Anderson valve trouble

jdfishing

Well-known member
My neighbor, who has a 2014 Bighorn is having issues with the 4 way valve. He is new to RVing and was unaware of the forum. So I'm trying to help. Apparently, when the valve us turned to "city" position, the fresh water tank also fills. I think I've seen this problem before, but I'm on my cell and ability is limited. Thanks.
 

bigdob24

Well-known member
I had the same trouble .
Had it on city and then noticed the water tank over flow vents were running water.
I moved the valve around to all the positions and then back to city , called my dealer and ordered another valve.
It never happened again???
Got the new valve and kept it for awhile and returned it.
Must have been something in the line that passed thru.
Cheap easy fix.
Looks like the valve would be an easy replacement if it was defective.
Good luck
Dan
 

danemayer

Well-known member
There's a good chance he has an internal leak inside the valve and a new cartridge is probably needed. Maybe an entire new valve assembly.

He can get one from Heartland by calling Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. He should have his VIN # ready.

We have some Anderson documents that show the 4-way valve, how it's hooked up, and some service information. Anderson also has a video that shows how to replace the cartridge. They show it on a different model, but the procedure is the same. Here's a link.

Anderson redesigned the cartridge not too long ago to prevent problems. A direct call to them might be the best bet to quickly get the redesigned part. Call Anderson at 800.476.9876 and ask for Ron.

Your friend might want to turn off the city water faucet and run off the coach's water pump until the problem is fixed.
 

akflyman

Member
My 2016 Bighorn 3270rl has been in the shop for a month now waiting on one of these valves. They are on back order so they must be having a lot of trouble with these. Mine leaked and overflowed my tank which filled the under floor with water. I am very displeased!!
 

farside291

Well-known member
Backflow valve in the water pump could also cause this. While waiting for the new valve try tapping on the pump head and see if the water stops back flowing into the tanks.
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
I have a 2014 BH and had the same problem. It turned out to be the check valve in the water pump as someone already mentioned. I put an inline check valve on the pump line a year and a half ago and have not had the problem since.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I'm not sure all rigs with the Anderson 4-way valve are plumbed the same way, but last time I looked, the output from the pump goes to the 4-way valve. (Pre 4-way valve, the output of the pump was teed directly into the water system and city water pressure was always applied to the pump.) So if city water is feeding backward through the pump (which can happen), there's probably also a problem at the valve.

Putting in a check valve between pump and Anderson valve may be the easiest and fastest fix.
 

avvidclif

Well-known member
My 2016 Bighorn 3270rl has been in the shop for a month now waiting on one of these valves. They are on back order so they must be having a lot of trouble with these. Mine leaked and overflowed my tank which filled the under floor with water. I am very displeased!!

You might call Anderson and see if they are on backorder. I wouldn't say the dealer would lie but check and confirm.
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
My 2016 Bighorn 3270rl has been in the shop for a month now waiting on one of these valves. They are on back order so they must be having a lot of trouble with these. Mine leaked and overflowed my tank which filled the under floor with water. I am very displeased!!

I don't understand how the tank overflowed and filled the "under floor" with water??
Even if water bypassed whatever the valve or the pump, water from FW tank should have exited the tank via the 2 vent lines to outside the coach.
Or are you saying the valve itself leaked and was the source of water?

On edit..."valves on back order"...doubtful. HL installs these in too many rigs to not have cases in stock I would think.
In addition my rig wouldn't be sitting at the dealership for a month for a valve. I'd call HL directly and order one to replace it myself or if it's a warranty item and you're not inclined to DIY have HL authorize a mobile tech to replace it.
No reason for your rig to be out of service for this. If city water fills the FW tank fine, then use the pump and water onboard until the part is available.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Last edited:

billk263

California-South Chapter Leaders
I had a similar problem in my landmark. The cartridge insert was bad. I contacted Anderson directly and they shipped me a replacement free of charge. Because the valve was bad, it also put water pressure to my water pump causing it to leak as well. This only happened when we were hooked to city water. Good luck! BTW, once I spoke to the folks at Anderson, I felt pretty confident in their products.


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kdubinwa

Well-known member
So I'm soaking all this information up in preparation for my PDI in January. Is there a test or some specific evaluation I should perform on the Anderson valve to confirm I don't have an issue right out of the gate?

I see this occurring on 2016 models.
 

mrudick66

Member
I have a 2016 3760EL
Had 3 values replaced at dealer. They turned off the city water at the faucet before switching the value position and it worked fine. Said that possibility the O rings where plowing out when switched under pressure. I turn off the city water at the faucet and haven't had any more problems.


Sent from my SCH-R890 using Tapatalk
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
I have a 2016 3760EL
Had 3 values replaced at dealer. They turned off the city water at the faucet before switching the value position and it worked fine. Said that possibility the O rings where plowing out when switched under pressure. I turn off the city water at the faucet and haven't had any more problems.


Sent from my SCH-R890 using Tapatalk

Could be right. My valve is very difficult to turn while under pressure. If I want to add water to my FW tank I turn off the city water and remove any pressure before changing the valve's position.


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billk263

California-South Chapter Leaders
I have a 2016 3760EL
Had 3 values replaced at dealer. They turned off the city water at the faucet before switching the value position and it worked fine. Said that possibility the O rings where plowing out when switched under pressure. I turn off the city water at the faucet and haven't had any more problems.


Sent from my SCH-R890 using Tapatalk

When I talked to the folks at Anderson, they told me that you can or should be able to turn the valve under any conditions. They had a manufacturing problem with the valves but it has since been corrected. The new valve insert has not displayed any problems since.


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SeattleLion

Well-known member
I replaced our Anderson valve last fall. It's very easy to do. It took about 15 minutes with a phillips screwdriver and a channel lock pliers. The connections are really just hand-tight, just needed the pliers to encourage a couple to open. One thing I learned is that once you connect the valve to city water, it is very difficult to turn the valve (even if it isn't starting in "City" position). If you set the valve before turning the city water on, it is much easier to operate.
 
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