Extending low point drains

[Carrottop]

My trailer has 3 low point drains one on the fresh water tank which is accessible at the front of trailer on the right side when facing the trailer. The hot and cold low point drains are located on the left just between the axles. My problem is that my trailer sits at a permanent site and the two on the left side are next to impossible to get to as their is a deck built within 2 inches of the trailer. I am hoping to extend these to the rear of the trailer to make it easier to drain in the fall. What tools would and size of pex line would I need to accomplish this.

Thanks for any help here.

[Lee]

Hi,

I will take a stab at this.

Tools: Pex cutting tool (pipe cutter), Pex clamping tool,

Material: Lengths of blue and red Pex pipe, 2 90* Pex elbows, 2 Pex ball cock valves, a bag of Pex clamps.

Cut the existing hot/cold low point drain pex pipes to length. Clamp on the 2 90* elbows pointing in the direction you want. Take the 2 lengths of pex pipe and cut to length. Then clamp 1 end to each elbow. Then camp on the ball cock values onto the ends of the pipes.

Finally, it would be good to support the lengths of pex pipe somehow to the trailer frame or cross members.

Lee

[Carrottop]

Thanks Lee,

Do you know what size of pex pipe they use for the drains? I want to make sure I buy the right size.

[Lee]

Sorry,.... meant to include that.... almost positive it's 1/2 inch pex.

[sourdough]

You want to make sure you grade the lines so that the water will flow downward and not place them so the water won't completely drain.

[travelin texans]

Shark bite or compression fittings would likely be cheaper than buying pex crimping tool & clamps.
I'm guessing the valves that are in your low point drains, if factory originals, are compression.

[NH_Bulldog]

If your existing drains are one blue and one red Pex (1/2” by the way), then I would cut the pipe above the valves, crimp in an elbow on each line, run a length to the back end, cut of the crimp left on the valves, reinsert into open end of new pipe and crimp into place. All together it will run you about $50, the bulk of which is the tool. Pipe is about $3 per 10’ section, bag of 25 crimp rings is $8 the elbows (brass) are $2 ea. and the tool is about $35. Going the Sharkbite route you still have the pipes at $3 ea, two Sharkbite elbows at $8.50 ea and then Sharkbite valves at $17 ea, so overall price is comparable but then you don’t have the tool or spare rings for other projects.

[Carrottop]

Thanks. I will purchase this stuff and follow the advice.

[Nitehawk]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

Shark bite or compression fittings would likely be cheaper than buying pex crimping tool & clamps.
I'm guessing the valves that are in your low point drains, if factory originals, are compression.

Can borrow /rent tools required from lowes or Home Depot for next to nothing or free with a small deposit sometimes

[flybouy]

I don't think this has been mentioned but if you camp in very cold temps extending the drain lines can lead to a hard freeze of the exposed pipes.

[Carrottop]

Well I did not think about that one. I am in Winnipeg MB. So yes it gets very cold up here. Just to clarify you are referring to camping in the fall when overnight temperatures might drop correct? I am assuming once I winterize it and those pipes fill with antifreeze it wont be an issue. I could buy foam pipe insulation and wrap them or turn this into a bigger job and drop the plastic underbelly and run them to the back then out.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Carrottop

Well I did not think about that one. I am in Winnipeg MB. So yes it gets very cold up here. Just to clarify you are referring to camping in the fall when overnight temperatures might drop correct? I am assuming once I winterize it and those pipes fill with antifreeze it wont be an issue. I could buy foam pipe insulation and wrap them or turn this into a bigger job and drop the plastic underbelly and run them to the back then out.

If you are storing the camper and unheated, the inside of the camper will reach average ambient outside temperatures. Same thing with the underbelly. It is like throwing a parka over a jug of water. Will the water freeze? Hell yeah it will if the temperature is below freezing, However, if you drain it, blow it out, and use enough antfreeze there should not be an issue.

[Carrottop]

I get that with water but I winterize at the end of Sept. if I wrap the pipes for the fall that should be fine I would think and I don’t think the antifreeze in the lines will freeze through the winter. I use the -50 stuff.

[flybouy]

The antifreeze should not freeze. What Skids was pointing out is that once the trailer heat is turned off the pipes inside will be the same as they are outside. The point I was getting at earlier is that if you are using the trailer in extended freezing Temps the longer the exposed pipes are to the outside with water in them the greater the chance of them freezing.

[Carrottop]

Ok makes sense. We don’t camp past the end of Sept anyway so it should it should not be a problem. I think I will wrap them in pipe insulation anyway just to be on the safe side.

[JRTJH]

Pipe insulation won't be much help in Manitoba. As soon as you remove the heat from the trailer, it will "begin to cold soak" and everything on the trailer will be at "ambient temperature" within a week. Making sure you have either antifreeze or "nothing but air" in all the plumbing lines will go much further (and be needed anyway). Insulation won't do anything after the heat is turned off.

[rlh1957]

PEX is easy and quick. Probably 1/2” PEX. The PEX now exits straight down so when placing the turn or ell you have to maintain that slight percentage of down angle all the way to where you place the drain cap, so no water runs back or sits in the pipe.

[Big 417]

My drain valves are inline PEX style, if yours are the same, you should be able to leave the valves, crimp on a section of pipe and add a second valve to the end. In the summer leave the original valves open, close the end ones. In the winter, close your inner valves and leave the ends open. I hope that makes enough sense to paint a picture of what I'm talking about.

This would only work if your valves are the same, having the barbed end on both sides of the valve body.

[Carrottop]

Mine has threaded caps on the drains. I put a picture up of them.

[Big 417]

Ah ok, disregard my theory lol