Tanks out. Now What?

[Safari Tim]

OK, after much searching I found what is called a Tank Inlet Fitting for $5.50 at Dryers RV Supplies. I ordered two of them. One for the toilet and another for the valve connection. I also ordered a 1.5 inch flange slip fitting for a tank vent I will have to add.

So here are the pictures to chronicle the fiberglassing, which I had never done before.

This first photo shows me tracing the flitting so I can enlarge the hole to 3".

[Safari Tim]

Next I cut the hole with the jig saw. Wearing a mask and theVAP tee shirt.

[Safari Tim]

Yes it fits! The orginal metal flange that I ground out had small holes in the flange area to accept resin. I drilled four small holes on the perimeter of the flange to copy that.

[Safari Tim]

Here is the fiberglass repair kit I got at a local auto store for $18. I also used my palm sander with 80 grit paper to clean the areas back to bare fiberglass.

[Safari Tim]

After mixing the resin with the hardner from the kit, I brushed some of the solution over the sanded area.

[Safari Tim]

I put the fitting in place, then brushed some more resin on and around it.

[Safari Tim]

After cutting the cloth that came in the kit to 1" by 6" strips, I soaked them in the resin then laid them out over the edge of the fitting. I applied two coats of of cloth all the way around.

[Safari Tim]

Next I pushed the air pockets out with the little plastic tool that came in the kit.

[Safari Tim]

I tried to wipe the resin free from the threads of the inlet. However, in the end some did get in. I hope I can chip it out.

[Safari Tim]

Here is the finished product waiting the 90 minutes to cure. It wasn't too difficult after all. Now I have fitting that the toilets closet flange will screw down into.

[Safari Tim]

Here is a shot of the completed slip fitting for the vent pipe that I will have to add.

This part of the tank ended up inside the vanity so I should be able to attach a pipe to it there, run it behind the toilet and up the curbside closet.

The original vent is a deteriorated rubber pipe that runs up in the wall. I'm afraid trying to adapt to keep using that will be a waste of effort. I will also have to add a vent on the street side for the grey tank since one never existed.

[scottanlily]

hello Safari Tim,
Well thats exactly the right way to do the fiberglass job .Darn near did
it word for word as I had explained it.Not hard to do as you have found out.
Now you can glass whatever else is needed .

Good restoration work !

Scott

[flyfshr]

Ambassador Tim ~

The shot in post #31 doesn't look like a slip fitting for the vent pipe to me unless you're planning on a very wide vent pipe.

Fine work Tim. You just may get this on the road yet.

Brad
FF

[Safari Tim]

Originally Posted by flyfshr

Ambassador Tim ~

The shot in post #31 doesn't look like a slip fitting for the vent pipe to me unless you're planning on a very wide vent pipe.

Fine work Tim. You just may get this on the road yet.

Brad
FF

Thanks guys.

Well Brad, you got me there. I don't know a slip fitting from a ham sandwich. I just hope my wife puts the right one on the plate

I thought that is what it was called. The flange part that I glassed to the tank had a part that look like it could hold a gasket to be sandwitched to another flanged peice like maybe to a valve.

Anyway, my hope is to be able to pvc glue a pipe inside of it to run up and out the roof.

[flyfshr]

Maybe I'm all screwed up on my terminology. The vent pipe on my tank is a 1 1/2" or 1 3/4" size for venting. Maybe I've been eating slip fittings when all along I thought it was ham sandwiches.

Brad
FF