Dropped Black Tank on 2016 Winnebago Journey 36M

[DNC-WO]

On our last outing we started smelling fumes from the blackwater tank so I decided to dump the tank even though I knew it was only about 20% full. I opened the bay to attach the drain hose and noticed that the rear side of the tank had dropped about 4-inches. There was a strap or relatively thin metal bar welded to the end of a piece of 1-inch square tubing running under the tank. The bar had apparently been attached near the top of the tank to support the tank, but I couldn't see the top of the tank due to its location so I'm not sure how it was attached or to what it was attached. There is also a square piece of tubing under the plastic bay that supports the bay which is under the black water tank. I was able raise the tank and get a piece of wood and a shim under it; this temporary support rests on the support bar under the bay. It looked like the tank was back in its original position after I raised it and put the wood and shim support under it.

Looking at the plumbing diagram for my 2016 Journey, it looks like the end of the tank that dropped down is also the end of the tank where the vent pipe is attached. I suspect the vent pipe seal was broken when the tank dropped down because even after raising the tank there is a faint sewer smell inside the rig when the tank gets about 1/4 full.

Has anyone had this issue and if so, how did you fix it. I'm going to fix it myself, but would like to know if anyone else has had the same issue and if you have any advise or words of wisdom you can impart? There's no way to get a photo that is worth posting due to the location of the tank. I'm attaching a photo of the temporary support.

 

[DNC-WO]

I should clarify, that the black water tank is on the right side of the bay so the right side of the blackwater tank did not drop down, apparently the whole tank dropped down. The tubing that runs under the tank supports both the gray and black water tanks.

 

[Morich]

I think I have the right idea and what we are seeing but I might have a different idea of where the pipes might have come loose. Correct me if not looking at things from the right side, etc. Mistakes seem to come natural at times!

Looking in at the wet bay where the drain is located, I see they show some pretty "fragile' straps to support a lot of weight when things get full. The far end support looks lot more reliable? This meet what you see?
If that is true, I might guess the stool connection might be the more likely to have come loose!

My thought is this.
In this picture, the green tank is the black tank which dropped at this end. If it is this end which dropped and the other end stays up, the connections near this end get more chance to drop further and more likely to come open?
For repair, it might actually work out to be better for repair? The vent stack is likley built into a wall and hard to access. The stool is not fun to work with and remove but it may have the advanatage of being able to get to the joint to repair it with a bigger pipe and hole being under the stool if one should need to cut out some for room to work?

NOT good, in either case but I might look at the stool befoe taking paneling off a wall at the vent?

UGH and double UGH??

 

[DNC-WO]

I think and I hope you are correct. This diagram is what I needed. It will be easier to fix if it is the connection from the toilet to the tank. I'm still unsure of how I'm going to support the tank seeing as how the original manufacturers tank support was not sufficient. Any ideas on that will be appreciated. Thank you for the reply. You've helped me already.

 

[Morich]

Not any really good ideas but maybe some pictures that seem to show what theuy thought might hold it? I'll throw in the pictures and they are easy to get rid of if no help!
They're cheapy, cheapy!!
Looks like the far end bracket was a more deluxe design and might not be a problem.
Two different tank ends and bracket notched to match! Screwed/bolted to RV at top?

Along the length it looks like they had some form of pillows to suport the middle of each tank. Different parts numbers, so likely different shapes but I wonder if one did not slide out of place?

Likely not a place you can see to check?
Different view of same? Only one part at a time can be highlighted! Not sure of what could be done to get it in place, though!

BUT if you do get around to thinking the vent may also be a problem, this may help to find where they hid it in the shower wall?

Just a bit left of shower corner? They call it a grommet, which may mean a form of packing, etc. but I normally think of the connections into the tank as solid and glued in place?
One of those we never know till we get there! But looking closer, this looks like a glue joint to me and that might mean the vent got pulled down up on the roofline? Maybe worth looking that it did not leave you a slow leak to eat up the ceiling if not caught in time?

But the stool plumbing looks like the same but larger, so no guess on what you may find? Good luck on the chase may be as good as it gets?

 

[P8nsbus]

On our last outing we started smelling fumes from the blackwater tank so I decided to dump the tank even though I knew it was only about 20% full. I opened the bay to attach the drain hose and noticed that the rear side of the tank had dropped about 4-inches. There was a strap or relatively thin metal bar welded to the end of a piece of 1-inch square tubing running under the tank. The bar had apparently been attached near the top of the tank to support the tank, but I couldn't see the top of the tank due to its location so I'm not sure how it was attached or to what it was attached. There is also a square piece of tubing under the plastic bay that supports the bay which is under the black water tank. I was able raise the tank and get a piece of wood and a shim under it; this temporary support rests on the support bar under the bay. It looked like the tank was back in its original position after I raised it and put the wood and shim support under it.

Looking at the plumbing diagram for my 2016 Journey, it looks like the end of the tank that dropped down is also the end of the tank where the vent pipe is attached. I suspect the vent pipe seal was broken when the tank dropped down because even after raising the tank there is a faint sewer smell inside the rig when the tank gets about 1/4 full.

Has anyone had this issue and if so, how did you fix it. I'm going to fix it myself, but would like to know if anyone else has had the same issue and if you have any advise or words of wisdom you can impart? There's no way to get a photo that is worth posting due to the location of the tank. I'm attaching a photo of the temporary support.

I have the 2013 Journey 34B, which we bought in 2015 with 13k miles on it. On the first trip, the same thing happened, but to the gray tank and gray water was dripping down into the right side bay next to the inverter. I took it to a repair shop who found that Winny welds that thin bar to a thin cross-member to hold up the weight of the tank. Naturally, the weight broke the weld and left me to deal with it. The shop substituted a wood 2x4 to hold up the tank permanently. Winny's metal was too thin to try and weld and the space was too tight to get in there to weld anyway. A proper fix would have to tear a large area to work there. When the tank dropped, it pulled the tank fill pipe up enough that the seal broke, letting water leak. They had to put in a new seal. The repair has been solid ever since, now at 105k miles. Can you tell I'm not too impressed with Winny construction?

 

[Bradm-WO]

On our last outing we started smelling fumes from the blackwater tank so I decided to dump the tank even though I knew it was only about 20% full. I opened the bay to attach the drain hose and noticed that the rear side of the tank had dropped about 4-inches. There was a strap or relatively thin metal bar welded to the end of a piece of 1-inch square tubing running under the tank. The bar had apparently been attached near the top of the tank to support the tank, but I couldn't see the top of the tank due to its location so I'm not sure how it was attached or to what it was attached. There is also a square piece of tubing under the plastic bay that supports the bay which is under the black water tank. I was able raise the tank and get a piece of wood and a shim under it; this temporary support rests on the support bar under the bay. It looked like the tank was back in its original position after I raised it and put the wood and shim support under it.

Looking at the plumbing diagram for my 2016 Journey, it looks like the end of the tank that dropped down is also the end of the tank where the vent pipe is attached. I suspect the vent pipe seal was broken when the tank dropped down because even after raising the tank there is a faint sewer smell inside the rig when the tank gets about 1/4 full.

Has anyone had this issue and if so, how did you fix it. I'm going to fix it myself, but would like to know if anyone else has had the same issue and if you have any advise or words of wisdom you can impart? There's no way to get a photo that is worth posting due to the location of the tank. I'm attaching a photo of the temporary support.

We have a 2015,, following.

 

[DNC-WO]

I have the 2013 Journey 34B, which we bought in 2015 with 13k miles on it. On the first trip, the same thing happened, but to the gray tank and gray water was dripping down into the right side bay next to the inverter. I took it to a repair shop who found that Winny welds that thin bar to a thin cross-member to hold up the weight of the tank. Naturally, the weight broke the weld and left me to deal with it. The shop substituted a wood 2x4 to hold up the tank permanently. Winny's metal was too thin to try and weld and the space was too tight to get in there to weld anyway. A proper fix would have to tear a large area to work there. When the tank dropped, it pulled the tank fill pipe up enough that the seal broke, letting water leak. They had to put in a new seal. The repair has been solid ever since, now at 105k miles. Can you tell I'm not too impressed with Winny construction?

Where did they locate the 2x4 and to what was it attached?

 

[DancinCampers]

My strap on the black tank side broke in 2019 in MO. The strap is bent 90 deg on each end and screwed to the underside of the coach floor. My strap fractured at the bend. I cut 2x6 lumber to go crossways at each end, raised the tanks with the square tubing using a car jack. I then cut 2x4s to fit between the 2x6s and the square tubing, attaching the wood with 3 inch angle brackets. It so happened that when we deployed the full wall slide a gear tooth broke on the front ram. We decided to go to the factory for repairs. To replace the straps they had to take the whole water bay white metal plates apart. $5 strap, $796 labor. When I got the coach back I re-installed my wood bracing and it is still there today.

 

[DNC-WO]

Thanks for the reply. Good info to consider.

 

[DNC-WO]

Hey folks, I've fixed the support for my septic tanks on my 2016 Journey and documented how I fixed it in the attached file. I've yet to investigate the toilet and vent seals; after doing that I'll post about what I find. I hope the attached file is helpful if your tank strap breaks. I appreciate the replies I've gotten to the original post and especially want to thank Morich for the info he provided.

 

[DNC-WO]

I want to follow up as promised to let you know what I found out about the toilet and vent seals. I found out nothing about the vent seal because where the vent pipe attaches to the tank is located where it can't be seen or accessed without removing the wall panel in the hall behind the shower. I'm going to forget about it for now unless there is still an odor emanating from that area when the tank has waste in it.

I pulled the toilet and found that the toilet flange sits atop of and is part of a pipe that extends into the blackwater tank. I assume that when the tank dropped nothing was broken or damaged because it looks like it is designed to allow some movement of the tank independent of the toilet flange/pipe. I suppose there may be a seal around the pipe between the hole in the tank and the pipe; I'm hoping that if there is the seal is intact; the real test will be when the tank contains something stinky; right now it is empty.

It's going to be a month before we take the RV on a trip. If I have any problems or have to investigate anymore because of an odor inside the RV I'll let you know. Otherwise, I'm done and hope the info I provided is helpful to others who have a similar experience. And I want to thank Morich again for the info he provided; its folks like him that make this forum so valuable to me.

 

[Morich]

HEAH! Glad to see it getting done! I was out of town for a while and missed the first post on results! Happy to hear it helped to see what was in there. Sometimes getting the plan together is the tough part but we have to eventually start.
Looks good and should last much better!
But I have two questions/ comments! I have wondered at times why they use phillips instead of hex as it seems the screws would take less effort to get them to go in without burring if they used a hex head. Maybe just 2 cents difference in pricing or just that a phillips will fit lots of different size screws? I have been there when I could have gotten a small ratchet wrench on the top but never get a Phillips in the right place. I finally found I could work it with vice grips but then the screw had to be cut off in the middle of taking it out as it would not clear what was above! AARGH!
Second question is not quite so heavy?
Were you able to keep the liver and spleen or did you have to remove them , too?
Looks like the doctor had to move everything else but got it done!!

 

[DNC-WO]

I envision some guy walking along the frame with a power screwdriver and self drilling screws screwing down anything that looks like it might fall off. I think that's why they use screws. How astute of you to know that I had to remove the liver and spleen. Thanks for your help.