low point FW tank drain 71 safari?

[yacht_boy]

Hi all,

I have a 71 safari I'm restoring. I am replacing all of the plumbing except the actual freshwater tank. Everything else will be new. It's not a full gut, I've kept the interior intact.

I cannot find a low point drain for the freshwater tank. Was there one in that era? If not, how did they drain the tanks completely dry? Do I just pour some RV antifreeze into the tank, then flush really well every spring?

[STREMN]

Hi - The user manual has info about the drain location. I've included a couple of screen shots of page 38-39 for the fresh water systems. You can find the manuals on Airstreams website at: https://www.airstream.com/wp-content...-manual-51.pdf

Good luck with your project!

Tom - S/OS #025

[yacht_boy]

Thanks!

It appears that there was no true low-point drain. I do have the hole in my floor under the galley sink, and there were some valves there that came after the water pump, but nothing directly connected to the tank. I guess I could add a valve in the same spot to avoid draining the tank by pumping through the galley sinks. Not quite as good as a proper low-point drain by gravity but better than nothing.

[Aerowood]

I have a 71 21' Globetrotter. I recently installed a low point drain in the tank. There are a couple of ways to do it. One way is to install a tee fitting in the tank/line that supplies the pump and route it out the bottom of the tank support pan to a valve. I had the tank out so I had another fitting spun welded on the bottom side of the tank. I then installed a bulkhead fitting that goes through the tank support pan. Then I installed a 90° elbow and a ball valve to drain the tank.

[yacht_boy]

Thanks! If I could pull the tank out I would be happy to spin weld another fitting to the bottom of the tank. But for now the tank is staying where it is.

Good idea about installing a fitting in the supply line to the pump. I've got everything dry fitted right now, it wouldn't be too much work to add something like that.

[TGK]

I have a 1971 Safari. The drain for my water tank is accessed via the cabinet opposite the entry door.

[yacht_boy]

Well, I filled the tank for the first time on Friday. The seller told me he'd had it pressure tested but had never put water in it.

So much for the pressure test. Every drop I poured in leaked out and the pump couldn't pressurize it enough to pull water. No visible cracks from the fittings so it looks like I'll be dropping the tank. Sigh. I guess if I order a new one I can add a real low point drain under the trailer.

[Aerowood]

Getting the tank support pan out can be a real pain. It is a 1 inch thick piece of plywood covered with a thin sheet of aluminum. Be sure you have all the lines disconnected from the top first. If you have a spare tire holder, that will need to be removed along with any stabilizers. I screwed a hook to the center of the pan and then attached a come along to the hitch to jack the pan out. After the pan is out the tank will just fall out, so have a jack handy to hold the tank in place until the pan is out.

By the way, the water pump does not pressurize the tank, it sucks the water out. Early Airstreams did have a pump that pressurized the tank. Most people have removed that system and gone to a suction pump.