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Old 01-19-2015, 02:41 PM   #1
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1955 22' Safari
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Aluminum Black Tank

I am purchasing a 55 Flying Cloud which currently has no waste tanks. The first order of business will be to add an above floor black tank in the wet bath. Rather than purchase a plastic tank and build a plywood box over it, I am considering having an aluminum tank fabricated which will be strong enough to support the toilet with no "box" required. An added bonus is it will look nice and probably outlast the trailer.
Has anyone does this before?
Any drawbacks?
I will need three openings in the tank: a vent "stub", a 3" outlet and a 3" inlet. My plan is to use threaded pipe fittings for the inlet and outlet, into which I can thread the plastic closet flange and Valterra fittings.
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Old 01-19-2015, 04:18 PM   #2
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Any thoughts of using stainless steel? Also thought of a tank monitor system? Overall I think it would hold up very well and is a great idea.
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Old 01-19-2015, 05:02 PM   #3
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Aluminum and human waste are not compatible with each other. The aluminum will corrode out in a very short amount of time. Stainless Steel would be a better choice. If it was mine I would use either ABS or Polyurethane, both would be a lot easier to deal with.
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Old 01-19-2015, 06:16 PM   #4
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I hate to burst your bubble, but you may still need to build a box around it, unless you make it with very thick walls and top. The weight of the toilet, with a person sitting on it, will probably cause oil-canning (the roof of the tank flexes) as a person sits on it and then rises, thereby changing the weight the top of the tank supports. It would look (and weigh) like a miniature version of a pickup-bed toolbox in order to be strong enough to prevent oil-canning under a person's weight, and that's hardly attractive.

You really are better going with a plastic tank and building a wooden box around it. Wood is a lot lighter and more attractive than steel and can be made thick enough not to noticeably flex, without being too heavy.
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Old 01-19-2015, 09:00 PM   #5
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I built both a aluminum black and grey tank, mounted under the floor in our 31' 67. If you need to strengthen it you can gusset it inside. I completely drain both tanks when we are not using the trailer.


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Old 01-19-2015, 10:20 PM   #6
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Aluminum Black Tank

Sorry kinda of dumb here. What does gusset mean? I assume it's a kind of reenforcement.
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Old 01-20-2015, 06:33 AM   #7
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Tank fabricator would use 3/16" aluminum which he says is plenty stiff/strong enough for this purpose. He has been building aliuminum tanks for boats for 25 years.
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Old 01-20-2015, 06:57 AM   #8
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There is a lot of corrosion potential for human waste. Once the aluminum gets pitted, it's not going to rinse as clean. You could get a 2 part epoxy paint, then pour inside the tank and rotate it to coat the inside.

I did 1/4" black ABS myself, but it was below the belly. I did add tank washers. you may want to consider that, but possibly in a wet bath the wand washer is best.
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Old 01-22-2015, 06:36 AM   #9
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Ok, more research has convinced me that an aluminum black tank is a bad idea. I will get a plastic one and perhaps cover it with an aluminum box. Still thinking it will be above the floor but gray tank may go below....
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Old 02-03-2015, 08:15 PM   #10
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Pics plz when you are done!
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