This rig suffered a serious bulkhead separation a few years ago. I'm going to get it fixed properly at MOT in a couple of months. Meanwhile I'm doing all I can to make sure there is no water getting into the bulkhead area. One of the main culprits is, of course, the goofy design of the fresh water overflow system so like many others I punched a hole in the floor and ran it out under the rig. I just need to shorten the exit hose a little and put some kind of screen on it.
jor
Did the same thing John and now no worries, nice job ^.^d
Go to a big box store and get some of those S/S round screens for kitchen sinks. They come in sizes of about 1" dia to about 4". Glue and screw on the one that fits.
Try these out for size.
Camco RV Sink and Shower Strainers - Qty 3 Camco RV Sinks CAM42273 (http://www.etrailer.com/RV-Sinks/Camco/CAM42273.html?feed=npn&gclid=CjwKEAiAjIbBBRCitNvJ1o257WESJADpoUt0wMAZ9w7G1G6_yEyXmD2hBbjrNl_3bSibWhjFaXwOeBoCCJnw_wcB)
I just used a piece of aluminum screen and a hose clamp on mine
John, that's what I was talking about. Works great.
I use a small piece of nylon screen and a zip tie.
Is this the rig you bought from Peter & Beth Martin? I thought they had the bulkheads repaired at Xtreme a few years ago. Have the bulkheads developed new issues?
I installed a 1.5 inch "T" in the fresh water tank breather with a 1.5 inch cap on the end pointing to the curb side of the motorhome and installed a 1.5 inch by .25 inch adaptor on end pointing up. Then installed 1/4 inch copper tubing upward and terminating inside the upper bathroom cabinet. The 1/4 inch tube is the vent during use, the 1.5 inch cap is removed for filling. Water does not dump out with tank full when turning left.
Never would have thought of this. Thanks to you both. Wyatt comes up with, as usual, a sophisticated solution!
jor
Mine looks very much like this, however I used a pvc pipe through the floor and couplers on the top and bottom to hold it in place. Also installed a screen on the bottom with zip ties to prevent things from coming up the tube.
Here's a couple of photos of the floor cut for future searches. Two layers of plywood.
jor
John,
Where did you take that plug?
Is that fiberglass on both surfaces?
Thanks,
Trent
On the floor just aft of the water manifold. The fiberglass you see is the compartment floor material and the bottom skin.
jor
So what about the water that the tires kick up in the rain?
Actually, I didn't think about that. I'll have a screen on it which should help some and the water would have to travel a long way uphill to get to the fresh water tank.
jor
Jor, just make some thin metal deflectors like this one. I have them in front of every opening in basement flooring were pipes or vents are placed. Never get and road mess coming into these areas anymore. I just used caulking to hold them in place. I also have one front and back of the sewer opening so that trap door is protected and again no crap gets by that little door.
JohnH
John, what gauge metal are you using? Do you make the bends with a brake? Also, (curious) what's that PVC piping for? Thanks.
jor
It is 20 gge aluminum and I have it in sheet form. Just use tin snips to cut them to suit and it bends by putting it in a vise, or use vice grips. Very easy to bend by hand.
I figured someone was going to ask about that PVC piping.
It is connected to my Whiskey keg and a pump so I can pour a glass from storage which is hidden ^.^d :))
Actually when Gale Banks did the wiring for Stinger they ran the wiring from engine to front gauges thru it! I know, not the best route but easy to do I guess. That was done before I owned it so had no say in it. The pipe has never been crushed or? in 10 yrs so I figure if I ever have to replace fuel lines I will run them under the coach in an aluminum channel (for protection) instead of pulling them thru top of bays. I can do all that myself in the Pit so cost saving.
JohnH
Hey Brother,
Looking past the deflector, I think you should check the rubber on the front left wheel!
Geoff
Smarty, those wagon wheels are spares for the trailer!!
JohnH
I thought they were classy new steering wheels.
After cutting a hole what's the best way to seal the exposed wood if necessary?
I would use a generous frosting of 3M 5200 on any exposed surfaces or edges that were cut, all the way through, then put in a pvc pipe section that slips into the frosted hole. The pvc pipe needs to be big enough for the overflow hose to slip through. Use 3M 5200 around the outside of the pipe inside and out. This pipe will be in there pretty much permanently. Push the overflow hose through the pvc pipe. Leave enough sticking down so that you can put a screen over the end. Seal the overflow hose to the pvc pipe with 3M 4000. This is somewhat removable if need be.
Although I replaced the wood with 1/4" aluminum plate and polyurethane foam board insulation when I did my bulkhead repair, the principle is the same. I made a bulkhead fitting out of PVC pipe fittings to fit a drain manifold that has the all coach freshwater drains plumbed into it. This sealed the space between the skins from water intrusion, and incidentally removed several penetrations through the basement floor in the process.
Don
Oh Don! Very nice.
I would avoid any penetrations of the bay floor. In my mind any failure of the overflow hose puts water into the bay and there is a risk of water intrusion from the bottom. Plus the hose is subject to bugs, animals, flood water -- all things I would not want in my fresh water tank.
The existing overflow drain exits the rear bulkhead it seems and excess water runs down the bulkhead. Why not just extend the drain hose a foot or so so that it runs out of the extended hose away from the bulkhead. The end of the hose is out of harm's (and bigs and mice etc.) way.
Is there some reason this won't work?
Since adding my SeeLevel with a wet bay display, I haven't had an over-fill. I fill to about 95%.
Roger on mine the over flow comes out right behind the air bag, it would be a real tough place to work.
Roger,
My freshwater overflow set up is a bit more complicated. As it is currently set up, that drain manifold set up just handles all of the drains, i.e. the fresh tank drain, hot water drain, cold water drain, the washer drain pan. I have one port left... I just wanted to show one way of protecting the space between the basement skins from water intrusion since that is where my bulkhead joint misery originally started. I went from 4 separate floor penetrations with the original set up to just one. My FW drain actually goes up into the washer plumbing alcove in the closet (has a top hat vent placed as high as possible in that space) and then back down through the the floor near the fresh tank and then out through a bulkhead fitting in the original location for the overflow. It is terminated with a PVC 1 1/4" elbow after it passes through a bulkhead fitting. I planned to run a pipe over to the street side where the fresh tank overflow would be visible from the street side utility bay. I haven't bothered with that yet as I can fill the tank over a hundred percent and still not have any slosh out while driving. If any water got into the drain manifold, that is as far is could go as the valves are normally closed unless draining the system. Well except for washer overflow pan... I leave that valve open when we are using the coach in case the washer was to develop a leak. If we were in water deep enough to get that far, I would have far bigger problems!
Don
A "siphon break" would be another option for the overflow line. Very familiar with them from the sailboats, since the engine and raw water exhaust of the engine are below the waterline!
Lots of styles, just do a search on "siphon break".
Thanks Don and Brett, I like it idea of the overflow line draining over by the wet bay where you would actually see it. And you do need a vent of some sort. Going up into the space where the washer hook ups are for a vacuum breaker would work.
Great ideas, thanks!
It's been discussed before....but what is the problem that is being solved by this relocation? The overflow dumps water to the same location that very much water gets when one drives in the rain.
Another thing to check, though: my overflow leaks at the tank if I fill my water tank 100% I can see it dripping down to the basement floor. Either the hose is leaking on the barb or the fitting is leaking where it is attached to the tank. It's impossible to repair without removing the water heater.
I put a rag on the floor where it drips and don't fill the tank full. If I do fill it full, I make sure to empty it below the point that makes it leak.....and the well placed rag keep water from pooling LOL.
The OEM tank overflow runs down the back side of the rear bulkhead. There may be some road spray around the mud flap but it is much less than an overflowing tank. And many just fill the tank until it is running on the ground, it is not easy to know how full it is sometimes or you start filling and get busy with something else.
The point is trying to limit any water intrusion into the bulkhead or floor structure to prevent rust.
For the time being I just sprayed undercoating all the way across the frame and up the vertical on the inboard side of the overflow. Including the bulkhead bolts. When I check the bolts again next year I will scrape the head off them off and re-spray after.