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stripperguy · 10-06-2020, 07:02 PM

Some of you may remember that I bought this 2007 Tuscany wrecked (with a clear title), picked it up in VA and drove it 500 miles home with one headlight, no wipers and no heat (in the rain and snow).

I have been pecking away at all of the repairs...front cap, generator, washer/dryer cabinet, wiring, A/C condenser, repaired/replaced awnings, and more.

Well, the time finally arrived for a shake down camping trip the other week.
I had the LP tank topped off.
I filled the diesel fuel tank.
I partially filled, then emptied the fresh water tank, then fully filled the fresh water tank (we planned to be dry camping).

Well-----after filling the fresh water tank all the way, I found this!!

Yup, that's the tank, and what's left of the plywood floor that used to hold it up in place. The thin walled square tubing brace also had buckled and the welds failed.
I was actually relieved that this happened in the driveway, imagine.

So I decided I had to remove the tank, to do a good job on a repair, but the tank was 3/4" inch WIDER than the compartment opening (after removing the gasket trim). So I cut the opening wider by 2" and took out the tank, and stripped out all of the remnants of the old, rotted floor.

I then cut and fit some 1-1/2" 14 gage square tubing and welded it in place. 3 of them, not just 1 as it was originally built.

Once all the braces were in, I cut and fit some 3/4" plywood and secured it in place.

I then added a layer of vinyl flooring, sealing the edges of the wet bay to it.
While it was out, I flushed out the tank with chlorine, probably as clean as when it was first molded.
Now it was a simple matter to slide the tank back in place and reconnect all the hoses, and add penetrations for the drains and access port. Sorry, no pics, I got distracted by what I found next.

stripperguy · 10-06-2020, 07:17 PM

What distracted me??
As I was getting ready to disconnect the water hose after filling the tank, I saw some water at the bottom of the tank, where it rests on the compartment floor. I then saw a trickle of water on the side of the tank...was the tank leaking? Oh no, was it the black water tank leaking?
As I peered in there, I saw a drop of water falling from somewhere up high on the passenger side of the wet bay.

I removed the access cover for the pump (that I had only momemnts before installed) and found a leaking fitting.

Here is the fitting

Can you see that it's deformed into a D shape by the hose clamp? The hose clamp that was barely on that stub of a connection?
I must say that I am constantly amazed at the poor assembly practices and poor component choices from the manufacturer.

Anyway, I replaced that sad connection with a real brass PEX fitting (1/2" NPTF x 1/2" PEX) and a real Odecker pinch clamp.
Here is that connection.

So, other than some final cosmetic body work on the front cap, and paint, I'm done. Or at least I'm done until I find the next design or assembly flaw!

We plan to camp in it this weekend (full hook ups) and see if everything is really repaired.
Thanks for following along on my roller coaster rise of a repair.

gvcook · 10-06-2020, 07:51 PM

Ohhhh Man, good thing that didn't happen while driving down the road. Sorry you had the problem, but looks like you did a great job of repair. I wonder if the old welds were damaged as a result of the previous owners accident. Makes me want to go check mine out before my next trip.

stripperguy · 10-07-2020, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gvcook

Ohhhh Man, good thing that didn't happen while driving down the road. Sorry you had the problem, but looks like you did a great job of repair. I wonder if the old welds were damaged as a result of the previous owners accident. Makes me want to go check mine out before my next trip.

I don’t think the floor failure was related to the previous accident but rather from an accumulation of 13 years of corrosion and delamination. There was a paper thin layer of metal under the floor and a layer of synthetic underlayment on top of the floor. Those semi impervious layers served to trap moisture and degrade the wood flooring. So moisture from any leaks and any road spray would just soak into the wood like a sponge and have a hard time to evaporate. The oem brace appeared to have been in failure mode for some time, eventually tearing out the minuscule welds that held it in place.

I would suggest that everyone crawl under their coaches and inspect the flooring and whatever supports.
Imagine if that happened on the highway?!