B190 Enthusiasts

HELP PLEASE.

A few days ago I was on my way from Houston to California for a 4 month trip to visit my son. On day 2 of my trip my freshwater tank fell off of my rig as I was driving across a bridge. I was on a very busy highway and had to get off the bridge asap and ended up destroying my water tank, my sewer hose container and some wires and connections. I ended up having to be towed. I did not hit anything when I was driving although no matter how careful I am I have bumped the tank before because it is (was) about only 4 inches off the ground. According to the tow truck driver the brackets and bolts holding up the tank just rusted away. He also informed me that the grey and black tank brackets were very rusted and I could lose them also. Fortunately there was no damage to the tires and I was able to drive it back to Houston minus a water tank.

Now I'm in a big dilemma and I’m hoping there may be someone or someplace in the Houston area that is familiar with B190s and can replace the tank and everything else that got destroyed underneath. My B is a 2000. I am a senior with back and hip problems so I really can’t fix this myself. I need to hire someone but it’s been very difficult finding a person or rv place that knows B190s. Also does anyone know what size tank I need and where I can get one? Can I go smaller or have it mounted somewhere else so it doesn't hang so low? The original tank had a metal case around it and I’m hoping to do the same with the new one if that’s possible.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
SheilaG

Wow, that's scary. You can probably find something that would fit on a site like this (I found that via a quick google search for RV fresh water tanks), but you'll probably have to measure the old one to see what the right one is. And you may need someone to fabricate new brackets for them.

Few RV dealers will know B190s, but practically any RV shop should be able to fix this type of damage, I would think. Airstream almost certainly didn't fabricate custom tanks for the B190s, they probably used off-the-shelf components that fit in the space. The brackets to hold them might have to be custom made, but anyone with metal working experience should be able to come up with something.

It sounds like your tank was already hanging down, 4" is lower than my lowered car!

Thanks for the link Skater. Unfortunately I do not have the tank to measure it. It was completely crushed so i left it at the shop where I was towed to. Do you know where I can find out the size that was installed on a 2000? Back in 2016 when I purchased my rig I contacted Airstream for a manual but the only one they had available was for a 1997.

Sheila G wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 3:27 pm

Thanks for the link Skater. Unfortunately I do not have the tank to measure it. It was completely crushed so i left it at the shop where I was towed to. Do you know where I can find out the size that was installed on a 2000? Back in 2016 when I purchased my rig I contacted Airstream for a manual but the only one they had available was for a 1997.

Too bad. I'd think any competent RV mechanic could get under there and measure the space to see what would fit. I'm sure I could figure it out, and I'm just an amateur. I couldn't find specs for a 2000, but a 1997 had a 22.4 gallon tank according to the brochure, which would help narrow down the size of the tank.

Or one of the members with a similar one might be able to measure theirs for you.

I guess that's one of my problems ... finding a competent rv mechanic. There is a shop near me and I have gone there in the past but every time I've taken my rig in they either screw something else up or don't do the repair correctly. I get the feeling that they are only interested in repairing luxury rvs and assign the trainees to my rig. The last time I went there to pick her up after they supposedly repaired the water pump, the engine battery was dead. The so called mechanic did not even know how to jump start my rig. I had to show him. I'm serious. Needless to say I will not ever go back there again. I am hoping that there is someone in the Houston area that owns a B190 and can recommend a reliable shop.

I am sorry to hear bout this, I knocked my tank off my 1997 on dirt road about 2-years ago. I had a Apalachee RV in Winder GA repair it along with a bunch of other stuff. The plastic tank wasn't damaged, however, the insulated metal box was crushed, all wires pulled out and sewer hose and tube was crushed. I had the tank dimensions but, I cannot find them. I will keep looking. I had found a replacement tank that was a bit smaller that didn't hang down as far. However, Apalachee RV suggested to reinstall the old tank and add helper springs to lift the rear end so the tank would hit every speed bump. I went this route and have been very pleased with the results, I now have 8 inches plus of clearance on both the grey tank and water tank. It turned out that my tank was larger than what was on the build sheet. My model, which I believe is the same as a 2000, was suppose to have a 22.3 gallon water tank, when I measured it and calculated it was almost 25 gallons. Installing the tank wasn't difficult for the Apalachee RV, they simply cut some metal straps and bent them around the tank. They then drilled and bolted the straps to the frame and around the tank. You maybe able to have a RV shop in Houston Call Apalachee, they Maybe able to help with what needs to be done.

Thanks so much for the info. This will be very helpful once I find a reputable rv repair shop. Did you add another metal case around your tank for protection?

I looked into this a while ago for my '98. I found that Inca Plastic has a model #117 tank (23 gallons) which I think was the correct replacement, but I haven't ordered one yet.

http://www.incaplastics.com/

Tank Catalog
http://www.incaplastics.com/Inca%20RV%20Catalog.pdf

Thanks for the link Mickie. This will be very helpful when I purchase a new tank.

Sheila,
I have a 1998 B190 and my freshwater tank also fell off in 2008 while I was driving(see post in this forum). Fortunately I was able to stop quickly and gather up the tank and outside metal liner before too much damage was done to the tank or the van. The workmanship for attachment of the tank to the frame is awful that year; only 4-5 bolts holding the thin metal liner containing the plastic tank under the van. Very surprised at Airstream for such poor workmanship. It appears the fresh water tank was attached as an after thought. I was able to get my tank reattached under the van with much better supports than Airstream provided. However, I still do not put much water in the tank when traveling. Good luck with finding someone to put your system back together.
Hubie (Hubert Burden)

Both my grey and freshwater tank enclosures/mounts were sagging so I decided to shore them up. I used some pipe hanger strap to replace a missing strap on the grey water tank and used two ratchet straps to support the freshwater tank. I know this may not be as good as replacing the old rusty enclosures but it was cheap!

I'm thinking new boxes could be made but the trick is trying to find the right shop that won't charge me too much. I got a quote for like $1k for just the grey water tank. Ha!

Going to reply to this thread, even though it's old. My 96 has the freshwater tank under the sink inside the van, is that not the normal location for the tank?

kstills wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 26, 2022 2:13 pm

Going to reply to this thread, even though it's old. My 96 has the freshwater tank under the sink inside the van, is that not the normal location for the tank?

Yes, it is.

How the heck would the supports be sagging then?