cutting fresh water tank access hole

[Wayne Simonds]

First off... what a great site. THis is a wealth of info and have found several answers to things i have been wondering about for a while.What my question is, I want to put an access opening in the fresh water tank. I see the fiberglass cover (or whatever it's made from) that is sealed and screwed down... Is this the actual top of the tank, or is there a tank underneath this cover.If i cut through this to put in one of those 6" dia inspection access plates will it cause me a problem with the preasurized water system. I don't want to find i can't keep water preasure.

 

[Bill O'Donovan]

Whoa...

These tanks were not meant to be cut into by us sailors. If you want to check the water level, simply take a small mirror and a flashlight to the side of the tank to find the dark level. I have removed my interior boards for easy access for such viewing. Putting any kind of new hole in the tank will compromise the integrity of the tank and likely be the suspected source of any leaks. Indeed, this is a great site. We have all learned much over the years.

 

[Bob]

I cut mine

Not sure if your's is the same as the one on my 260'. Mine is a solid fiberglas box with inlet & outlet ports. It looks similar to the ones on a website by Ronco.I cut an inspection port into mine (ordered a 6" one with a clear watertight cover)several years ago and I see no signs of structural failure. Great way to clean and empty it- wet dry vac works great. Make sure you have an inline strainer to catch any pieces of fiberglas from the cutting operation. Hole saw works best.