Waste Water Tank (1 Viewer)

[marcus153]

Hi all

I had a tester weekend and have found out that the waste water tank leaks! Just drips from what looks like a 200mm square plate with four bolts at the bottom of the waste water tank. (not sure this plate is a fix or is meant to be there?)

The waste water is dripping from the bolts. Anyone had similar problems to this or can offer a fix? or maybe a new tank is needed?

Are there any habitation specialists in the Oxfordshire area (North?) that could do this work?

thanks

Marcus

 

[scotjimland]

It's just an inspection plate..
if you can get access, drain the tank then remove the plate.. clean up the sealing surfaces, you could make a rubber gasket or use a non setting mastic.. such as Carafax IDL 99, and refit, sealing around the screws with some mastic sealer.

sorry, can't help with a company

 

[marcus153]

thanks Jim - hopefully your advice will offer a fix and I may not a need to pay for someone to fix.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tonyidle]

My Hymer B584 2005 has a plate just like that. The tank is insulated so the plate is on the outer casing that covers the insulation. Above the plate, and above the polystyrene square that falls out when the plate is removed, is a large screw cap that seals the actual tank and acts as an effective access point to clean the tank. If anyone is daft enough to wish to do such a thing .

 

[JeanLuc]

Can you post a photo of the plate? The inspection hatch on mine is a large round screw-in cap, more or less in the centre of the tank bottom. The tank also has a separate plate on the bottom in one corner, attached with screws that allows access to the heated dump valve. Not sure which you are talking about.

 

[marcus153]

thanks philip/Tony - The van is in storage so not able to get a photo. But it is the square plate in the corner of the tank with screws that is leaking. It may be leaking from above that area and dripping through?

Can you access the tank from the habitation area? looks to be outside the van area under the floor?

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JeanLuc]

No, you cannot access the tank from above since yours is on a Merc chassis which is single-floored and the tank sits below it. Assuming your S 630 has a similar basic construction to my B 630 Star-Line, the tank sits in an insulated jacket that is heated by the Truma blown air. The Truma duct enters the jacket at the point where the dump valve is situated. Again, I am assuming that you have the same dump system as mine. It is a valve activated by a rod linkage from a T-handle at the side of the van. If the leak is coming from the plate covering the valve, there is a chance that the valve is leaking. Alternatively, it may be no more than a leak from the inspection hatch that is running to the lowest exit point which is the valve covering plate. I had that problem some years ago. You need to take off the plate over the valve and see if there is any obvious sign of leakage. Then, remove the inspection hatch (a circular cover in the centre of the waste tank on mine) and remove the foam plug that sits above it. You will then see the water sealing bung that fits in the internal tank. It is the same type that is used on the fresh water tank. Unscrew it (keep clear as it will drop foul water on you) and then give the tank a good hosing out. I also get my hand inside with a scouring pad and clean the four rods of the water level sensing unit as they get covered in crud and fail to give an accurate reading of the tank's load.
Finally, re-seat the screw-bung (I seal mine with bathroom silicone [NOT SIKAFLEX]) to prevent leaks as I clean it out only every couple of years or so. Then refit the foam insulation disc and the screw-in inspection cover.
I am attaching a photo of mine. You will see the black corrugated Truma duct at the right of the picture, curling down to the dump-valve housing, the cover plate of which is held in by self-tappers. The inspection hatch for access to the inside of the tank is the protruding cap that is in front of the far wheel in the picture.
Hope this helps. If your problem is with the dump valve leaking rather than the inspection / cleaning hatch, I think you had better go back to the dealer and ask for it to be fixed. I think the valves are fairly expensive and probably tricky to fit.

 

[marcus153]

Hi Philip

Yes that looks very similar to mine - thanks for the detailed information. When I next get the van out I will have a look at it and give it a good clean. It might be worth having a look at the valve to see if the seals are still good etc.

The funny thing about this issue is it was not leaking all the time. It leaked as I noticed it when sitting outside but then it had stopped when I check later that day (i had not emptied any water out) Could it be leaking when reaching a certain point?

This is the difficult thing about having the van in storage! I am not allowed to do any work on the van at storage and do not have big enough drive to work on it there. The only time I get to do these jobs is at campsites?

 

[keith]

Leave it ..... you wont have to drain it ever again

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[tonyidle]

Can you post a photo of the plate? The inspection hatch on mine is a large round screw-in cap, more or less in the centre of the tank bottom. The tank also has a separate plate on the bottom in one corner, attached with screws that allows access to the heated dump valve. Not sure which you are talking about.

You've reminded me - mine is the same. However you will find the inspection cap, once removed, reveals a disc of polystyrene that will fall out. Above that is the 'real' inspection cap. I only know all this because the drain valve spindle broke on mine (with a full waste tank obviously!!) and I had to remove first the square plate, then (what I thought was) the inspection cap. I found two things: the drain valve spindle had failed within the valve so there was no way I could turn it; the 'Inspection Cap' was in fact a cap that allowed access to the real Inspection Cap on the tank itself. All this on my back on a CC site over the grey water dump grating. I had to do it twice during the holiday. Once home I replaced the dump valve with a stainless item and the (misaligned) control rod with a stainless one with a fabric UJ in it to cope with the misalignment of valve & control handle.