Sagging tank and up-hill drain pipe.

With the underbelly off and tank full the grey #1 tank has to drain up hill about 4" to reach the sewer pipe. the bottom of the tank is also ~4-5" below the frame rails.





I am thinking that I can bolt some steel cross-members under the tank to keep the bottom of the tank flat and try to get the drain point a few inches higher, so the water can run down hill.

anyone else have a better idea?

Does the tank retain that shape when it's empty, or does it flex upwards (and the pipe slope decrease) as water drains and the weight decreases? Does look like it needs some support at the valve end, though, to take the slope out of the drain.

tank will raise up about 1" and the valve moves a bit. I have used a jack and a board to make all the water drain. Here is a pic of the tank after draining.

Better idea? New trailer? My old "06" had the same problems. New one so far has been as it should. Not an option? I guess just shore it up so it is more level.

Alan, My fresh water tank was bowed a lot I slid a 2 ft X 3 ft piece of aluminum under the straps then put the bottom back up and bolted a 1 1/2in X 2 1/2in X 6ft long piece of box chanell to the frame rails. Water tank works good and stays in place now. Maybe you could do something like that to yours. Jon

Hey Alan,
FYI, I was told by people at Heartland that what you are seeing/experiencing is normal. I for one do not care for the sagging. My one concern/comment for you is to be careful that if you do decide to put in place items to keep the tank from sagging that you might get the tank to flex on the top side instead and if there is anything above it like the black tank there could be problems. You can see this from the basement if you disassemble the basement wall. Please keep us informed of your progress and findings as I might venture down this same road in the spring.

Oh ya, If you get even more adventurous and decide to check out the grey #2 tank please let me know what you find. I found out this past spring that the outlet of the #2 grey is pointing towards the doorside, not the off-doorside like you would expect. Then I found that the pipes had no support and were actually going uphill to get from doorside to off-doorside then down to the outlet. I only found this because I had a leak of which ended up in the long pipe that was going uphill because of lack of proper angle for drainage. I neede to have more antifreeze. Well I had this repaired but would have really like to have the tank rotated 180 degrees but maybe another time.

Good luck,
Mark

Jon, That is about what I was thinking, except I would use two steel bars, and no aluminum sheet, worried that it might damage the tank heaters.

mrcomer said:

I was told by people at Heartland that what you are seeing/experiencing is normal.

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Remember "normal" is not always correct.

Oh ya, you might want to look ant see if there are any blocks keeping your tank from sliding on those current steel brackets that it rests on. I mean the black "L" brackets not the steel straps. Mine didn't have anything to keep it from sliding so I added blocks ro keep it in place.

Mine did same. I put plywood under tank, and welded steel cross members across (could bolt). Cured the [problem.

our 09 bighorn did that I bolted 2 2inch straps across the frame that helped bot didnt cure at least I know it wont fall out or break A drain pipe but still has A little flex Fred

Be careful. If you raise the tank up to far it will push up on the inside floor every time it gets full... Don't ask me how I know...

BC

TXBobcat said:

Be careful. If you raise the tank up to far it will push up on the inside floor every time it gets full... Don't ask me how I know...

BC

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BC; can you explain how a gravity filled tank can create pressure to push up on the floor above it? the tank is also vent is I see no possible way for the tank to "push up" on the floor.

If you place a brace under the tank and the tank fills up it will expand in a direction of the least resistance. Mine is UP. When we had the Mor/Ryde installed they place a bar under the tank. I can take it down but I have to remove the cover on the bottom of the trailer. So I just empty before it gets full. You have very little room for things to move in the underbelly. I know the tank hung down with the two straps when we opened up the belly. It does not hang down now but now my floor board will pop if I let the tank fill to much.

BC

Possibly if the bottom is too firmly supported and the top of the tank, when empty, ends up in contact with the underside of the floor. Then maybe when the tank fills the top bulges...and it backflows the drain into the trailer. Thinking that your Augusta is laid out similar to my 3670, the Gray #1 tank would contact only a part of the underside of the basement floor if it did bulge upward. On mine, most of the tank is directly below the black tank and it would have to blow up like a dirigible to make contact with it. Gray #2 is somewhere in the rear abyss. Maybe someday, I'll go spelunking back there to find it (and El Dorado).

Upon removing the vents in the kitchen floor and opening one corner of the under belly I have determined the location of the grey #2 and the fresh water tanks, and suprisingly neither are over the axles.

here is a graphic of about where our tanks are.

Cool! I kinda figured Gray #2 was under the cabinet like you show since the Studor valve is in that cabinet. Wasn't quite sure about the fresh water tank, though. Looks like our axles are right between the two, under the sink.

I hope it is just the bottom of the tank that is sagging because if it is the hole tank coming down what is it bring with it.

2010augusta said:

Upon removing the vents in the kitchen floor and opening one corner of the under belly I have determined the location of the grey #2 and the fresh water tanks, and suprisingly neither are over the axles.

here is a graphic of about where our tanks are.

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Alan, Curious if both fresh water tanks are back to back or end to end?

lwmcguir said:

Alan, Curious if both fresh water tanks are back to back or end to end?

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as far as I can tell the fresh water tanks is just one large tank.

Could be, the brochure stated and the spec sheet for our 2009 stated it had two fresh water tanks for a total of 110 gallons. Sounds like a question for Jim B or HL. Thanks for the reply.