JTD-FRF
New Member
Ever heard of the saying?: "If it aint broke, fix it till it is."? Well, I accidently drilled an 1/8" diameter hole in my black water tank on my Rockwood 2019 Mini Lite. Sharing my repair story here for the benefit of other Sad Sacks with a similar repair need:
First off, the tank is made from HDPE, not ABS as described in one internet search result I found. HDPE is high density polyethylene. It is used for a multitude of tank types, and the tips of caulking tubes, because nothing sticks to it, and I mean nothing. No epoxy in two tubes that you mix together, no specialty plastic repair kit, like Plast-Aid. Nada, zero, zip. ABS can be chemically welded, HDPE cannot. The ONLY way to fix it is to weld with a PE welding rod and specialty soldering iron or welding tool. If you find the need, don't try a repair with topical sealant yourself because it will not work long term. The good news is, if the hole is in an accessible place, i.e., in the bottom center like mine was, the welding repair takes a matter of minutes. My cost for SSD Plastics in Grand Junction, Colorado, to make the repair in their driveway while hooked up, was $30. RV shop quoted "about a grand" to replace the tank. Hardest part was getting the trailer to them 100 miles away. After the repair, Dale, the manager, said "Fill it up. If it doesn't leak now, it never will". Filled the tank to 2/3 full straight away and no leak. Drove home with water in the tank, and no leak.
Hope this is helpful.
First off, the tank is made from HDPE, not ABS as described in one internet search result I found. HDPE is high density polyethylene. It is used for a multitude of tank types, and the tips of caulking tubes, because nothing sticks to it, and I mean nothing. No epoxy in two tubes that you mix together, no specialty plastic repair kit, like Plast-Aid. Nada, zero, zip. ABS can be chemically welded, HDPE cannot. The ONLY way to fix it is to weld with a PE welding rod and specialty soldering iron or welding tool. If you find the need, don't try a repair with topical sealant yourself because it will not work long term. The good news is, if the hole is in an accessible place, i.e., in the bottom center like mine was, the welding repair takes a matter of minutes. My cost for SSD Plastics in Grand Junction, Colorado, to make the repair in their driveway while hooked up, was $30. RV shop quoted "about a grand" to replace the tank. Hardest part was getting the trailer to them 100 miles away. After the repair, Dale, the manager, said "Fill it up. If it doesn't leak now, it never will". Filled the tank to 2/3 full straight away and no leak. Drove home with water in the tank, and no leak.
Hope this is helpful.
