Ep. 304: What Have I Done?! | RV water tank repair

[@RamblinRoadies]

Dropping your water tank = very bad Resulting video content = priceless

[@673Piper]

I put on the same valve for the same reason, loosing a third of my water getting to my site. Never thought of this happening. This is OFFICIALLY the most important video I’ve watched on YT. THANK YOU for the heads up my friend. 🤦🏼‍♂️👌👍

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! Glad that we could give you a preview of what will happen if you don't open those!

[@moore_2_explore]

A ‘Do Over’ is something we all would give our eye teeth for at one time or another. How you handled it is the real lesson here. You continue to inform and inspire us! 👍😁

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so very much, and thank you for watching as always!

[@enarandyr9122]

Cut pex clamps across the crimped area with a dremel cutoff wheel.

[@GrandAdventure]

We've heard that from one other, thank you very much for the tip.

[@wajohnstonwj]

I had the same problem with water loss through the overflow on our class A RV. My solution was to put a rubber stopper in the overflow pipe that was easy to remove and would blow out if I inadvertently forgot to remove it.

[@bertkelly7650]

YeeeHaw! That was an epic adventure! Cuss words means you care. ; - )

[@GrandAdventure]

No, in this case Bert, cuss words meant that I was completely pissed with myself. 😄

[@garymann5998]

Well we all have made mistakes, that's just life, but you sure did a good job working through the issues, the part you didn't video would have been interesting to just listen to,😮. Thanks for sharing. Now travel safe.

[@GrandAdventure]

I would have sounded like a drunken sailor on shore leave. Thanks Gary! Safe travels to you as well.

[@markrizzuto8751]

Nice truck upgrade, and kayak rack

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Mark! The kayak is one big reason we opted for the 8-foot long bed on the F-350. That, combined with the large crew cab, puts the fifth wheel far enough back and the two rack rails spaced far enough apart that we can get away without using the front T-rack to support the bow of the kayak. It'll be nice this year to not stare all day at that T-rack and its support straps through the windshield.

[@stevertherver3887]

Very informative video Marc! That's got to be a first in RVING videos. We'll done!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Steve! And hopefully it's a last. 😄

[@markreynolds9570]

Great job Marc. I know you would not want to be around me while installing that underbelly.

[@GrandAdventure]

😄Any kids within earshot learned a whole new vocabulary that day.

[@alanjohnson2853]

Man! That's what we used to call 'a major clustershtup!' Glad you were able to get it repaired and make a great video!

[@GrandAdventure]

Lily Von Shtup would be proud. 😉

[@carolhenderson1156]

Thank you for sharing the sometimes not so "Grand" part of the adventure. We really enjoy your content and I rely on your episodes while planning our adventures. Happy, safe travels.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much Carol, and same to you!

[@fredbryson8713]

Just reminiscing old times good job

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Fred! It's always worse when you cause the damages yourself in the first place.

[@fredbryson8713]

@GrandAdventure I have been watching your grand adventure for some time thanks for the reply you make it look EZ I've been out here since 21 and was looking for episode when you were cleaning out an old abuse black tank and you have a concoction for the black tank to use other then chemicals I was looking for

[@GrandAdventure]

@@fredbryson8713 you might have been thinking of someone else, I don't recall this ever doing an episode like that. But we are happy to have you along!

[@garygoerke7684]

OMG Mark, You'll never forget that vent valve again! Better days ahead. 😉🙂😉

[@GrandAdventure]

You've got that right, Gary.

[@mccarthy7566]

Safe travels this summer and I hope "The Beast" is a great addition to your family.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you very much Pete! Same right back to you.

[@nationalparksprincess3216]

Oh wow, Mark 😢 I'm sorry this happened right as you were getting ready to head out. However, I'm really happy the kayak survived.

[@GrandAdventure]

That makes two of us, NPP!

[@lnazworth]

I literally cringed when you described what happened. Glad you got it fixed and videoed it as it's good information to have. Information I hope to never need. ;)

[@GrandAdventure]

Hope you never need it either! Thanks so much for watching.

[@timaz1066]

You were lucky to find someone like Kelly so close. Sometimes things just work out.

[@GrandAdventure]

Funny how that happens sometimes, isn't it, Tim?

[@scotty92028]

Dude….what a miserable thing to happen! I have two 41 gallon fresh tanks connected together by a 1-3/8” corrugated plastic hose which tends to crack over time. I also dropped the back I dropped back tank thinking it was leaking. Dropping the 20’ long coroplast and iputting back up is a miserable job. I do appreciated the “all legs and arms” approach to putting things back in place😂😂😂 A job well done mate👍👍👍

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks so much Scott! It truly sucked, but I learned a lot along the way.

[@mwgill1]

Nice recovery!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you!

[@laughingram7287]

Wow!!! You handled that well. 👍🏼 Thank you Kelly! 👏🏻 It probably would have been the last thing I would ever want to share, but there was a lot of good lessons within this video. Thank you for your thoughtfulness to share this with your followers and fans. What a relief for you getting this fixed and be able to get underway. I don’t ever want to see my water tank. Ram 👍🏼👍🏾

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Ram! I don't ever want to see mine again.

[@gorrdd]

Dang... I wanted to hear those bleeps😂! Hard to believe your almost out the door for another year of travels. I'm looking forward to another season. Gord

[@GrandAdventure]

So are we, Gord. Thank you!

[@satajet883]

Great fix. Glad you didn’t have to wait months for a new tank.

[@GrandAdventure]

No kidding! That would've been a disaster, there had to be a better way.

[@rickskidmore3075]

A little plumbers tip with a water tight seal. Use plumbers tape first then the pipe dope. It works great. Thanks for the great video Marc.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks for the tip, Rick!

[@kurtschulmeyer1041]

Ahh, brings back memories (or nightmares). My 64 AS's tank pan rotted out. Had to drop my belleypan,make a new tank pan and supports. Pain in my AS!

[@GrandAdventure]

It definitely sucks when you're working against gravity rather than with it, Kurt. We're happy to hear that things ultimately worked out for you, too.

[@moretoliving2236]

Pex pipe is my arch nemesis and cost of pex tools is astronomical for what they actually do. I settled on using sharkbyte fittings which cost substantially less. I hope to one day just find courage to spend a few sheckles on actual pex tools. It is a blessing that you have enough know how to fix this on own because at stealership they would have quoted you a gazillion dollars.

[@GrandAdventure]

I know just enough to be dangerous. 😆

[@cirrus820travelers9]

Wow! I am so 'relieved' (?) that I wasn't the only one to damage our water tank. Years ago I set out to fill our tank and totally forgot about filling it for an hour. The lake underneath the rv was minor compared to the issues to the interior flooring! The vent didn't drain overflow fast enough so the inside floor raised nearly 2 inches. Not knowing how to attempt repairing we fortunately traded it in...... love SLC area with all the possible alternative repairs. You didnt include the labor fees IF you relied on a shop to fix it. We'll be in Provo next week! Safe journeys.

[@GrandAdventure]

😯😯😯 ok, you've got us beat! 😄 I can't imagine that mess, or what it would take to fix. You made the right call. Safe travels to Provo!

[@hgoff5617]

Great video - we all do something like this . BTW -those "small bolt cutters" are actually cable cutters for larger gauge electrical cable. Anyway you can use side cutters or anything to cut the PEX clamps. Good Job!!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! Actually the only thing I've ever used those "small bolt cutters" for previously is large gauge electrical cable. 😄

[@sheepdog401]

I guess there is a reason manufactures make things a certain way and if you modify the original design things like this can happen and you can do significant damage. If you are going to continue using a closing valve on the end of the overflow pipes I would suggest you attach a large sticker beside the water intake stating "Ensure valves are open when filling".

[@GrandAdventure]

You're correct, manufacturers can't have folks blowing up their tanks every time they forget to open those valves like we did. We've already placed a reminder on our water manifold.

[@tracymeskel2839]

OMG Marc! And I thought ours problems were bad. Man I’m glad I don’t have your problem. I’m ok with fridges, but underneath the belly, I have no clue what I’m doing.

[@GrandAdventure]

Neither did I, Tracy, but I learned as I went. It gave us a chance to share it with everyone else.

[@camustang1966]

Don't feel too bad about this. I too have placed closeable valves on my overflow tubes for the exact same reason that you describe here. EXACTLY. Also I have done EXACTLY the same thing you describe here in forgetting to open the valves from time to time. The difference for me is that I have always realized that I forgot to open those valves and opened them before it damaged the tank or the fifth wheel. This most recently happened to me a few days ago when I was filling up the water tank. I heard some creaking and popping and I realized what I had done. Again, I was very fortunate to have realized this. At least now I know I'm not the only one. I need to set-up something to always remind myself to check those valves. I will still use them, because I can lose half my water out of the overflow/breather tubes if I didn't do that. On my tank, the overflow/breather tubes are located on the top of the sides, instead of from the top (since the top is against the floor of the coach). Thanks for the video and great work!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! Glad to hear that I'm not the only one who occasionally forgets, and also very happy to hear that you didn't experience what we did. We're putting a reminder right on the water manifold, hoping that helps.

[@camustang1966]

@@GrandAdventure ...yep...I printed out a label last week that says "CHECK WATER VALVES" and put it in my wet bay.

[@Thomas-sp1pp]

Mark ...Great work getting it repaired. I KNOW how you must have felt and can identify with all those frustrations ...to say the least. WE ALL have had some of those moments or WILL.!!!!!! I have a class A motorhome...3 weeks ago on I-49 my left front steer assembly felt apart ON THE ROAD. RV has been in repair for three weeks, I spent three days over holiday weekend after I limped to a rest area just WAITING to get towed...OUCH...Best of luck to you...and thanks for tour videos. WE ALL GO THROUGH THINGS...Thomas

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, Thomas! 😳You're very lucky, your situation could've been catastrophic. As I replied moments ago to another commenter, I fully expect things to fail during our travels; what I have less patience for is things that fail only because we did something stupid.

[@akgobears]

Lol, i can imagine the panic that set in...Sorry i find humor in that but i could only imagine if it was me and thats the cycle i would go through..PANIC, then PISSED OFF, then HUMOR as to what i just put myself through...More humor in your Yoga posses, your a better man than me in that area LOL....If i were a youtuber, bleeping would be a way of life for me...At least now , i have no restrictions...Really lookin forward to your upcoming travel videos....Travel safe, be well....

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! Those are exactly the same three phases I went through.

[@JMOUC265]

I think humor comes in AFTER you determine a workable solution. At that point, it becomes "HiHO, it's off to work I go!". Before that point, it's upset stomach time! 😀

[@michaeltablet8577]

Great repair! All's well that ends well and you learned new skills and helped others to learn!

[@GrandAdventure]

That's kind of how we looked at it, Michael. Thank you very much for watching!

[@michaeltablet8577]

@@GrandAdventure It's always a joy to watch your videos! Safe travels and God bless you all!

[@Gunner_Tom]

Maybe you can find some kind of pressure relief valve or pop open valve like on a hot water heater to put on your new water overflow drain.

[@GrandAdventure]

Interesting concept, Tom, but it would have to be a super low pressure relief valve.

[@normgibson6565]

Good job Marc I bet Mrs GA was not to happy with you.

[@GrandAdventure]

Mrs GA has come to expect this from me.

[@normgibson6565]

@@GrandAdventure I'm sure looking forward to Q24 if the rehab goes good so far it's looking good just 4 months behind on getting it done

[@GrandAdventure]

@@normgibson6565 That's fantastic to hear! We look forward to having you back with us next January.

[@LiveTomorrowNow]

I appreciate you sharing what happened to help us learn!! Thank you and happy travels!!❤

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you, and same right back at you!

[@travelingmertonandsue]

Woops. Yikes, and I thought I was by myself in making crazy mistakes with my RV. I can't say this eposide was a Grand Adventure. A mis-adventure perhaps says it best, LOL. Merton & Sue 😎✌️👍

[@GrandAdventure]

We all do stupid things, don't we? This was a whopper.

[@MingoMoon]

😮 wow! I can only imagine the feeling, and frustration, well no I can’t imagine it, I can emphasize with you as I have had to take down my underbelly several times to install rear hitch, and replace gray and black tank valves 2 times once while at home and a second time while on the road because I did not fully test the replacement correctly that once I filled them on the road both of my gray tanks sprung leaks that made me do on the road repairs, right after I had had an emergency appendectomy! So, I get the frustration and the feeling about the mistakes. Sure glad that you have the skill set and ability to find someone to repair the tank and get it re-installed. I don’t know how I would have made out in that situation!

[@GrandAdventure]

If you accomplished what you described above, you would have been able to handle this no problem at all. It was just an unplanned PITA. I can't imagine doing this right after an emergency appendectomy.

[@qdot22]

Nice work, Marc. Wow, what a find with Kelly. I’ve a got the standard gravity fresh water fill port (garden hose fill) and a drain valve below the tank. It self vents as I fill. But then I would have to supply my own external water pump if I wanted to fill from a heavy bladder on the ground (saw your old video on pump and bladder). What I’ve found is how rare it is to find a good video of reworking the corrugated underbelly material. I’m afraid to remove mine as it’s pretty solidly fastened by many screws to the frame. I would like to feel confident that I could work under mine for rewiring and such. Such an awesome channel.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Rich! Removing an undamaged panel, and reinstalling it would be a piece of cake. Getting the dimensions exact to replace a section, however, is where the rub lies. You can't be close, you have to be exact in cutting the replacement and in positioning it. If you're off even slightly in either scenario, it becomes an exercise in frustration.

[@daviscrt]

I bet you're heart dropped when that tank fell. The odds Kelly was down the road was amazing. Still like to here the bleeping. LOL. Thanks Don

[@GrandAdventure]

You're not alone, Don! LOL. And you have no idea the sinking feeling I had when I turned around after hearing the noise.

[@billdennis2993]

Thx Mark for an informative and entertaining video with excellent content and production. Your too tough on yourself IMHO but you were able to overcome and are the wiser for it with increased knowledge of your rig and resources you shared. FWIW I had a Alfa TH BITD that I towed to remote high elevation primative campsite in Southern Sierras where potable water was limited. We were awakened one quiet night by a loud crashing sound and shudder from the rig, thinking a bear was breaking into the trailer I was relieved upon exiting to find the 110gal fresh water tank had dropped from its mount on to the axles. Needless to say some bailing wire and duct tape was required along with rock straightened angle iron supports rehung. Happy Camping

[@GrandAdventure]

Thanks Bill! Nice fix. You're correct, I now have a far deeper knowledge of what's inside that underbelly than I had before this whole experience. I also learned about polyethylene welding and spin welding, something I heretofore knew nothing about, and it gave us the opportunity to share that new knowledge with our viewers. All is well that ends well, and I have new confidence that we'll never forget those valves again. 😄

[@robertnasser9937]

Would like to see Mrs Grand Adventure. I have a guess on the plate, will see if I am right next week

[@GrandAdventure]

I'd love to have her on camera, Bob, but she's dead set against it. She's someone who values her privacy intensely and therefore refuses to appear (although she did actually speak briefly to the camera way back in Episode 9 kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y3TCqZR3pt2Ca5I ).

[@CharlesinGA]

You need to send Eddyline Before and after pics of they Kayak. They might give you a new one!!!!

[@GrandAdventure]

I can't believe that boat is undamaged.

[@JMOUC265]

Congratulations, Marc, on a very resourceful job of repairs. I can just imagine the feeling of frustration and dismay you must have felt as you were preparing to depart and what was already a big job. A reply like this shouldn't leave it all on your shoulders, so I will tell you about my mea culpa, many years ago when I was preparing to depart on an astonomy field trip to the boondocks in my Casita. Several weeks earlier, I had installed some plastic window vents on several of the windows. But, as I often do, I substituted my own stainless screws for the kit's screws. Mine were shorter and would not penetrate the window frame on the inside. I was proud. Unbeknownst to me, my shorter screws pushed apart the inside and outside of the window frames so that when it rained, water would leak (some might say flood) the interior if the Casita. On the day before I was to depart, I went to storage to get the Casita and pulled off the cover. Immediately, I noticed the condensate on the INSIDE surfaces of the windows. To cut this long story short, I spent the next three days remediating the damage that the influx of water had done. Bedding, tables, floors, etc. I'm sure you can imagine. Never again, I hope!

[@GrandAdventure]

Oh my word! What an ungodly mess, glad to hear that you got that straightened out. Your situation was several orders of magnitude worse than ours.

[@jstar1000]

My tank leaked at that ring that you spin weld and I used JB weld puddy for plastic and it sealed it just fine so far.

[@GrandAdventure]

Happy to hear that's worked out for you, and hope for you that it continues to hold. Normally, polyethylene is very resistant to things sticking to it.

[@bobanddangsjourney]

This was an awesome video - thanks so much for sharing it. I have heard horror stories of tanks falling due ot supports failing, but never would have imagined case. Great information about how that is put together and seems like a complete PITA to fix. But you got it done cheap and doesn't seem like it took that long - could have been much worse. I have yet to even pull the coroplast off of our unit but I've been thinking I need to do that to inspect how things are down there. Not looking forward to that. Thanks again for sharing this great information!

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you! By all means and at all costs, if you can avoid removing that underbelly sheeting, avoid it. It's an enormous PITA to put back.

[@davidgroner5088]

Thanks for the video, I pray that I never have to go through that . But thank you for a good walkthrough if I ever have to....I will be getting some pex equipment, just to have on hand..cuz you never know. Safe travels Thanks again

[@GrandAdventure]

You are most welcome, David. We have been carrying that PEX crimper for years. Always good to have, and I'm happy that we have now added the cutting tool, too.

[@warrenscorner]

Great repair video! I definitely learned a few things about water tanks. I just subscribed and looking forward to your travels.

[@GrandAdventure]

We're thrilled to have you along, Warren. Thank you very much! We learned a lot about water tanks ourselves through this incident, and took the opportunity to share what we've learned.

[@RamblinRoadies]

Oh my heck. 😮

[@GrandAdventure]

Now there's a Utah expression!

[@camperbum]

Dang, that's a bummer, my tank has a vent, it had some mud bug plugging it up, I'll have to keep a eye on even more now, I can't wait to see you're next video, I'm doing the same thing but waiting on my mopeka, got the cover and that's the part I'm interested in seeing how you did it.

[@GrandAdventure]

Great guess, Dave! That's exactly what we did in next week's episode. We were surprised to find the Mopeka available through Amazon with next morning delivery, so we figured why not, as long as everything had already ripped itself apart? Keep an eye on those vents, you don't want to go through what we just did.

[@joemilbrandt9320]

Mark I hope this makes you feel better it did me as my wife and I watched this video last night. We watched on our tv so I couldn’t comment but I needed to. I was losing water the same as you so I put valves on the end of my overflows,same as you. Solved that issue same as you. Well after getting our 09 Open Range out in the spring of 2017 on our second season of RVing I flushed everything out and got all the anti- freeze out and mixed my solution up and flushed the complete system again. Then being an over thinker 🤔or not I filled the hot water tank with more solution and for some reason I closed those dang valves. Well a couple days later I drained the hot water tank made absolutely sure I had the valves to fill the hot water tank correctly in the proper position and ran the water until it came out of the pressure relief valve. Now I was ready to fill the fresh water tank. So I started running the water😮. Well as you were explaining last night your issue my wife says “ Joe I think Mark has done exactly what you did”. I was a little more fortunate than you because I was filling from our home well system and was about to shut the water of to let the well recuperate a while when the braces popped no exploded. No tank damage but that feeling is horrible. I’m sure we aren’t the only two guys this has happened to but at least we both know we are not alone. Now when you think about what you did you can always think”well Joe did it too😂😂😂” and never forget “life is grand adventure. “ Thanks for all your videos!! Joe

[@GrandAdventure]

Well, I do feel better because Joe did it too! Thanks bud, you made me smile today.

[@cpwatching5647]

Way to dig in. Good work!! I appreciate your content. Glad to see you were able to fix it yourself. That would have been a costly repair in a shop!! I do all my own repairs and upgrades. Take care.

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you so much!

[@brianbyrd6080]

Man i was wanting to see the spin welding process.

[@GrandAdventure]

We would've loved to have shown it to you, Brian, and planned to do so -- but Kelly works at his own pace. 😄Here's a short video that shows it well: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nH7HfYp3jtdqec0

[@brianbyrd6080]

@@GrandAdventure thxs Mark and keep up the great videos and experiances lol

[@SFDearing1]

Great repair...too bad ya can't fix old man absent mindedness! I've resorted to unending checklists at home and on the road....now if I could just remember where I put those dang lists!? 😅😂😊

[@GrandAdventure]

😄 A big, red "OPEN VALVES!" label is going on our water manifold. 😉

[@arianacidadegoulart2724]

Hi my friend, if you can visit ocala florida is the best place for you show us beauty nature! 🐎🌳☺️

[@JeffinTD]

Nice video. These RV’s with the vent terminating below the tanks, I don’t understand why they set them up that way. Naturally water will siphon out. If I had one and did the shutoff valve mod it would only be a matter of time before I made the same mistake. I wonder if the vent hose could be rerouted up and to a fitting through the exterior wall. Like other RV’s the height would prevent it from dumping water unless actually overflowing.

[@GrandAdventure]

Agree completely, Jeff. Placing the vent the way you describe would allow the air and overflow water to escape, yet would prevent the water loss from sloshing. I don't get it either. I'll tell you one thing, though: I'm a whole lot more careful now about remembering to open those valves. 😁

[@JeffinTD]

Yeah. I get that they were trying to make things simple with an aqua-panel type deal, but the other issue for me (and a lot of people who boondock) is only being able to fill the fresh tank from a pressurized garden hose. In some places in southern AZ the tap water is so mineralized you don’t want to drink it, or even wash your car. Little kiosks take 50 or 75 cents for 6 gallons of water. I have a potable water jerry can I’ll use whenever in town, or when the tanks need dumped I’ll pull the trailer right to a kiosk… Grand Design is on my list for possible next RV, but I’d likely install a traditional gravity fill with vent. I’d likely also delete the battery switch back there and run one of the nice Bussman marine circuit breakers up on the A frame (and upgrade battery cables).

[@GrandAdventure]

@@JeffinTD nice plans. Although we have a water manifold panel in the Durango there's a siphon house to draw water from a jug via the onboard water pump. We also carry a 45-gallon pillow tank, from which we can transfer water to our RV tank via an inexpensive 12V liquid transfer pump.

[@ckstaff]

Good thing it blew while you were parked and not on the highway in the middle of nowhere dragging the tank. You would have needed a new tank and tow trucks are not cheap.

[@GrandAdventure]

Believe me, that thought crossed my mind. All in all we were extremely lucky.

[@cirrus820travelers9]

OH Yeah! Forgot one grand blessing! It wasn't the black tank! How many people shut off the valve back flushing & forget! Overflow is the toilet flush valve and upper roof vent......now that is a bad day!

[@GrandAdventure]

Oh yeah it is!

[@bobconner422]

Wow !! I was going to do this for that reason . I think i will just loose some water !

[@GrandAdventure]

In two years this is the only time that we forgot to open those valves *and* suffered consequences for doing so. I'm fairly confident that we've learned our lesson, especially with some well-placed reminders next to our water manifold. We were just losing too much water without those valves.

[@bobconner422]

@@GrandAdventure Maybe a rubber plug so if something did happen it would blow off 🤔 Thinking i may try it .

[@GrandAdventure]

@@bobconner422 interesting idea! Let us know how that works out.

[@ogaddcb]

So when did you get the Super Duty.I must have missed that session.

[@GrandAdventure]

We haven't really focused our cameras on the truck yet, but plan to do so once we have some experience with it out towing. We picked it up in February 2023 after placing our order in December 2021, it took that long to arrive.

[@janelewis8143]

Hey there...we want a blooper reel...lol

[@GrandAdventure]

It's been a while since we've done one of those, Jane. We have plenty of cutting room floor material available. 😄

[@bryanrussell6679]

I was really hoping to see the actual tank repair being performed. I did enjoy your yoga poses though, been there and done that.

[@GrandAdventure]

I would have loved to have shown you the tank repairs, Bryan. However, Kelly was on his own schedule that try as I might, I couldn't decipher or understand. 😄

[@bryanrussell6679]

@@GrandAdventure Perfectly understandable. Safe travels, my friend.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@bryanrussell6679 same to you.

[@PeeWeeHenson]

DAMN DUDE. SOMETIME I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT MY ROOF REPAIR WHEN THE MEMBRANE SEPARATED FROM THE FRONT CAP. AND TO TOP IT OFF THE ROTATING SHAFT THAT RUNS THE LANDING GEAR UP AND DOWN BROKE. IF ITS MADE BY MAN IT'LL BREAK AT THE MOST INOPPORTUNE TIME. IT JUST IS. 🤨🤔

[@GrandAdventure]

This is fun, reading everyone else's horror stories. 😄 And you're very correct, PeeWee - it'll either break, or we'll find a way to break it.

[@trapezekid]

Will this happen when I am just filling it normally ? If it is full the water will just start to come back out right ?

[@GrandAdventure]

@@trapezekid if you've installed check valves on your tank vents, be sure to open them when filling the tank or when you arrive in camp and start using water. If you haven't added check valves like I did, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about.

[@TheSshadow7]

This is a painful story. Such a nightmare.

[@GrandAdventure]

But with a happy ending! Thank you so much for watching.

[@mitchsmolow6268]

My overflow tube does not have a valve so I fill my tank until it overfows without paying attention. I may rethink that. Thanks. I would have thought the tank walls would be thick enough to withstand incoming water pressure and stop the flow. Was it the trapped air that caused the tank expansion?

[@GrandAdventure]

Mitch, I suspect it was a combination of the trapped air and the incoming water under pressure. The walls of those tanks are fairly thin and therefore bend easily, while the ones that Kelly manufactures himself are of a much sturdier grade of polyethylene sheeting.

[@seekingadventures]

That’s why pressure tanks are round and the ends are domed, pressure pushes out equally around the tank. So the pressure try’s to make a square tank round.

[@gerrysherman2007]

Hi Mark, I glad you were able to get your tank repaired but that's not the reason for this comment. My wife and I travel with a pickup and 28' Lance trailer. We carry our Hurrican Santee Sport 12' kayaks on a Thule Track Rack. We use Malone saddles. On our trip last spring from New Hampshire to Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Out cockpit covers and I had to siphoned out the boats many times. We're in Alabama now working our way back north. Again the covers are taking a beating. I really need to carry the boats upside down but am nervous about the ABS boats. How do you carry yours. Thanks. Gerry

[@GrandAdventure]

Thank you Gerry! We carry upright using a Seals Cockpit Cover. They're sturdy, clip to the deck bungee, and are carefully fitted to your cockpit. We've never had it blow off, and we've had it for over a decade without any obvious wear. We highly recommend!

[@gerrysherman2007]

@@GrandAdventure we have Seals covers but the Santee has a long narrow cockpit so the covers are too wide. Maybe I'll contact Seals and see if they have another option. Good luck on your new season. We'll be watching. Gerry

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gerrysherman2007 If you go to their website they actually have a database for most boats which shows the appropriate size for each cockpit.

[@gerrysherman2007]

@Grand Adventure Thought you might be interested in this. I emailed Seals and they responded quickly. The size 7 seal covers listed for our boats is a universal fit not an exact fit. They said to send them the covers and they will cut them down to fit exactly at no charge. The "Seal" covers will only work if they are an exact fit. They will also send them back to me at no charge. Can't beat that for customer service. Thought you would enjoy that.

[@GrandAdventure]

@@gerrysherman2007 that's fantastic! Got to love it when a company steps up.

[@rvfuntimes6144]

Oh well thats RVing.

[@GrandAdventure]

Bingo. I can better tolerate (and expect) things going wrong, than things that go wrong because of my own stupidity.

[@carolynnkaster9457]

Doesn't your Wife help you with repairs? I help Hubby even if it is only handing him tools. We are currently changing the tires on the Harley. Much easier with two people. I have learned over 30 years of marriage, don't give him suggestions on the repair unless he asks. Makes for a happier marriage. Ha, Ha.

[@GrandAdventure]

LOL! Your relationship is better than ours. 😉She was wise to give me a little distance on this one, I was so angry with myself.

[@Charles-in3zt]

I have often been filling my fresh water tank and forgotten to keep an eye for when the overflow begins draining water so I know it's full. If I were to forget for a longer period of time what would happen? I am assuming I am filling with more water going in than the overflow is expelling.

[@GrandAdventure]

As long as the overflow remains unobstructed, Charles, I'd think that you'd be ok for a while.