draining freshwater tank

[bencamp]

After turning the white plastic petcock on the freshwater to drain it, water just trickles out extremely slow. It takes all day long to drain 50 gallons of water. Is there any way to speed this up or am I doing something wrong?

[CRH]

Run a wire up on the petcock and see if it's partially blocked.

[Yachthalo]

Ours needs to turn 180 degrees, not just the 90 like many other similar valves.

[ROBERT CROSS]

....... the drain is only 1/4" ID.....it WILL take awhile.

If our FW tank is full, even with the ball valve wide open it still takes 24hrs.


Bob

[david686]

I see and use the plastic drain valve, but what is the brass petcock valve on the bottom of the shielding for? Have not tried to force it open as the plastic drain valve does drain the tank.

[Wingeezer]

I suppose you could supplement the petcock drain with your fresh water pump if emptying time is a concern.

I have always just let mine take its own sweet time - even if we have to hit the road.

Maybe it might make following drivers wonder just what is coming from the trailer ahead that is sprinkling their windshield though!

Reminds me of a sewage pump- out truck I saw on the highway once that had a big sign painted on the back that said "That ain't water on your windshield lady!" - hopefully just to amuse people in following vehicles!

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by david686

I see and use the plastic drain valve, but what is the brass petcock valve on the bottom of the shielding for? Have not tried to force it open as the plastic drain valve does drain the tank.

Maybe your low point drain, but if so, I think there normally should be two close together (hot & cold lines), that is what is on our 2005 Classic anyway.

Brian.

[Gneiss Guy]

While we are talking about draining freshwater tanks, I could use some help. I have a 2011 FC 30. I was going to drain the freshwater tank after sanitizing the system, but I can't find the drain! I rolled around under the rig on my creeper and found no drains. Am I just not sufficiently observant? I had no trouble locating the drain valves on my 2007 Safari 25. All I see here are two plastic hose ends projecting through the belly pan. One was white and one red. No low-point drains either. Must I use the pump to empty the freshwater tank?

Richard

[TG Twinkie]

Have you looked inside above where the white and red hoses are located? Under some kind of cover or floor plate.
We bought a Nash trailer last year. It has a 1 1/2" valve for the fresh water dump. It is quick and easy to use. Plus it does a bit of flushing because of the volume. I think it is a definite improvement over the pet cock style. If I need to replace the tank on our Argosy I will certainly increase the fresh water dump valve size.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Gneiss Guy

All I see here are two plastic hose ends projecting through the belly pan. One was white and one red. No low-point drains either. Must I use the pump to empty the freshwater tank?

Richard

Red and white sounds like low point drains. Ours are at the right-rear corner but the valves are above, in the rear access. Our owner's manual says where the freshwater drain valve is, have you looked in the manual?

[Means jr]

Following

[DeltaRon]

Same problem with my 2015 FC 28. With water in the tank, I maneuvered a small length of plastic tubing in the drain hole and blew in it. Some black mold/moss looking stuff came out and water flowed strong. Only problem is that I have now sanitized 3 times with 6 ozs of Clorox and I'm still having to blow in plastic tube to clear whatever this black stuff is.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by DeltaRon

Same problem with my 2015 FC 28. With water in the tank, I maneuvered a small length of plastic tubing in the drain hole and blew in it. Some black mold/moss looking stuff came out and water flowed strong. Only problem is that I have now sanitized 3 times with 6 ozs of Clorox and I'm still having to blow in plastic tube to clear whatever this black stuff is.

If you've got black stuff - first ask yourself what kind of water are you using to FILL your tank? Sadly if you're running it through a bunch of filters you may be filtering out the small amount of city supplied chlorine which will prevent that kind of sediment - or black algae from forming.

You might try filling a glass gallon bottle with your regular fill water, sealing the lid and watching what happens to it over a week to 10 days - that'll tell you if the water is the problem.

I'd do the equivalent of a "shock treatment" like it's a swimming pool on the tank too. You don't want UNDILUTED bleach in your tank - but one time using a quart and filling the tank about 3/4 full then really agitating it for a 50 mile drive or so - then draining it completely would be good.

BTW - always OPEN the FILL when you're draining otherwise you're creating a vacuum in the tank, which could crack the fill tube or even damage the tank. If you're draining the tank and leaving it empty for a while you might even consider carefully angling the trailer so that there isn't any chance that any water remains IN it - or even blowing it out from above with a very modest amount of air pressure. Using your winterizing kit plug and a 12 volt tire pump would be my choice.

Paula

[peegreen]

I purchased the machined aluminum flange several years ago on ebay. I have purchased another Airstream and would like to replace the plastic valve with the aluminum flange, but it seems they are no longer available on ebay. Do you know of any sources?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by peegreen

I purchased the machined aluminum flange several years ago on ebay. I have purchased another Airstream and would like to replace the plastic valve with the aluminum flange, but it seems they are no longer available on ebay. Do you know of any sources?

This vender?

He is not a large volume shop, availability comes & goes, ck back periodically, it should re-appear.

Bob

[OTRA15]

Ditto to Paula's good advice. Airstreams are meant to be used which includes very regular use of the fresh water in the tank. We have become too enamored of full hookups, so folks are disregarding the standard operating procedures of keeping their tanks (fresh and waste) in tip-top operating shape.

Use it or lose it comes to mind.

The bleach treatments should also be pumped through all the plumbing lines as needed.

I would be careful here until the water is clearly OK again. Understanding the source cause of the black gunk, in a trailer which is only a couple of years old, must happen ASAP.

Good luck, and please let us know what you do.

Thanks,

Peter

PS Bob thanks for the reminder about the replacement fitting.