Buses and Fleet Vehicles / In shop only
Water and Sewer Maintenance Vehicle Repair
Water and sewer vehicles carry heavy tanks and take aggressive corrosive exposure. Tank mounting under dynamic liquid load and internal corrosion are the recurring structural issues, alongside conventional cab and body work.
A full water or vacuum tank is thousands of pounds of liquid that moves. Surge loading under braking and cornering puts dynamic forces into the mounting that a static weight calculation understates considerably.
Add sewer exposure and you have a demanding structural and corrosion environment.
Why does tank mounting fail?
Liquid surge. A partly full tank sloshes, and the dynamic load under braking can substantially exceed the static weight. Mounting designed for static weight fatigues, and it fails at the mount rather than in the tank.
Baffling reduces surge but does not eliminate it, and on older vehicles baffles themselves crack and stop working, which makes the surge problem worse over time.
- Tank mounting fatigue from liquid surge loading
- Internal baffle cracking increasing surge
- Tank shell corrosion from sewer exposure
- Frame and crossmember corrosion
- Hose reel and equipment mounting
- Cab and body corrosion at every penetration
How is corrosion handled on sewer equipment?
Aggressively, with section replacement rather than coating over. Sewer exposure is more chemically aggressive than road salt and it attacks from inside where nobody looks.
Rust treatment and coating at $400 to $3,500 is worthwhile preventive work. On a body already losing section, plate comes out and new material goes in with a coating specification suited to the exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my tank mounting keep cracking?
Liquid surge loading. Dynamic forces from a partly full tank under braking substantially exceed static weight, and mounting sized for static weight fatigues.
Can you repair tank shell corrosion?
Structural shell repair yes, with section replacement. Anything involving pressure vessel certification is outside our scope and needs a certified fabricator.
Do you repair internal baffles?
Where access allows, yes. Cracked baffles increase surge loading which then damages mounting, so it is worth addressing rather than just repairing the mount.
Do you service the vacuum or jetting system?
No. Body, tank mounting structure, frame and corrosion work only. System service is specialist work.
Services We Perform on This Vehicle
Related Vehicles
We Can Help. Contact Us Today.
Bring the vehicle to our Yorba Linda facility and we will document the damage properly, work directly with your carrier, and give you a written figure built from published rates and real labor hours.
All work is performed at our Yorba Linda facility. We do not offer mobile, roadside or fleet route service.