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View Full Version : Update on 2018 Alpine FK black tank issue


ajk170
08-16-2019, 10:51 AM
Hi everyone,

I wanted to post an update to my in-laws (now 8 month old) 2018 Alpine FK that had the shower plumbed into the black tank. Thanks to this forum, I discovered that this model had something of a flaw inwhich the shower could be plumbed into the black tank but Keystone was 50/50 on fixing under warrranty. As a result, and after they spent a couple overnights in their coach and complained at how the black tank seemed to register full all the time, I dropped the access panel at the bottom of the shower and noticed what I thought validated that the shower was plumed into the black tank (ie the shower drain's plumbing going into a black tank).
Then with the the help of my Rigid inspection scope inside the balck tank(through the toilet) I ran the shower and saw the water flooding into the black tank.

Consequently, we took it to the best RV repair center in El Paso (actually it's right across the NM/TX line near the casino) and they agreed that it shouldn't be like that and through their efforts talking to Keystone were able to get Keystone to agree that it was a mistake and fix it under warranty! Apparently, there wasn't any debate with Keystone and they did an outstanding job to fix it. While they had the coroplast off we also had them install additional insulation and they even installed an access hatch on the side of the coach (in the aluminum skirt) to access the dump valves. The OEM setup required a person to get on the ground and reach up under the skirting to get to the dump valves. The father in-law cursed that set-up every time he had to dump the tanks. I tried talking them into the 12v electrics, but that can be just another thing that fails. However the access hatch was a brilliant solution that the repair center recommended and it's really made the in-laws happy.

Of course the additional insulation and access hatch were not covered by Keystone, but taking the opportunity to do the insulation while the belly was exposed was key.

This was one good news story about Keystone really stepping up and admitting there was a flaw and not arguing about the needed work to have it fixed. I was really happy to hear that. Maybe this is a good example of the customer simply working through a good RV repair center and not getting too involved in the process(?). I read a lot about owners injecting themselves (maybe with good reasons) into the process only to be frustrated by the overall process or the outcome. Finding a good RV repair center can be difficult but I have to believe they are out there since we were able to find the one we use now!

Tbos
08-17-2019, 06:14 PM
Thanks for the follow up information on this. I’ve also found a good dealer can make a huge difference.