Black water 3" elbow leak and replacement

[skipperclyde]

I recently purchased a 2003 17' Casita Sprit Deluxe. Unfortunately, there is a leak in the 3" pipe elbow that attaches to the bottom of the black water tank. Can anyone give me advice on how to replace this elbow? Is the elbow made of pvc or some other material? If I simply cut off the elbow there will not be enough of a pipe stem on the bottom of the black water tank to glue a new elbow. I am at a loss, any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Donna D.]

Hi Philip, to FiberglassRV, we're glad you're here

There are lots of kind and helpful people here on the forums. You ask, we answer!

Elbow? It unscrews from the bottom of the tank... doesn't it? The one in my Scamp does and I'd rather replace the entire elbow than piece it back together. YMMV

[steve dunham]

The DWV piping on my Scamp was ABS . PVC and ABS use different glues or cements and be sure to use a cleaner before gluing anything

[papa-t]

Not sure how yours is but my Scamp black dump valve had to be replaced. To replace it I had to cut the piping below the black tank to be able to unscrew and remove the piping. Then had to replace with a new elbow and dump valve. Since it was all glued together it all had to be replaced. Pictures would help to see how yours is.

[Michael Pupeza]

I had a small drip from my elbow near the grey water tank outlet that seemed awfully awkward to get to and repair.
I found a 'super' product from Plasti-mend.com (Plasti-mend Black - 1 pint under $25) that did the job perfectly for over a year now.
It went on with a popsicle stick applicator and had the consistency of thick molasses. I left it for several days and it had hardened to the hardness of the black pipe it was on. It actually softens and partially dissolves the existing fitting before hardening. It is, however, very smelly and MUST be used with caution in the open air. Probably a good idea to wear latex or blue nitrile gloves (plastic would dissolve - I think!) .
While $25 plus shipping isn't as cheap as buying new parts and solvent, the labor involved was only 15 - 20 min, as opposed to 2-3 hours or more.
Mike .....>

[peterh]

I was going to mention Plasti-mend as well as a second repair product, plastic epoxy which is available from hardware stores, Harbor Freight, and others. I'd probably try plastic epoxy along with several long strips (1" wide x 18" or so) of lightweight fiberglass cloth first.

My suggestion for using it the epoxy & fiberglass would to first empty and let your waste tank dry completely out, then use 60-grit sandpaper to rough up the full circumference of the pipe.

From there and while wearing two pairs of nitrile gloves, spread your strips of fiberglass out on some wax paper and mix up a two tubes of the epoxy. Separate out about 1/4 of the epoxy and set it aside, then use the remaining 3/4 of the mix to saturate as much 1" fiberglass strip as it will cover, mushing it into the fiberglass so it is saturated all the way through. Put the remaining glob onto a piece of newspaper, then use the newspaper to mash the epoxy into the crack, and use whatever is left to goo up the entire circumference of the elbow you need to repair.

From there, wrap the 1" strips of epoxy-soaked fiberglass around the pipe. Each piece should make it all the way around once, then most of the way around a second time. Pull each strip tight and spiral your way down from above the area to be repaired to below, overlapping the repair by 1" and overlaping each wrap of fiberglass by one-half the width of the strips.

Wear goggles, wear gloves, wear a hat to protect your hair, and wear long sleeves. Uncured plastic epoxy is carcinogenic, so you don't want to get it in your eyes or on your skin. And getting plastic epoxy in your hair is only cool if you want to look like Ken from Barbie and Ken fame.