Galley pull is fixed in place by last owner?

[patagoniadave]

Sigh, my fifth wheel is making me sad today, I am finding little things wrong. Guess this is pretty normal from reading old posts. Still sad.

Sooooo, washed some dishes up, went outside, and my Blue Healer Pup said, "hey dad, something is leaking water under our doghouse!" Damned if he wasn't right, I stopped and listened, and there it was. My heart lurched a bit, it was cold last night, and I was envisioning bursted pipes. Went in for a light, and found that the main sewer was leaking. Both valves in the pull box were closed, and I tested the grey water to see if it was working. It was, almost got a mouthful. Crawled all around looking for the galley pull, no luck. Came in and looked up an old post I remembered reading, but the guy was no longer active, so I pm'd another guy who has the same rig. Luckily he was around, and told me where to look. Sure enough, there was a metal rod, with a threaded end coming out where he told me. I grabbed and tried to push it, but at closer glance could see some sort of poor repair job, and it was caulked in place. Could see it moving the pipe around when I pushed on it, put no valve closing. Can't see the connection, because it is covered by underbelly.

My best guess, is that because this was a permanent site rig before I bought it, that they had it hooked up to sewer permanent and jammed the valve half open. (It only leaks when the galley light is on the 1/3 full light). Probably had the other valves open all the time too, but there is no way to know. I will post some pictures.

My brain is tired from reading about leaky slides all afternoon, so I do not know what to do. Should I leave as is, and put a valve like Louies out at the end of the dump? Another reason to do this, is that I think the washer is just plumbed to the main outlet, not a holding tank. Should I tear apart the underbelly to see what is going on in there? What is the worst that could happen. Is 1/3 tank too much to be driving around with?

Going to go sleep to dream of fifth wheels on beaches. Thanks for any advice.

[hankaye]

patagoniadave, Howdy;

When you said the main sewer was leaking, did you mean as if the pipe were
cracked and leaking or that liquid was running through the pipes?
A lot of us fulltimers tend to allow the Kitchen to drain all of the time and use
the shower/lavy tank (if there are 2 gray tanks), to clean-out the hose after a
Black tank dump. Could be the previous owner 'locked' his in the open position.

A sharp edged object and 3 cuts will get you a good view of the 'Belly-of-the-Beast'.
Gorilla Tape will hold the belly shut after any operation...

hankaye

[patagoniadave]

patagoniadave, Howdy;

When you said the main sewer was leaking, did you mean as if the pipe were
cracked and leaking or that liquid was running through the pipes?
A lot of us fulltimers tend to allow the Kitchen to drain all of the time and use
the shower/lavy tank (if there are 2 gray tanks), to clean-out the hose after a
Black tank dump. Could be the previous owner 'locked' his in the open position.

A sharp edged object and 3 cuts will get you a good view of the 'Belly-of-the-Beast'.
Gorilla Tape will hold the belly shut after any operation...

hankaye

Uh, water coming out of the pipe, there was no cap on it.

So, that is what I was wondering, if it was done on purpose. Not sure why it is locked only half open? Maybe it slipped with jostling. How does that system you described work when dry camping? Should I add a valve at the sewer outlet and press on?

:D So this is a normal thing, and the dejected panic attack I had last night was for nothing. I know, I know, do not sweat the small stuff. The slide roof leak already had me keyed up. I am asceered to cut open the belly, mostly because I have never done it before. Gorilla tape is the preferred re-sealer?

[hankaye]

patagoniadave, Howdy;

What you do is up to you ....
Me, ... if there is a proper place for it to drain then I'd just let it drain
and take care of the valve when it is convenient and the weather is nicer than
it is in most places at the moment.

Gorilla Tape is good stuff, there is however, a product referred to as
'Belly Tape' that you can pay for at a RV repair/parts place (for about
$1.00/ft), just be sure you have a clean surface for the tape to adhere to
otherwise one will hold just as poorly as the other.
When cutting into the belly, just use enough blade to cut the 1/4" thick
material, lessens the chance of damage to anything that may be laying
on the top of the material.

hankaye

[patagoniadave]

patagoniadave, Howdy;

What you do is up to you ....
Me, ... if there is a proper place for it to drain then I'd just let it drain
and take care of the valve when it is convenient and the weather is nicer than
it is in most places at the moment.

Gorilla Tape is good stuff, there is however, a product referred to as
'Belly Tape' that you can pay for at a RV repair/parts place (for about
$1.00/ft), just be sure you have a clean surface for the tape to adhere to
otherwise one will hold just as poorly as the other.
When cutting into the belly, just use enough blade to cut the 1/4" thick
material, lessens the chance of damage to anything that may be laying
on the top of the material.

hankaye

Yes, I think for now, I am going to let it drain. If it were not for the fact that it is only half open, I would leave it be, and just put a valve at the pipe end. I am guessing that I can use the cuts that the original modifier made when they locked it in place. Is there an equivalent to Gorilla tape that I should be using for caulking down there, or should I use a "rv" brand?

I really appreciate that help!

[Loui]

From the photo, I see the rod is in place but the handle is missing.
That rod is an extension directly connected to the valve.
To operate the valve you pull the rod out to open , push the rod in to close.
Looking at the photos it looks as if the belly was opened up to inspect/ replace the valve.
I've had the rod come unscrewed from the the valve, but it looks like your just missing the handle easy fix.

[patagoniadave]

From the photo, I see the rod is in place but the handle is missing.
That rod is an extension directly connected to the valve.
To operate the valve you pull the rod out to open , push the rod in to close.
Looking at the photos it looks as if the belly was opened up to inspect/ replace the valve.
I've had the rod come unscrewed from the the valve, but it looks like your just missing the handle easy fix.

Well, I tried pushing and pulling on it last night, and it had no play. I was being gentle because I tend to force and break things. The reason that I think it was rigged to be open all of the time, is that they caulked all around the rod where it penetrates the underbelly, so if you were able to pull or push it, it would have torn that caulking away.

On a curiouser note, the Galley now reads empty on the monitor. I wonder if there was a dam that burst so to speak.

[hankaye]

pd, Howdy;

The thread size for the valve is 1/4"X20. You could use a 3" bolt, some washers and a few nuts to make a temp handle to see if you can get the rod to move. Place the washer(s) (a few in stepped up diameters or 1 large dia. one), then a nut to keep them in place then another to act as a lock for the rod after you screw it into the end of the rod. Give it a series of gentle tugs to see if it will move outwards then try going the other way. If nothing then try a hammer remember to be gentle.

hankaye

[patagoniadave]

pd, Howdy;

try a hammer remember to be gentle.

hankaye

Ha ha, I break things by looking at them. I am not allowed to have hammers, except on demo jobs.

[hankaye]

pd, Howdy;

I also suffer from that affliction. In my head I keep
saying to myself "tap-tap-tap as opposed to
TAP-TAP-TAP.

hankaye

[patagoniadave]

pd, Howdy;

I also suffer from that affliction. In my head I keep
saying to myself "tap-tap-tap as opposed to
TAP-TAP-TAP.

hankaye

the big taps are so much funner