Since it's questionable as to whether I can repair my existing black tank I have been looking at new tanks. All the tanks that I am seeing have the 3" outlet that discharges to the bottom of a side of the tank instead of the way my original tank (that was above the floor) 3" discharge is directly below where the toilet inlet is and drains from the bottom of the tank. I know I can have a tank made to the original specs at a cost premium so was wondering if it is a big deal to have a bottom of the side discharge instead of directly below toilet inlet? Sorry, but I have never had a trailer before so all this is a learning experience for me and am thankful for all the help on this forum.
You can repair the tank as long as you have all the pieces. If you can't just patch it with fiberglass you can enclose the complete tank in fiberglass using the original as an included mold.
Go to any boat supply or auto body supply house and they will have the fiberglass material and the epoxy to coat it with.
Once the glass is applied recoat it 3 or 4 time with epoxy per the instructions and you will have a bomb proof tank. I would use 6 oz. material.
If you have a local crack I would patch it first with glass and then enclose the whole tank.
Sand the area you are glassing with at least 80 grit sandpaper.
I needed a replacement for my 68 Trade Wind. Old tank was beyond salvaging. After looking around, I ponied up and got a replacement from Inland. It was an exact replacement. The cost was more than a generic tank, but it fit, and time saved was worth the extra money over trying to make something work.
I needed a replacement for my 68 Trade Wind. Old tank was beyond salvaging. After looking around, I ponied up and got a replacement from Inland. It was an exact replacement. The cost was more than a generic tank, but it fit, and time saved was worth the extra money over trying to make something work.
I don't even have vintage - but I'll chime in that getting the RIGHT thing is always easier and faster to install - and usually more cost effective and durable than other solutions. It probably is possible to encase your tank in fiberglass. It's also possible to modify the drain system. It's a cash vs. time vs. work question.
But this is a black tank - not a job I'd want to have to do over EVER. If you're keeping the Airstream for say 20 years, amortize the cost over that time. Pony up for the new one if you can afford it.
Just my .02 Paula
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I don't think that Inland is going to have a tank for his Silverstream. The tank I ordered does not have the fitting installed but I can install them exactly where I want with common ABS adhesive. The best part is the tank only cost 70 bucks.
Kip, you're probably right about Inland not having a tank. Where you are a tad wrong is about my trailer, it's a Silver Streak not Stream. I can tell you I am darn thankful that this Airstream forum exists, because there is almost nothing for my SS. They are similar enough that most info will work on either. BTW which tank did you buy?
I bought the HT486 bottom drain, and after looking at my invoice I paid 85.00. I am using a a wet bath layout next to the wheel well so I needed a longer narrower one. A portion of it will extend under the fridge and the toilet will set on top of the tank. I am also raising the shower/bathroom floor up a couple of inches so I will have better drainage of the shower p-trap into the new gray tanks,and to prevent the gray water from sloushing up into the shower pan. I also needed some room to run the gray tank vent and to route the sink drain as it will set outside of the frame rail, along with getting the gray lines inboard of the blacktank 3" drain line. The floor area under the shower pan is going to be very busy with plumbing. Side bath next to the wheel well is challanging at best for plumbing. Here's the rub, my tanks are in transit home now and I'm in Abbotsford British Columbia.
Thanks Kip, that is the exact tank that I am considering. Looks like it will fit above or below the floor if I choose. What size outlet for the gray did you choose? My black would be in the back of the trailer and the gray about 3 ft forward behind the back axel. The gray is 10" deep and the black is 7.5. Just trying to get my head around how to 'Y' into the black outlet and have correct slope for drainage from the gray at same time not hanging too low with all the plumbing. Fun stuff.
Actually that tank is going to be taller then the 7.5" shown. The Drawing has a dimension that is 8.75 at the bottom of the slope but something is screwy with the drawing as it also shows it to be 6". I will just have to wait and see what it comes it at. That dimension will determine how much I raise the shower floor. I don't want to be on my tiptoes setting on the stool. I plan on using 1.5 dia. plumbing for all the gray tank plumbing. I have 5" to work in to make all the slopes happy and still have it all within the confines of the bellypan. I'm not sure how I'm going to tee the black and gray together to a commom outlet yet. I'm sure that It will all come together while I'm on my back under the trailer. My gray tanks are only 4" tall.
I'm still shopping for a new black tank. I'd like to get one bigger than the original. If your interested in buying an original size tank, check out Inland RV.
When I looked at the tanks at RV surplus I realized that there would be a problem with fitting a rectangle into the curved back corner of the trailer. Now I see why with the corner chopped off in your picture. It might be easier to make a tank using plywood and fiberglass / epoxy except for the issue of bonding any PVC or ABS parts to the fiberglass. I guess I'll keep looking also.
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