blew out fresh water tank while filling

pshootr

Member
anyone ever repair a blown out fresh water tank?I was filling it and walked away for 1 minute and BOOM..overfilled with the hose.I think it blew out at the seam on the tank.I have yet to cut the underbelly out yet and look at it cause we r camping.I had water in it after it blew out.does anyone know if I could get a repair kit to fix the tank,as long as the crack isnt too long.thanks in advance for any help I can get.also its a 2011 northtrail,any one know what the tanks are made of..thanks paul..
 

dbbls59

Well-known member
I can't help but I am always concerned about doing the same thing. I would prefer a gravity fill over the system Heartland uses.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
If it's white, which most are, it's probably polypropylene. Did you have water coming out from under the trailer after you overfilled it? They normally have overflow vents that should dump water before the tank sustains any damage, or it would backflow out of the gravity fill port, too. While not impossible, it is kind of hard to pressurize the tank via the gravity fill port if you just stuck a hose in it and didn't close off the opening. You may have heard the tank expanding or slipping into its supports. Depending on the trailer you have, just remove the bolts along one side of the trailer that hold the underbelly covering on before cutting it, then inspect for damage. Might save yourself some work.
 

TedS

Well-known member
On my previous trailer, I often filled by hose until the tank overflowed. It never blew out the tank. Your tank vent may be blocked.
 

pshootr

Member
thanks for info,my tank just read 2/3 full after refilling it at campground.im thinkin I might have just blew the fill hose out of the tank.hopefully thats sll iy is.we'll find out monday when I get home from campin.
 

wdk450

Well-known member
thanks for info,my tank just read 2/3 full after refilling it at campground.im thinkin I might have just blew the fill hose out of the tank.hopefully thats sll iy is.we'll find out monday when I get home from campin.

A. Don't trust the OEM tank gauges - Consensus is that they are worthless.
B. I was looking through a complete list of Eternabond tape products on RVUpgrades.com and saw a tank sealing tape from them.
 

Lynn1130

Well-known member
You don't say which unit you have so I do not know if you have one tank or two. In my case I walked away from the filling process for just a minute and the tank overfilled. The resulting pressure caused crossover between the tanks to leak and at least one of the holding straps to break loose. The tanks had no damage. You will have to pull the cover from the bottom of the trailer to see what damage there might be.
 

mobilcastle

Well-known member
I always fill mine slowly-never had a problem. You should hear it gurgle as it fills to release the air in the tank. Hopefully you did nor damage the tank. Good luck.
 

scottyb

Well-known member
I always fill mine slowly-never had a problem. You should hear it gurgle as it fills to release the air in the tank. Hopefully you did nor damage the tank. Good luck.

+!. After reading of a few problems, I asked the question of fill rate. I then filled my tank slowly, at around 2 gpm. It took a while and I stayed nearby, but there are two very small (1 from each tank) overflow tubes located in the compartment with the Black and Gray tank valves. They are tucked way back inside and really difficult to see. Based on their size, I would not trust them to vent fast enough at full throttle.
 

porthole

Retired
anyone ever repair a blown out fresh water tank?I was filling it and walked away for 1 minute and BOOM..overfilled with the hose.I think it blew out at the seam on the tank.I have yet to cut the underbelly out yet and look at it cause we r camping.I had water in it after it blew out.does anyone know if I could get a repair kit to fix the tank,as long as the crack isnt too long.thanks in advance for any help I can get.also its a 2011 northtrail,any one know what the tanks are made of..thanks paul..

The tanks are seamless. I would guess along with others that you just released water through a vent.

What model? How many tanks? Some trailers use 2 fresh water tanks plumbed together that do not fill equally under normal fill rates.
 

MdMike

Well-known member
When I fill mine I have a short section of 1/2 inch hose with the end cut off. I snake it all the way down to the tank to fill it. No burping as it vents thru the fill line around the 1/2 inch hose as well as the vent on the tank. Never an issue. I don't fill very fast, usually takes 15-20 mins to fill.
 
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