Community Forums

Jet54 · 01-15-2014, 07:14 PM

Hi all, have a carriage 30rls in FlaKeys, i was going to release blackwater into sewer and i decided to hookup my flush hose first to get things started (bad idea) when i returned from water service i noticed fluid running from the under belly of my trailer. By the smell i could tell it was my black water tank. I quickly opened the flush valve to release and could tell it was very full. The dripping from belly lasted about 2 hr s. This weekend i will be dropping the belly to see whats up. Does anyone have any advise as to what if any damage might have occurred, the cleanup is inevitable i know, just worried about the tanks condition.

Mr_D · 01-15-2014, 07:18 PM

Anything from a popped off fitting to a tank splitting. No idea till you open it up and look.
Hope it's not the tank, they can sometimes be welded using a plastic welding kit but it's not always successful

Jet54 · 01-15-2014, 07:26 PM

Thanks for response, i figured the release of pressure not from the valve is probably not a good outcome but will find out soon im sure.

chilepalace · 01-19-2014, 07:54 PM

Jet,

I feel your pain! Having just finished dealing with with the same issue on my '02 Cameo, maybe I can offer some advice, some moral support at least. In my case I was fairly certain that finding a replacement tank wasn't likely, so repairing seemed to be the best option. I did it all myself, luckily with a warm, dry driveway here in southern AZ.

Short version here, I'm new to this forum so not sure how the pm works, but can go into more detail using email without boring everyone else on here.

Dropping the shroud: Cordless drill with long extension & socket. I used 4 cat litter buckets with blocking to hold up shroud while removing all the screws. Remove the section under the dump valves first, & the drain pipe from the valves. I also had to remove screws from brackets securing the gas line that were in the way. Once shroud is on the ground, remove all the (soaked) insulation & move everything out of the way for the next step.

Dropping the tank: Easier than the shroud actually. Disconnect the drain line from the toilet and the vent line in the basement. label & disconnect the 4 sensor wires attached to the tank. If like mine, I had to cut the vent pipe & reassemble with rubber coupler. Also had to cut bigger hole in basement floor to accomodate the angles of these pipes grrrr! Be careful, the top of the tank is just below the floor. 2 bolts in either end of 'C' channel beam which holds front lip of tank. You can now work the tank forward & down. I had to enlarge the drain & vent holes toward frt. of rig to accomodate the drain & vent pipes.

The fix: My tank had split along the seam between the lid & the tank along the short end of the tank (curb side). Clean, clean, clean as much of the split as possible using thin file, hacksaw blade, emery cloth, acetone, etc.

Plasti-mend black from plasti-mend.com. This stuff is quite impressive, actually melts into & bonds with existing abs plastic. I used a syringe from kitchen supply store to inject into the split, then lightly clamped the seam with wood strips & C clamps. Allowed to cure, then applied layers of plasti-mend & mesh overlapping the seam edge & top & bottom of lip.

These tanks are poorly designed, undersized, the 1" supporting lip around the top is inadequate leading to seam failure in my opinion. The only really dissapointing feature that I have encountered with my Carriage so far. I know that I don't trust these tanks enough to let them get much more than 3/4 full, & wouldn't travel with more than 1/2 full.

Good luck. PM me if you need more info.

jesilvas · 01-19-2014, 07:59 PM

Seen more than one Carriage black tank do that. I do know of the replacement number also.

tuffr2 · 01-19-2014, 08:09 PM

I have a warning label not to use the flush unless the valve is open....now I know why.

Good luck

chilepalace · 01-19-2014, 08:37 PM

With Carriage out of business, I didn't know if replacement tanks are even available. Also have read that holes & fittings have to be installed for the vent, intake & drain lines, and flush system. More than I wanted to tackle, so I opted to repair the existing tank. Also forgot to mention that I just cut the pex line for the flush in the midddle along rear of tank & reconnected with pex sharkbite coupler.

It would seem that unless the tank is overfull, blocking the vent outlet, pressure from the flush system would simply be released up the vent.

Much more discussion (and cussing) of these tanks on the old Carriage owners forum. The thread is a sticky titled Tanks for holding!

wa8yxm · 01-20-2014, 07:07 AM

Buy lots of bleach.. And don't forget to glove up (Double glove recommended) with exam gloves.

That is one specific set of OPPS I have yet to pull.. But .. Well.. There are other ways to overflow that tank so "Been there done that" applies.

sk734 · 01-23-2014, 04:03 AM

Does not sound like a fun job at all. Good luck-you might want to install some metal straps to support the tank when you put it back in. I saw some on my tanks when I had a to elevate my fresh water fill supply line.

jesilvas · 01-23-2014, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mobilcastle

Does not sound like a fun job at all. Good luck-you might want to install some metal straps to support the tank when you put it back in. I saw some on my tanks when I had a to elevate my fresh water fill supply line.

Carriage used some pretty good metal straps with rubber spacers to keep them from hurting the tank.