Salt promotes corrosion by being hygroscopic (absorbs moisture from the air) the water has the oxygen in it that reacts and corrodes, the chlorides also react with some metals to a degree. The gate valve seems the most vulnerable part.
Hopefully the mess described above will be throughly flushed out, the stuff that is normally held by the tank is pretty corrosive on it's own.
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'00 34' Classic Limited (LOVSHAC)
'06 2500HD, 4x4 LBZ chip D/A CC LB
AIR #12881
This is the second year I have lived in my 72 Airstream. I made it through last year without too much trouble but this year is a different story. I live out east on the plains from Denver and we had an arctic blast. -25 was the worst but went at least three weeks in the single digits. Now my black water tank is frozen solid. I have a heater up against the toilet but it is doing nothing to defrost the tank itself. It is now full. I know how bad it's been because I have horses and one night their water heater went off and the fifty gallon tank froze solid by morning. Is there anything I can to to defrost this thing. The valve will open and shut but nothing is coming out. YIKES!
Thanks, Charlotte
I would be very surprised if the tank itself stood up to the freeze.
I suspect that the tank will be cracked in a number of places.
Fiberglass replacements are available for both the center bath and full bath models.
Hate to say this-but: a bucket will work in a pinch. They even make them with toilet seats. Not fun. Porta potti might help when it gets too cold...I lived in my 72 Holiday Rambler for six months of Winter and used salt in the tank every week, lowest temp was 6 degrees. Wishing you the best, VK
Hey, I want to thank everyone who gave me their ideas. What I ended up doing was putting an electric heater almost touching the toilet. After two days and a little help from the temperature rising a bit I opened the valve and heard the sweet sound of the whole messy lot flowing out into the septic tank. My furnace has never worked since the mice removed most of the insulation so I had no heat in the back. That was part of the problem. Never realized why there was a vent back there even when it was working. The air coming out was almost cold anyway. I also put some of the winterizing liquid in there. Don't know if that is a good idea but it isn't corrosive obviously. Don't know whether that is good or helps but don't want a repeat performance.
I'm glad it worked out. If you aren't getting heat to the back, you may have a blockage in the duct running to that area, or even a crushed vent. The latter was my case and once I got the duct straightened out I had heat to the rear.
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Cameron & the Labradors
Kai & Samm
North Vancouver, BC
Canada
The tank is fine, don't know why. I think it is plastic?
One thing I have learned over these past two years is that I don't have the knowledge to handle all this. Some of the things like the water heater have been replaced and all I have is the old manuals. When I bought it all the waterlines had to be replaced and they put in plastic with lots of levers I don't understand. On a ranch the mice are impossible. I put my bread and things in the oven to keep them safe and they got in there too. I have just bought a ten acre farm for me and my horses and am giving up. I think you need a lot of different skills to maintain a trailer. Things I could take care of alone in a house I just don't understand in a trailer. So, anyone interested in a "needs a lot of work" trailer
I admire all you people's perseverance and knowledge.
Surround the tank with insulation and leave some space to put a 20 watt light. I used this method for 2 massachusetts winters, and never froze up. I skirted with rigid 3/4 foam insulation, then boxed the tank area and lined with some r13 (pink stuff). I wired a cheap porcelain light base to an outdoor extension cord and placed it under the tanks. Kept it just warm enough not to freeze, and didn't burn the electricity a space heater would have.
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