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05 HR Ambassador 40PLQ- What is best way to remove fresh water tank?


TurtleGuys

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I have a persistent leak somewhere in my fresh water tank...about 2-3 gal/day which really limits our boondocking time.  I'm fed up with it and need to remove it to find the leak and repair it.   The gray and black tanks sit on top of the fresh tank, and of course they are hard-plumbed to the waste lines.   I assume I'll have to cut those waste pipes and reconnect them (probably with rubber connectors), remove the gray and black tanks, then remove the fresh tank....then of course build something to support the waste tanks and reconnect them while I have the fresh tank out being repaired.   From looking at the connections, I think the black tank will have to come out first on the drivers side, then scoot the gray tank over and take it out on passenger  side...then the fresh tank will have to come out the drivers side.  Not looking forward to this.

Has anyone done this, and have any tips?  

 

20220418_Driver water bay.jpg

20220418_Passenger water bay.jpg

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The top of the black tank is wet...

But you are loosing fresh water too.

I don't think there are any secrets here.  Just need to label lines so they go back together, take it apart and pull it apart.

But before that, I would find the source of the leak(s) so it's all needed work.

I would also plan on replacing the pressure treat wood around the compartment to make it all fresh again.  New carpet, etc.

 

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Chuck, you got yourself a job ahead. Looking at your black water tank, your bathroom is installed on the driver's side? My kitchen and bath and a half is on the passenger side, with all the drain pipe connections accessible from that side. All I have to say is there was no floor platform mounted on the lower chassis platform when all those things were installed. That is why the hose reel is mounted on the upper platform. Monaco never gave it a thought when it came time to repair/replace that stuff. I've just sat here and stared at your bays  Good luck!👍

Gary 05 AMB DST

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The wetness on the top of the black tank is my own fault, I was working on the black tank flush line and it emptied over there while I had it disconnected.  

Yes, the BR is on the driver side which is why I think the black tank needs to come out that side due to the connections, and the gray tank on the other side due to the connections.   Regarding the plastic floor, I had thought about cutting out that part of the floor under the tanks and reinstalling it later with some steel reinforcement straps bolted underneath...but wasnt sure if there was an easier way.   I do plan on adding heating pads under the tanks when I put everything back together.  

I had to put in a new hose reel a while back, and that was a real pain...but when I did it I rerouted the water supply to go into my basement where I installed a 3-filter system and water softener (see pic).   Love the fresh, ultraclean, soft water!!   All water that goes into the fresh tank is already soft and pre-filtered that way.  (Everything is secured now, just hadn't done so when the pic was done.  I also have quick-connects to the two spigots on the roof of basement where I attach a filter canister with salt so I can backflush and recharge just by turning a few valves.)

20220205-filters_and_softener.jpg

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Did you reattach the hose reel to the top platform? When I repair my reel, I'm going to mount it on a plywood base that will sit on some 2x's on top of the gray water tank so it can be easily removed. I am a believer that if you have the extra parts or easy replacement situation, you will never need it. Your water filter and softener plant looks great! Wish I had the room for a set-up like that but my basement is full of parts. 😉

Gary 05 AMB DST

Edited by Gary 05 AMB DST
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Gary,  

I had considering mounting it to plywood as you said, but decided to go with the original mount method for some unknown reason.   Hopefully it will last a while, the original one lasted almost 15 years before it crapped out.

 

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I'm wondering if it will be as hard as you think. Looks to me like you've already done most of the hard work. When I put in a new toilet I had to cut the large downpipe for some reason, it was no big deal at all. I also plumbed in a new black tank flushing system. While I didn't remove a tank I had it all apart like you do and maybe a little more. For me, the hardest part in the whole thing was removing the wet bay white metal panel. Everything was easy after that. 

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