Fill Tank and Use Water in Camper at the Same Time?

[steve&renee]

Your diagnosis of a leak at the connection makes sense to me, because if it was the valve I'd expect it to leak with it closed, not open. If I'm reading your posts accurately, the leak is when water is flowing so it is going through the valve and then out (or in) the connection.

Either you misread or I misspoke. The connection leaks only when the valve is closed, which is the position for the black valve during PowerFill. I'm good (so far) when DryCamping, where the valve is open.

That's why I wondered if I could fill the tank with the black valve open. Seems to me the only issue is that I'd risk putting city water pressure on the pump's inlet valve if I kept filling after the tank was full. To prevent that, I'd just be careful and not overfill the tank. . .

-Steve

[Cate&Rob]

either go pex connector to pex tube or barbed connector to soft hose, but don't mix!

Before I decided to replace all soft hose with Pex pipe, I made up "adapters" that were easy to insert when I would discover a drip leak at a soft hose to Pex fitting. The "adapter" has a short length of Pex pipe between two Pex fittings and adapts to a 1/2" barbed hose fitting which is the correct attachment for 1/2" ID soft hose. You can use either a Pex ring or a regular hose clamp on the hose connection. Subsequent to the attached configuration, someone found single fittings with Pex on one end and hose barb on the other end . . . this would make these adapters even easier. This would be a "permanent" fix for a hose to Pex fitting drip leak.

The "peace of mind" of getting rid of all the soft hose was definitely worth the work for me . . . particularly after the midnight burst hot water hose experience .

Rob

[steve&renee]

... I wondered if I could fill the tank with the black valve open. Seems to me the only issue is that I'd risk putting city water pressure on the pump's inlet valve if I kept filling after the tank was full. To prevent that, I'd just be careful and not overfill the tank. . .

And now, the end of the story: Yes you can fill the tank with the black valve open. I just made sure I didn't keep filling after the tank was full.

So I replaced the 1/2" pex to 1/2" FIP fitting that screwed onto the black handle diverter valve -- hoping this low-price fix would save me the cost of a new $42 diverter valve. Didn't solve the problem. Still leaking. I'm thinking I'm probably gonna need the $42 diverter valve. So I call the RV dealer to see if they stock the valve. Voice mail, so I leave a message.

I removed the diverter valve. It comes stock with two screw-on elbows in each end. I removed them and examined the plastic "seals" inside each end of the valve. The seal on the side that was leaking was flattened to the point of looking useless. The seal on the valve-side that wasn't leaking looked healthy. Yup. I do need the $42 valve.

I go online at RVLocksAndMore, Put the valve in my online "cart", start entering my shipping address, and the phone rings. It's the dealer. They do stock the part. $42. What luck! So I clear my online cart and head to the dealer -- with the valve in hand.

At the parts counter, I show the valve to the parts gal because I want to confirm that my leak-diagnosis is correct. She looks and says, "Why don't you just replace the seals?" :Where do I get seals like that?" I says. "We got 'em. Hold on a sec." She comes back with two seals and puts them in my old valve. The parts manager beside her has been listening, and he says, "Sometimes those elbows leak at the seam where they're molded together. We've got elbows, too." So I buy two elbows and two seals for about $6.50.

Go home, reinstall the valve and the screw-on pex fittings, and test. No Leaks. NO LEAKS!

I am SUCH a happy camper. Hope your luck is as good as mine was yesterday. Thanks for all the feedback.

-Steve

[ncitro]

And now, the end of the story: Yes you can fill the tank with the black valve open. I just made sure I didn't keep filling after the tank was full.

So I replaced the 1/2" pex to 1/2" FIP fitting that screwed onto the black handle diverter valve -- hoping this low-price fix would save me the cost of a new $42 diverter valve. Didn't solve the problem. Still leaking. I'm thinking I'm probably gonna need the $42 diverter valve. So I call the RV dealer to see if they stock the valve. Voice mail, so I leave a message.

I removed the diverter valve. It comes stock with two screw-on elbows in each end. I removed them and examined the plastic "seals" inside each end of the valve. The seal on the side that was leaking was flattened to the point of looking useless. The seal on the valve-side that wasn't leaking looked healthy. Yup. I do need the $42 valve.

I go online at RVLocksAndMore, Put the valve in my online "cart", start entering my shipping address, and the phone rings. It's the dealer. They do stock the part. $42. What luck! So I clear my online cart and head to the dealer -- with the valve in hand.

At the parts counter, I show the valve to the parts gal because I want to confirm that my leak-diagnosis is correct. She looks and says, "Why don't you just replace the seals?" :Where do I get seals like that?" I says. "We got 'em. Hold on a sec." She comes back with two seals and puts them in my old valve. The parts manager beside her has been listening, and he says, "Sometimes those elbows leak at the seam where they're molded together. We've got elbows, too." So I buy two elbows and two seals for about $6.50.

Go home, reinstall the valve and the screw-on pex fittings, and test. No Leaks. NO LEAKS!

I am SUCH a happy camper. Hope your luck is as good as mine was yesterday. Thanks for all the feedback.

-Steve

Great news! You don’t hear about good service from dealers like that often enough.

[Country Campers]

steve&renee

Did you happen to get a part number? Would be nice to stop by a dealer and get a few extras for the "just in case" scenario.

Brian

[steve&renee]

steve&renee

Did you happen to get a part number? Would be nice to stop by a dealer and get a few extras for the "just in case" scenario.

Brian

I'm pretty sure the BandBMoulders part number for the elbows is BBT-026-94138

but, beware: If you get it from RVLocksAndMore, the price is 10 bucks per elbow!!! The elbows my dealer sold me were replacements at a little over a buck apiece. Just 1/2" MIP threads. No idea about the seals. Pretty sure they were replacement parts as well -- they looked a little different than the OEM valve seals. Same compressible plastic/nylon material though.

-Steve

[howson]

ncitro and steve&renee ,

I've updated the Nautilus Panel drawings per the discussion/discovery in this thread to show only one line going in and out of the water tank. The new drawings are in the Nautilus Panel Information thread: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...el-information.

I also updated the location of the one-way valves to show where they are actually located.

Here's what "your" drawing now looks like:

[ncitro]

ncitro and steve&renee ,

I've updated the Nautilus Panel drawings per the discussion/discovery in this thread to show only one line going in and out of the water tank. The new drawings are in the Nautilus Panel Information thread: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...el-information.

I also updated the location of the one-way valves to show where they are actually located.

Here's what "your" drawing now looks like:

I saw that! Thanks for doing the legwork on it that’s great!