Arriving in Cancun.
Where are Kevin and Ruth now? Cancun, Mexico.

Where are Kevin and Ruth going next? Reynosa, Mexico this evening!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

RV sewer dump valve replacement

Well this is one of those jobs that you put off as long as you can, but you just know that it has to be done!

And no, I didn't have this on my "to do" list that I posted earlier this month. Even though I knew it had to be done.

For those of you who aren't RV'ers, I'll explain. There are sliding blade valves that you pull, in order to dump the black (toilet sewage) and grey (shower and dish water) holding tanks. These valves normally last a very long time, but eventually the rubber seals inside the valves wear out.

When this happens, you will get a small leak (or worse) that you notice whenever you go to empty the tanks. I first noticed that Sherman's might be leaking while we were on our way back from Florida. It was just a small leak, but I knew it wouldn't get better on it's own!

And of course it's not a nice job.

Today, Ruth and George (the maintenance manager here at the KOA) emptied out the holding tanks, and I bought all the necessary parts we might need to do the job. When I got home, it was up to me to take it all apart and do the repairs. It is possible to only change the rubber seals, but while you have it apart, it's wise to change the valve at the same time.

You can order them here...

RV Dump valve replacement parts


Sherman's dump valve setup

Taking things apart

One of the things you have to do is spray lots of silicon lubricant on the new rubber seals and the blade itself.


New valves work very smoothly!

The finished job!

Here is the link, but make sure you order the correct size...there is 1 1/2", 2", and 3"...


4 comments:

  1. Okay I want to be the first to say ewww!! LOL could not have been a pleasant job, can I call you when mine go bad? LOL
    Who knew that had to be done.
    Good job though!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, unfortunately a job like this can't be fixed by itself. Someone had too do it! No, please don't call me, once is enough!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ahhh we had to do that too.... AFTER the handle came off in our hand with a FULL tank of grey water. Not a fun job!

    So as soon as we dumped the black tank, we rinsed that one well and let it air out and changed that one too! We figured if one valve broke at 13 years old, the other one would too!

    ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
    Karen and Steve
    (Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
    http://kareninthewoods-kareninthewoods.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yep, one of those jobs that you want to do properly once...so that you don't have to do it again for another 13 years!

    ReplyDelete

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