tanks - what have I done?!

[kfrere]

I was using one of my favorite gadgets - the Flush King. (I know, my husband thinks I'm strange, too.) I love the job it does cleaning the tanks. The water is flowing from the hose through the Flush King into the tank system when all at once the campground water pressure surged. The pressure was so great that water came through the seams of the Flush King. I quickly turned off the water, but obviously something had already happened because water was pouring out underneath the trailer through the bed pan.

I have no idea how things are organized under the pan, but I'm guessing that I blew some sort of connection or gasket? I was flushing the grey water tank at the time. Is the pan something I can remove and just look and see - or, is this a major job requiring a trip to JC?

[2airishuman]

HOPEFULLY this is what happened...

there is a flexible rubber sleeve connecting the wash tank pipe to the black Y pipe...

one leg of the Y is from wash water and one leg is from the black tank.

since the tanks move a bit there is a ~6 inch sleeve

and 2 screw/ring/hose clamps used to attach tanks to the Y...

((very much like plumbers use in household low pressure sewer drains))

either might have been blown off, but IF it's the black tank the LEAK should smell different...

u really can't KNOW for sure without looking at BOTH legs of the Y
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it IS possible to visually access the Y without dropping the flat belly pan...

but getting TO the clamps and rubber sleeve are really hard with the belly pan in place.

the tanks are PARTIALLY/significantly supported by the pan,

so it cannot simply be DROPPED (without supporting the tanks) and it will be IN the way once lowered.

it is much EASIER to cut a HOLE in the pan (keep enlarging the hole as needed) near the Y pipe...

then cover it with an aluminum or galvanized patch and stainless screws afterward.

just to add to the challenge,

the SCREW head for the large hose clamp/s is often oriented UPward, 180 degrees from access ...

which means a BENT screw driver (or nut driver) is needed to loosen it...

THIS can be a field repair and doesn't require any really special tools...

(metal snips, funky screw/nut driver, a couple of BRITE lites, goggles, gloves an extra hose clamp, and so on...)

but it is a tight space and RAISING the street side tires on a ramp helps provide space to work ...

once the rubber sleeve is slipped back ON and hose clamps secured,

TEST both tanks and all connections before closing the hole...

lower the trailer back to level 4 this test/inspection

and fill both tanks with water, empty each and LOOK for water at the connections.
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i'd post pictures of the actual repair,

but didn't wanna get the camera wet at the time i made this fix...

the images are burned into me'brain...

cheers
2air'