black tank valve

4bikenutz · 08-30-2021, 08:47 AM

Ok for starters I have owned several travel trailers. I now own a 07 Sprinter 300fkms. I see no valve for the black water. I have the 3 or 4" pipe for black water and two 1 1/2" pipes with their own valves for grey water. Am I missing something. I went to take the cap off and about 2 gallons of liquid from the black water tank came spraying out. You go look in the toilet hole and the solids are there. There has to be a valve to stop the flow so you can put the drain hose on. Help Please

**chuckster57** · 08-30-2021, 08:53 AM

Welcome to the forum

Your black tank will have a valve at the drain opening of the tank. It will be 3” and either cable or rod actuated. It’s possible that if it’s rod actuated that the handle fell off.

I would remove just enough screws from the underbelly to give you access then look and see what you have. The fix should be obvious after that.

**JRTJH** · 08-30-2021, 09:34 AM

You said that the trailer is a 2007 Sprinter. Are you the original owner? If not, there's a chance that a previous owner had issues with the black tank valve and either disabled it or even removed it and installed a "twist on terminal valve" at the sewer outlet (where your current cap is located).

Then, there's also a possibility that a previous owner parked the trailer on a "permanent site" and simply connected the black tank to a permanent sewer dump line, eliminating the need for a valve. Granted, that would lead to a "poo pyramid" but some people make those kinds of changes without understanding what they were doing.

Are you sure there isn't a "missing handle" that came unscrewed from the belly and fell off, leaving "just a small hole where the shaft used to come through the underbelly" ???

If it's a "new to you trailer" there's really no good way to "know what is OEM and what is previous owner changed"....

4bikenutz · 08-30-2021, 09:59 AM

yeah thats what I thought the location should be as well. You have a good idea to remove some of the underbelly covering and trace it back. Thanks

4bikenutz · 08-30-2021, 10:02 AM

John, I am not the original owner and you could be correct in saying someone in the past redid the piping and did a direct hook up to sewer. There is no valve at the opening of the outlet pipe. I guess I may have to cut it out and install a valve. Thanks for the input.

**JRTJH** · 08-30-2021, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4bikenutz

John, I am not the original owner and you could be correct in saying someone in the past redid the piping and did a direct hook up to sewer. There is no valve at the opening of the outlet pipe. I guess I may have to cut it out and install a valve. Thanks for the input.

Typically an OEM valve is not located "at the opening of the outlet pipe"... OEM valves are almost always installed at the outlet of the tank. In this case, a OEM valve would be within 1" or so of the black tank outlet.

The "terminal valve" I was referring to is an aftermarket "twist on valve" that you simply twist onto the trailer outlet on the same lugs as the sewer hose twists onto. Then you install the sewer hose on the lugs that are on that extra valve....

It's one of the "cleanest" $20 you'll spend on your trailer... Or should I say, it'll keep you cleaner than any other device you put on your sewer system.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-...s%2C190&sr=8-3

notanlines · 08-30-2021, 11:40 AM

First, welcome to the forum. Second, after you get this figured out, comeback and we'll walk you through your 'poo pyramid' problem.

Getn off · 08-30-2021, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Typically an OEM valve is not located "at the opening of the outlet pipe"... OEM valves are almost always installed at the outlet of the tank. In this case, a OEM valve would be within 1" or so of the black tank outlet.

The "terminal valve" I was referring to is an aftermarket "twist on valve" that you simply twist onto the trailer outlet on the same lugs as the sewer hose twists onto. Then you install the sewer hose on the lugs that are on that extra valve....

It's one of the "cleanest" $20 you'll spend on your trailer... Or should I say, it'll keep you cleaner than any other device you put on your sewer system.

https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-T58-...s%2C190&sr=8-3

Yep. Best money ever spent on my rig too!
Troy

**chuckster57** · 08-30-2021, 04:58 PM

My cable housing broke and until I get around to fixing it I too have one of those.

Northofu1 · 08-30-2021, 05:02 PM

I have one, it is worth the money.

**sourdough** · 08-30-2021, 07:00 PM

I have one and it does a great job or what it is supposed to do. Mine is a bayonet mount to the trailer and then to the hose. I have a problem with the "rotation" the valve has when used like that. It fits to the bayonet mount on the trailer and the hose connection is very tight. Unlike the fixed drain pipe from the trailer, the attachment rotates when any pressure is put on it. A while ago that would not be an issue but now that both shoulders have went south and both bicep muscles have detached....trying to sit down (other issues), hold that rotating valve and connect/disconnect that hose if almost impossible anymore. DW gets down and does it now but I figure I'm going to take a Dremel and whittle down the posts so it will connect easier. Not a problem most will encounter but one we deal with.

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