| Author |
Message |
david anderson (Davidanderson)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 8:45 pm: | |
When we returned from our ski trip at Christmas, we used all our water and filled waste tanks to the top. After parked for two days back home I noticed water dripping out of the bay. Icch, it stunk too. It was coming out of a crack in the top seam of the tank. I went to a dump and emptied. After a day of removing lots of mechanical stuff I got to the leak.
I called Ardemco and they said it would have to be welded back. I got a piece of polyethelene tubing to attempt the weld. I did it with a propane torch. The short story--I got the leak fixed with little problem.
Now, I wanted to find out why this thing cracked. I looked across my bay from side to side and could see a definite bow or sag in the floor. This allowed the tank to bend in the middle forcing the top to push up and break the weld.
Ok, problem found, now that floor has to be staightened and reenforced. Gene Rochester, who doesn't post anymore, but converted 3 eagles told me 5 years ago to beef up that floor in the mechanical bay. I should have listened. I carry 200 gals of water, 135 gals of fuel and 8 golf cart batteries in that bay.
Today, I installed a 3"x3"x3/8" angle adjacent to the existing longeron tubing under the bay floor and attached each end to the bay bulkheads. This is much more iron than the factory installation. The floor is now straight sans the sag.
I'll reinspect after a few trips to maintain floor straightness.
If you carry lots of weight check the straightness of your bay floor. Those long tanks don't like to bend, leaks aren't fun to fix.
David Anderson |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 9:13 pm: | |
Wow:
"I carry 200 gals of water, 135 gals of fuel and 8 golf
cart batteries in that bay. "
That's around three tons, huh? It's easy to forget how much
liquids weigh when we design things. A layer of decent grade,
waterproof flakeboard (or OSB) can help distribute the weight
across the entire structure... |
Randy Davidson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 9:57 pm: | |
David - may I ask how your waste tank is secured in the bay from moving or shifting when full?
Thanks. |
Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 3:17 pm: | |
3 TONS??! Maybe more like 3,000 pounds or so.
Glad you got it shored up, David. Keep us posted on its "sag-freeness".
bb |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 7:34 pm: | |
Mbbe closer to 2 tons? i wuz nebber gud at mat.
Still, awful lot of weight concentrated on a small footprint. |
david anderson (Davidanderson)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 10:35 pm: | |
The tank lies between the back wall and aux fuel tank. Secured with plywood spacers. It doesn't move in any direction.
I forgot to mention the amount of deflection. I would say the sag was at most 1/2" in the middle of the floor. This poly tank is 7' long. It would not have been an issue if it was two smaller tanks piped together. I don't think I'll have any more problems.
Just wanted to give you guys a head's up story so you could perhaps avoid a similar situation.
David Anderson
1985 Houston Metro Eagle 10 |
John MC9
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 11:06 pm: | |
Thanks for the head's up, Dave! Most all of us
forget the weight of liquids! |