AFrame Water Tank Concerns - Drainage

[ThunderRoad]

Last week was my second outing with my A122BH and this time I watered up my AFrame for the first time just to give having water a test run. As I was leaving the campsite, I crawled underneath to open the drain valve and drove the 30 miles or so back home.

On getting back home, I noticed I still had about 1/2 an inch of water in the tank (maybe 1/2 a gallon total), a result of a combination of the drain plug being mounted on the side instead of the bottom of the tank as well as a slight "dip" in the floor of the tank.

My concern is with a couple things:

1. What damage will this small amount of water do, if anything, once winter comes?
2. What is the short, seasonal and long term sanitation impact of this small amount of water remaining? Should I at minimum flush it before I set out each time?
3. Is this bit of a dip natural? It's not a lot, but certainly enough to allow some water to pool.

I really dislike the idea of not being able to drain completely. It seems like a silly design decision to put the drain plug on the side instead of the bottom. And while I certainly could cap off the side plug and then drill a hole on the bottom, I don't want to muck with warranty violations right now (all my mods I'm currently doing are reversible back to stock)

[Dave_Monica]

Our Rockwood TT water tank was the same. I'd raise the non-drain end of the tank with a wooden block and drain most of the water out of it. The small amount left isn't an issue if frozen during winter storage. I'm assuming that the tank sets on the floor of the camper. To have it drain from the bottom, they'd have to route the water under the camper then back up again to the water pump. That's why the tank outlet is on the side on the tank.

Dave

[ThunderRoad]

This tank is mounted under the floorboards, just forward of the axle. The plumbed drain to the waterpump isn't the drain I'm talking about. I'm alluding to the gravity drain valve for emptying the tank.

I can try to get some photos tomorrow if that would be helpful.

[xavier]

I have a 2012 Flaggstaff 206LTD. I have an 11 gallon water tank under my dinnette bench. I acutally posted about this here:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...elp-24958.html

I also do not like that I cannot completely drain the tank. Poor design.

What I do is before my next trip I flush the tank and refill. I dont like to use the stale water since we wash my babys bottles in the sink.

[ThunderRoad]

Here are some pictures.

First picture - I'm perfectly level.

Next, the tank full of water, you can see the bulge on the bottom.

Next with the water drain open.

Finally, what the water level looks like when fully drained - at least 3/4" to 1" of water in the bottom of the tank. The tank still has the bulge on the bottom as well.

[xavier]

I would prefer your set up. I have the same type of drain valve mounted on the side of the tank, but I can only access mine from inside the camper. The manufacturer attached a small piece of tubing and ran it from the valve out the bottom of the camper.

If the camper is new maybe the dealer will move it for you under warranty.

I'm not going to bother since they would have to cut thru the floor of my camper to move the drain valve.

Good luck with your issue.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by ThunderRoad

Here are some pictures.

First picture - I'm perfectly level.

Next, the tank full of water, you can see the bulge on the bottom.

Next with the water drain open.

Finally, what the water level looks like when fully drained - at least 3/4" to 1" of water in the bottom of the tank. The tank still has the bulge on the bottom as well.

I can't see the 3D picture but a suuport below the tank would greatlly reduce the leftover and tank sag. The tank full weighs nearly 100 lbs, I don't see much holding the tank or it' shape.

I would use a hardwood (oak or similar) board maybe 1" thick by 3-4" width. Fasten this to a angle iron brace size 1"x2" or 1"x3, 1/8" or 3/16" thick. This brace wiil extend beyond the width of the tank and secure to the vertical support plates hanging at the ens of the tank. Use heavy pre drilled "L" brackets to bolt the angle to the vert. plates. While the tank is emty, use a floor jack or bottle jack with a flat board jack press the tank bellly up till you fit and secure the brace with brackets.
The purose of th wood liner is to prevent the iron from chaffing the plastic. Point the longer side of the angle down for max strength.

[ThunderRoad]

As a followup to this thread:

My apologies for not posting a followup sooner - I plum forgot.

I ended up calling FR and talked briefly with a gentleman there and emailed him my photos. I just wanted an answer before I proceeded with finishing up my drain-extension mod. This is what I got back:

Thank you for the photos.

Yes, the weight of that much water does put that kind of bulge to the bottom of the tank, and what is showing is normal.

When drained, unfortunately quite a bit of water remains. This can be minimumized by running the one wheel up on a block when draining the tank.

For wintertime, the amount of water left after draining can freeze and expand without causing any problems to the tank.

So everyone, concerns about not much. It still bugs me that the drain isn't on the bottom. :P