bottom close to one corner.

Thanks for looking at the tank layout too! I thought it made the most sense to put the new gray water tank over the axels, as long as I can re-use this fresh water tank or find one thin enough to fit there.

Chris

[Minno]

Hi Dave and Jim,

Thanks for your ideas as well. We know bleach will kill the algae, it really more of a question of can we truly get into all the nooks and crannies of the tank to ensure all the remnants of the gunk is all gone. Our Little Girl (72 Sovereign) does not have a gray water tank at all, so part of our refurb is to add one. Right now, she’s gutted, with just a new plywood floor, so all the plumbing, electrical, cabinets, etc. is going to be rebuilt.

Chris