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All, I'm evaluating replacing the RV fresh water tank. It is the original and ~20yrs old. The tank's drain fitting has a minor leak, (see pic, lower right) that I've repaired once, sealing with SikaFlex 221, having some success, and not completed fixing. The tank is ~45"long x 22"tall x 21"deep, and I expect this is ~80gals+. the standard tanks are available online and YouTube videos illustrate how to insert and seal the fitting outlets. This tank needs 4 outlets, a drain, water pump connection, fill port and air vent. I am interested in anyone having taken this DIY approach and understanding the work effort and the reliability of these outlet seals. Another approach is to go to a plastic "welder" providing the dimensions and port/outlet locations. I understand these plastic "welder" will then custom build the new tank. This new tank would basically "pop-in" and I would only need to make the necessary connections, water pump, etc. Alternatively, I could take the coach to the plastic "welders" and they would build and install. Again, I'm interested in folks that have taken this custom build approach and your overall cost and success. Please advise any recommendations/suggestions and overall experience. Thank you.

We found water coming from under the sinks in our bathroom, about a tablespoon, two days in a row now. I find dampness on a cold water hose but when I dry it it stays dry. We are in a high humidity area and have had a lot of rain these past few days. I’ve checked the fittings and found no leaks. Is it possible that it’s condensation? It’s also been cold so we’ve used the heater a lot (Propane). The pictures show where I put paper towels under the lines so I can check before bed time to see if it happens during the day.

We have a 2005 Winnebago Journey. We bought it used and are new to it (7 months). We left it for a month over Christmas, and picked it up about a week ago. It was not winterized, and was in an area not below freezing. We drove about 1500 miles to Texas with it. Today, we hooked up to city water for the first time since fall. We have been using the water tank as we travel. Nothing comes out when we use city water, and the water tank will not fill from the connection that is both the city water and tank fill. We can fill the tank using the other access, and the water works fine from the tank. When the city water is connected, water on, faucets open, no water comes out anywhere. Its not coming out on the ground, its just not going anywhere. We did not close anything, but is there a valve or something that could have broken? Thank you!

If you follow my topic last Christmas Holiday season http://community.fmca.com/topic/6353-our-holiday-travel-misadventure-so-far/, you would know about the basement heater failure and pipe freezing on the first leg of our trip dry camping in twin Falls, ID. No way to get a part quickly so I had to order from Monaco while at Las Vegas and have shipped to North Carolina hopefully before I arrive there. In the meantime I travel south to stay thaw out as I knew I was lucky not to have any damage. Now I paid big money for that heater box (Cargo Heat) plus shipping and it worked when I first installed it for the few times needed on the east coast. Got chased from there by a blizzard. Then I cross southern California and up into Oregon and the basement heater failed again. Well I got no warranty on the heater just sorry but you must check the wiring in your coach. Finally last week I got one tech at Monaco to tell me how to bench test it. I took them both in my shop and found that they both fail the bench test. No surprise there as I knew they didn't work in the coach and the wiring checked out. I first took the old one apart and remove the heating element and ohm it and it check out as well as overheat switch. I knew the relay worked as it kicked in with the 12 volt signal wire. I put it back together and it work like it's supposed to. I installed that one in the coach and tested the operation there and works OK so one down one to go. I took the new one apart and ohm it out the same way and found one wire broken to the overheat switch and a bad diode. I fixed the wire but could only bypass the diode as I have nothing like that. I put that one to the side for a spare in case of an emergency. The bottom line is that these basement heaters are not reliable as the should be and Monaco not offer a warranty even though I ask them for one. Instead the sent me on a wild chase testing wiring when all alone it was bad heaters. I even had to search and find the wiring diagram on the internet. So again with another new company owning Monaco/Holiday Rambler it's same old attitude of not caring.

My sensors read full on my gray tank. I was at a RV dealer and asked about replacing the sensors. They had new sensor for $.65 each. (The old ones were glue in and could not be removed.) I replace them and the tank still reads full. How does the system work electrically? I would think that there is a positive to the system and the sensors are ground. Joe Alackness 2008 Forrest River Charleston

I have a 34 coachmen and in the shower at the bottom where the walls meet the bottom piece there is no silicone, now I know in a house it gets silicone does an RV shower also get silicone?

I'd noticed that the plumbing manifold had some rusty hardware, and was dripping. Actually, the first impression was that the Aqua Hot on the opposite side of the coach was dripping; but, good detective work and a drop light led me back to the true source: the Manabloc manifold. I'll spare you all the trials of rebuilding the manifold, replacing connectors, etc. and skip to the end: someone had not properly winterized the rig, and there are tiny cracks from freezing in the top of the stack. To the rescue came Louise Stout at Viega, who now owns the Manabloc name. She can be reached at 800-976-9819 Ext 220 and is one of those rare treasures we in the RV community love to have working on our side. Foremost, she told me that creativity on my part to undo the damage done by RV technicians' cross-threading the cold water supply line would parallel their own level of poor methods: it turns out that the threads atop Manabloc manifolds are NOT the standard plumbing variety, that they are a proprietary pitch. She referred me to Pex Supply equpping me with a part number (46414) for the correct 1" female connector that joins up to 3/4" Pex. Then, she looked up my manifold model number in their computer, pronounced it a rarity no longer in production -- heck, my RV is only a 2007 model -- and put in a work order for their shop to custom-build me its replacement. For $140, I get a new manifold and all outlet connections. Maintenance Recommendation Checking the plumbing manifold should be part of your monthly inspection routine. Open up the plumbing bay and inspect the floor for water. If power has been off the rig, rusty hardware might be the sole indication of leakage. Check under the rig for signs of long term leakage. Painted garage floors will have a telltale halo that indicates a leak/evaporation cycle. Touch the top of the manifold to ensure the recessed aren't harboring water. Check outlet fittings for security and leakage. Inspect manifold hardware for signs of moisture, eg rust.

We are experiencing water seeping in our slideouts and the result is a mildewy odor in our cabinets, We have actually taken our Class A Monaco motorhome back to the manufacturer and had two of the slideouts repaired. They were drenched in water in the walls so all insulation had to be removed and replaced with new but that was when our motorhome was less than one year old. Now we are experiencing it in our full wall slide. How do you get to the seam when it is a full wall (28' long with a slideout cover over it? So my husband is thinking about drilling from the inside of the cabinet somehow and putting vents in? Has anyone experienced this problem? If so, please advise as to what works! Thank you.

Okay, the water heater is pretty much a no brainer I suppose..... one you get set up in camp, you turn it on and leave it on, correct? Seems like that's the way it should be....other wise you'd have to wait for your water to heat up every time you wanted to wash dishes or take a shower. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Now for the water pump.... Since water will be brought to us & I'm not sure how that setup is going to be, I'm not sure exactly how to phrase my question... My hubby said he thinks that if you are hooked up to 'city' water (pressurized) all you do is turn the faucet on or flush the toilet just like you would in your home. MY question is, if you are running off your fresh water tank, do you turn the pump on every time you need water to flow (sink/shower/toilet) and then turn it back off? Or do you leave it on all the time? I'd think not, but it's better to ask than burn something up. Thanks in advance! I love this forum and look forward to the day that I can help other newbee's