Fix Plastic Plumbing Problems--It's a Snap!

It started out like a "B Grade" horror movie: Water was spotted on the floor near the shower. "Hey," says I, "Looks like we need to get a better tub mat. There's water on the floor here." Of course the reply had to be, "Not me, Big Boy. I completely towel off before I get out of the shower."

A little later that morning the disconcerting report came: "Hey! There's water squishing up from between the flooring pieces in front of the refrigerator!" A quick check revealed that we had more than a problem, Houston, we had a major plumbing leak. A closer examination revealed that the plastic fitting leading out of the water pump had cracked through, and water was making its way under the "Pergo" type flooring and squishing up wherever pressure was applied.

Our fulltime unit is a circa 1980's fifth wheel equipped with that nasty old gray plastic plumbing tubing that caused so much trouble a few years ago. Happily, a fix isn't all that difficult, and since there's so much of it out there, fittings aren't too hard to find. Maybe you can learn from our repair.

First, cut the water off--turn off the pump, or if you're connected, the 'city water' supply. While the tubing can be cut with a real sharp knife, or with a fine toothed hack saw, the best tool for the job is a PVC tubing cutter. You can pick one up at the big box hardware store for about ten bucks. Just be careful and don't get too close to the fitting like I did--some have metal sleeves inside the tubing and it'll chew the dickens out of your new tubing cutter blades in a hurry. Cut off the fitting (or open up the offending portion of tubing) squarely. If you use alternative tools, make sure you "clean up" any burrs with sandpaper.

A quick trip to Quartzsite's finest hardware store--Herb's--set me up with a new water pump elbow. Tubing replacement fittings built for the job are plastic, and a have a coupler wherever the fitting meets up with tubing. Remove the coupler, slide it down over the tubing, and shove the fitting down into the tubing with a twisting motion until it "seats" down all the way to the neck of the fitting. Now screw the coupler onto the threaded portion of the fitting and hand tighten. After you hit the "hand tightened" point, give it a little more torque--up to one-third more turn and the fitting's in place.

Turn your water pressure back on and check the job. It's a snap!

"Folgers" P-Trap Solution May Help Tank Stink

For those whose RV is connected to a drain most of the time, you probably keep your gray water valve open. At times a smelly little problem arises: Sewer gases can come back up the sewer hose, into your gray tank, and slow migrate their way up the through the tank and out the roof vent. At times those same evil essences can somehow re-infiltrate your RV with a negative impact on your olfactory organs.

Worse still, if there are any "vague" connections in your gray water venting system, those nasty little essences can also make their creeping way out, carrying not just the odor of gray water (as bad as that is) but with a direct connection to the city sewer (or local septic system) that REALLY horrific scent of black water can invade your premises.

What to do? Enter the Folgers P-Trap solution: If you leave your sewer hose connected and the dump valve open, stick a P-trap between the sewer and you. Simply obtain a coffee can (or a large rock, and make a bend in your sewer hose, as illustrated in the photo here. Gray water will advance over the bend, but the water trapped in the hose on the "rig side" of the coffee can will prevent the odoriferous fumes from crossing over.

Mind you, when you dump your black water you'll want to temporarily remove the coffee can to allow a free-flow of black water, etal, to make the trip down the sewer unimpeded.

Spring Cleaning Time for Fresh Water Tanks

If your RV has been sitting "in the mothballs" all winter and you're readying it for travel season, don't neglect the fresh water tank. It only takes about one mouth of "yecchh!" water to convince you that water can go stale. What's to do? Well, this is the same trick we recommend when you buy an RV prior to using it.

You'll need to completely drain your fresh water holding tank, and run the water pump until all water is out of the system. If your water heater is "in the circuit" (meaning not winterized, but holding water) drain it too, using the drain cock on the heater. Of course, you've shut it off first.

Determine the fresh water tank's capacity--easy if you have the rig's owner manual. If not, locate the fresh water tank and measure it. Break down the feet and inches to decimals, i.e., a 4' 6" run is 4.5' Multiply the height, width, and depth figures to come up with total cubic feet of capacity. Now multiply the capacity times 7.48051945, which is the conversion factor for cubic feet to gallons.

With gallon capacity on hand, drag out the household bleach--NOT the scented variety. In a clean container, a one gallon cleaned juice jug is ideal, pour 1/4 cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of tank capacity. Top off the jug with clean, fresh water. We had a careful reader warn us to only add bleach to water--we've got a call into a bleach manufacturer for clarification. If you're concerned, pour "guestimate" how much room you'll need in the jug for the bleach and put the water in first. We'll post our research results as soon as they become available on the "bleach last" issue.

Be sure your fresh water drain valve is closed (and the water heater if applicable, and pour this bleach solution into the holding tank. Now completely fill the fresh water holding tank with clean, fresh water. At this point if you can, move your RV around the block to thoroughly swish and mix the solution in the tank.

Now turn on the water pump and pump the bleach solution through all the plumbing. You'll know when you've pumped enough as you should smell the bleach solution at the fixture. Let solution stand in the plumbing and fresh water tank overnight. Next day, drain the fresh water tank (and again, water heater if applicable), and refill the fresh tank with clean, fresh water. If you're concerned about the chlorine taste or odor, mix up a solution of 1 quart of cider vinegar for every five gallons of tank capacity and dump it in the fresh tank, repeating the same process you did for the bleach job.