Maintenance & Restoration

jimmied · 09-21-2012, 06:36 AM

Joe, Shirlon does not manufacture tanks any more, so I am still looking for other suppliers....DM Plastics have been sent my specs as well as Bigfoot, so am waiting for replies. Thanks for the info.

Donna D. · 09-22-2012, 08:47 AM

Have you checked with any of these?: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/resource...n=fiberglassrv

jimmied · 09-26-2012, 06:10 AM

DM Plastics in Alberta have the tank and it looks the same as OEM...price about $140 at their dock...looks good. Thanks for all the replies.

Carol H · 09-26-2012, 07:48 AM

Thank Jim for the update. I am glad to hear you found something a little more reasonable priced. Hope they will ship via truck to you to keep the costs down.

Longkilt · 08-15-2014, 01:49 AM

Hi Jim, old thread but hopefully you get this message. Do you have a part number from DM Plastics? Did their tank work for you?
I have a cracked tank on my 1980 Bigfoot... I assume it will be the same one.

Borrego Dave · 08-15-2014, 02:49 AM

Mike, wecome to FGRV. Most RV supply stores carry a two part mix for both black and grey tanks. I've used it to fix a black tank and it worked great.

CampyTime · 08-15-2014, 07:53 AM

Yes! My gray tank leaked and prior owner took to rv shop and they put on what looks to be a black epoxy resin. Although I wasn't happy, it has never leaked.

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Nut501 · 08-15-2014, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampyTime

Yes! My gray tank leaked and prior owner took to rv shop and they put on what looks to be a black epoxy resin. Although I wasn't happy, it has never leaked.

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Was that an expensive fix?
Thanks,

CampyTime · 08-15-2014, 08:07 AM

He didn't say. Knowing that rv shops charge a bundle for labor rate, he probably got hosed on that. The product itself can't be too much money. Couldn't have taken them more than 5-10 minutes. Mix it and spread it on.

Do you have a local shop you could call and ask what they'd charge? Would prob have the stuff on hand in parts if you were up to doing it yourself. I am painfully a newb, but it can't be much different than mixing JB weld which is a steel paste and epoxy hardener.

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Longkilt · 08-18-2014, 02:22 AM

My tank has a pretty big hole in it and a long crack on the front so access was difficult. Seems pretty brittle from age so I was thinking of patching it only as a last resort. Either way the tank needed to be removed. Thanks to the lead from Jimmied I was able to find the exact tank from D&M Plastics in Edmonton. They quoted $130.28 with or without fittings (just mark up the drawing where you want them) and the shipping is only $23.94 with Fedex or they would ship Greyhound for cheaper. Seems very reasonable so I marked up the drawing and will place the order today. If anyone is interested the model number is RBW1543 http://dmplastics.ca/products/drawings/RBW1543.pdf

CampyTime · 08-18-2014, 05:34 AM

Glad you found a replacement as it sounds like it needed more than epoxy sealing. That's a good price, I think. Are you going to install yourself?

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Longkilt · 08-18-2014, 09:45 AM

Yes, I will replace it myself. I already cut out and removed the old one (would have been nice if they installed it with unions). Should be a quick job to re-plumb everything and get back on the road. I already got the word that my tank is already done and they will courier it out tomorrow... very impressed with this company.

**RogerDat** · 08-18-2014, 10:07 AM

Years ago an RV place told me that ABS pipe glue is what they use for repairs. Available at big box hardware stores. ABS is the black plastic pipe and the glue is a black liquid.

Using plastic screen glued on with ABS glue then coated with multiple coats until the patch had thickness worked to patch a hole in my tank. Mind you this was 20 years ago but sounds consistent with earlier post about RV shop using black goo for repairs.

JB Weld will adhere to the black plastic pretty well also. Thinking more of an emergency road repair situation since I always have that in my tool kit. Both the ABS glue and JB Weld need a clean scuffed surface and drilling a small hole at the end of a crack to stop it from spreading is also a good idea. As I recall a hot piece of coat hanger will drill in the plastic to stop the crack.

HighPlainsDrifter · 09-02-2014, 09:19 PM

I had a crack in the same place and I used silicone caulk - lots of it. It doesn't look pretty but cost me ten bucks and has held for a year no issues.

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Donna D. · 09-02-2014, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HighPlainsDrifter

I had a crack in the same place and I used silicone caulk - lots of it. It doesn't look pretty but cost me ten bucks and has held for a year no issues.Attachment 75833

At LEAST it's not trying to prevent a leak somewhere on the exterior body

Hey, silicone has it's place... and you found it, a waste water tank