Water and sewer connections

[Twotogo]

I didn't like having to crawl under the galley slide if I had to work on the sewer drain to remove clogs and such so I moved the valve forward. This stretched the galley drain a bit and I had to watch how straight it was and keep a little drop in the line but so far no adverse affects and no more scars on my head or sore knees.

Nor did I like having to connect my city water all the way to the back of my rig either so I added another connection just above and to the side of the water heater. Now I don't have to worry about where I place the rig based on where the water connection is because I have two choices.

The location of electrical connection is now under consideration. I want it near the middle of the rig along with the other utility connections rather than all the way at the back. One of my professional electrical friends will help with this.

[stiles watson]

Obviously you are not afraid to tackle modifications. Congratulations. It is nice that you are handy and can modify your unit to maximize your enjoyment. Working on these wheeled castles is half the fun. Keep us posted on your inventive mods.

[bsmeaton]

Welcome to the Forum! Pictures of your mods always welcome . I'm curious how you moved the valve, as it seems to be a standard Montana haunt, even in 2009 after they moved the other valves into the convencience center.

[Twotogo]

Moving the valve took more courage than effort. Having been a homeowner I've had to work on plumbing in the past and this wasn't much different. I studied the original construction to see what parts I would need to buy then picked up what I needed at the local hardware store. After that I used a small handsaw that I keep in my tool kit to make my cuts being careful to keep the cuts as square as possible. The first cut was where the galley drain drops down. I moved out about 4 or 5 inches from the elbow leaving room for "adjustments" if needed. On my rig this is just behind where the wheels are. The second cut was in front of the drain T. I made the cut about six inches out from the T. Again I try to leave enough room to make a correction if I have problems. With the valve and galley drain loose I cut the line from the galley off of the T assemble about six inches back from the T then glued double female connections on each end.

Now comes the tricky part which is putting it all back in.

I had already noted where the hangers were before I started and I had looked for additional locations for where I could put more if needed. I noted existing screws like the ones already used and I laid the T on the ground under the trailer in the location near where I wanted to put it and where I knew the hangers would work.

I put a new long pipe and connector in place from the galley drain over the axles. Don't glue this yet as it's best to dry fit everything first. I glued mine and it was okay but wouldn't next time because its easier to make square cuts where your not on your back or in some contorted position. Now you go back up to the T and figure out where to cut the big pipe coming from your black and gray tanks. If you have a helper this is where they come in handy. I didn't so it was a little harder. Hold the T up where you want it to be. I used my hangers to hold it in place in the new position then marked the big pipe with a scratch line where it would fit in the flange of the connection I glued on the pipes coming from the T. Then I sawed the pipe off being careful to cut as square as possible. I connected the parts together in a dry fit again then did the same with the long end of the new galley pipe. When everything fit correctly I glued all the parts (liberally)and assembled them. I had to make one additional hanger since my galley pipe was now longer than before. I used metal plumbers tape for this and found a couple of existing screws in the under side of the trailer to use to hold it in place.

You could do this in a different sequence than I did and be just as successful. You will want to be sure to keep the T at the same angle of drop as it was originally and I did this by noting where the writing was on the original sewer pipes and lining that up as I assembled the glued parts. Also don't move so far forward that your line from the galley drain doesn't have a little drop to it. I went only as far as I needed to to clear the slide area and have a place to hang the T.

So far mine is working great and no leaks. It's right where I can get to it when I need to and I don't have to coordinate when the slides go in or out with connecting or disconnection the sewer hose when we move.

I hope this helps!