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Old 04-10-2009, 12:29 PM   #1
SSOLID
 
1972 25' Tradewind
Fayetteville , Tennessee
Join Date: Jan 2004
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Leaking Black Water Tank

I have a 72 Tradewind and it is leaking curbside all along the area from the bumper to the wheel when the tank is almost full to full.

I am assuming a leaking tank.


If so then who do I get it out. I took off the back section of underbelly (it had been done before) and it appears that the fiberglass insulation is in great shape and the wood is solid throughout. I see the trap that can be undone, amongst the other pipes. I will post pictures after I take them tomorrow.

Do I need to take the tank out from inside?

If so, how do I start, I woudl think the toilet but I dont see how to get it off.

Any directions or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve
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Old 04-10-2009, 12:34 PM   #2
SSOLID
 
1972 25' Tradewind
Fayetteville , Tennessee
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Here are some pictures I took last night...

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Old 04-10-2009, 12:53 PM   #3
Rivet Master
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Corona , California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ssolid View Post
I have a 72 Tradewind and it is leaking curbside all along the area from the bumper to the wheel when the tank is almost full to full.

I am assuming a leaking tank.


If so then who do I get it out. I took off the back section of underbelly (it had been done before) and it appears that the fiberglass insulation is in great shape and the wood is solid throughout. I see the trap that can be undone, amongst the other pipes. I will post pictures after I take them tomorrow.

Do I need to take the tank out from inside?

If so, how do I start, I woudl think the toilet but I dont see how to get it off.

Any directions or words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve
That tank sits on top of the floor, and can only be removed from top side.

Andy
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Old 04-10-2009, 01:50 PM   #4
SSOLID
 
1972 25' Tradewind
Fayetteville , Tennessee
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What would the steps be to remove the tank?

Thank YOU
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Old 04-10-2009, 02:40 PM   #5
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What would the steps be to remove the tank?

Thank YOU
We do not have a 72 "service manual" that would give you step by step instructions.

You must remove the toilet and the cover that's over the tank.

Remove the floor flange, and disconnect the vent pipe and the drain outlet.

Andy
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Old 04-10-2009, 03:12 PM   #6
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1972 25' Tradewind
old mystic , Connecticut
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we also have a 72 tradewind. First you have to remove the toilet, good luck with that. Besides working in a tight spot there are bolts that are near impossible to remove without damaging something.

We ending up gutting the whole trailer, which was our intentions from the start anyway.


I have the assemble manual for the 72 so I'm going to try and scan and attach the instruction on how to install the toilet. Just reverse the steps and us should be able to get the toilet off. We didn't have the manual when we took ours apart, would have made it easier, maybe.

Nope couldn't make it work. If you PM me you email address I will email you the instructions.

Annette
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Old 04-10-2009, 07:26 PM   #7
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1972 25' Tradewind
Madison , Wisconsin
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Intuitive operation

After you get the toilet out it becomes pretty intuitive. Bring your drill for taking out rivets and do not drop the hex nut caps on the inside bathroom wall. Putting those back will be "an interesting exercise"! Once you start you will see that some panels may over lap the box. You will also need to remove a plastic strip to get the rivets out from the top/front of the toilet tank box.

After all of that is done...is your toilet in good shape? You will need a new rubber ring an maybe a new mount....mine was in bad shape. I did a new toilet as well. If you get a new one get a good one, the cheap ones seem to let many people down at inconvenient times.

Try not to mess with the plumbing below the floor unless you have to. That plumbing is for grey water. I does not flow into the tank. It goes out the same hole as the black water. You need a blue boy under these at all times.

If you still have the old tank and it leaks don't fool with it. Get a good replacement and a new valve. I have an Inca replacement and I have heard good things about the fiberglass tanks. There are great threads on installing the tanks and valves.

Good luck...oh yeah....get plenty of medium & long aluminum 1/8 pop rivets...not Olympics, just regular pop types, an extra drill bit doesn't hurt.

Before I forget...if you have a model that has a wardrobe opposite a gaucho, you may as well remove the shelf from the wardrobe. You will need to access some of the wall to replace rivets when you are reattaching the abs plastic wall liner.

My one piece of advice is go for it ! Get a maintenance manual......you can look up what little you won't actually figure out on this project. Start with the toilet....then get the abs plastic top off of the box. You will have to loosen a few things up to do that . Just tug a bit you will find the spots. After that lift up the plywood that sits on the tank. Then get underneath and disconnect the valve from the rest of the plumbing. If you like it can come up with the tank. Before lifting the tank out, get into the wardrobe or the wall access from the other side. You will be able to see the tank. There are three wires connected to the tank. Disconnect these, then disconnect the dump valve control; you can now remove the tank (I think).

Read a lot of the plumbing threads! The advice of others got me through it...hunting down the tank was a job. The two I found that seem to have good results were Inca plastics (built the original) and I have heard good results about the fiberglass tanks that Andy sells. Be very careful when measuring valve and inlet locations. or do the cuts after installation...if you don't know what I am talking about, it will become obvious when you pull out the tank. You will need to align the outlet with the plumbing that is attached to the outlet.

Have fun.... personally I am glad it is over with, but it really was not a bed job once I got going. Best wishes for a smooth job. I'll check the thread regularly and if you have questions as you go I'll try to help, there are a number of us that have done this job ONCE! meaning that we were rookies at it like you are ... at the moment.
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