Elkmont black tank

[Wavery]

To all Elkmont owners:

Check your black water tank for cracks. Particularly in all 4 corners where the tank mounts to the frame brackets.

The 35" long tank has 3 sheet metal screws on each side of the tank that hold the tank to the 1 1/2" horizontal frame rails. This is fine for an empty 20 pound tank but not so good for tank containing 150 pounds of liquid, especially if you are towing with the tank near full.

I have a sewage dump connection at my home so I normally tow home with a full tank. We just completed a 3,000 mile voyage and when we got home, I went to dump the tanks. I discovered that the black tank was nearly empty. I crawled under the trailer to discover all 4 corners of the tank were cracked and as I drove down the highway, the liquid was being discharged on the road with all of the sloshing.

Thankfully these tanks are made of ABS plastic and the crack repair was fairly easy and permanent. I also ran 1" angle iron under the tank flanges and 5 screws on each side. I then ran 2 straps under the tank to support the weight of the contents.

If anyone else has this issue, let me know and I will give you more details.