Fresh Water Tank Support... Again...

[24_Byron_fan]

I'm still new to the forums and just bought my first TT (2020 Salem Cruise-Lite 282QBXL). I was perusing the site this morning and noticed a lot of people talking about weak fresh water tank supports. So I went outside and checked my new rig and there are no supports on the fresh water tank, at all. Should there be? I'm heading from the Florida panhandle to Darlington, SC for the NASCAR race next weekend and had planned to travel with water. I'm thinking now I may need to hire a welder to come out and install some supports before we leave.

[007matman]

The black "L" metal pieces you see along the sides are your supports.. notice how the top of the tank extends past them?

Go enjoy your vacation. If this was as big of an issue as some folks make it seem there would be a NHTSA mandate and it would be on the nightly news that another tank fell out of an RV going 70mph on Interstate 80.

[woo10-210]

While on the topic, the RVIA/NFPA standard states that the supports must be capable of retaining 2X the weight of a fully filled tank. This includes the black and gray tanks also.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Take a look at the strength (thickness) of the metal supports and how much space you tank has between the supports to move around. On a previous trailer I owned one support was heavy angle iron, the other light weight sheet metal, with the tank sloppily fitted between them. I beefed up the weak support with angle iron and fitted it closer for a tight fit. I posted pics of my project a couple years ago. Search for post that I created.

[Telstar]

The tank in my Cardinal sits on the sub-floor.

[clintbonnie73]

To ensure you don't expand the holding tank will filling, do it slowly.. Don't do what I did and just leave the water hose in the fill port and walk away.. Mine expanded bending the supports.. (different than yours). The vent hose system could be a bit larger to help prevent this expansion.. But, with that said, your support system should be OK..IMO

[jackconn]

Good idea to ask the question. While I agree that some get a bit worked up (as with most topics) I wouldn't be dismissive about the general issue of FW tank supports. Too many, myself included, have seen support brackets bend, tanks sag, and other very real problems. Interesting that there's a standard: woo10-210, do you recall where you saw it? (I'll search if you don't have it handy.)

Looks like your design relies on the rigidity of the plastic tank. That might be fine but I'd keep an eye on it. While it's a very different setup, ours appears to be sagging more over time.

If not too inconvenient, I'd follow the advice given in most posts like this and avoid traveling with lots of water in the tank, simply to minimize the stress (and save gas, etc.). Best advice: Enjoy your vacation!

[Tiggerdad]

Is there a lip around the top perimeter of the tank and the tank sits on that? Also, does the tank sit inside the I-Beams?

[woo10-210]

Originally Posted by jackconn

Interesting that there's a standard: woo10-210, do you recall where you saw it? (I'll search if you don't have it handy.)

NFPA 1192-18 Standard for Recreational Vehicles. Section 7.3.7.3 for potable water and 7.5.1.1 for waste.

. . . . tanks shall stay retained in place when a load equal to two times the holding tank's filled weight is applied to the filled holding tank in any direction except upward.

[Stovebolt]

Originally Posted by 007matman

The black "L" metal pieces you see along the sides are your supports.. notice how the top of the tank extends past them?

Go enjoy your vacation. If this was as big of an issue as some folks make it seem there would be a NHTSA mandate and it would be on the nightly news that another tank fell out of an RV going 70mph on Interstate 80.

Originally Posted by 24_Byron_fan

I'm still new to the forums and just bought my first TT (2020 Salem Cruise-Lite 282QBXL). I was perusing the site this morning and noticed a lot of people talking about weak fresh water tank supports. So I went outside and checked my new rig and there are no supports on the fresh water tank, at all. Should there be? I'm heading from the Florida panhandle to Darlington, SC for the NASCAR race next weekend and had planned to travel with water. I'm thinking now I may need to hire a welder to come out and install some supports before we leave.

Don't let matman fool you, it is a problem. Mine fell out because the welds broke where the brackets are supposed to be attached on each side. When I took the unit into the dealer, the service manager showed me his that fell out also. The problem is where you can't see it and this has been a problem for years. I would have a welder cradle the unit across the belly and check the welds on the brackets that go against the "C" channel. One side of mine had a bad weld, the other side was bolted. When the weld broke, the tank moved forward enough to come out of the "C" channel or frame rail. The weight then bent the cross brace causing the unit to fall down on the front axle, the only thing holding it in was the gas line running down the length of the frame on the side that broke loose. I only had a half a tank of water in it at the time. I love people that tell you not to worry it's not a problem. Remember this, the manufacturers hire cheap labor and they only care about selling a unit. One day someone will get badly hurt or killed when 400 or more pounds of water and tank goes through their damn windshield.

[007matman]

Originally Posted by Stovebolt

Don't let matman fool you, it is a problem. Mine fell out because the welds broke where the brackets are supposed to be attached on each side. When I took the unit into the dealer, the service manager showed me his that fell out also. The problem is where you can't see it and this has been a problem for years. I would have a welder cradle the unit across the belly and check the welds on the brackets that go against the "C" channel. One side of mine had a bad weld, the other side was bolted. When the weld broke, the tank moved forward enough to come out of the "C" channel or frame rail. The weight then bent the cross brace causing the unit to fall down on the front axle, the only thing holding it in was the gas line running down the length of the frame on the side that broke loose. I only had a half a tank of water in it at the time. I love people that tell you not to worry it's not a problem. Remember this, the manufacturers hire cheap labor and they only care about selling a unit. One day someone will get badly hurt or killed when 400 or more pounds of water and tank goes through their damn windshield.

I exist soley to fool folks.. that's what I do.

All I was saying was if it was a huge problem someone would be making a big deal about it.. "RV tank causes a 15 car pileup on I-80. Stay tuned for live action news at 10".. don't think I've ever heard that.

I wasn't saying it's not possible. However, as others have pointed out they are required to withstand two times the weight of the water they can carry. The likelihood of it failing on its maiden voyage is probably pretty slim. If the OP has looked at it and it appears everything is in order he/she should be fine. Enjoy your vacation and don't freak about it.

[SCCS]

Fill your tank with water and take a look at it again. You will probably do something to reinforce the tank strapping.

[Treybecky]

Here's my solution.

[AceCombat]

Originally Posted by Treybecky

Here's my solution.

Yeah that ones not gonna drop! If it does you need to slow down over the raileoad tracks lol

[The Evil Twin]

What that tells me, Stovebolt, is that people need to check their rigs better. Not that the rig isn't built to handle it.

[AntonJ]

Your set up is different than mine, but I think this is a good spot to share my experience.
It might help someone. Our unit is a 2015 Cardinal 3875FB. I am not a worrier, but I did end up having my freshwater tank fall out and dragged it down the Alaskan Hwy about 30 miles outside Whitehorse, YT. We bought the unit last October and had taken it to Arizona and back right away. On our previous RV we never had a problem with the water tank in 20 years, so it was not on my radar. I did not look at it until we were most of the way back home and I noticed the front corner of the tank sagging, pushing the belly skin over the screws holding it in place. There, I hillbillied it by using ratcheting straps to hold it in place. When I got back to home base, I took it in and asked a guy to weld the cross braces in place. We looked at it and saw the design called for them to be free floating and just repositioned them. Next stop I saw everything moved so I did the plywood fix by cutting 3/4" plywood. Holding the empty tank up while sliding the plywood in was a bit of a trick, but we got it done. Figured that had it done... and it did for about 5,000 miles. On our way back down the Alaskan Hwy, people in a following car saw the tank and notified us. The lucky part was , we were on a long straight stretch with a pretty good shoulder. Put our triangles out and finished what gravity started. We took it into PhilMar RV in Whitehorse and I said: Fix it. I do not want this to ever happen again. The rear support of the tank is the I beam. The front support was angle iron about the same weight and strength of an inexpensive bed frame. It had twisted under the pounding of the water tank bouncing. The tech took that out and replaced it with a much wider/heavier angle iron with holed tabs welded to the outside. Likewise he welded holed tabs on the I beam. He then bolted 2 cross supports in. He finished by screwing in wooden blocks to keep the tank from bouncing up and down and from sliding side to side. He showed me. A Ukrainian guy. He said: Frame might break, springs and axles might break, but he no come down! The fix after getting the cc bill translated back to US $ was 1,117. This might never have been necessary if we had stuck to US interstates, but... That isn't what we did. I hope this is informative and not too far off thread. It was a great trip! Solving problems is part of the process.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Stovebolt

One day someone will get badly hurt or killed when 400 or more pounds of water and tank goes through their damn windshield.

What makes you think a full plastic water tank weighing 400# will bounce high enough to hit a windshield. More likely it will merely drop and slide along the road.

Spare tires coming loose and hitting windshields is a far bigger, and realistic, hazard. They bounce. Water tanks don't.