fresh water drain valve

[kingfisher24]

the cheap plastic one that always breaks…

anyone know how to replace it?

second trailer that it has broken enroute…guess a rock flys up and shears it off

does it have per hooked to it inside the tank???

it has two screws and removing them does not do the trick

thanks

[Bob Thompson]

The stock valve should resemble something like this:

There will be a hose clamp securing the hose to the valve.

You can replace the valve with a standard plastic model or with a metal one like this:


Both images taken from ads on Ebay.

[Lance M]

Hi Kingfisher,
Congrats on the new trailer. I don't know how I missed that

There are a few good "how to" thread here that shows great detail on fixing this cheap plastic problem.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f443...ks-111378.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f163...8-a-99789.html

You have to access the clamp on the back of the petcock to remove it.

Good luck and you know where to find me if you need more help.

[polarlyse]

Do yourself a favor and get a piece of hose to replace the one you remove. Then you can carefully slit the old hose and easily remove it from the tank side barb fitting. It's much easier to slip a new one on than to remove the old one. I wish I'd seen the brass ones when I did mine but I did order 2 while I was at it. Always good to have a spare but next time around I'll go brass.

[kingfisher24]

or come from??? hose is inside tank and then hoooked to this drain valve?

is the fw tank encased in a plastic/fiberglass covering?

airstream factory said

There is about a 2” piece of hose that is connected to the back side of that drain fitting. What you’ll need to do is cut about a 6”x6” inspection plate in the bottom of the pan about an inch or two away from the edge where the drain fitting is located. You will be able to see the hose and disconnect the hose clamp to pull the fitting out. Then you just need to use a piece of galvanized steel or another metal to patch the inspection plate.

That hose in connected to a brass fitting that is attached to the tank. You actually will just cut the access hole in the pan, not into the tank itself. The hose that connects the drain to the tank fitting is on the outside of the tank.

Mike Goetz
Owner Relations Representative
Airstream, Inc.
(937)596-6111

so…….

[Bob Thompson]

There is a similar barbed fitting coming out of the tank. One end of the hose goes over it and the other end of the hose attaches to the drain valve. I didn't realize you didn't have an inspection plate in the metal below where the hose is located. You'll have to cut out an inspection hole (jig saw with metal blade should work fine) then make an cover to go over the hole when you are done.

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by Bob Thompson

There is a similar barbed fitting coming out of the tank. One end of the hose goes over it and the other end of the hose attaches to the drain valve. I didn't realize you didn't have an inspection plate in the metal below where the hose is located. You'll have to cut out an inspection hole (jig saw with metal blade should work fine) then make an cover to go over the hole when you are done.

Interesting to read that you mention use of a jig saw.

I haven't had to cut any access holes yet, but thinking that one day I might need to do so, either for access to the fresh water drain valve or the waste dump valves, I thought that something like a jigsaw might cause a real problem.

I figured that I would probably need to very carefully drill a small hole and then use a hand or air nibbler to cut the opening larger in order to avoid damaging anything.

Maybe first cutting a small opening so I could get a look inside with flashlight & inspect mirror - or maybe my easy hitch infra red camera - to see what obstacles I might face as I proceed to cut.

Is there generally lots of clearance space so that using a jig saw is unlikely to do any damage in these particular areas?

Brian.

[Bob Thompson]

You would be correct to be cautious about the clearance needed to use a jig saw to cut an access hole. If I were doing it, I would use the shortest jig saw blade that would still cut the metal, and I would start with a small hole as you suggested to verify the clearances available. Then I would lay out a proper sized hole and proceed cautiously. All good points.

[polarlyse]

Caution should be the key word here. I have an air compressor and would use a cut-off wheel. Mark out a nice rectangle and carefully penetrate the sheet metal. Once you see what you got you can always make it large enough to get to the clamps and hose. Cover it up with a piece of galvanized sheet metal or aluminum and fasten with self tapping screws. Another AS job well done.

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by polarlyse

Caution should be the key word here. I have an air compressor and would use a cut-off wheel. Mark out a nice rectangle and carefully penetrate the sheet metal. Once you see what you got you can always make it large enough to get to the clamps and hose. Cover it up with a piece of galvanized sheet metal or aluminum and fasten with self tapping screws. Another AS job well done.

Good suggestion re: cutoff wheel - I have them.

I tend to be a bit of a pessimist and ever since we have owned this trailer I have been just waiting for the day when I pull the black water valve handle and it just pulls out the the valve blade, leaving me with a real problem to resolve!

I am almost tempted to go ahead and make an access hole to get at the valves ahead of time so it would be easier to deal with the problem should it happen when we are away on a trip!

Of course if I do that, then likely that will ensure I never have a problem with the valves!

Brian.