Where is the fresh water drain plug located?

[bambid]

We have a 75 Ambassador and I need to flush the fresh water tank...can't find the drain plug and the manual is no help either.

Anyone know the answer to this simple question? I have crawled around underneath it and looked at diagrams for 2 hours now...no can do!

Need an expert!

Bambid

[Dan@LED4RV]

Bambid,
If your unit was made in late 75 it may not have a drain plug. And after your spending so much time under the unit I'm thinking you don't have one. Flushing it via the water pump is the way to do it.

[Lumatic]

There should be an in line low point drain valve

[barts]

There's usually an access point in the sink cabinet... there will be drain valves for the plumbing, and a recessed area where the pipes (fill, suction, drain vent, etc) come off the tank. The drain valve (if present) will be right near there, possibly on the same line that goes to the water pump suction.

- Bart

[maccamper]

On our '74, there is a gate valve in a recess in the floor under the kitchen sink cabinet. It is way down there under the water pump lines, and has a round, red handle that looks like it belongs on an outdoor faucet.

You open the valve by turning counterclockwise as you are looking down at the valve. Underneath the trailer there is a small tube that the water drains out from. It takes a very long time to drain the tank. Good luck.

Laird

[barts]

Originally Posted by maccamper

It takes a very long time to drain the tank.

Open the pressure side drain valve and turn on the water pump; it will drain in 50 gals/3 gpm = 17 minutes or so.

- Bart

[tschat]

If you have a ShurFlow and a drain line that is lower than the tank, it will actually siphon from the tank through the pump and out. With that being said, run the pump for 17 min otherwise it will be 60 min of siphon.

-thomas

[Mexray]

Do you have a small, square 'plate' held with four screws on the underside of the sheetmetal 'pan' that protects the fresh water tank? If so, when the plate is removed, you'll see a recessed pipe plug that can be removed to drain the tank - our 78 is drained in that manner...a real PITA!

Ray

[bambid]

I took "barts" advice (above) and it worked perfectly! Thank you for so many replies!

Has anyone ever had to wash/rinse wash/rinse out smelly sour greenish yellow water and odor from their fresh water tank? If so, what did you use to get it done right?

Bambid

[Ganglin]

People use different procedures of course but this is one you will find often:

The procedure for sanitizing is as follows:
1. Multiply gallons of tank capacity by 0.13 (liters of tank capacity by 1.0); the result is the ounces (milliliters) of bleach needed to sanitize the tank.
2. Mix into solution the proper amount of bleach within a container of water.
3. Disconnect from city water and pour the solution into the fresh water tank (using a funnel with a flexible hose attached) and fill the tank with potable water. Note: wear old clothes as bleach has a tendency to ruin new clothing.
4. Open all faucets (hot and cold - including the exterior shower) allowing the water to run until the distinct odor of chlorine is detected. Close the faucets and allow the solution to remain in the pipes.
5. The standard solution must have four (4) hours of contact time to disinfect completely. Doubling the solution concentration allows for contact time of one (1) hour.
6. When the contact time is completed, drain the tank. Refill with potable water and purge the plumbing of all sanitizing solution by opening all faucets until you do not detect the smell of chlorine.

This procedure is approved by RVIA ANSI A119.2 and the U.S. Public Health Service and by Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing.


On ours, the first time I cleaned it, we added two more steps. I poured 4 or 5 gallons of white vinegar in the tank then filled it with water and let it sit for a day. Then the procedure above. Then disolved a box of baking soda in hot water and added that, with a full tank, and let that sit overnight.
Now we just do the above at the beginning of each season....

[Aage]

If feasible, driving around with the cleaning agent in an almost full tank will increase the rinse action of whatever fluid you use in the tank.

I'm not sure, but I don't think that the fact that it's sanitized necessarily means that all foreign matter has been removed.