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Old 03-15-2012, 03:17 PM   #1
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1970 31' Sovereign
Burnsville , North Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 60
Fresh water Drain Plug???

Hi Guys,
I have a 1970 31' Sovereign and am still trying to figure out how to drain the fresh water tank. Attached are two photos I took under the trailer. I assume ("assuming" always being the wrong thing to do) that the hole in the floor was where a drain plug/valve once lived but looking in the hole doesn't reveal anything broken off. When I look through the floor under the sink cabinet, I also don't see anything broken. So, do you have any ideas about this? Does the fresh water tank only drain by opening valves under the sink and running the H2O pump? Thanks in advance for any help you can lend.
Bill Schultz
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Old 03-15-2012, 03:23 PM   #2
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Bill those two valves you see under the sink are the drain valves. one drains the supply lines of the trailer and the other gravity drains the fres water storage tank. The water pump does not have to be running to drain the tank
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Old 03-16-2012, 06:41 AM   #3
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1970 31' Sovereign
Burnsville , North Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 60
Thanks for that info! So what do you suppose the hole through the bottom is/was for?
Bill
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Old 03-16-2012, 06:47 AM   #4
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Bill that hole is not original and I supect that the previous owner cut it out in an attempt to access the plumbing while looking for a leak. Your fresh water city supply line feeds from roadside inside the coach down under the floor into the fresh water storage tank area to cross over to the curbside for the kitchen sink and to feed the water heater.
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Old 03-16-2012, 05:57 PM   #5
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1987 25' Sovereign
Fort Collins , Colorado
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That looks a whole lot like the fresh water tank drain in our 87 Sovereign. Ours has a threaded plug -- takes about a 5/8" "Allen wrench" to remove or tighten (not sure of size, we're still winterized). But if our plug is out -- the tank she no hold water. Are you sure there's not a matching plug hidden somewhere?
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Old 03-16-2012, 06:33 PM   #6
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1989 29' Excella
1979 31' Sovereign
1999 25' Safari
Youngsville , North Carolina
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CeloNC,
Had a 1978 & 1979 31', both had a drain located between wheels on the street side.
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Old 03-16-2012, 08:51 PM   #7
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1961 16' Bambi
Las Cruces , New Mexico
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeloNC View Post
Hi Guys,
I have a 1970 31' Sovereign and am still trying to figure out how to drain the fresh water tank. Attached are two photos I took under the trailer. I assume ("assuming" always being the wrong thing to do) that the hole in the floor was where a drain plug/valve once lived but looking in the hole doesn't reveal anything broken off. When I look through the floor under the sink cabinet, I also don't see anything broken. So, do you have any ideas about this? Does the fresh water tank only drain by opening valves under the sink and running the H2O pump? Thanks in advance for any help you can lend.
Bill Schultz

i made our fresh water tank look like yours-sort of- but no empty bigger hole.
i piped two tubes. one is the drain with a shut off, the second is the top vent which i directed down through the belly pan to draw/expel air as the tank is emptied of filled. used pex and put shut offs on both to keep dopplers out. i have yet to label the drain and vent pipes so i'll have a 50/50 chance of choosing the right ones next month.

or something like that
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Old 03-17-2012, 11:07 AM   #8
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1970 31' Sovereign
Burnsville , North Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 60
Thanks to all for your input. I bought this AS with the knowledge that it needed new plumbing. The PO let the pipes freeze and then jury rigged some new pipe to hook up to an outdoor faucet. I think wasagacrhris is right about that hole being drilled to get at a leak or to let accumulated water drain from around the fresh H2O tanks. Since I don't know if the freshwater tanks are cracked, I guess I'll run a test by pouring in a few gallons to see if water pours out of that hole. I may have to take off the belly pan cover on the tanks to get a real good look. God only knows what else I will find. Thanks again!
Bill
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Old 03-18-2012, 04:36 PM   #9
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1970 31' Sovereign
Burnsville , North Carolina
Join Date: Dec 2011
Posts: 60
1970 Sovereign Drain Mystery Solved

Hi Guys,
So today, I decided to put a few gallons of water into the fresh H2O tank to check for leaks. Good news, no leaks found. Bad news, I still couldn't figure out how to drain the tank. Opening up the two red handled valves under the sink didn't do it and I still couldn't find anything in my 1970 owners manual or the 1972 repair manual to help until I found the "Winterize" section in the 1970 manual. To drain the water it instructs the owner to open the two valves in the one stop service center (rear) and the THREE valves under the sink, noting that the drain for the fresh water tank is UNDER the floor! But where and how to access it? The pictures below provide the answer. The fresh water tank drain "valve" is the small white plastic tab you see way below the floor. I suspect that a tool might have been provided to reach this sucker as I had to make one by notching a stick to fit the tab.
Owning an old AS sure takes one on a journey of highs and lows but I suppose that the problem solving challenges are good for the brain. I hope this post helps someone else out there who is struggling with this issue.
Bill
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