Fresh Water Tank Has Crack In It

[rrlowther]

So, we were on our way back to Denver from Las Vegas. A business trip for a conference. Needless to say it was a whirlwind trip and it took a lot out of me to say the least. As a result we took our time coming back and decided to go through Wyoming instead of through Utah. You know, see the country and all that.

We stopped on the Western border of Wyoming for the night and when we checked in we were informed that the water service at the sites had been shut down for the winter. However, we could fill our fresh water tank at the office and have water for dishes and showers.

Okay, I thought. That's not a big deal. So we filled the water tank, disconnected the hose and proceeded to our camp site. We parked, dropped the jacks, pushed out the slide and went out to hook up the power. When we opened the door to step out side we heard running water. Not good since there wasn't any water being run in the coach.

The water continued to spill out from near the front of the coach, I would say just behind the captain and co-captains chairs.... It took about 45 mins for it to stop. When it did I checked the water level and found it was down to 3/4 capacity.

So, once again we took it to the shop. We just got the estimate back from them. Now, before I share the price, I should mention that we have the Star Interstate extended warranty and the policy states that the fresh water system is covered. We are in the process of submitting the claim now.

The shop said it would take at least 40 hours at $125.00 per hour and does not include the price of the new tank (apparently it can't be repaired). So that's $5,000.00 plus parts.

The question is, does this sound about right? Should I get other bids? Is it as involved as they are leading me to believe?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and input.

[wolfe10]

Difficult for us to give you advice-- the labor to replace a tank can vary widely. Some are an easy drop out/in, others require virtually rebuilding the coach.

First call I would make is to your coach maker for their input on labor involved in replacing the tank on your particular model coach.

[desertdeals69]

That sounds a bit steep. The tank must be buried and a lot of coach dismantled. Is the leak in a place you can see? We have done plastic welding on lots of tanks. The trick is to figure out what stress caused to crack or what ever because if that is not corrected the weld may fail also.

[rrlowther]

Now why didn't I think of that! Thanks!

[phy0749]

Had same problem and repaired leak (pinhole) with jb weld. works great and last along time. Most stores sell home depot etc.

[Guest BillAdams]

We had a major fresh water tank failure and replaced it ourselves. It was a huge undertaking and took many hours. 40 sounds like a lot (5 full work days?) but depending upon what does or does not need to be removed and replaced I can sure understand why a dealer would charge a whole bunch of money to do the replacement. As an aside, we first had the tank welded but it failed again after a few years. Pay me now or pay me later. If this is a big crack/rip/tear then I would replace the tank.

[campcop]

I know this is a little late but 40 hours is way too much time, you can build a coach in that amount of time.....

We have had the infamous water tank leak, it cracked near the top and I used eternabond tape on it....never had a problem after. I tried the various sealants and all were too rigid for the tank, but eternabond is flexible.

[planocat]

Would you mind sharing the brand/model of your coach? Access to repairing/replacing a water tank that takes 40 hours labor doesn't bode well for the engineering design. That number, to me is staggering. My gas coach would take all of an hour to replace.... and that includes a 15 minute coffee break!