Leaking tank update

[richfaa]

the Eternabond repair on the leaking galley tank did not hold. we had a bad smell return and sure enough the eternabond had come off. We hade a talk with eternabond and they advise that the standard eternabond used for roof repair was not recommended for ABS repair.

Had a talk with the tank manufacturer and they suggested ABS glue. The problem is it has to be dry for the repair and the leak is at the very bottom of the tank.

The gray tank is Ok as it is no longer a holding tank but a straight through tank. So we are leaking stinking water all over the lot again.

The eternabond did last for about a month maybe more so maybe it will be a series of temp repairs with eternabond till we can get this Best you can buy, top of the line Montana 3402 Big sky home and to a reputable repair facility. Not a bad trip South so far. Just two failed holding tanks, two wall panels popped out, failed propane regulator and failed hot water tank anode.That is 4 months worth of failures....not bad..

[oldelmer1]

Have you tried J B Weld, I think they make it for plastics nowadays.

[richfaa]

Yes we have a tube of JB weld but still have to have the leak dry before repair.
However not to be deterred by a non holding tank Helen is washing dishes in the bathtub in this 2013 best you can buy, top of the line Montana 3402 Big Sky till the galley tank drips its last and we can do a repair. I would advise that no one from keystone gets anywhere near Helen for some time.

[kountry traveler]

Sorry to hear about your black tank failure again and having repaired a grey tank once with Eternabond with no success, I put 3 layers of Plasti Mend with nylon window screening replacement as a base for each layer. I then added support to the tanks and so far have had good results.
The black tank will be a much more unpleasant job but I would run water and bleach through the tank first and then drill a hole in the bottom of the tank to get all the moisture out & then sand paper the area you are going to repair with Pasti Mend. This is about the only way that you will get a good repair job unless you replace the tank.
For you this has been nothing short of night a mare for the problems that you have had with your unit.
I was at a RV show in Little Rock and I told the Camping Worlds sales manager that I would not even consider buying anything newer than a 2010 model for some of the problems I keep hearing about. A lot of these things in my opinion are bad engineering through design.
I wish you luck in your endeavors and hope the rest of the winter treats you better.

[WaltBennett]

X2 what kountry traveler wrote! I've never had a black tank (or any tank for that matter) fail, but after my share of stick house plumbing problems I can completely feel your pain. You've a '13 though - isn't there any warranty time left?

[DQDick]

Based on your experience and others we won't be buying a new rig anytime soon. Hope things start to go better for you both soon.

[Flymutt]

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

However not to be deterred by a non holding tank Helen is washing dishes in the bathtub

Now THAT really sucks!

[bigskyjimmy]

That's what I was thinking too, No Mfg warranty left?????or no extended warranty???? if there was you could dump that Lemon at Montana's front door, Damn Bummer what a POS mine must of been built by the employee of the month good rig so far

[richfaa]

Oh no we have a extended warranty. Would not have a Rv without a extended warranty had one on the 06 3400 also. It is the galley and gray tanks that are leaking. Have the G.S extended warranty. It is difficult to have the tanks replaced here at our winter residence as we are living in it. Will have it done at D&T RV repair in Goshen right in back of the Montana plant and I do intend to pull it up to the service center and let the stinking galley tank leak in front of the service center. I want them to see the leak and explain how it failed standing still for two months. I will not let them repair it..

[bigskyjimmy]

You got that right about not buying a RV without a extended warranty for ANY brand , my Buddy bought a 5th from a New Mfg without one BIG MISTAKE good thing he makes good money he's going to need it down the road

[richfaa]

You are correct bigskyjimmy. The warranty company did not make any money on me on the 06 3400 and after GS pays for the two leaking holding tanks on this 13 big sky we will be will into them. There is a 2012 DRV Mobile suites here with a leaking holding tank also that failed just sitting here like mine did. I am curious to see if the same tank manufacturer made both tanks.

[MDL]

Wow, so sorry Rich. Scares me a little too since my Monty has yet to arrive. I hope I have Jimmy's luck and get the employee of the month built RV. My luck...I'll be seeing you at the holding tank replacement center in a few months!

[bigskyjimmy]

Hey Mark don't worry bout it, I had my quality Amish Craftsman Employee of the month Buddy build one special just for you guys

quote:Originally posted by MDL

Wow, so sorry Rich. Scares me a little too since my Monty has yet to arrive. I hope I have Jimmy's luck and get the employee of the month built RV. My luck...I'll be seeing you at the holding tank replacement center in a few months!

[richfaa]

Build quality is no better any brand any plant.Do the routine maint. Read post from those who will post their problems and take heed. Report all issues to Keystone customer service.

These are recreational vehicles and many of us use them for far more than recreational purposes. The more we use them the more the probability of failures are.

We have had 6 Rv's two of them Montana's and lontimers in both of them. We put more miles (over 70K) and lived in them more days than we did in ALL of the previous Rv's In less than 15 Months. It was a good year if we did 60 days in any of our previous Rv's. We did over 8K miles and 8 months living in our 06 3400 in 15 months. We have lived in our Montana's for a min of 6 months every year during the winter since 2006 and average 6/7 K miles a year. There are folks here who are full timers and do much more than that.... This is not recreational vehicle use.

They call them Recreational vehicles for a good reason..even the high end brands.

[Rob Walters]

I also had a leak in my galley tank. It was a crack just below the outlet. I used the recommended tank repair kit for ABS. I too had trouble with the holding tank being wet so I attached my wet/dry vac to the drain pipe and sucked out what water I could (I was surprised at the amount of water I got out this way) and then I reversed the hose and blew air into the tank (carefully) until I was relatively certain that all possible moisture was removed. This process took a couple days because I wanted the last amount of moisture to evaporate naturally. Repair went well and has lasted. BTW this was the only time my tank sensor actually read Empty!

[RRman]

I second the DITY use of Plastimend. I overfilled my Black Tank when I left the flusher hose hooked up and the shutoff valve leaked. Did drill a hole to speed the drainage. Also fixed an only when full Grey Tank leak that got worse over time. Both were cracks in the bottom of the ABS Tanks near the drains. ABS is such a lousy/legacy plastic. How much more would fiberglass (or some other MODERN material) tanks that would not fail under max fillage cost??
fortunately, dropping the belly wasn't hard with my rattle /impact drill gun. Repairs have held up for almost a year so far.

[steelpony5555]

I think the ABS would be fine if it were installed correctly or of better quality. Never heard of tanks splitting until I bought the Montana. My Alpenlite used to travel with a full 100 gals fresh since we never knew where or how long we was gonna stop. Can't do that with the Montana, have to be sure to hit a campground. And yes we lost our galley tank last spring...oh ain't extended warranties wonderful, saved me from crawling around under it..... When they repaired it they did put flexible rubber sleeves on the connections...

[richfaa]

I had mentioned before that on our 06 3400 over 7 years we had 5 failed holding tanks. 2 black, 2 gray and 1 galley. They all split it different places.. Yes extended warranties are great.

Helen is still using the bath tub for the kitchen sink . We do not have the were with all here to dry the tank using the suggested methods but it looks about dry tonite.JB weld is on hand..

[MDL]

That's awesome! Made my day!!!

quote:Originally posted by bigskyjimmy

Hey Mark don't worry bout it, I had my quality Amish Craftsman Employee of the month Buddy build one special just for you guys

[richfaa]

we will do the JB weld patch tomorrow as it appears the tank is done dripping. Helen has been hunched over the bathtub doing the dishes for a few days. A memory she will cherish and share for many years to come.