Happy 4th of July everyone! I am starting my project on replacing the old compressed fresh water tank system in my 73 Brave. I was hoping in the collective wisdom and experience of the Classic Winnebago Forum that some members may have had some experience with tank replacement.
First off, most of the affordable (around $100 for 20-40 gallon capacities) fresh water tanks seem to have a wall thickness of about 1/8". I found one review on Amazon that mentioned it bulges several inches on all sides, which to me means it probably would be under too much stress and eventually suffer catastrophic failure as the tank ages and the polyethylene plastic gets brittle. Not to mention the stress of just going down the road over bumps and potholes. Has anyone used one of these cheaper tanks with some success? Particular this seems to apply to tanks from Elkhart, Ronco, and some other no name manufacturers. If I am paranoid, should I just blow my budget and get the thicker tanks that have less sizing options that cost 3-4 times more?
On sizing, I'm thinking of really increasing my capacity for boondocking, since I really like to get out there. Original tank is 26 gallons, the 42 gallon tank from this source should fit, but fairly tight with the proper fittings:
https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-pumps-water/rv-fresh-water-tank.htm (https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/rv-pumps-water/rv-fresh-water-tank.htm)
This doesn't leave a lot of room for working on the tank, but in my opinion, once installed it should be set and forget. Has anyone pushed the limits of their tank space and regretted it? I'd really only get a couple of inches to work with between the new tank and the existing original electrical converter. Otherwise I could get about 6 inches or more of working space by going with a 30 gallon tank, which is a much smaller capacity.
Any other gotchas, or things I should look out for?
placed my metal tanks with a plastic tank that just fit in the space and installed a shureflow pump don't regret it best thing i did found my tank used out of a trailer
Keep in mind that 42 gallons of water is almost 350lbs. If that is all on one side that could be an issue.
My metal tanks were replaces with a square, plastic one with a shur-flow, on-demand pump as well. Definitely a good upgrade.
Went through this last year... and agree with maximizing the available space (with consideration for weight). Got some good input from other members, check out this thread: http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,9418.msg49177.html#msg49177 (http://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php/topic,9418.msg49177.html#msg49177)
Can also check out ClassACustoms on eBay, that's where I got my new fresh water tank. Does not bulge (noticeably), and has worked very well.
I am going to splurge for Aquatec variable pump, over the Shurflo, just to keep noise down. I was definitely Looking at the ClassACustoms tanks, so I'm glad you had good results. The new tank will be centered in the middle of the back hatch between the generator storage and LPG compartments, so weight distribution will be ideal. I really appreciate the feedback.