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Old 07-12-2022, 03:56 PM   #1
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2016 28' International
Trois-Rivieres , Quebec
Join Date: Jun 2018
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Protecting the trailer’s freshwater from road hazards and boondocking

Fresh water is essential when we are camping, especially if we are dry camping or boondocking. Many models carry 37 gallons or over 300 pounds of fresh water in their tank. Airstream designers understood that having a low center of gravity is key to a smooth ride so they put the freshwater tank in the frame between the axels with the drain spigot exiting between the two wheels in the wheel well.

When driving on pavement this is less of an issue but when driving on unpaved gravel roads there is a lot happening in that wheel well with one wheel shooting rocks up and a few inches away another wheel shooting them down.

I am aware of two cases of broken off spigots, both on a trip to Alaska and in my case while driving on the Lower North Shore of the St-Lawrence River where there was quite a bit of road work, a rock didn’t break it off but knocked the handle sufficiently to slowly start draining the tank. Thankfully I noticed it before the tank was empty (we were boondocking).

The first solution was to find some kind of cage to cover the spigot but finding none, I decided to build a little box of galvanized sheet metal. I made a cardboard model to figure out the size and the cut-out pattern with tabs for the rivets. Given there is a plate below the spigot (see first picture, click to see upright) the idea was to rivet the box to a hinge and rivet the hinge to the plate. I made it such that when closed (see second picture) it is tucked against the frame and I didn’t need any lock or catch. I used a woodworking vise to bend the sheet metal which I got from a hardware store's ventilation duct section.

Maybe JC will add a spigot protector as a standard feature in the future...
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Old 07-22-2022, 11:10 AM   #2
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2015 23' FB Flying Cloud
Aurora , Illinois
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Thank you for sharing. As a new 23FB owner, I noticed the location of this valve, and wondered the same thing.
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Old 07-22-2022, 11:18 AM   #3
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2015 27' FB International
2006 25' Safari FB SE
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Santa Fe , New Mexico
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Had to replace my spigot with a metal one after the plastic handle broke off while turning. Just a plastic tube and clamp on the backside.
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Old 07-23-2022, 09:20 AM   #4
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2019 27' International
2014 25' International
2006 23' Safari SE
Boulder City , Nevada
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I took a photo of the work I did on my Airstreams and it is on the Forum some years ago. I do not think there is a worse example of the use of plastic on any trailer at a location so exposed.

I took a strip of sheet metal, cut it to size, bent it, secure with a Gorilla Glue kind of paste that is permanent. Put it in FRONT of the valve and used something similar to Gorilla Glue to secured it forever. Gravel coming towards the plastic valve would be deflected by this 'deflector'. I also boxed in the valve and did the same in later models. The current I just did the front deflector and have had ZERO issues. It works and inexpensive.

These 'deflectors' hold and only my 2006 had the valve broken off flush. Airstream built a sheet metal containment around it... and I wonder why they do not do that for ALL AIRSTREAMS.

I noticed in 2007 that in the rear mirror a line of water in the road, following me. I stopped... yep... water tank draining.

I bought some small corks at a hardware store, used a wire between the two screws to hold the cork into the exposed hole... and this worked until Airstream replaced the valve and did the metal work to protect it.

Now you know my story and get to work.
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