ALERT! Sewer Hose Compartment - Montana Owners Club

Bill and Ann · 10-06-2004, 01:36 AM

On the return from the rally, at a fuel stop, I notice our sewer hose hanging in front of the wheel of the unit. On closer inspection, apparently the rear wall of the compartment had opened enough to allow the hose and the hose/sewer adapted to fall out and get trapped between the sidewall of the tire and the suspension. When I cut the remaining hose from what wasn't wrapped around the wheel hub, I crawled under the unit to see if any damage was done. The adapted rubbed on the sidewall of the tire until it disintegrated or fell off. The sidewall was scrubbed off to the point of almost being to the cords. Needless to say the spare is now on the unit. The 5th has only 2000 miles on it.
Apparently, the rear wall of the compartment wasn't fastened to the compartment or the fasteners broke off. I have since put a bolt in to hold it and lots of duct tape until I can figure out how to hold it secure. The compartment wasn't stuffed. I only had the 10' hose and adapters in the compartment.
Pls. check your units so the same doesn't happen to you.

hodag · 10-06-2004, 02:33 AM

thanks for the headsup Bill. i will check it out. am always wondering about the latch that holds the door closed. doesn't seem to catch on much. nice meeting you at the rally. norm and judy

Bowie · 10-06-2004, 02:39 AM

OUCH! Thanks for the heads up! Our compartment is TINY so we only keep hose in it--and even that is a tough stuff. We worry about the latch as well. Is this a warranty issue for you?

Montana_621 · 10-06-2004, 03:28 AM

Oh no! Will have to check ours when we pick it up this weekend.

jsnip42 · 10-06-2004, 03:57 AM

Thank you also. I'll check mine. It does seem to me they would put a key lock on the hose compartment like the storage doors.

BillyRay · 10-06-2004, 04:06 AM

what a fluke accident. thanks for the info!

Thunderman · 10-06-2004, 06:09 AM

Bill, Thanks for the reminder, I had noticed the back of the compartment being weak but did not repair it.We have a 2955.
Sorry you had this problem.

BusyBees · 10-06-2004, 07:53 AM

Hi Bill & Ann,

Since I own a Mountaineer I won't have your problem 'cause my 5ver didn't come with the storage compartment. However, you certainly proved it's smart to check everything closely every time you stop. Thank goodness you did and caught the problem before the tire went.

Ronnelly · 10-06-2004, 07:27 PM

I just read your post about the sewer hose. I asked him why we don't use that sewer compartment. His reply was: "That is why I don't put it in there". We store ours in a plastic tub with lid on. That compartment is too small. By using plastic tubs we can keep things a lot cleaner in our storage area.

Treecounter · 10-07-2004, 04:31 AM

We replaced that Micky mouse tube wit six inch sewer hose and hung it with plumbers tape. It is a lot easier to put things in. We have three of them. Treecounter

sreigle · 10-07-2004, 11:04 AM

Treecounter, that sounds like it might be large enough you can keep the end connectors on the hose when you put it away. Is that right? Is this a flexible hose or a rigid tube? Do you by any chance have pictures? I'm always looking for something to reduce setup and breakdown time and effort and that sounds like it has promise. I removed the square box on the hose tube on ours and replaced it with a screw on connector that's a more positive lock and then added a second tube. But I'm interested in replacing those with your approach. Thanks.

Montana_562 · 10-07-2004, 03:48 PM

Sorry 'bout your mishap. Glad your damage wasn't worse.

I purchased a white plastic fence post at Lowes, cut it to length, and put our folding 7' ladder in it. The post is 4 1/2" inside by 96" and it is square. No rolling around in the basement.

Guess I'll see if the sewer hose & end piece will fit. Never did like that compartment or it's door.

link to info on the plastic is www.usfenceonline.com

Just148 · 10-08-2004, 04:59 AM

Thanks Bill for the information. Hope everything is ok.

Bill and Ann · 10-09-2004, 02:13 AM

Follow up on our problem. I have an appointment at Montana on Nov. 8th. They are going to fix our slide, and replace the tire while we are there.
Great company to deal with.

Sunshine · 10-09-2004, 05:16 AM

We just acquired our 2000 3255RL the middle of September and on our initial trip with it discovered it had only the short sewer hose. We purchased a longer one so we could hook up to the facilities, then discovered the hose compartment won't accomodate it, so it will go in the basement in a plastic container. Hubby was also having problems putting the shorter hose back in the compartment, so when we got home he removed it - the back end was all mangled - don't know how the former owner did that, but it got fixed in a hurry. I'll also have him check to be sure the hose can't come out the end of the compartment. Thanks for the heads up.

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