I went out today to change out my accumulator tank and I thought it would be a piece of cake, wrong this is a Fortravel "LOL"
Can someone enlighten me on the steps to get this tank out? I have loosened the clamps and tried to slide it out, well that does not work as I can't see the fitting on the other end or maybe is there a pace to unhook the hose?
I gave up when the temp reached 98° and came back home.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Foretravel/Forums-post-1/i-8bbm8m6/0/60978d57/M/20180308_141240-M.jpg)
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Foretravel/Forums-post-1/i-n73gzCT/0/7c954b84/M/20180308_141246-M.jpg)
Steve,
The tank is probably screwed into a threaded pipe. Try reaching around and feeling if it goes directly into a hard pipe.
If so, you will need to keep the pipe from turning (breaking) and unscrew the tank.
Thanks Brett, I think it has a brass fitting but it is on a hose, I tried getting a end wrench on it but nothing seemed to fit and I did not have a pipe wrench with me. it feels like the home comes straight down from the tank but I am having trouble figuring out which one it is when it gets to the floor of the bay.
How hard it is to replace the tubing if I reach back there and cut it off and then replace it to the first joint. I can see some joints but not sure how the come apart.
Here's what the accumulator tank looked like on our 99 320. Probably similar.
jor
Steve,
You should find that that your tank has 2 brackets hid on the wall side. This bracket has several screws that hold it to the wall. The problem usually is that there is 4 pieces of rubber isolators that go between the tank and the bracket that have discombupalated and have the tank and bracket stuck together. Once you find the bracket there is a place that you can slide a pry bar into and pry the tank loose once you have removed the straps.
Mike
The end you can't see probably looks like this. A male 1/2" or 3/4" threaded pipe coming out of the tank. A T fitting is screwed to it. One side comes from the pump and the other to the cold side if the water manifold. Yours may be a bit different. I would not cut the PEX tubing. Try to get hold of the T with a slip joint pliers to hold it and turn the tank counterclockwise to unscrew it. When reinstalling it use teflon tape or better a PTFE pipe joint sealant.
Rudy and I did his, his was stuck a bit to the straps as I recall. He did most of the hard work, I handed him tools and encouragement.
The tank pressure should be about 2-3 psi below the pump pressure.
I know some don't agree but when I replaced my old shur-flo pump with the updated model I actually talked to their tech rep and
was told you DO NOT need the tank,I removed the tank 2 years ago and new pump works fine with no tank.
Thanks jor that may be close but I think it may be just a elbow? I will have to take my endoscope type gizmo with me next time as I cant get my head in there and my cell phone can get a very good shot to see what it as because of the insulation on the tubing.
Thanks Mike, I got the tank loose but the fitting is on the back side and it wont pull forward but maybe a inch and I cant get in far enough to see much. it is hanging from the side wall but the water pump is right next to it and I can barley get a hand behind it.
It does have a shur-flo pump but not sure of the model number and I already have another tank, I just cant get to the fittings to see what and how to unhook them
Thanks Roger I tried to get end wrenches on it and channel loc pliers but just seem to get ahold if anything, maybe with my snake camera I will be able to well what is back there. the only other way to see the back side it to pull the water tank out "LOL"
I have to get it out first even if I go that way, that is the problem "LOL"
Mine mounts the same way with the same plumber's straps............. this is how mine is connected on the back side.
Yes, you have to reach around and "feel" your way around........ ::)
Thanks FT that sort of feels right, does that fitting turn or do you have to hold it and turn the tank?
Either way. The female part of the T will turn or hold and the tank will. Once you get it loose it shouldn't be too hard. Can you get at it from above? Your water heater might be there. You need a wrench with eyes and rubber arms
With a " sharkbite" fitting it's a piece of cake.
Roland
Thanks, the water heater is above and it is plumbed so it is not setting on the floor so there is only about 2" above it and below it and it is against the wall on the left side. the factory must have done this before they put the water tank in "LOL"
Thanks Roland, I hope it does not come to that but what the new tank goes back in there might be a couple extras parts added to the plumbing in case there is a next time "LOL"
Ya but it is still in a very hard to get to place where it will leak for that very reason. Try very hard to get it out as is. Only one possible leak vs five.
The fitting turns........ I used an open end wrench I think...... maybe a crescent wrench? just remember "lefty loosy" is looking at it from the back side.. ::) don't ask........... :)
Thanks that is the down side of trying to turn the tank around and changing the schrader valve to a 90°
I removed ours and never looked back..the 4008 Shureflow works just fine without it.
Do you have a mirror on a extendable rod that you can to use to look at the fittings?
Yes but I didn't have it with me, my coach is stored 40 miles from the house.
I have a mirror and one of those flexible camera things in truck for my next trip, ^.^d
It could be time to take the pump out.
You could redo its flexible hoses and filter while you can get them to it.
On my '96 295 there was an access hole from the joey bed compartment at just the right place.
hth
Yes, there should be an access hole in the Joey bed area where you can at least see what you need to do. I cut the existing pipe and used sharkbite fittings with flex faucet lines when I replaced our tank. (Did the tank before I updated the pimp) flex lines made it sooo much easier to put that tank back in.
Make that pump instead of pimp. 🙊
My tank is mounted on the wall that in front of the Right Rear wheel, then the pump is forward of that against the front wall next to the compartment with the water distribution manifold but there is no access panel between them.
Dumped my new one. Works better with updated water pump.
Do you remember the model number you went to.
i used my scope thing and could see what I needed to. Once I could see it was a piece of cake, one of the things that was throwing me of was the nut only had 2 wings on it so without seeing it I could not figure out what it was. i was able to just unscrew it by hand.
when putting it back together I just taped the rubber bumpers in place and slide the new tank in.
(https://photos.smugmug.com/Foretravel/Forums-post-1/i-b3fF37L/0/146a3c5c/L/20180821_084717-L.jpg)
Good job, Steve. Perserverance is an important tool in the FT tool box. And the encouragement of Forum Folks.
I really like my snake scope. It has attachments at the end for a magnet (doesn't work with SS washers) and a couple different hooks (they did what needed to be done).
Roger
Thanks Roger and all that helped you gave me the encouragement and I had some perseverance and got it done. ^.^d
I will go back out Thursday when my plugged holes with Marine-Tex will be cured and mount my water filters and put the latch back on the big bay door and then I will add some water and check my fittings. then it will be time to sanitize they system. The old accumulator tank has some rusty water in it so the whole system could probably use a good flushing. ;)
How to tell if it is bad? Mine had water in it at one time.. drained it and it holds pressure... just bought a replacement this weekend .. If it had water in it and was spitting out the air fitting does that automatically make it bad?
Water on the air side does make it bad.
Yes - means the bladder inside the tank, which separates the air and water, has failed. Time to replace.
on mine if you pushed the schrader valve and it squirts water indicates the bladder has ruptured
Latest version of the surflo.# 4008-101-A65. I also added flexible lines at the time at the pump,made it super quiet
55 PSI water pressure