holding tank questions

[ollibell16]

Hi I'm in the process of purchasing a 62 safari. It doesn't have holding tanks. How hard is it to add these and what is the ball park figure to do something like this. It also doesn't have a hot water heater. What are those running for a middle of the road unit? Otherwise, this one is ready to roll. Great interior, running gear good, refr, oven and air condition all working. Looks like I'll soon to be an airstream owner. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by ollibell16

Hi I'm in the process of purchasing a 62 safari. It doesn't have holding tanks. How hard is it to add these and what is the ball park figure to do something like this. It also doesn't have a hot water heater. What are those running for a middle of the road unit? Otherwise, this one is ready to roll. Great interior, running gear good, refr, oven and air condition all working. Looks like I'll soon to be an airstream owner. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It would be wise, once you have the trailer, to have a complete "safety inspection" made, by a dealer that knows your trailer.

That will tell you everything the trailer needs, along with the costs.

Assuming that somethings are OK, is not the way to start out.

Andy

[Zeppelinium]

Estimate $200-300 per tank and a lot of elbow grease. PPL Motor Homes in Texas has good prices on most appliances and you can find others with good prices with a simple web search.

There are an infinite number of ways to add tanks--you'd think that they should go below the floor, but many black tanks are above the floor. If you look at this thread http://www.airforums.com/forums/f109...ack-37562.html you'll see a unique installation, for example.

Welcome to the world uf unending Vintage Airstsream projects! when you search around and find the right threads, you'll find yourself spending hours reading through the best ones. They may not give you skill, but they do give you courage.

Zep

[byamcaravanner]

Does the trailer have any plumbing? or are only the parts you listed missing.

It should have had a black tank at one time... in your trailer it should be above the floor and under the toilet.

If you find some stock tanks that will work you should be able to get the two tanks for $300. Then add another $150 for dump valves and plumbing. If you add a grey tank make sure you vent it. You should be able to use the vent from the galley sink.

You can get a basic 6gal water heater for about $300 or a more deluxe one for $500 to $900. You most likely will want to redo the propane lines, so figure that in also. You also most likely will need to re-plumb the water supply lines.

All in All, depending on the extent of what you decide to do, I would say you would be looking at $1000 to $2000... that's doing the work yourself of course.

Good Luck! Post some Pict's when you can.

[Darol Ingalls]

Your trailer should have been equipped from the factory with a black tank. It was mounted above the floor under the toilet. Check the photos on Vintageairstream.com archives. Since you have no tanks, some previous owner must have had a vision of some sort and made changes. Be sure to check ALL the plumbing for other changes. I'm in the middle of installing black and grey tanks to a '66 Caravel which had also suffered "previous owner syndrome" and I can tell you that the previously posted estimate for custom-made tanks is LOW. In addition, you will need all drain piping, slide valves, etc. Your Safari has more ground clearance than the Caravel, but you still have to be concerned, especially if you are going to mount the tanks below floor level. Remember, "everything" flows downhill. Darol

[ollibell16]

thanks for the info everyone. The toilet does sit up on a step which I asume is the tank and looks like the airstream photo archive pictures. So, it may be there just not functioning. I will get more info when I speak to current owner. I just wanted a ball park for how much these systems could run me. The owner said its fine as long as you use hook ups.