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yukionna · 09-02-2003, 03:57 PM

I recently had Airstream upgrade my black tank from an eight gallon tank to an 18 gallon tank in my 2002 19' Bambi. The holding tank plumbing is now situated much lower than the original factory plumbing -- the plumbing is now only 6" from the ground (see photo below)! That seems a bit low so I would like to poll 2002 19' Bambi owners who own a unit with the 18-gallon black tank as standard equipment. How far off the ground is your plumbing? Can you post a picture of your plumbing?

yukionna · 09-02-2003, 04:02 PM

I couldn't figure out how to add a photo after I posted the thread so must resort to responding to my own post!

Rickk48 · 09-02-2003, 04:09 PM

I will be interested in the replies, as I have been thinking of doing the same mod to my '01 Bambi.

rcaldwel · 09-02-2003, 04:30 PM

yukionna,

If I may ask, about how much does it run to have this upgrade. We have a 2001 Bambi and I was also thinking it would be nice to have a larger black tank.

Thanks,

Bob Caldwell

yukionna · 09-02-2003, 04:33 PM

It cost about $1,000 for everything -- labor and materials -- and is a 3-4 day job.

yukionna · 09-02-2003, 05:20 PM

One other thing I want to mention about my black tank upgrade -- the new toilet orientation!

I read somewhere (probably on this forum) that you can gain more leg room in the bathroom of the 19' Bambi's by re-orienting the commode. This is done by loosening the bolts and turning the commode slightly toward the shower. Well, when Airstream installed my new black tank, they re-oriented my commode. What a difference it makes -- no more complaints about knees banging against the closed bathroom door!

WayWard Wind · 09-02-2003, 08:04 PM

Yukinnoa, we have an 02 Bambi & as luck would have it ours was made SHORTLY after a line change, where A/S went with the bigger tank in the 19'. I'll take a pic of ours tomorrow & try to post it, so you can see the plumbing difference. I had contacted A/S, after purchasing ours, regarding the turning of the toliet & that's what I was also told to do. If you look at some of thier floor prints it appears they are now turning them slightly towards the shower. I'm also interested in a previous problem you mentioned regarding the side panel peeling. After reading your thread, I looked up an article I had clipped from the Blue Beret & David Schumman ( works for A/S ) wrote in there (see issuse June 2002 page # 50 ) that from 1999 on A/S has started using painted panels that come from Alcoa, instead of Clearcoat, to avoid the peeling problem. So what's peeling?
Best,

yukionna · 09-03-2003, 03:50 AM

On the street side of the A/S, there are three spots where the coating is coming off in strips. The damage occurred about seven feet up the side so I didn't notice the problem until the pieces of clear coat had broken free and were hanging down. Airstream attempted to strip the finish to recoat that side while my unit was at the factory, but the exposed area of the panel had changed color. Aistream tried to buff that side out, to blend the colors, to no avail so they are planning on replacing the panel this winter.

dtbw · 09-05-2003, 06:42 AM

Nancy,
here is a pic of our factory setup. Ours was the first Bambi with the 18 gallon. Looks pretty much the same as yours except ours has a bracket to support the outlet (it also prevents me from rotating the drain downward, so I had to buy a ell so that my Sewer Solution would clear the gate valve handles). Sorry that I don't have a better pic, but our rig is in storage. I will be getting it midweek for a unit rally, so I will take a better pic and do some measurements.

david

B25guy · 09-05-2003, 08:23 AM

I have a 25C but it looks the same as DTBW's. I strongly recommend the bracket that holds the whole assembly to the underside of the trailer. I wasn't impressed by the way the factory just screwed it into the aluminum panel so I added a piece of 1" aluminum angle behind it to the outrigger about 6" forward of the existing mounting point. That's a lot of weight to be supported by friction of the joints and thim aluminum sheet metal.

yukionna · 09-05-2003, 09:20 PM

B25guy, I'm not sure I understand what your bracket does. Do you have a photo you could post?

dtbw · 09-06-2003, 07:50 AM

Nancy,
Look at the photo I attached to my earlier posting. See the area above the outlet? Note that there is a metal bracket that surrounds the outlet area (between the two gate valves)providing added support and generally providing a more pleasing appearance.

rfield54 · 09-07-2003, 10:27 PM

Yukionna,

The plumbing clearance on my '02 Safari/Bambi is 9" at the exit bracket and about 9 3/4" at the dropped floor that accomodates the (standard equipment) 18 gal tank. It sounds like you lose 3" of clearance with the upgrade when compared to a newer Bambi . . . it's still worth it though. It could be more disadvantageous. I'm told the '92 thru '97 (21') Sovereign's have only 5" of clearance at the same location . . . Roy

yukionna · 09-08-2003, 03:53 AM

I'm wondering now if I should install a bracket to help support the plumbing.

It would be great if someone could post a close-up photo of their bracket.

dtbw · 09-08-2003, 06:04 AM

Nancy,
That should have been installed by A/S, but if the retrofit hangs lower than original factory, then A/Ss standard bracket would not extend low enough. Still they should have had a custom bracket made. Regardless, I would have A/S send me one of the brackets as it would be a good pattern for a sheet metal shop to use in fabricating a bracket that would extend down properly. While the weight of the plumbing is small, it is the leverage situation that concerns me. Without the support at the center, there is a good potential for motion and over time that could lead to fatigue at gray or black tank exits (or both). I will be getting our Bambi out of storage later next week and I will do some measuring so that we can compare clearances.

B25guy · 09-10-2003, 08:00 PM

Here's a picture of my alum angle bracket...nothing fancy, just functional. I attached the forward end of the angle with a #12 sheet metal screw (hex head) to the nearest outrigger just forward of the valve. I then lifted the valve assy slightly to remove the slack then drilled and riveted the two together. Now there's no wiggle in the valve and should hold up nicely as the valve handles are tugged on through the years.

BTW, the alum angle was a scrap leftover when I put mud/rocks guards behind the rear axle. I noticed lots of mud and dirt around the valves and rock chips in the underside paint.

Hope this helps!