low point drains

[golfpro]

has any one made an attempt to take off the low point drain caps and plumb from the low point drains to the edge of the TT with PVC pipe and put valves on the pipes so you can drain the system with out crawling under the TT. You could do this with the fresh water tank also. what would be any problems doing this, is there something I've over looked. yes I know the manufactures have done it this way for years, but that doesn't make it the best system for draining

[Ron]

Hello Golfpro. I can't see a problem with doing so. The system when winterizing either has to have the RV antifreeze or blown out with air so it really shouldn't make any difference. I know that it would be much handier plumbed to the edge of the trailer for accessibility. Probably should make sure that when running lines horizontally that it has slight fall to drain. Happy Campin..........Ron

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

The old TT (Circa 1995), the drain valves were inside and just, maybe, an inch stuck through the belly covering. I didn't much like the arrangment that Keystone has from the first I saw it. Have been thinking about just installing some valves inside the basement to eliminate the caps. There-by eleminating the chance of having to lay in the puddle to replace the caps...

Just my wheels turning over.....you mileage may vary....

hankaye

[Bob Landry]

I replaced the caps on mine with manual valves. I can reach them by kneeling down and reaching under, but I'll probably extend the drains to the side of the trailer. I don't know why Keysone didn't do this. The added cost of doing it in the manufacturing process would have been minimal. I guess it was the bean counters at work. Keystone has managed to hire some pretty good ones, because there are several things that I have changed because they were done on the cheap and I thought I could(and did) do better.

[hankpage]

has any one made an attempt to take off the low point drain caps and plumb from the low point drains to the edge of the TT with PVC pipe and put valves on the pipes so you can drain the system with out crawling under the TT. You could do this with the fresh water tank also. what would be any problems doing this, is there something I've over looked. yes I know the manufactures have done it this way for years, but that doesn't make it the best system for draining

This is one of the things on my "Round Tu-it" list. But I plan to cut the PEX tubing even to the Coroplast under belly, install a 90° elbow and extend the ½" Pex to valves that are easier to reach. Pex is much easier to work with than pvc and you can see when water is gone or "pink" is present. JM2¢, Hank

[JRTJH]

I think it would be a good idea for the low point drains, but the fresh water tank might be a problem. If you're planning to use the RV during freezing weather, having an elbow and 4+ ft of exposed pipe with fresh water in it could potentially cause a problem if the drain froze and cracked. With the drain inside the coroplast maybe not as potentially problematic. I think that may be one reason Keystone just drains right at the tank, the residual heat from the water still in the tank would help keep the drain from freezing and cracking.... Of course, if you're not going to use the RV in cold weather or if you live in an area where ice is found only in "after 5 drinks" then go for it "bouncey:

[bearandjake]

Hello,my sugestion is to buy a 20ft roll 1/2" pex waterline, buy pair off pex cutters,pex bander,bag bands,and about 8 each of elbows,end
caps,joiners,few valves c/w drain screws etc. Make up blue box and
keep in rv.this will approx cost $125.00 at home depot etc.. You'll be
able to do almost any water repairs and make a few dollars helping
others.you find yourself fixing,repairing and modifying your rv over
the years and gain good friends with many skills

hope this is helpfull,blair.v.

[SLIMSHADIE]

I replaced my caps with the same flair-it fitting valves as the freshwater valve. I still have to get on a knee and reach in to turn it.

[SteveC7010]

Hello,my sugestion is to buy a 20ft roll 1/2" pex waterline, buy pair off pex cutters,pex bander,bag bands,and about 8 each of elbows,end
caps,joiners,few valves c/w drain screws etc. Make up blue box and
keep in rv.this will approx cost $125.00 at home depot etc.. You'll be
able to do almost any water repairs and make a few dollars helping
others.you find yourself fixing,repairing and modifying your rv over
the years and gain good friends with many skills

hope this is helpfull,blair.v.

Actually, that's a bit misleading. Most (if not all) of the Keystone line has plumbing that uses PEX tubing and the Flair-It line of fittings. Flair-It's do not require any tools like the residential copper/brass to PEX systems. There is no PEX bander or bands needed. You will find very little copper or brass in RV plumbing outside of some faucets ande check valves, and they're all threaded so a Flair-It just turns right on.

All one would need is an assortment of the Flair-It's in place of everything you listed. Even the PEX cutter isn't necessary, although handy if doing a lot of PEX work.

[golfpro]

there was one comment about freezing during cold weather camping, could we use pipe insulation on the extended tubing or pipes to eliminate that problem?

[SteveC7010]

there was one comment about freezing during cold weather camping, could we use pipe insulation on the extended tubing or pipes to eliminate that problem?

Probably not. The insulation might slow down the freezing process a bit, but since it is outside of the enclosed belly of the trailer, there's nothing to keep the pipe and insulation from changing temperature.

I think it's a nice mod, but probably not good for trailers that are not winterized. For those of us who do winterize in the fall and dewinterize in the spring, it's a really handy thing.

[JRTJH]

there was one comment about freezing during cold weather camping, could we use pipe insulation on the extended tubing or pipes to eliminate that problem?

I don't think insulating a pipe without any way to get heat to it would help in anything but mildly cold weather conditions. If it dropped to 30 for a couple of hours, then was back above freezing for the rest of the night, you'd probably be OK with just a wrap of insulation, but with anything colder than that, I think you'd lose heat and the pipe with fresh water would freeze. PEX tubing is pretty resilient and probably wouldn't be damaged, but the elbow at the tank drain and the valve are made of a more rigid plastic and I think they'd freeze and eventually crack. The concern I have is that once the valve is even slightly deformed, it stops working and would have to be replaced. Even though they're cheap to buy and easy to replace, if you start "tweaking" on a frozen (or even a really cold) PEX tube, it is very likely going to crack or split. Unfortunately, there's not a simple way to add a fresh water tank extension that isn't prone to freezing to the existing outside drain.