Dump valve seal

[71_safari]

Hi,

On my recently purchased 1971 Safari the dump valve seal is broken and out of place in the guide track - as a result the valve does not close off correctly, thus rendering the black tank useless at the moment. Luckily I have avoided using the tank and have flushed it several times. But I cannot see how one gets into the area to repair or replace this component - no access from inside and the belly pan covers it from the bottom. I am guessing the belly pan needs to be unriveted or cut away? Is the valve assembly even available?

Thanks for any tips or suggestions.

-john

71 Safari

[nickcrowhurst]

John, I'm not familiar with your model trailer, but I've dealt with this issue on two Airstreams. With a side bath trailer I've followed the manual, and cut a large access hole in the steel bellypan. After completing the job, you need to fabricate an access panel, and secure this over the hole. With the rear bath model, the procedure was to remove the rear fender (rusty set screws to remove by drilling), and remove the plastic liner in the rear hatch. You then have access, albeit awkwardly, to the valves. Nick.

[Dbraw]

I had a similar problem oun our 71 Safari. you will need to work from below and cut away part of the belly pan to access the screws holding the valve. Later replace the cut away area with new aluminum which you can buy in small sheets at a home improvement store. Not difficult work, but hard on the neck muscles. If you can hang the rear of the camper over a ledge, you can work standing up. If you drill out the rivets on the belly pan for about three feet of the rear, you can check on the floor condition under the shower. Ours was rotted away at the rear for about eight inches. I replaced the rotted area and reinforced it for a more solid floor. Don't forget, the grey water line comes in right below the dump connection.
Good luck
Dan

[71_safari]

Thanks guys, I was afraid I would have to do some cutting. As you say, probably a good time to do some inspecting under there.

Thanks again.

-john

[mtpalms]

As an aside but appropriate to the issue methinks:

My owner's manual suggests to use the black tank, and when it's full, release the effluent into the sewer. The reason is that a full tank will flush every thing out, whereas if you just keep the valve open and depend on gravity, there is a chance that crud could build up in there, and well, you can guess the rest...

So it sounds to me that it is important to get the valve fixed as soon as possible to avoid future problems. An ounce of prevention, as it were. Am I onto something, or way off base? I'm a newb here too.

[Janets Husband]

Originally Posted by mtpalms

As an aside but appropriate to the issue methinks:

My owner's manual suggests to use the black tank, and when it's full, release the effluent into the sewer. The reason is that a full tank will flush every thing out, whereas if you just keep the valve open and depend on gravity, there is a chance that crud could build up in there, and well, you can guess the rest...

So it sounds to me that it is important to get the valve fixed as soon as possible to avoid future problems. An ounce of prevention, as it were. Am I onto something, or way off base? I'm a newb here too.

Yes, The crud can collect but that is not the complete reasoning behind the full tank suggestion. If you were to leave the valve open when you flush, the liquid would drain from the tank leaving most of the solids in the tank; true.
If the tank is full and you dump, everything will be pulled from the tank because the solids are in suspension. Pulled is a key word there is a lot of weight and vacuum going through a small hole.