Repairing the black tank valve

[JanAndBill]

The black tank valve on our 3260EL has been hard to open and close from the start. It also leaks when it's closed. Tried back flushing and still it's an issue. I'm still under warranty but it's a pain to pull back to the dealer. How hard is it to acces this valve. I assume you have pull the bottom, but how difficult is it to get to? Is there room to access this thing, or do you need 6' long skinny arms?? If it's something I can fix in less than 3 hours, it's probably quicker to do it myself.

 

[HappyKayakers]

Not that difficult to replace, but could be messy. Before tackling that job, there's a couple things you could try. First, since it leaks when closed you could have some TP stuck in the valve seat. When that happens to me, I dump the tank, then refill with clean water. Just open the valve slightly, hoping that the fast water flow through the small opening will pull the TP with it. Second, you could shoot some silicon spray down the T handle to see if that makes the operation any easier.

 

[danemayer]

If you drop the corner of the coroplast on the off door side at the rear of the drop frame, you should be able to reach the valve pretty easily. It's the one with the 3 inch pipe. As already said, messy.

Use an impact wrench to remove the screws holding the coroplast.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Garypowell]

Sorry to hear of your trouble....I had something stuck in mine and it was hard to operate too. Let me see if I can list out some steps for you. OK carriage return is not working so I will simply put some spaces in. 1. I would flush the tank as good as possible and then pull the side where the handles are at (which is probably about where the valve is located up on some blocks. This elevates that side of the tank so whatever is left inside goes to the other side of the tank....away from the outlet. 2. this also give you some working room when removing the bottom....well at least pulling it down to see where the valve is. 3. trace along until you find the valve. You will see it is held to the tank by a hose clamp which is easy enough to remove BUT the other side is going to be glued to the plumbing lines. 4. use a hacksaw blade to cut through the line that it is glued to. Leave enough pipe so you can use a repair boot. 5. once it is cut through you can easily loosen the hose clamp at the tank and then remove the valve. 5. once the valve is removed you crawl back out and look at it where it is convienent for you. OH....you will have to remove the cable that opens and closes it too. 6. Go to a plumbing or big box store and find a rubber repair boot of the right diameter. Slide it on the pipe that is up in the belly all the way on. Put the valve end back in the tank and then pull the rubber boot over the cut end. 7. Move it all around until you are sure you have it in place good enough and tighten the three hose clamps. One on the black tank and the two on the repair boot. you are then back in business. 8. I never found out why my valve opened so hard all the time. When it was in my hands it was easy......so I figured it was the cable. It was the longest cable and that could be a factor. Private message me if the above is not clear and I will talk you through it. OH....once I knew where I was going by dropping the bottom in one place I decided to cut it. I did not have the patience to drop enough to really work on the valve. I cut in straight lines and once the job was finished I used strips of wood. Little hard to describe. But I put the wood strip across the cuts I had made. Held the wood strip while I screwed through the plastic bottom into the wood on one side. Then since it was held on that side by the wood screws simply screwed the other side....and the plastic was held in place. Then used foam to seal up the cracks. Best of luck.

 

[donr827]

Since you mentioned that the trailer is still under warranty I would call a mobile tech to come out and fix the problem. You have to call customer service for approval before having the work done.
Don

 

[Johnm]

I have the same issue with the black tank valve and I really like Gary's idea of putting the valve side of the RV up on blocks so the "stuff" can slosh to the other side of the tank! I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with this. And yes, I've flushed the tank till the cows came home and it still leaks.

 

[JanAndBill]

I've flushed, cleaned, lubricated you name it. I suspect that the hard pull is just a lube problem. The leaking valve is another issue. There is probably something stuck in the valve that's causing it to not seal off, but I also suspect that there is something blocking the opening as well. I've hooked up the water hose to the flush, and had someone flush the toliet inside with the valve closed until I could get the tank up to 2/3 full. Then open the valve and it still drains slowly. From the sound of it, I may just bite the bullet and pull it back to the dealer.

 

[Johnm]

Check with the dealer 1st. When I asked about it they said the black tank had to be empty and sanitized for them to work on it. Not sure how one does that when it doesn't drain in the 1st place but that's what I was told.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Bill, the problem might be that cable is not adjusted properly or has a kink in it. The valve may not be openning all the way. Adjusting the cable will not cause a mess. You can remove the cable at that time and put some lithiam grease on it. I would however, have the dump hose connected so you do if free up the valve, what ever is still in tank has somewhere to go. Most valves leak a little, so, get a Valtera gate valve and install it on the end of the dump pipe. That way you wont get poop on your shoes. Dont ask how I know.

 

[JanAndBill]

Check with the dealer 1st. When I asked about it they said the black tank had to be empty and sanitized for them to work on it. Not sure how one does that when it doesn't drain in the 1st place but that's what I was told.

Considering the fact that I'm not real pleased with the service department at my dealer anyhow, and the fact that I had about 2-3 gallons of sewer water spill out yesterday on the ground (after I had slowly drained a little at a time by just cracking the cap) into a bucket, I thinking about filling that sucker to the top and taking it in. Would serve them right!

 

[JanAndBill]

Check with the dealer 1st. When I asked about it they said the black tank had to be empty and sanitized for them to work on it. Not sure how one does that when it doesn't drain in the 1st place but that's what I was told.

Since it's a warranty, wouldn't they be required to do that anyhow if it was required?

 

[Johnm]

I don't know though I do understand why they wold like it to be that way. I also understand that it's not a perfect world and "stuff" happens!

 

[Garypowell]

I would have a talk to the dealership of how they will handle the cost if they find some chewing gum stuck in the valve. It is sometimes difficult to get service when it is there fault.....my guess is they will want to charge you for all the work.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Bill, get the gate valve I suggested and install it. They are about $20 +/-. You wont have crap on your toes and wont say bad words like OH CRAP.

 

[JanAndBill]

Went by yesterday and talked with the dealer. Have so much to do now, that I really don't want to get into this repair, plus there are some other warranty issues that need to be taken care of. Also ordered slide toppers for the slides (we screwed up by not ordering them on the trailer). So will just have everything done at the same time.

 

[57chevyconvt]

Black water valve started sticking after a long flush out. Suspect there is a glob of TP in the slide gate valve. I am pretty sure it is not a cable problem. Thinking about opening the valve with the end cap installed and filling the tank with water and ??? to help soften the TP while trying to open/close the valve. Has anyone tried this method of trying to free up a sticking valve?

 

[danemayer]

Black water valve started sticking after a long flush out. Suspect there is a glob of TP in the slide gate valve. I am pretty sure it is not a cable problem. Thinking about opening the valve with the end cap installed and filling the tank with water and ??? to help soften the TP while trying to open/close the valve. Has anyone tried this method of trying to free up a sticking valve?

Jim,

I'd put a twist-on external gate valve on the end of the sewer line rather than use the cap. That way you won't have a mess when it's time to drain the line. Also, after you let it soften, you might try keeping the problem valve open while backflushing and draining repeatedly.

 

[jmgratz]

Some people have put a couple of bags of ice down the toilet and then drive around to agitate the tank breaking up any solids. It usually works. Be sure to close the tank first or you will have a mess on your hands (or the car behind you) when it breaks loose.

 

[JanAndBill]

Jim, ours worked fine at first. Then a chunk of plastic (apparently left in the tank during the build) jammed in the valve. Nothing would have flushed it out. Dealer ended up replacing the valves.

 

[jmgratz]

Jim, ours worked fine at first. Then a chunk of plastic (apparently left in the tank during the build) jammed in the valve. Nothing would have flushed it out. Dealer ended up replacing the valves.

Oh okay, When they cut out the hole for the drain line most time the plastic disc will fall into the tank. Sometimes it will flow out and sometimes it sticks somewhere in the line. Guess yours was the latter. On our previous LM I actually saw it flow out of the tank into the sewer hose. Guess I was lucky.