Black tank release valve problem

[Angelbunnie13182]

Question. It's warming up this weekend and our second bathroom toilet is leaking. Now mind you it was clean and I put in sensor cleaner/filled up the tank to full to let it sit overnight as instructions said. I went to check it and it read E. I had heard water trickling down the hose earlier and I figured maybe there is a problem with the black tank valve. I'm located in Clarksville, TN. We're not in immediate need of help cause we have a front bathroom BUT after watching a video online on how to change out a valve I went and looked under our unit. It's covered BUT the problem lies with the fact that the handle is coming out of a metal piece on the side of the RV not from under. See pic. I have a 2015 Forest River Wildwood Heritage Glen 356qbq. We are stationary. Is there anyone who maybe lives close who could come check it out or knows enough about these newer models to help me fix it? Here is a link to the video as well I found.
http://youtu.be/u-AFa9hyrpI

 

[Rene T]

Christina, I wish I could help you but I'm in Florida.
First of all, do not use that toilet except if you're only going to only introduce liquids. If you plan on using it to process solids, do not use that toilet. Use the other one. If you use this one, all the liquids will drain from the tank and the solids will stay in the tank and you'll end up with the dreaded POOP Pyramid which you don't want.

It looks like you have what's called a remote operator. I had the same issue with one of my tanks last year. The handle is connected to a steel cable covered by a sheathing. Same as a lawnmower throttle cable. My problem was that the cable was so long (about 5') that when you went to close the valve, there was so much flexing in the cable/sheathing, that it was impossible to fully close the valve and it would leak. The only way you will know for sure is that you'll need to pull down the belly and do some investigating.
  What I did was I pulled down one corner of the belly and stuck my head up inside and was able to see the valve assembly about 8' away. I then went under that location and cut a access hole about 2' square to gain access to the valve. Luckily for me, the valve stem was facing the frame and was only 1' away. I was able to remove the cable assembly, drill a small 1/4" hole through the frame and made a extension for the valve stem and ran it through the frame. Now it's a direct operator.  I then had to manufacture a steel cover to go over the handle to protect it in case one of the tires had a blowout and shredded. The handle exited the frame between the two tires.

That was my problem. Yours could be just a matter of rebuilding the valve. The seals could be bad. You'll still need to locate and gain access to the valve in order to make repairs. Good luck.

 

[Alfa38User]

Those valves look like they may be operated using cable type release (not unlike a bicycle brake cable) and not directly by the rod with the T-handle. You will likely have to get underneath and perhaps remove a cover to see what is really going on.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The handle shouldn't be a problem - it just unscrews from the side of the valve body. Unscrew it and slide the handle rod back out of the way, then proceed to remove and replace the valve body. You will probably have to use the original handle rod anyway, to get adequate length. You can buy threaded rod (all thread) in most hardware stores if a longer replacement is needed. Some RVs use a flexible cable instead of the solid rod - see http://www.rveparts.com/products/RV-Sewer-%252d-Cable-Actuated-Waste-Valve-%252d-3%22.html

The valve may be covered by the belly pan/cover of the trailer, so you may have to remove or cut it away to get access, then repair afterwards. Eternabond (or similar) tape makes a good repair.

As an interim measure, there is a clip-on bayonet valve that can be put on the existing waste pipe without tools.
http://www.adventurerv.net/twist-waste-valve-p-683.html

 

[Lee and Trace]

We had a similar issue where the black tank release valve actually broke off in my hand.  The cable was under the cover and my husband didn't feel long term it would work well for us.  He had a service tech install electronic switches and they work great. The broken handle was covered under warranty and since we bought the switches it cost us nothing in labor to have the new switches installed to fix the problem.  So much easier just pushing a button and less worrisome than the cable type pulls.

 

[Rene T]

We had a similar issue where the black tank release valve actually broke off in my hand.  The cable was under the cover and my husband didn't feel long term it would work well for us.  He had a service tech install electronic switches and they work great. The broken handle was covered under warranty and since we bought the switches it cost us nothing in labor to have the new switches installed to fix the problem.  So much easier just pushing a button and less worrisome than the cable type pulls.

Trace,
You say that all you do now is push a button. Can you explain in more detail? You make it sound like you need to push a button instead of pulling on a handle to dump your tank.

 

[Ned]

I would guess they installed something like this.

 

[Rene T]

Thanks Ned. I never knew they had those. Do some RV manufacturers install them as a standard option? I would really like something like that if I was in the market for a new rig.

 

[Ned]

I don't know if they're available as an option from any manufacturer.  I do have a couple of problems with them.  I would want a positive interlock on the switch to prevent accidentally opening the valve.  The displayed switch is just a simple rocker toggle.  Also, the switch should be mounted where you can see the hose connection and not just open the valve without looking.  The temptation to just open the valve without checking your hose is just too great if you mount the switch anywhere but at the valve, and then what's the value?

I can see where they are useful if the valve is hidden underneath the RV, but I think it would be better to extend the drain to the edge and use a traditional valve, if that's possible.  I've never liked cable operated drain valves, they are just too prone to problems.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The electric waste valve may be convenient for some, but it in no way changes the problem of a broken push/pull handle or valve. It merely adds an electric motor to do the pushing & pulling.

 

[Rene T]

The electric waste valve may be convenient for some, but it in no way changes the problem of a broken push/pull handle or valve. It merely adds an electric motor to do the pushing & pulling.

In my case, the cable was way too long and there was so much slop between the cable and sheathing, that the valve wouldn't shut all the way. A electric valve would have been a perfect fix other than installing a valve extension and eliminating the cable assembly all together like I did.

 

[Alfa38User]

The electric waste valve may be convenient for some, but it in no way changes the problem of a broken push/pull handle or valve. It merely adds an electric motor to do the pushing & pulling.

And a gear box with plastic/nylon gears.... Which is where mine failed, the gears are stripped on the black tank valve. I simply disconnected the gear assembly and replaced it with the common T handle. The electric valves remaining on the two gray tanks still work perfectly but they do not get the usage that the back tank valve does. I do not have the valves positioned where a cable type connection would be required though.

 

[EMD_Driver]

I found this little writeup and thought it was worth sharing...

The dump valve slides open and closes in a groove that has a rubber O-ring on each side of a nylon flat plate. What often happens is this: If you slide your valve closed while the tank is still emptying, toilet paper and solids can get worked into the groove--keeping the slide plate from making a proper seal.

Before you leap into an expensive dump valve replacement, try this easy procedure for cleaning the groove and O-rings. First, fill your holding tank completely with a mixture of water and dish soap (the dish soap acts as a lubricant for the rubber seals around the dump valve slide plate). As the water is emptying, repeatedly open and close your valve. This action works the solids loose and the running water washes them away. You may have to repeat this process a couple of times.

 

[Rene T]

That makes sense except for the fact that mine was leaking from the kitchen gray water tank. I'll remember that tip if I ever have a issue with the black water tank. Thanks.

 

[Angelbunnie13182]

[size=10pt]UPDATE: Thanks everyone. I went and checked under the RV yesterday. I will have to get under there and really look at the setup better when the weather warms up. This is because the whole underbelly is enclosed by 1 giant piece of plastic. I removed 3 bolts and checked with a flash light and it's exactly what people have been telling me. There is something going from the pull handle over to the black tank itself. I pulled and pushed it back in one more time and had hubby run the water and it seems to be sealing again. Again no worries because the tank is empty and clean and we have a second toilet we can use. Just wanted to update and thank everyone for the advice. [/size]

 

[Rene T]

Christina,
Thank you for keeping us posted. Remember, do not use that tank if it does leak even just a little because you could end up with a tank full of solids and you don't want that. I would have your hubby  shut the valve and fill the tank. Then monitor the drain pipe for several days to see if the valve is leaking by.