Holding tank valve replacement

[Van]

Hello all, looking for some input/advice on replacing holding tank valves.

My greywater valve doesnt work at all. My blackwater valve is real stiff. I have gotten to the point where i have access to the valves and have paused to gather some info on how to proceed.

Here is what i giving me pause. The following pictures show my greywater valve:

Greywater valve picture 1

Greywater Valve picture 2

Greywater Valve picture 3

Does this whole white piece get removed or taken apart during the replacement?

As picture 3 shows part of the housing of it passes through a hole in the support beam to the holding tank is is secured there. The screws to take this piece apart are also on that side where it is very difficul to get at.

The new valves i have looked at, at the RV supply store look very dissimilar from this. In fact they look like a single door piece that would fit inside that white housing shown in the pictures.

I'm not to worried about the other plumbing aspects of this endeavor but i want to make sure i get the valves right. Wether it is a specific brand type or generic valve that can work to replace it as long as i can keep my greywater from running out on the ground while camping and avoiding the following embarassment would be great.

My trailer is a '78 Argosy Minuet 20'. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I tried a search but i didnt get, or missed what i was looking for.

[overlander64]

Greetings Van!

Since I send most of my service work to Ace Fogdall RV I can't provide much help, but I can offer this much. The white valves on our Argosy and Airstream products are manufactured by Thetford while those handled by most Brand X dealers are Valterra (and are manufactured from black materials). During the orginal owner's period of ownership, the valves on my Minuet were changed out to Valterra - - something I plan on having reversed as the Valterra on the black tank is a constant problem. I know the Thetford valve is rebuildable and kits are readily available from most Airstream dealers as well as some Brand X dealers. The actual removal/disassembly of the valve is a mystery to me as I have had my dealer service the valves on both of my coaches.

Good luck with your project!

Kevin

[thenewkid64]

Van,

The valve you have is a standard thetford valve. The real question is does it have the metal gate or a plastic one? I would bet it is the plastic one. The kits can be had with the seals only or with the blade. I would bet it is just the seals getting stiff and old that has hung up the valve. The removal of the screws will allow the valve to be split in half and the seals replaced WITHOUT having to cut any pipe. It will be tight but can be done. The seal kit that they have at the local RV place will have the complete kit for both kinds of valves.

Based on the locations of the screws I think a trip to the local tool store will be the first part pf the parts run to get an 90 degree ratcheted screwdriver. The screws are stainless.

Be careful with the seal that presses into the valve body it needs to be fully seated and it can be a bit of a bear to insert into the mounting groove.

[Van]

Thanks for the replies guys. I will get the model number of the valves and see about finding a couple rebuild kits.

[Van]

Well, that was the least fun project thus far.

I figured i would go the valve rebuild kit route and save myself some time and headaches by not removing the whole valve.



Wrong.



What ended up happening was that after a week of fighting the screws to get the valve body apart, which just happened to be placed right against the frame member, attempting to locate or craft specialty tools to get into that tight spot i gave up. The seasons first camping trip is this weekend and there are no hookups so i got drastic.

Paying a shop was out of the question so i used a direct route. I cut the valve body apart. I cut off the coupler that is moulded into the side of the valve at about the halfway point. Then i cut the 2" line leading to towards the drain out and the 1.5" line coming from the middle of the trailer. I removed the whole piece and rebuilt the valve with new gaskets and seals. Replaced the whole piece and after chiseling away the old couplers and glued in pieces reattached the lines and vavles with rubber couplers and screwed them down tight.


Here is a picture of the final product. Inelegant? Certainly. A repair a purist restorer or rv rebuilder would be embarassed of? Oh yeah. Fully functional and working well in time for the camping season? Affirmative!