tank pull maintenance? - Montana Owners Club

L0veless · 02-12-2018, 08:52 AM

seen the question on gray tank pulls and got me to thinking about my tank pulls. first trip this year from Michigan to AZ (unit was winterized) when we arrived I went to drain all tanks both grey tanks no issues but the black would not pull open. pulled so hard I thought I was going to break it, it would not budge.
I called a couple of mobile RV repair shops and no one wanted to touch it.
finally one person said to just yank on it if it breaks your no worse off and he could get out there in 3 weeks YIKES. I unscrewed the back cover found the long cable tapped it a bunch and shook it. then yanked on the pull and valve opened. been working fine ever since.it has always been a little "sticky".
so here is my question, is there a lube or maintenance you do on these cables or valves?

thank you

**AZ Traveler** · 02-12-2018, 09:32 AM

I would exercise it fairly regularly - you might have had a little corrosion in it. I don't think you are going to get any lube very far in the cable. If its the valve it can be lubed but it is a lot of work to get to it.

rohrmann · 02-12-2018, 10:28 AM

Our drain valve pulls have always been snug, even very hard to pull at times. For quite a while now, in addition to using TankTechsRX, I put about 4 oz of Thetford drain valve lube and a capfull of Calgon in the tank after draining. I don't know if there is anything else that would work better, but I am still able to operate the valves when needed.

L0veless · 02-12-2018, 01:23 PM

haven't heard of those products, will give it a try.

thank you

coachgrowl · 02-12-2018, 03:03 PM

I use rv drain valve lubricant. Half a bottle in each tank. They were tight now they pull like a hot knife thru butter. The pulls themselves I use wd40 gel.

jcurtis934 · 02-12-2018, 03:53 PM

The valves from the factory use a solid wire inside the cable to pull or push the Teflon coated panel in between two rubber seals which is what opens/closes the tank. If the four bolts that hold this valve assembly were tightened too much at the factory, the cable will be hard to operate. Also, since it uses a solid wire...any bends put into the cable pre-install can cause the same issue. Bends in the cable will be rare, unless you order a new assembly...in which case the shipper will coil the cable into a small bundle thereby creating slight bends that have to be removed by straightening the cable a little at a time while seeing how easy you can get the pull and push to operate.

beeje · 02-12-2018, 06:54 PM

All of the manufactures just install stock size cables. These cables are not carefully routed and are not anchored at all. Most of them are WAY to long.

I replaced all my valves and cables with Valterra products. I carefully routed and anchored them, minimizing and bends as much as possible. The cables were cut to the shortest lengths possible.

I can now open and close all 3 valves with 2 fingers. I even moved the galley valve towards the front in a much easier to get to place.

1retired06 · 02-12-2018, 08:18 PM

With minor plumbing rerouting, got rid of all cable pulls on our four tanks and replaced with direct threaded rod pulls.

ExPatNW · 02-12-2018, 09:01 PM

@Loveless, I had the same issue with one of our tank pull handles (on a brand new 2017 3970RD). I don't believe the problem was the cable to the valve, but rather the handle and the bar that goes through the wall. I did get it to move eventually and now apply some dry-lube to it to keep it free. So far so good. Hope this helps.

topjustice · 02-12-2018, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L0veless

seen the question on gray tank pulls and got me to thinking about my tank pulls. first trip this year from Michigan to AZ (unit was winterized) when we arrived I went to drain all tanks both grey tanks no issues but the black would not pull open. pulled so hard I thought I was going to break it, it would not budge.
I called a couple of mobile RV repair shops and no one wanted to touch it.
finally one person said to just yank on it if it breaks your no worse off and he could get out there in 3 weeks YIKES. I unscrewed the back cover found the long cable tapped it a bunch and shook it. then yanked on the pull and valve opened. been working fine ever since.it has always been a little "sticky".
so here is my question, is there a lube or maintenance you do on these cables or valves?

thank you

Mine did that last year to one of the grey tanks. The valve seal stuck during winter storage and tore when I pulled hard. It was recommended to either leave it open during storage or use one of those tank conditioners. Not sure if they work though.

**scottz** · 02-12-2018, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExPatNW

@Loveless, I had the same issue with one of our tank pull handles (on a brand new 2017 3970RD). I don't believe the problem was the cable to the valve, but rather the handle and the bar that goes through the wall. I did get it to move eventually and now apply some dry-lube to it to keep it free. So far so good. Hope this helps.

Mine too, but only the black tank. After my first trip, I noticed the black tank pull getting a little hard to move. I found that since the black tank handle is directly under the hose connections (all three of them, great design), it was getting wet and actually had some rust on the metal part of the handle when I pulled it out. Cleaned and lubed it and have not had any further problems.

L0veless · 02-13-2018, 04:57 PM

fortunately I have had no issues once it was opened. I did spray penetrating oil on the rod going through the panel and a lot of gunk washed out, then I sprayed a synthetic lube on the rod and have had no issues. next trip to camping world I will get the stuff to put in the tank. then when I winterize I will pour that in the tank for the winter. hopefully no issues next year.
great advise and thank you for your help

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