Pressure Regulator?

[LawChick]

I have a question and can't find the answer in the forums.

We have a 92 29-foot Excella Classic and I am wondering if there is any type of pressure regulator built into the plumbing? Probaby not, eh?

On our last trip, we were using an external one we've been using since we got our trailer. It failed. We were reduced to a tiny stream of water in the trailer. I got irritated trying to live that way and told hubs to just hook the dadgum (said worse!) thing up to city water. Well, we didn't really check the water pressure and it was a very large well-developed park that we stay at in the winter. Pretty good pressure- in fact I was horrified when we unhooked and I turned it on. Strong!

Later - maybe a day or so - we noticed water slowly dripping out of the bottom on the street side and discovered a leak in (I guess it's pex, gray plastic?) going behind the cabinet by the bed. Of course, the dang floor is wet.

Husband (REBurt) thinks it was leaking before we took out the stopped up exterior pressure regulator. I'm not so sure.

Questions: Did hooking up directly to city water cause the leak? Having a little water pressure was nice. The external has always caused very low pressure.

Is there anything in the trailer to regulate pressure without it?

I think the leak is at an elbow joint. Is there a product that will likely fix a small leak without us having to re-plumb it (JV Weld or like? And I have some epoxy plumbing gook?).

It's camping season! Don't want to get in a big ole repair job and don't want to let it spend the best of spring in the RV service department.

Thanks for any help.

[noreen&sal]

Sharkbite fittings=plumbing for dummies. I always have some for the house and AS. I never found a reducer in my trailer, and use an external one. Sal.

[barts]

Earlier Airstreams certainly have water pressure regulators on the city water supply. I would not be surprised if there was one on yours as well.

The gray plastic is likely polybutylene, and is prone to leaking. Sorry.


http://www.airforums.com/forums/f443...mbing-150.html

- Bart

[azflycaster]

Airstreams have pressure regulators built into the plumbing. The grey stuff is most likely not PEX, but most likely Polybutylene which was a disaster in home applications because of leaks.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by LawChick

I have a question and can't find the answer in the forums.

We have a 92 29-foot Excella Classic and I am wondering if there is any type of pressure regulator built into the plumbing? Probaby not, eh?

Carol.

I checked in the Airstream parts book for your 1992 29 foot ambassador.

Yes indeed, it was equipped from the factory, with a water pressure regulator.It doesn't say where it's located, but it is specified.

The top of it looks like a right side up bell, about 3 inches tall.

Andy

[twobikes]

RELATED INCIDENT. Earlier this year we were in Florida and I found a wet floor in the storage compartment. It had happened before, leaving the insulation surrounding the water heater soaking and draining slowly on to the vulnerable floor. a lot of air directed in there from the reversed vacuum cleaner dried it up. Then it appeared in the same way a year later. I scheduled an appointment with the nice folks at Sanders Airstream. The tech was kind enough to try to explain the problem to me over the phone. BLESS HIM.
He told me that local state parks have hellishly good water pressure and it even creeps higher at night when demand lessens. AND that brass thingy on the water spigot s NOT another water pressure regulator as I thought, but an anti-siphon valve. I was not doubly protected as I thought. He says it is common for add-on regulators to be overwhelmed and until the pressure exceeds the water heater relief valve setting, it will find a weak connection in the plumbing and start leaking.
I dried out, put my redundant add-on regulator back on and even started using the onerous water pump for late night water requirements(with the city water turned off at the hydrant). I have not had a repeat of the leak.

I again thank the nice folks at Sanders and hope this helps others.

[slowmover]

As part of the lines, looks about like one of these:




NOT like one of these:

[casa3805]

Law Chick,
We have an older trailer and one of the first problems we encountered after our purchase was with the water pressure. Ours blew out a pop off valve and caused a steady stream of water to come out a drain line under the back of the trailer if "any" pressure was on. Pretty sure it was designed to blow if the pressure got too high to avoid other damage and it was a relatively easy fix and no water inside the trailer. Hate to hear yours got you at a fitting in the pipes.. ahh well, now I always have a regulator at the supply. (even though there is one built into my trailer...somewhere) (-:

[Beaker63]

Hey. Carol,
Sometimes if.you.forget to.put the cap on the water input those sneaky little snakes crawl into the plumbing. Yuk
Tim

[LawChick]

You guys are like elephants! You never forget! Somehow it always comes down to a doggoned snake! LOL

Thanks everyone who gave me real answers! I'm going out to the traylah today for look for something that might be a regulator, but weighing your responses, I'm sort of resigned to continuing to using an exterior one - much as I hate to!

And yes, ya'll, I do still think about sneaky snakes when I'm digging around in blind places under the kitchen sink or looking for something in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. However, I keep a close lookout~so it ain't likely. If it ever happens, I'll be on here asking how to patch the holes I blow in my beloved traylah, cause I'll shoot, probably more than once. Probably empty my Glock. Eh, 15 holes.

Friend of mine had a copperhead in his yard. Said he did the snake community a favor by killing it, cause there was something wrong with it anyway. Seems it couldn't digest lead! LOL

Thank you very much, my turkey friends, for keeping my phobias in mind!

[casa3805]

Originally Posted by LawChick

Somehow it always comes down to a doggoned snake! LOL

If it ever happens, I'll be on here asking how to patch the holes I blow in my beloved traylah, cause I'll shoot, probably more than once. Probably empty my Glock. Eh, 15 holes.
LOL

You are not the only one with a snake phobia. I remember fishing in a friends boat when a cottonmouth dropped out of a branch and into the boat. Bob picked up a paddle and swung that thing mercilessly, broke the windshield, broke a light, smacked the trolling motor, beat on the sides of the boat, and FINALLY, hit the snake and got it out.
I remember asking why he lost it so bad...His answer, "If I had had a shotgun I would have sunk us!"
I'm with you. Shoot. A lot. But not in a boat because then you are swimming with it...

And yes, suffer with the cheap walmart regulators.

[sandlapper]

Carol, mine has the regulator built into the backside of the city water inlet, inside the nite stand there on the road side. They are available in at least 2 preset pressures, don't remember the numbers. They are prone to leaking. There is an o-ring in there if you take it out, separate the halves..or replace the entire thing. Not a big job. john

[jimmyroy]

i just purchased a 1992 29 foot excella and living in a RV camp. i noticed a small drip in the same area you mentioned 2 days ago. This was not dripping when i purchased but just started since i moved into the rv park. can you provide any further insight if you have fixed the problem and if so how did you get to the pipe for repair?

Thanks
Jimmy Mc

[sandlapper]

Jimmy, if the leak is coming from the back side of the city water inlet, it is the built in regulator. It is inside the nitestand on queen bed models and I suppose under the bed on the twin models. It can be replaced easily or taken apart from the inside while still in place, and replace the "o" ring inside. Be sure to check the fitting first, it could be just lose, causing a leak.

John

[jimmyroy]

Any chance you might have a schematic of the fresh water system? my manual has everything else but good plumbing schematics.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by jimmyroy

Any chance you might have a schematic of the fresh water system? my manual has everything else but good plumbing schematics.

There are many plumbing, electrical, etc, schematics.

For what year and length?

There are far to many variations between different models.

Andy

[sandlapper]

I believe his post was concerning a '92 29'.