CY 3010 Fresh Water Tank - Some water is inaccessible - Discussion

[porthole]

There are new tanks being used that look to eliminate the draining/drawing problem. There is a small "bump out" on the bottom of both tanks, which I assume are now being tied together at the factory.

 

[Yianni]

I too did the fix on my 2010 3010 that rtataryn chronicled on page 15 of this thread. Thanks to him for researching and finding the fittings to correct our problem. Below are some pictures similar to his. The only difference is I wrapped all piping I could get to with pipe foam to avoid freeze ups since we winter camp. I also added 2 metal bands per tank to bolster the 1 installed at the factory. We usually run with full water tanks so the added support should help quite a bit. We saw a tank laying in the middle of the freeway coming home from Lake Tahoe so I thought I better do something.
While I'm still not happy about the brush off I received from Heartland customer service requesting help with this matter, my family and I are really enjoying our Cyclone. We've had it 9 months now with approx. 6,000 miles towed and to Heartlands credit the only problems we've had is a failed water pump and a couple of cabinet doors split. That's pretty good considering some of the complaints I read on other sites about other brands.
Here are the pics. and one of the Cyclone 1n a 16 degree snow storm by Lake Tahoe in May.

 

[porthole]

Somehow that last picture doesn't do anything for me Louis

 

[Yianni]

Somehow that last picture doesn't do anything for me Louis

That's funny. Where your from its pretty common but for us on the warm weather coast its a novelty. The kids had a blast.

 

[dougw]

Yianni, it interests me that you seem to have 3 straps per tank. Did you add those or did your trailer come that way? Mine only has 1 per tank down the middle.

Doug

 

[porthole]

Yanni added the extra straps.

 

[Yianni]

Yianni, it interests me that you seem to have 3 straps per tank. Did you add those or did your trailer come that way? Mine only has 1 per tank down the middle.

Doug

Doug, Porthole is correct.

I also added 2 metal bands per tank to bolster the 1 installed at the factory. We usually run with full water tanks so the added support should help quite a bit. We saw a tank laying in the middle of the freeway coming home from Lake Tahoe so I thought I better do something.

 

[dougw]

Good piece of mind for sure. A few weeks ago we had our tanks filled to 95gals and I hardly noticed any flexing since I doubled up the boards. Now onto my next project. I'm looking for ~30gal freshwater container and a pump to supplement a longer stay. We managed to barley make a 8 day trip for 2 but started to run low on water and had to watch our usage. I figure if I can come up with something I can pump more freshwater into the trailer as needed with out taking the trailer any place.

Doug

 

[porthole]

Here ya go!

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10111&subdeptNum=10628&classNum=10634


On this page the 55 gallon verison may fit between the hitch and tailgate.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10111&subdeptNum=10687&classNum=10690

 

[rtataryn]

Nice job Louie. Great idea with the extra metal straps. Did you add a drain valve, or just a line out to the pump only?

Rod

 

[Yianni]

Nice job Louie. Great idea with the extra metal straps. Did you add a drain valve, or just a line out to the pump only?

Rod

Rod,
I did plumb a drain valve along with a line out to the pump. I plumed it closer to the side so I would not have to climb under the trailer to reach it. Where I park at home is pretty rough gravel so it should make it a little easier on the knees.

 

[cabin fever]

Good piece of mind for sure. A few weeks ago we had our tanks filled to 95gals and I hardly noticed any flexing since I doubled up the boards. Now onto my next project. I'm looking for ~30gal freshwater container and a pump to supplement a longer stay. We managed to barley make a 8 day trip for 2 but started to run low on water and had to watch our usage. I figure if I can come up with something I can pump more freshwater into the trailer as needed with out taking the trailer any place.

Doug

Not the best idea but when we go to job and know the supply lines will freeze in the trailer. I use a 50 gallon barrel in the garage and run a hose from it to the winterizing by-pass.

 

[Katoum]

I'm due to pick up my 3010 tomorrow, and now I'm getting a little nervous as it is freezing up here in the white north country. I dry camp and this is a major concern to me. There is really no excuse for something this simple, but how Heartland and there dealers resolve this issue is paramount in my opinion. I have made the my dealer aware of this thread and if the tanks do not drain, my deal will not be completed. I'm thankful that this forum has brought this to my attention.

Sorry I took so long to get back to everyone. When I picked up my 3010 I mentioned the problems that customers in this forum were having and the dealer contacted the factory representative. What they did was attach two grey colored valves to the bottom of each tank, these now protrude through the bottom of the black coreplast cover. It appears that I can now drain both tanks, and I'm only assuming this because after the water from main factory drain quits running the two new bottom tank valves continue to run for a very long time but I have never actually measured the amount from each tank.

On my last trip I actually used all my fresh water and it happened when the tank still showed 1/3 full. So while the draining problem seems to be resolved now I have to deal with not being able to use all the fresh water in the tank before the pump sucks air. I travel with my tanks full as there is no water where I camp and after seeing Doug's picture I worry about the tank belly boards being up to the task of dealing with the weight! Has any one else experienced broken or severly bowed belly boards or deformed tanks?

 

[cabin fever]

Sorry I took so long to get back to everyone. When I picked up my 3010 I mentioned the problems that customers in this forum were having and the dealer contacted the factory representative. What they did was attach two grey colored valves to the bottom of each tank, these now protrude through the bottom of the black coreplast cover. It appears that I can now drain both tanks, and I'm only assuming this because after the water from main factory drain quits running the two new bottom tank valves continue to run for a very long time but I have never actually measured the amount from each tank.

On my last trip I actually used all my fresh water and it happened when the tank still showed 1/3 full. So while the draining problem seems to be resolved now I have to deal with not being able to use all the fresh water in the tank before the pump sucks air. I travel with my tanks full as there is no water where I camp and after seeing Doug's picture I worry about the tank belly boards being up to the task of dealing with the weight! Has any one else experienced broken or severly bowed belly boards or deformed tanks?

My boards are bowed too and it is a concern. I try not to fill up until I get close to my destination.

 

[dougw]

Well if they added the lower drains to the tanks, it wouldn't be that hard then to tie them together with the main pump inlet line.Then you could do both, drain as well as use all the water. As for the boards, just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't crack. You can peak through the side of the covering to check on them. I think the problem with the boards comes in if you over fill the tanks vs just filling almost full. Please keep in mind that if you plan on doing any modifications to the tank area plan on having to cut the undercover or remove a lot of stuff to get if down. When I had mine down I also added the new tank monitor equipment which has worked out well.

And FYI, I've ordered the following 26gal tank to carry extra water with. I have yet to decide on a pump to pump the water into the tank, but I'm now thinking of finding a way to tie into the pump line instead.

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200337114_200337114

Doug

 

[porthole]

What they did was attach two Grey colored valves to the bottom of each tank, these now protrude through the bottom of the black foreplays cover. It appears that I can now drain both tanks, and I'm only assuming this because after the water from main factory drain quits running the two new bottom tank valves continue to run for a very long time but I have never actually measured the amount from each tank.

You must have the new style tanks then. Wonder why they didn't tie them together.
The new tanks have low point drains molded into a bump out on the bottom off door side of the tank.

I didn't install the new tanks yet, but on my thread below you can see how I tied in both tanks to feed the pump.

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/11365-And-so-it-begins?p=135059&viewfull=1#post135059

 

[newbie]

I have considered an 100 gallon water pillow. That would allow me to put it on the back of the truck and fill up without moving the hitch. I figured I could modify the pump so I could use the on board pump to fill the water tank. The only thing holding me back is the 100 gallon water pillow is a little pricey and we only would use this maybe once a year. It is still a cool concept.

http://www.tank-depot.com/productdetails.aspx?part=HPC-BT-100PW&ref=base

 

[dougw]

Duane, if you get a chance, could you post a couple of pictures of the new tanks please. I'd like to see what they look like. So far I'm still having good luck with my fix so I don't think I'd go as far as to replace them but it would be nice to see what changes we created for heartland<G>.

Thanks
Doug

 

[porthole]

Duane, if you get a chance, could you post a couple of pictures of the new tanks please. I'd like to see what they look like. So far I'm still having good luck with my fix so I don't think I'd go as far as to replace them but it would be nice to see what changes we created for heartland<G>.

And here ya go!

 

[Yianni]

I bought one of the water meters Alan (2010 Augusta) found and posted a link to. After doing the fix on my fresh water tanks I was curious exactly how much water I was putting in the tanks and if I didn't want to fill them I would know when to stop if I just wanted 10,20 or 30 gallons without carrying the extra weight.
I started from empty and this was the result. At this point water was coming out of the vent line in a fairly steady stream. The water heater and lines were already full.