Sanitize your RV fresh water tank before it's too late

SUREflo is a name RVers are familiar with because they make water pumps. I was talking with SUREflo rep Wendell Sheldon at an RV rally about the issue of sanitizing fresh water tanks. He shared the following photos showing how bacteria will contaminate a fresh water system when not sanitized on a regular basis.Failure to sanitize your fresh water system will result in bacteria contamination with a rotten egg or sulfur like oder. If you drink it you're jeopardizing your health and compromising your water pump components. If you keep your fresh water tank, lines and faucets sanitized on a regular basis you'll extend the life of your water pump.

SUREflo recommends sanitizing your fresh water system prior to storage and before using the RV again after a long period of storage. If you're a full-timer I recommend every six months. Before you start this procedure I recommend removing any filters and cleaning the water pump catch screen.

The procedure for sanitizing is as follows:
1. Multiply gallons of tank capacity by 0.13 (liters of tank capacity by 1.0); the result is the ounces (milliliters) of bleach needed to sanitize the tank.
2. Mix into solution the proper amount of bleach within a container of water.
3. Disconnect from city water and pour the solution into the fresh water tank (using a funnel with a flexible hose attached) and fill the tank with potable water. Note: wear old clothes as bleach has a tendency to ruin new clothing.
4. Open all faucets (hot and cold - including the exterior shower) allowing the water to run until the distinct odor of chlorine is detected. Close the faucets and allow the solution to remain in the pipes.
5. The standard solution must have four (4) hours of contact time to disinfect completely. Doubling the solution concentration allows for contact time of one (1) hour.
6. When the contact time is completed, drain the tank. Refill with potable water and purge the plumbing of all sanitizing solution by opening all faucets until you do not detect the smell of chlorine.

This procedure is approved by RVIA ANSI A119.2 and the U.S. Public Health Service and by Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing.

Contaminated water pump photos courtesy of SHREflo.

RV water extender makes boondocking more fun

To limit fuel expenses, full time RVers Dale and Lisa Forsythe try not to travel too much. They save money by staying at Bureau of Land Management dry camping areas during winter. To assist them with their boondocking lifestyle they added an additional solar panel, doubled the battery bank and added a smaller inverter to use with electric appliances that didn't require the use of the larger inverter. But the most significant upgrade was the addition of a 65 gallon fresh water tank to the back of their Pick-up. He hooks up this auxillary tank directly to his fresh water city connection. In order to move the fresh water from the back of his truck through the city connection he installs a water pump between them. He taps into his 12 volt battery bank with these jumper cable type clamps. Then he hooks the hose up to his rig and the big tank and flips the switch. The 12 volt water pump is a demand pump so it only runs when they turn on the water inside the rig. The big tank fits neatly behind the truck cab just in front of the 5th wheel hitch. When they go to town to shop they stop and fill it up. Having the extra 65 gallons makes their boondocking lifestyle much more enjoyable. They've been at this going on five years now and are having a blast. Squeezing every drop out of the RV adventure - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Flushing the water heater is essential RV maintenance

I know you’ve been putting it off, but now that the good weather is here it’s time to do essential RV maintenance. One of the best things you can do for your hot water system is flush the hot water tank. This procedure rids the tank of dirt and mineral solids and is easy to perform. First be sure that the electric and gas switches to the hot water heater are off. Next turn on the hot water at the kitchen faucet and allow it to run until it is cool to the touch. This will ensure that the water inside the tank is cool enough that it will not scald you. Turn off the water pump and shut off the city water supply. Open the water heater compartment door and locate the drain plug. On my Atwood the drain plug is nylon but on the Suburban models it is a metal plug which also has an anodized core. You will need to purchase a replacement plug for these models prior to performing this procedure. Open the drain plug with a suitable wrench and allow the water to drain out. If you want it to drain faster you can open the temperature control valve. You may need to use a wire of screw driver to help break up any solids that plug the drain opening. After the tank has drained turn on the city water and allow it to run through the hot water heater for approximately five minutes. Rinse off the residue. turn off the city water, replace the plug and turn on the hot water faucet at the kitchen sink to expel the air and refill the tank. Turn on the heating element switch and you are done. With my warmest regards - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Lemon Pledge Good For Wood And The RV Toilet

Today RV Now completes story 500. That represents a lot of typing on my part and reading on your part. A great big THANK YOU to all my readers and to many of you who have encouraged me in the comments section. I would also like to thank Chuck Woodbury and the entire staff at RVtravel.com for their fervent support in this endeavor. Hopefully we will continue down the RV road together for many years to come.
Alright, I know you are anxious to know why Lemon Pledge is good for the RV toilet. I was at an RV dealership and was talking to a knowledgeable RV tech about my leaking water seal on my RV toilet. I have a Sea/Land type toilet that uses a rubber gasket and a foot operated ball lever. The plastic ball moves back and forth across a rubber donut shaped disk and is supposed to trap the water in the bowel when closed. The trapped water prevents noxious odors from entering the RV which is a very good thing. He told me that if the seal was not cut or the ball not gouged, then I may be able to clean around the rubber seal and treat it with Lemon Pledge. He says that years ago before Dometic bought out the Sea/Land toilet company they used to tell you this in the owners manual.

I turned off the water, opened the ball and pushed the rubber seal down about one quarter inch with my fingers (I recommend using rubber gloves for this procedure). I used the blade of a screwdriver and carefully scraped all the Arizona hard water build-up off the top of the rubber seal being careful not to puncture or tear the seal. Soaking it down with Lemon Pledge was easy, just push down on the seal and spray it. Let it set for five or ten minutes and then turn on the water and test it. Now my toiled retains water and my wood is happy to get the Lemon Pledge leftovers. Next I'll show you how to make plutonium out of household chemicals - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Free Yourself From A Dribbling RV Shower

RV showers come with a device called a “vacuum breaker” which supposedly prevents back-flow into your fresh water system. When you shut water off at the shower head and the faucet valves remain open, contaminated water could seep back into your fresh water system. I personally don’t care about this because we don’t allow our shower-head to become contaminated in the first place. Most RV manuals say this dribbling is “normal” and means the unit is working properly. Do the water saver shower-heads used in regular house bathrooms dribble? They do not, so why do we need a dribbling shower in our RV wasting precious hot water? You also need to replace the shower head with one that does not dribble. Once these two items are replaced your dribbling days are over. Vacuum breakers made from plastic and frequently fail as ours did this week. The above photo shows the plastic vacuum breaker compared next to the free flowing "D" Spud.I decided to replace the cheap plastic shower faucet with a nice brass fixture from Phoenix Faucets. These are among the best RV fixtures you can buy. Visit their website here: Phoenix Faucets.

This article will show you step by step how to remove and replace your shower faucet and replace the vacuum breaker with a non-dribbling “D” Spud (also from Phoenix Faucets). I will discuss shower heads in a later post.

Begin by turning off the water to the RV including the water pump. Next locate the access panel behind the shower and remove the retaining screws exposing the plumbing. Remove the shower hose from the vacuum breaker. Unscrew the hot and cold water connectors and remove the plastic retaining nuts holding the faucet in place (I attached a bungee cord around the water lines so I could retrieve them if they fell to the side behind the wall). Push the fixture into the shower stall enough so you are able to finish extracting it from inside the shower. Remove the faucet and clean the shower wall around the faucet.

Prepare the new faucet for installation by removing the vacuum breaker that came with the unit. Put plumber’s dope or teflon tape around the threads of the “D” Spud. If you use teflon tape be sure to trim the excess off so it does not block the water flow. Install the “D” Spud using an allen wrench, star wrench or a large flat blade screwdriver. Place the black plastic mounting flange on the new faucet. Insert the new faucet through the existing 4 inch center holes. You may want to coat the mounting flange with clear caulking prior to insertion. Screw on the new plastic retaining nuts by hand until the faucet is firmly in place. Replace the hot and cold water connectors making sure the rubber gaskets are in place inside the water connectors.

Reattach the shower-head hose and turn on the water. Before you “button up” the back cover place a dry paper towel around each of the water connectors and turn on the shower allowing the water to run. Remove the paper towel making sure it is completely dry. If it's wet you either need to tighten the connectors or replace the gaskets. When you are satisfied everything is dry and working reinstall the back cover and put your wife’s stuff back where you found it.

Helping keep your RV lifestyle dribble-free - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

The Good and Bad of RV Clear Sewer Connections

Emptying RV holding tanks is more efficient with spray flushing systems. Simply connect a water hose to the wash-out connector and it rinses your tank without having to go inside the RV. Having a clear sewer connection is also helpful because you know your black tank is clean when you see clear water passing through the connection. These see-through connectors come in several configurations. The bad part about these clear connectors is that they are made from acrylic and don’t last as long as the plastic variety. When I emptied my sewer today I noticed a small leak around the clear connection clips. Upon closer examination two of the bayonet retaining clips had broken off. These clear acrylic sewer connectors are great but they will eventually become brittle and break. If you use these connectors it’s a good idea to visually inspect the clips for cracks. You clearly don’t want to deal with a hazardous spill - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

Take Control Of Your RV Hoses

Attached to the RV like an umbilical cord, the white water hose is an RV essential. These hoses are white because they stand up to ultra violet radiation and it prevents you from accidentally using a contaminated hose. I carry green hoses for cleaning out the sewer and washing the rig. Before I used Coil n’ Wrap my hose would twist and kink. Now I can roll it up quickly and easily for a neat uniform coil that fits perfectly in my storage compartment. The package comes with instructions or you can watch my video below. Put the Velcro strap on the female side of the hose. Insert the male end through the smaller of the holes in the rubber keeper and slide it back 3 or 4 feet on the hose. Make a coil and insert the male end through the keeper to hold it in place. Use a hand over hand technique to roll the hose into a coil. Screw the ends together and then wrap the Velcro strap around the coil to secure it for storage. You can purchase these from Coil n’ Wrap. Helping you work out the kinks - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

RV Odors Gone With the Wind

RVers have been using wind directed vent caps for a couple years. These directional vent caps are great but the Xtreme Vent by Coil n’ Wrap is the ultimate venting system. Meet Ken Wilton owner of Coil n’ Wrap. You may have visited with Ken and his wife Judy at a recent RV show as they frequently demonstrate their products at these events. Judy introduced me to this great new product. These vents replace conventional vent caps on the roof of your RV. They work all the time whether your RV is traveling or stationary. Unlike the cheaper plastic models, they’re made of powder-coated aluminum and have a 2 year warranty. They work better because they are open on the front with a funnel design creating a venturi effect. The venturi effect actively vents odors from your tank and brings oxygen into the tank promoting natural enzymatic decomposition. They come in two colors, white and charcoal. And best of all they're made in the U.S.A. I recommend putting one of these on both your black water and gray water vents. Xtreme Vent will fit most RV vent pipes, but if your vent pipe is too short order the coupler and follow the easy installation instructions. Read more about their great products at Coil n’ Wrap. Ken and Judy Wilton are great folks and veteran RVers. They sell innovative RV products that will make your RVing experience easier and more enjoyable. Watch the video as I show you how I installed the Xtreme Vent on my RV.

Helping you stay odor free and acceptable in public - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing

All RVers Should Pick Up A Water Thief

Years ago I parked our RV in a state campground forgetting to fill the fresh water tank. I thought, "No problem, I'll just run a hose from the water faucet and fill it up." I unrolled the hose, put the fill nozzle on the male end, crammed it in the fill hole and marched off to the faucet with the female end. When I reached down to screw in the hose connector, the threads were missing. Apparently state and federal parks believe it's not a good idea to have threads on their campground water faucets. Not knowing what to do I just held the hose over the end of the faucet and forced water to trickle into my holding tank while half of it showered me in the process. Later I discovered a simple invention that would have saved me a lot of frustration, it's called the "Water Thief" and is available at your local RV parts store. When you need to use an unthreaded faucet you stick the Water Thief on the end of the faucet and tighten down the hose clamp to hold it in place. When I use high pressure I place a hose clamp on the male adapter end and at the faucet end to hold it tightly in place. Thread you hose onto the Water Thief and you're in business. If you're not using a lot of water pressure the Water Thief will usually stay snugly in place on the faucet without using the hose clamp.I've used my Water Thief many times in campgrounds and especially at dump stations where I want to attach a clean-out hose to my sewer flushing system. Many dump stations have water wash-out hoses with a brass tube at the business end making it impossible to attach a regular hose unless you have the Water Thief. You can pick these up for less than six bucks and at that price it's a steal! Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing.

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Looking For Answers About RV Water Filter Systems

RVers encounter different water quality every time they change campgrounds. Since you don’t know what kind of water you have, you need to consider a water filter system for your rig. Some folks use a dual filter system that uses a first stage sediment filter followed by a second stage charcoal filter. Others, like me, just use a sediment filter. I recently turned on a water spigot at a fair ground RV site and a hand-full of sand came out with the first few spurts of water. This kind of sediment will quickly plug up your shower head and faucets. It’s always a good idea to run some water out of the spigot at a new campsite prior to actually hooking up to it. I’ve used many kinds of water filter systems for RVing and have settled on a personal preference of using a sediment filter in conjunction with the Brita counter top charcoal filter for drinking water. We find this arrangement works well for us. The big issue for me is that whole house inline filters drastically reduce water flow, and I personally like to have some water pressure when I take a shower. I use a light weight sediment filter and change it every few months. You may have to change your filters more frequently depending on how dirty the water is where you’re camping. Be aware that if you are using a charcoal filter and your water begins to have a foul smell, then your filter is past due for a change. If you are not sure about the quality of the water at your new campsite, don’t drink it. It’s always best to purify it first through a charcoal filtration system of some kind. If you do this you won’t run the risk of getting sick and spoiling your outing.

Keeping you informed - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing, Dr. of RVology and ROAD Scholar

Prevent RV Sewer Spills With This New Device

As an RVer you've struggled with sewer hoses, fought with sewer caps that seemed like they were glued on and have engineered a miniature Great Wall of China in order to get a sewer hose to drain into a sewer receptacle that was too tall. How many times have you had your sewer elbow come out of the sewer receptacle? Sometimes this happens because your sewer hose doesn’t quite reach and it pulls out of it’s own accord. Other times it’s because the rock outcropping you formed over the elbow fell down. Sometimes back pressure from the RV Park sewage system causes the elbow to jump out of the receptacle. Meet the Sewer Saddle: This new invention allows you to stabilize your sewer elbow by essentially adding a weighted collar to the elbow. This is amazngly simple to use and it’s very light weight. For only $9.95 (including shipping and handling) you can’t go wrong. You can read more about it here:
RV Saddle
Watch this video I prepared to see just how easy it is to use and how effective it is at stabilizing your sewer hose elbow.
Keeping you informed AND entertained - Jim Twamley, Dr. of RVololy

Here is One Solution for Eliminating Holding Tank Odor in your RV

Rotating holding tank vent caps are a welcome addition for RVers. These vent caps were introduced to the market about five years ago and have been a big hit. They work by using natural wind currents to draw off the fumes from the holding tank. Because they have aerodynamic fins the nose always points in the direction of the wind so the fumes are not blown down the vent pipe. If you have a motorhome, this is especially good, because when you’re driving down the road and someone flushes, it doesn’t come back into the coach. If you’ve ever done this, you know what I’m talking about, and it isn’t pretty. Fire up this video I prepared and watch how easy it is to install. I did it in less than fifteen minutes.

Jim Twamley the RV Guy

RVers Find Ideas at Home Depot

Home Depot can be a great place for RVers to find useful stuff. These Goodyear water connectors are a good example. They are strong and flexible so you can use them when the hose bib is too close to the ground or in an awkward position. The on/off handles are large and easy to use.They are also handy for reorganizing your plumbing. This RVer uses these connectors in conjunction with check valves in his motorhome water service compartment. This way he only has to hook up one hose. I would use a seporate hose for your fresh water though, just to be safe.Many of the things you need to make your RVing experience more pleasant can be found at Home Depot or Lowes or Ace or True Value hardware stores. Jim Twamley

Can You Handle a Short History of The RV Toilet?

OK my fellow RVers, I’m on a roll today! There I was surrounded by porcelain thinking about where we got the idea for portable toilets. We’ve had stationary toilets even before we had stationary. When I was in Greece I saw an ancient public toilet that actually used running water to carry waste away. So the concept of the toilet was an early development. But, when did mankind invent the portable toilet? The old saying, “necessity is the mother of invention” was the driving force in the development of the portable toilet. Mining was the most likely first place where portable toilets were employed. There they were, a couple of ancient miners, far underground in a confined space with little ventilation, suddenly nature calls…somebody think of something quick! I think we have miners to thank for our modern day RV toilets. As early as the 1800s miners were using oar cars on rails to transport ore to the surface. These were pulled either by men or mules and the rails made it easy to move heavy loads. One of the earliest portable toilets that we have in museums is this two seater converted ore car. It had covers to hold the fumes at bay and had a wash out system. This was crude and offered little privacy, but when you are a mile underground it seems like the lap of luxury. Next we began making portable out-houses that could be used on the job site or at public events and then transported and drained at more appropriate locations. This idea caught on and someone got the bright idea to make a miniature version of this which was basically a seat with a container. It worked great as a honey bucket for tent campers and caught on in nursing homes as well. Now patients could use the commode right at their bedside and didn’t have to travel down a hall to the public facilities. Eventually someone developed the chemical reservoir cassette toilet which allowed longer holding times before one had to empty. So when RV’s started hitting the scene this idea was perfect for this new mode of camping. It was a natural transition because the holding tank idea had already been pioneered by miners and now RVers are the beneficiaries of this very practical idea. So the next time you use your RV toilet, you’ll be more appreciative of this technological marvel. Tanks for your readership. Jim

RV Water Pumps Wear Out Quickly When They Have to Work Harder

If you have a new RV and your water pump pressure goes south check your in-line water pump filter screen. Chances are it's filled with plastic shavings from when they drilled holes at the factory. If you have an older RV and your water pump pressure begins to taper off, check the in-line screen. Manufacturers put this screen in hard to reach places that make it very difficult to get a strong enough hand grip to get the cover off. I use a rubber strap wrench to turn the cover counter clockwise while holding the bottom of the housing with my other hand (you don’t want to snap off the housing from the water pump). Once you get the cover off you’ll know if you remembered to turn off the water pump, because if you didn’t, water will come gushing out. Once you've filled up your water pump compartment with excess water and turned off the pump take the screen out and clean it by running it under water. If the screen has mineral build up, soak it in vinegar to dissolve these deposits. Replace the clean screen and screw the cover back on clockwise. Now your water pump won’t have to work so hard and it should last longer. Jim

Prevent High Water Pressure From Ruining Your RV Plumbing

Some friends of ours returned one day to their camp site to find water running out from under the entrance door of their 5th wheel. I wish I had the picture to show you. RV plumbing is made up of plastic tubing that will only tolerate a certain amount of pressure until it ruptures. According to Murphy’s Laws of RVing, when a rupture occurs it’s usually in the most inconvenient and inaccessible place on your coach. The part to fix the leak costs less than $10.00 but the labor is somewhere around $400.00 if you’re lucky. There are some simple things you can do to prevent this kind of damage to your RV plumbing. Many RVs already have an internal water pressure valve installed near the city water entry point. Check you owners manual to see if you have this device already installed. If you don’t have one or aren’t sure, you can install your own water pressure regulator. You can purchase one at an RV store or you can make your own.Home Depot carries a ¾ inch adjustable water regulator. You will need to purchase garden hose adaptors to attach at each end of the regulator. Use a water pressure gauge to measure the pressure going into the coach and adjust it so you will achieve the best possible water pressure for your individual unit. (Note: Pressure adjustments will vary depending on the type of plumbing and fixtures you have in your coach.) Sometimes water pressure is affected by a plugged screen or a plugged water filter so be sure to check that these items are clear of debris when you adjust your regulator. Jim

Vinegar: Great On Salad, Hard On Minerals

Our kitchen faucet is one of those combo faucets that is both a regular flow and a sprayer on an extension that pulls out so you can get everything wet within six feet of the sink. When we purchased our coach the sprayer had only about seven working squirt holes (sprayers) due to mineralization. To solve this problem I simply soaked the faucet/sprayer in a cup of vinegar overnight. Do the same with your bathroom faucet screen (you’ll have to unscrew the retaining tip to get the bathroom faucet screen out). Vinegar dissolved the mineral build-up on my kitchen faucet and now it works like new. Vinegar is also a great solution to use for general purpose cleaning. You can clean just about anything with vinegar reducing the amount of cleaning supplies you need to carry in your RV. Just put about 1/8th portion of vinegar to water in a spray bottle and use it like you would Windex on windows, Spic-n-Span on bathrooms and floors or for brushing your teeth (just kidding about that, but hey, if you have a mineral build-up in there…) I hear that vinegar makes a good salad dressing too. If you have more ideas on how to use vinegar, let us know in the “comment” section below. Jim

Learn What A Macerator Can Do For You!

Want to stay on a relatives property in the comfort of your RV but can’t because your holding tanks won’t let you? Want to stay at a pristine campground for more than a few days but can’t because your holding tanks won’t let you? Well, perhaps it’s time you purchased a macerator. A macerator connects to your RV sewer drain. You open the valve and turn on the macerator and it chews up the sewage with blades (kind of like a blender) and then sends the small particles out a garden hose.I’ve used mine as far as 150 feet up a small incline. I use it to empty both the black water and grey water tanks. This allows us to stay at campgrounds that do not have full hook-ups for longer periods of time. It’s not as convenient as full hook-ups, but it much faster and more efficient than using a blue boy. The trick is to park close enough to the dump station to do this. I’ve also run the hose into a bathroom window and down into the toilet – it works great! Here, I’m dumping my grey water into a grey water drain – notice the great water pressure this unit has. This unit operates on 12 volts DC and has a handy plunger style switch. It comes with its own carrying case and is easy to use

I Could Always Count On My RV Tank Level Gauge To Lie… Until Now

I’ve never met an honest RV tank level gauge. In fact I’m not sure why RV manufacturers even bother to install them. In all of my RV’s I could always count on my tank readings to be false. With every new RV I purchased, I secretly hoped that this time they would be accurate, but alas, no joy! Now, with the invention of SeeLevel sensor technology by Garnet Instruments we can actually get accurate tank readings – no lie! Don Shapansky was using this technology in commercial and industrial applications for fuel tanks, tank trucks, oil refineries and other tanks. After he purchased his first RV and the tank sensors “lied” to him, he decided to apply this commercial technology to his RV tanks. SeeLevel sensors use a radio signal to determine the height of a liquid in a holding tank. It is an AM signal to be exact and using capacitance it measures the radio waves to determine the fluid level. When the AM signal is sent through the side wall of the tank and enters fluid it “curls” back and tells the sensor where the fluid level is precisely located. You can install this system yourself. The sender unit is mounted on a flexible ribbon which has a special adhesive developed by 3M for this particular application. All you do is clean off the area on the tank where you are going to affix the sender strips, peel of the backing and stick them on. You can hook these senders together for whatever height your tank is and you can cut them to length. The other great thing about the ease of installation is the fact that you can hook three separate tanks onto two wires because of a common bus. You can use the existing wire from your previous readout gauge. This system is digital, not analog, and is self calibrating so it just doesn’t get any better than this! Call them at (817) 578-8601 or visit them on the web: SeeLevel

Automatic Hose Reel Keeps You Tangle Free

I've often thought how nice it would be to have an automatic hose reel on my RV. Just pull out the length of hose I need and when I'm ready to go just push a button and it automatically retrieves the hose. I recently did a story about the Glendinning RLC Cablemaster power cord storage system and yes, they also have an automatic hose reel that costs $375.00. It will accommodate 50 feet of 5/8" water hose and can be mounted in many different configurations.Click on the video below for a retrieval demonstration:




It comes with a handy template so you can easily install this system yourself. You will find directions and ordering information here: Glendinning Website

Hose Kinked? Get Organized With This Do It Yourself Hose Rack

John and Barbra Thompson have been full time RVers for 12 years and live in a Travel Supreme 5th Wheel. John retired from the Army as a CW-4 combat engineer. He designed and built this PVC hose and filter rack himself.
A bungee cord holds the center together as the middle PVC joints are not glued but allowed to pivot freely. Here you can see that the bungee cord also holds the filter assembly in place.The hose on the rack also acts to hold the rack together. Short lengths of light weight chain are used for width restraint.Barbra puts the rack up against the 5er slide when it is windy to prevent it from blowing over. The front legs are split with two 45 degree elbows that are permanently glued in place. This effectively enlarges the “footprint” of the rack giving it more stability.

RV Water Heater Replacement

Jim and Joy McClain have owned and enjoyed this nice Contessa motorcoach for nine years. Jim likes to do preventative maintenance and knew his water heater was on its last legs, so he opted to replace it while he was parked by his friend Wayne Kingston who also happens to be an RV Technician. Since they purchased a pre-owned motorhome, the water heater was nine years old and they also wanted to kick up the electric power from 700 watts to around 1500 watts – more than doubling the heating capacity.
Replacing a water heater is not difficult if you have the time and inclination to do it yourself. They ordered this nice unit for around $500 clams. It is a complete unit so all you have to do is basically swap it out with the old one. First you turn off the propane and 12 volt electric to the water heater, and unplug the unit from the 110 volt electric plug (or in many cases disconnect the romex wiring that connects the heater to 110 voltage). Then you remove the door/cover and decorative trim. Drain out the water, being careful not to burn yourself. Next disconnect the propane connection and push the copper pipe through the hole, then emove the retaining screws on the metal frame.

Take a look at this water heater installed in a Yellowstone 5th Wheel – how is it secured? That’s right there is a strip of plumber’s tape wrapped around it. This was the same for the water heater inside the Contessa motorcoach. The problem is that we (yes I helped) could not reach the area where the water heater was secured by the tape, so we removed the metal frame on the old water heater, broke off the surrounding Styrofoam insulation and were able to get a screwdriver in to remove the screws that were holding the plumber’s tape in place. Vice-grips make good handles when removing the old unit.This is what the old tank looked like. The Contessa motorcoach has flexible hoses which allow for the tank to be pulled out. Some models will require you to become a contortionist and reach around two or three obstacles in order to remove the pipe fittings.Wayne reused the power cord, but he put new electric connectors on before reattaching it to the new unit. Before setting the new unit into the hole, Wayne installed new elbow connectors into the back of the new tank along with a new anti-siphon valve. He treated the threads with RectorSeal 5 (a thread treatment that helps prevent leaks – other products may be used here as well – it’s a personal preference). As a side note, the previous anti-siphon valve was not working properly and was actually restricting water flow to the point that they didn’t have hot water to the bathroom sink and they had to use the water pump as an assist to get enough water pressure to take showers. Replacing this defective anti-siphon valve solved those problems. Set the unit up near the opening on a ladder or just have someone strong hold it there while you re-connect the 12 volt connectors, water hoses (make sure you connect the hot to hot and cold to cold), connect the 110 volt power cord and pull the feed string through the propane line opening. Notice that Wayne is pulling the propane supply line back through the hole in the new unit with the feed string that he previously tied to it for this purpose. Here is a picture of the propane supply pipe with the string attached. After attaching the propane supply line to the pressure fitting (no pipe dope or Teflon tape required since it is a pressure fitting) turn the propane supply back on and test the fitting connection for leaks using a solution of soapy water. If you see bubbles emerging from around the fitting, check to see that it is threaded correctly then tighten it some more being careful not to over-tighten the fitting. Now turn on the electric and fire it up to make sure everything works. Secure the metal frame with a few screws and re-attach the decorative trim and cover/door. Now go take a hot shower – all your neighbors will love you for it. Jim

Kitchen Faucet Replacement Is Easy !

I wanted to put in a new kitchen faucet with a spray attachment. Several people told me that I couldn’t just go to Home Depot and buy a faucet because it had to be a special RV faucet.

Well, I went to a RV dealership and the parts guy said, “I can sell you one for $150 or you can go to Home Depot and get one a lot cheaper.” So I did. And guess what? It fit perfectly, works well, cost less and looks great!

If you can assemble a toy, you can put in a new faucet. Here is what you do; first look under your sink and determine whether it has 3 holes. These holes will be 4 inches on center (so if you measure from the middle of the center hole to the center of the outside holes it should measure 4 inches on each side. From the center of the outside holes will equal 8 inches. So buy a faucet that will fit your sink. Next you assemble the tools you will need. You’ll need a flashlight, a pair of small channel-lock pliers and a 7/16 socket or nut wrench and some Teflon tape.Alright now go turn off the water to the coach (and the water pump) and go under the sink and unscrew the water supply and then unscrew the plastic retaining nuts on the existing faucet (pictured abobe), take it out and clean the surface of the sink. Use your thumbnail to scrape off the crud, don't use a razor blade on a fiberglass sink because it will scratch it.Next you insert the new faucet plate and screw on the plastic retaining nuts (hand tight is fine). Now you are ready to insert the faucet itself. HERE IS WHERE I MADE A MISTAKE. I didn’t think about putting the Teflon tape onto the faucet threads until after I put it in place. Soooooo, put the Teflon tape on BEFORE you put it in place because it is a tight space under your sink and hard to put on the tape while doing contortion exercises. After you put the faucet in place and secure it with the retaining washer you are ready to attach the hot and cold tubes. Just screw on the hot and cold water supply (be sure to hook the hot to hot and cold to cold – they may be marked like this - red = hot side, black or blue or no color tape = cold side). Attach the sprayer hose and tighten it with channel lock pliers – just get it snug, don’t torque it on until you break it off.

Now go outside and turn on your water supply and then start using your sink. There, wasn’t that easy? It took about 20 minutes. Jim

Gray Water Overflow Danger

Try not to make this mistake! I only drain the black tank (the main sewer tank) about once a week. When I do this I close the gray water valves. One gray water valve goes to the kitchen sink and the other goes to the bathroom sink and shower stall. I close these drains because if I don’t the smell from the black tank filters up through the gray lines and into the coach. Not pleasant!

When I had finished dumping the black water tank, I closed the black water tank valve and went back inside and washed up. OK, so what’s the problem? Well, I forgot to re-open the gray water tanks so that they would continuously drain.

We took showers and my wife did several loads of laundry. Luckily I opened the shower for something and found that the shower gray water tank was completely full and had backed up into the shower to the point that it was about to overflow.

This would have been quite a mess – all because I forgot to re-open the gray water valves. Fortunately for me I avoided a night in the doghouse because I caught it in time.

I wanted to show you this shower basin so you can see how it is constructed. You see the lip around the edge? This lip raised about one inch above the crown of the shower basin. The wall of the shower comes down over this lip and water run-off is prevented from seeping behind the shower wall. My RV tech told me that no caulking should be used between this lip and the shower wall. The reason is to allow air to circulate behind the shower wall and aid in preventing the buildup of moisture. So, you can see that if your gray water tank backs up it will overflow your shower stall and make a huge mess. Here is an idea that I am going to try in order to remind myself to re-open the grey water valves. I am going to put a ball chord bungee on my wrist when I open the valves and won’t take it off until they are re-opened, then I will wrap the bungee around the valve handle. Hopefully this new procedure will do the trick. Jim