Chinook RV

First of all I have found out the major cause of the fresh water tank failure is over filling which causes over pressure which will rupture the tank at the top. Do not leave the water hose in the service connection until the water squirts out or eventually, your 20 year old tank will split! A temporary patch can be made and can put it back in sevice if you don't fill past 3/4 full but this is like dental work, it won't last forever.
I looked all over hell for a commercial replacement with no luck and there are manufacturors out there who can make one if you send in the exact measuremants plus photos which I began to do and started by first removing the tank and this is whe I hit pay dirt:

The name of the manufacturer along with model# are engraved on the top of the top of the tank and my next thought was what are the odds that after 20 years would this company be still around soI Googled it and it turns out they are still in business so I gave them a call and the good news is they still have the tools for this model and can make one for you in about two weeks. About $230 includes shipping. Here's the contact information:
Inca Plastics Molding 17129 Koala RD, Adelanto,CA 92301
Contact: Bill Bodell Direct Line: 909 923 3205 X 120. bodell@incaplastics.com

And while I'm at it, if you replace the tank, it's a good idea to relace the exterior water service panel. It comes in a one piece unit. Eventually, the hose connection will leak if you don't change it out.

Tom Mackle, 619 301 9796. tjmackle@cox.net

It's great that Inca is still in business. Do you (or can you find) the model number for the fresh water tank? I have the original tank but haven't seen the numbers on it. It would be great to have that info here. I could also add it to the reference section.

(In contrast, I can see the model numbers/info on the grey and black tanks*, which are also Inca.)

If anyone wants to change sizes at all, a really good tank company is Ronco Plastics. No, not the same as the Veg-O-Matic It's a family owned company in California, and while they don't make custom tanks (size-wise), they have a jillion tank sizes in their catalog. A hint is to look at boat tanks as well as RV tanks. Any that say "see drawing" are usually odd shaped, but if the dimensions are listed they are typically square or rectangular. They WILL customize the openings, where they are, the sizes, etc. Only reason they don't customize the tank sizes is they are roto molded so they can't just whip up new molds easily. They will also make them thick or thicker. Good folks. Also the real price is usually a bit less than the shown price. www.ronco-plastics.com

There are also custom tank builders (boat tanks are often custom sized), but the prices are a lot more.

BG

*In case anyone does a search and ends up here looking, this is from my Chinook original tanks:
Holding black, 15 gallons, tank model number H229 Inca Plastics
Holding grey, 36 gallons, tank model number H362 Inca Plastics

I'm wondering if any Chinookers out there have replaced their tanks with a large size, and if so, how much more capacity they were able to fit into that space.

Thanks for all the info on replacement parts - I was just wondering the other day what I would do if one of my black/grey water tanks would crack. As usual, this forum is a godsend for those driving these unique rigs.

Model # for the Chinook fresh water tank is 549A

Thanks tjmackle. I'll see if I can add that to the reference thread (that I think I made...). Oh, but before I do, can you tell the year of your Concourse and the water tank capacity? Plus describe it a little bit? For example, if it's like the one in my year, it's about 21-1/2" wide, 36-3/4" long, and 9" high. Also, there is a little recessed area where the fill and vent hoses attach. Is this the one you are speaking of?

pdemarest: I think I'm going to change the tank size, although I'm not going to go larger because I don't really need more capacity. But you could fit a larger tank, I think - especially if you have changed the couch. Reason I say that is that I now have another couple of inches of height (as compared to the stock tank), but that may not have existed with the stock couch (?). You do have to keep the top of the tank lower than the exterior fill port. And there's quite a bit more room under the couch for width as well. Length is constrained by the wheelwell and the water heater (although if it were a boat they'd make a sloped tank that went over the wheelwell - nothing's square anyway

Reason I'm thinking of changing is that I have my batteries under the couch, and it would be more efficient if the tank were a bit narrower, but a bit taller. That'd be same capacity. Also I may change to a dip tube style. I always feel a bit nervous knowing there is only a spin-weld between a dry Chinook and one with 30 gallons of water leaking into the living room while I'm not looking (granted that may never happen). Ronco Plastics makes a couple of tanks that would work for my plans. They may make one that would be larger capacity and fit (I wasn't looking for that).

Sounds as if you have the same tank. My tank is under the fold out coutch so there is very little space availabe.

1999 Concourse rear door 37 gal water tank.

I took a look at that tank number in the Inca catalog and although it shows as having been "modified" (and is now 9 gallons), it looks like the un-modified version would be the same tank I/we have. They have a "click here to see drawing of un-modified tank" but I can't get that to work. In any case, looks like it's the same tank. They just made it narrower and shorter. It's the same length and has the same little "notch" in the top where the hoses go in.

Interestingly, I have never been able to get it to calculate to Chinook's stated capacity (36 gal., IIRC). In the Inca catalog it's in the 34 gallon clump (not sure how it's even that much though - seems like it'd be closer to 30, but maybe the walls are thinner than some other tanks). Anyway, same tank.

Yeah, I removed the original couch cushions and the parts of the frame that made the unfolding mechanism work and just kept the lower frame (then put other flat RV couch cushion and back on it, and it slides out to get bigger), I gained a few inches under the couch. Could definitely fit 10" tall tank (vs. 9") and maybe 11". That's not the reason I changed it though - just wasn't comfortable for me.

I do think I gained some clearance for a taller tank when the cut the springs out of the hide-a-bed. As we start to travel more I'll assess the need for a larger tank. I think Chinookers have some sort of condition where we are always tweaking our rigs.

Paul

Here's another idea (yep, I'm suggesting another tweak ). This is something that's done on boats, and that I instigated (but then did most of the work, so it wasn't totally unfair) on my buddy's other-brand Class C. I may very well do it in my Chinook as well.

So, buddy had plenty of water capacity (like 60 gallons!), but nevertheless, there were *always* gallon jugs taking up the counter space (of which there was not that much). Plus, if you forgot to secure them when driving.... ugh. Even though he had oodles of capacity, he still often bought drinking water. Out west especially, the water you get at campground fills is often hard or not that great tasting, although it is technically potable.

So, what we did was install a Todd 3-gallon rectangular tank (readily available and actually closer to 4 gallons) in a cabinet under the sink (although it can be elsewhere). To get the water out, we put a marine type simple hand pump at the back of the sink (fits in sort of like a built in soap dispenser). This used barbed fittings and simple flexible hose. Then we used 1/2" PEX for the vent, and simply ran it up indoors higher than the pump. This was not only relatively easy, but has the advantage that you are not sucking in outdoor bacteria every time you pump water. To fill the tank, we set a stainless steel "deck fill" into the countertop above the tank (this was in an unused area behind the sink/faucet, but again, there are other options depending on rig).

So now he has a separate, 3-4 gallon "drinking water" tank. He still has water jugs (or a 3-gallon water container) for bringing water to the rig, but they are not floating around and/or taking up counter space. As a side bonus, this water can be accessed independently of the water pump/electricity, and could be handy for "rest of systems winterized" type use (although he avoids winter). He can fill his big tank with potable but maybe not fabulous water, then buy drinking water and put it in the "day tank."

There is no level gauge needed, as there are marks on the tank and where he put it you can just open a door and look at it (although he put in a backlight to be fancy). To fill it you open the deck fill, set a funnel it it, and just pour from a jug or container.

To me this is preferable to a larger main tank (not that they are mutually exclusive), and in some ways, easier to implement. Let me see if I can post links to similar items (although there are options). In my Concourse, two places I have thought about putting a day tank are either on top of the wheelwell under the couch, or on top of the shore power cord storage box (in the corner under the ell-shaped sink counter).

Todd 3-gallon tank (as you can see you can orient it a couple of different ways - you just plug the other holes - they are FPT).



http://www.toddusa.com/productdetails.aspx?id=73

$65 at Defender, but it's available at multiple places:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=939855

Marine deck fill (they come with different labels, the part number listed should be "water")
Sea Dog 316 Water fill part number 351322

$30 at Fisheries Supply (available multiple places):

https://www.fisheriessupply.com/sea-dog ... s-351322-1

"Key" to open fill:
Sea Dog 351399 (these also come in plastic and other styles): Fisheries Supply, under $5:
https://www.fisheriessupply.com/sea-dog ... y-351399-1

Hand pump:
In this case we used a Fynspray WS63 pump that happened to be on clearance because they were phasing out white (still pricey though but I think it was like $60 as compared to over $150 for the black). He needed the handle/spout relationship to be a certain way for a cramped space, and the Fynspray was the one that fit. There are also Valterra Rocket pumps (cheaper, like $30) and Whale Flipper Mk 4 pumps, shown below:



Around $90 at Defender:

http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?pat ... &id=157993

There are also hand pumps with a "plunger" type activation right on top of the pump - I just happen to like levers better, and in the above case the plunger would have been cramped under an upper cabinet/paper towel holder (can't interfere with that!).