Belly down - Montana Owners Club

scductman · 11-24-2007, 04:24 PM

Well today I droped the belly so I could see the front gray tank. It has a small leak. well the belly is easy the tank is something else. I filled it up till I had about 2" of water in the shower and let it stand for 2 hours. It seems to be just a seap around the drain in the top. You can see a little at the hole in the basement. Sooo I called my dealer and the tank is about 125$ + shiping & fittings. With my tank all the pipes are glue fittings did not know that. I think I will drop the tank & seal it off then put a small amount of air & soap it to find the leak It could be where they put the pipe in the top. Well just maybe it can be fixed lol rightttt. I have to take it to find out so I will let you know. just wanted yall to know montana tanks are solid hookups. bobby .

stiles watson · 11-24-2007, 05:02 PM

You have more courage than I do. Hope you can get it fixed. Thanks for the info. Let us know the outcome.

Ozz · 11-25-2007, 01:17 AM

Good luck on that job, a hard one, it is.

foggyb · 11-25-2007, 03:37 AM

My belly is down also. Small leak in black tank at the outlet where the 4" pipe is glued in. Have reglued the outside and have picked up some marine epoxy to coat it with. If that dosn't work does anyone know if the top fittings (flush and sink) are screw in or glue in? In Ga. now without monty for Thanksgiving but return to Fl tomorrow to coat it with epoxy. Work camping at Clerbrook golf and RV in Clerbrook for the winter just for something to do. Dan

VanMan · 11-25-2007, 04:13 AM

I fixed ours with "plumber's putty" - the stuff from Home Depot/Lowes that is in a "stick" with the hardener rolled up inside the epoxy. you pinch it off (or cut off a slice), knead it real good and then apply it. It took two tries, but has stayed for a couple of years now. If you do this, be sure to rough up the surface with some sandpapoer and clean it good with alcohol. I would suggest working a little piece into the area where the leak is, and immediately (before that sets up) add more over it. I made a "snake" (like we used to when we were kids playing with clay) and wrapped it completely around the lip of the opening to beef it up. I think this is one time when more IS better.

Bill and Ann · 11-25-2007, 04:25 AM

Still waiting for our new black tank to arrive from Keystone. Have to drain every two days to make sure we don't "LEAK" on the ground.

bobmeek · 11-25-2007, 04:29 AM

I had a leak around the front outlet pipe on the Black water tank. I went to the auto store (Napa) and purchased a Tank Repair Kit for plastic. It comes with a piece of Fiberglass cloth, and the two part mix that get very hot as it sets up. With just a little sanding after I had dried off the connection area and a final cleaning to get rid of the dust, I applied the cloth to the first coat of the mixture and then followed up with a final coat to make sure it was saturated. That was two years ago and the leak has never returned. Hope this helps.
Bob

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by foggyb

My belly is down also. Small leak in black tank at the outlet where the 4" pipe is glued in. Have reglued the outside and have picked up some marine epoxy to coat it with. If that dosn't work does anyone know if the top fittings (flush and sink) are screw in or glue in? In Ga. now without monty for Thanksgiving but return to Fl tomorrow to coat it with epoxy. Work camping at Clerbrook golf and RV in Clerbrook for the winter just for something to do. Dan

scductman · 11-25-2007, 12:41 PM

Thanks every body. Foggyb from what I can tell all the pipes are glued in. I had hoped they were in a rubber joint but this is better I guess. But it is harder to fix. Bobmeek that is a good idea I am going to see if I can find the leak. Then if I can fix it great if I cant then I will get the new tank. Hey it has to come out anyway. Thanks guys I will keep u posted. I am taking pics as I go but I will have to get my daughter to put them on when I finish. I am a lot better with my hands than typing with 1 finger lol.I thank all of you for your help this is truly a great site. I have to get everything back together & do some mods to be ready for BRANSOM. I have got meet ozz!!!. bobby

HamRad · 11-25-2007, 01:00 PM

Scductman,

If the leak is in the area of the joint then the tank does not have to come out. Just do the "radiator kit" fix. That is what we did. It worked for about 6 months. Now it is leaking again. This time we will make a better effort to clean up and scuff up the fix area. I suspect that is the problem. Seldom is it the actual tank that is leaking or broken. Good luck and do keep us updated as to what you end up doing.

HamRad

awaywego · 11-25-2007, 01:12 PM

I had to replace my gray tank last year due to a leak at the drain in the tank.
The tank manufacturer told me that the tank was not designed to be hung by the lip as Montana does it.
They said the tank was supposed to have straps from the frame under the tank to support it.
They said that if I did not put the straps on I would probaly be replacing this tank in a few years.
All the fittings and pipes are glued in but when I put the new tank in I put rubber coupling between the tank drain and the drain pipe.
This is not an easy job unless you destroy the tank you are removing.
There are two connections on top one for the shower and sink and another for the washer.
The leak I had was from the tank flexing and the drain pipe being solid. This cracked the tank where the fitting glued in. If you fill the tank and watch it you can see quite a bit of movement from the weight.

scductman · 11-25-2007, 02:16 PM

Awaywego I forgot about the washer drain since we dont use it. I also think being hard piped is bad. When I put mine back in I am going to use no hub bands. I think I will put supports under the tank & since I can see the black tank I will do that one also. When I filled the gray tank you are right the bottom came down a lot it realy looked bad. thanks alot once again great help here. bobby

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