Tab 400 Boondock 2023 cracked gray tank

Prlcarey

This is our second season of camping and have a cracked gray tank. Has anyone else had their gray tank crack?  Is replacing the tank something a person could do on their own?

pthomas745

More info needed.  "Cracked" where?  Can you see where the leak is? Is water coming from the long drain tube?  Or coming from some spot directly under the shower area?

Pictures will really help.

Prlcarey

It’s in the shop, so I don’t have pictures. They say it is cracked on the top, near the drain. The labor to fix it will be $900. This is after $400 to find the source of the leak.  We are waiting to hear the cost of the tank. I guess we’ll have the shop/dealership fix it. I’m just frustrated by the costs to repair and things that fall apart from bouncing down the road on a unit that is only 1 1/2 years old. Somehow I thought by buying a Nucamp, things would hold up better. 

Horigan

There are two threads here regarding a cracked inlet to the tank, one below shower and one below the kitchen sink.  In both cases the tank was repaired, not replaced.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/14507/solved-and-fixed-please-help-plumbing-broke-on-shower-drain/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16272/seriously-another-broken-grey-tank-drain

Prlcarey

Thanks for the links. They say the tank is cracked. I guess I should ask where it is cracked. 

Prlcarey

Update: now they are saying it’s cracked near a drain and they may be able to patch rather than replace the tank. So that’s good news coat wise. Can anyone say what makes those tanks crack?

Horigan

The two threads I posted above have some theories, but I don't recall anything conclusive.

pthomas745

Show them those links and the photos and tell them unless they can prove the gray tank is cracked somehow, this will be the place to look for the leaks.  Even if they do decide to take out the whole tank...they will still have to access the subfloor below the shower.  This is not "hard" to fix, especially when we have a whole map of the situation.  (Of course...I may be off base, here.

This thread with photos is only about a week old.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/19865/tab-320s-gray-tank-leaking-b-n-tank-and-floor

qhumberd

Since you have a 400, I would clarify which drain they have determined is cracked. If below the sink or under the shower, each have their own issues with access. Both threads linked above show that the ABS/PVC pipe breaks where it is threaded into the grey tank. The repair is pretty straightforward and seems to involve a removal tool to back out the damaged threads in the grey tank. Good descriptions and pictures in the links above, including one owner who discovered the break below the sink and repaired with no plumbing expertise.

Now each of these reported showed a rigid connection of the trailer plumbing to the grey tank. One repair used a flexible connector and clamps to reconnect the pipes. The idea seems to be that relieving stress of bouncing down the road can be mitigated by a flexible section where the pipes connect and drain to the drain tank. This has not been confirmed but it seems feasible. If they are doing the repair you might share the flexible connectors others have used and see if they are willing to reconnect that way.



The molded grey tank seems to be thickened in the areas around the drains, and this makes me think it unlikely to break the tank itself as opposed to the pipe connection.

Good luck!

jimcenname

When I had my 2019 400 at nucamp service for a floor rebuild they told me the grey tank can shift slightly and it pushes the kitchen sink drain pipe up against the hole in the floor and causing the break. Supposedly they check that fitting when they do floor rebuilds. 

Prlcarey

These replies are all so helpful. Thanks for the pictures, descriptions of and possible causes for breaks at gray tank connection points. I so appreciate all of you!