Fresh water tank drain valve replacement

[lboyd]

I just purchased a 2003 25' Safari. I know there has been alot of discussion regarding this but how do you replace the fresh water tank drain valve (the cheap plastic one)? I've removed the two screws from the flange but it seems that there must be a clamp on the barbed fitting inside the tank housing. That brings up another question. Is the tank housed in a protective outer shell? Do you access the tank itself from inside the trailer? Do I have to drop the tank from below the trailer?

[RLS]

If it is like ours, there should be a cover plate right next to the valve on the underside. Just take the screws off and you can get to the short hose.

[susans69]

My cheap plastic drain plug is broken. Did you replace yours and with what?

[calbro]

All - I'm having the same issue here. The drain petcock will rotate, but not pull out. And, there is no access plate. This seems like a flat out horrible design. It seems like the only way to get my broken petcock out is to pry it until it breaks.

I've scoured the other threads, and it seems like other people found an access plate somewhere...

Any input?

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, this won't be fun, but it can be done. I don't have a picture showing the white plastic valve, but I can show you where it's at. These are pictures of when I had my fresh water tank out. The clear plastic tube is where the valve is. There is a hose clamp on both ends, one on the tank and the other on the valve. I was going to drill out an access hole just for this purpose, but didn't have time. From inside of your trailer, under a cabinet, where the PEX goes to your water pump, there is a huge square hole in the floor. You can get to the hose clamps from there, but it will be very difficult. You might want to drill about a 4" hole with a hole saw just above or slightly to the left of the plastic valve to make it easier and make a cover plate for it. Anyway, I think by looking at pictures, you will have a better idea of what you are up against.

[calbro]

So, I pretty much figured this out. For the record, I've got the 25 foot FB safari, so the config is a bit different. Under my fridge, on the drivers side, there was a very small cabinet space. Because they put that together before they put the other cabinets in, the screws holding it in place are behind the back panel of the cabinet. So, I just smashed that back panel out. We never use that cabinet space anyway.

Lo-and-behold, behind there was about a 4 inch access, and about 10 inches down - just within reach of my longest screwdriver - was the clamp attaching the drain hose to the petcock. It wasn't easy, but I was able to replace the petcock.

The reason I say I sort of fixed this is the following: I need another set of hands. Ideally, someone is holding the drain hose from the inside of the trailer steady while the other person pushes the new petcock into place. Otherwise, you just end up with a leak inside instead of outside. My petcock is currently inserted and the clamp is around it, but I still have a very slow drip. But, now that I've got the whole thing figured out, I'll get it seated properly.

Bottom line: wherever your petcock is, somewhere above it is access, but it may require a bit of demolition. I reiterate my original post: I hope someone from Airstream is paying attention here. This is a horrible design. If you're going to put flimsy plastic valves on, you need to provide easier access.

[pmclemore]

My access door is under the tank, accessed by four screws. That part is no problem. The problem was that the hose clamp screw was not accessible from down there - so I used a Dremel to cut the clamp and then proceeded with valve replacement.

What I wish is that our friends at Airstream would replace the cheap plastic valve (that fails every third year) with a brass one.

Pat

[Harley Rider]

I had to replace mine on my 2007 25FB Safari. There was no exterior access. Here are the photos I took of the process.

Here is the hole I cut with the Dremel. Plenty of room in there. In hindsight I should have left a little more ledge to attach the plate after the repair.


Here the clamps and hose are removed.


This is the line and clamps that you need to remove.

[Harley Rider]

New line and clamps installed.



Door patch made from aluminum. I might have gone a little over board with the self tapping screws.



One more shot of the finished product.



If I was doing it over, I would leave more plastic around the edge of the hole to attach the aluminum plate. I also would have only use one self tapping screw per side. BTW, all the supplies came from Lowes except the drain valve. I got it from Jackson Center. I think it's a standard RV part.

[Jfuller678]

Nice job on the water tank replacement job! I have the same issue. What did you use behind the aluminum patch to prevent the tank from leaking?

[LeftyS7]

After replacing these many times because they leaked, were hard to turn, or became brittle and broke, I happened upon a seller on ebay who makes an aluminum part to replace the plastic valves. It is called "RV Fresh Water Drain Valve Flange" RV Fresh Water Drain Valve Flange 3 8" or 1 2" Won'T Fail Ever Again | eBay and is made to be used with an automotive radiator, air compressor, or other drain valve. The flange is the same diameter and has the same sized mounting holes and hole spacing as the plastic valves so it allows for an easy all metal replacement. Although they are expensive, I bought three and am very happy with them. They are beautifully made and anodized and will last forever. They do not leak, even when the lines are pressurized.

[timmaah]

Reviving a dead thread here..

I've got a leak at the little plastic petcock. It is a slow drip not from the petcock itself, but where the base screws into the tank cover.

Had everyone else's leak come from the petcock itself or in the connection to the clear hose?

[cwf]

It can come from lots of places.

You may hav a bit of freeze damage allowing leak.. Or hose connecting is loose or split.

[timmaah]

Originally Posted by cwf

It can come from lots of places.

You may hav a bit of freeze damage allowing leak.. Or hose connecting is loose or split.

I tore into it this afternoon. Appears the hose going to the petcock had a leak. There was no hose clamp at that end, only a weird amount of sealant. New hose and hose clamps in hand. I'll put it back together tomorrow and leak test before sealing back up the hole I made.

[KJRitchie]

Is there enough room for Airstream to have coiled a braid hose in a loop so all you needed to do is pull out the valve to access the hose clamp? I'm trying to envision how Airstream assembles the water tank and the outer Rotocast shell with the short hose. Also the low point drains come through the bottom of the shell with metal petcocks. They should just use the same petcock for the FW drain.

Kelvin

[Alphonse]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Is there enough room for Airstream to have coiled a braid hose in a loop so all you needed to do is pull out the valve to access the hose clamp? I'm trying to envision how Airstream assembles the water tank and the outer Rotocast shell with the short hose. Also the low point drains come through the bottom of the shell with metal petcocks. They should just use the same petcock for the FW drain.

Kelvin

First, you need to careful about the layout so the tank will drain properly. A coiled tube would like get a kink in it and block the flow.

In terms of how it is assembled, it is likely assembled as a unit in the black tub and then raised and strapped to the frame. I am making an assumption here but it is an educated one since I had to replace my freshwater tank and am intimately familiar with the layout on mine.

[KJRitchie]

Makes sense about the installation. Glad they thought about maintainability.

[PharmGeek]

Mine appears also to have a small leak permeating from behind the white base with the two screws - mine appears to have a pre cut access panel under it


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[cwf]

I jacked and chocked my AS then Removed tire for easier access. Remove the access panel, loosen the screw hose clamp, unscrew valve body from metal tray and pull out while holding the hose. A little twisting will help relieve the valve from the hose.

Reverse sequence.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, I haven't replaced my fresh water tank drain valve yet, but it would have been nice if Airstream made access panels for that and the tank sensors.