Another good reason........... - Montana Owners Club

stiles watson · 12-31-2008, 09:11 AM

.......to add a slide valve at the end of your tank drain line. Stupidity and meanness often run hand-in-hand. While we were traveling cross-country and while we were stopped for a break or to shop at WalMart, some imbecile opened my bay door, pulled my black tank valve and then screwed the handle off. I have some questions as to the legitimacy of his ancestory and the level of his intelligence.

However, my point. This would have been a two-gallon catastrophe had I not installed a slide valve on the end of the drain. Can you imagine unsuspectingly removing the cap to attach the drain line with a pipe full of black water effluent or worse. As it worked out, there was no spillage. I removed the cap, connected the Sewer Solution, and drained the line. No harm to me, but not because they didn't try.

bsmeaton · 12-31-2008, 09:32 AM

Oooooh - thats not even funny. I would have never thought that would be an act of vandalism or maliciousness - it falls more into the Darwin category.

SAndreasen · 12-31-2008, 10:23 AM

I agree with you Stiles, there are so really Darwin freaks out there. On our way home for the '07 Goshem rally, someone stole our end of line slide value while we were parked for lunch. What a thing to steal.

Waynem · 12-31-2008, 11:54 AM

Ouch! I'm going to have to train the DW on how to attache the hose from now on!

What a cruel thing to do. No, not my post, but yours where they pulled and took the handle.

p.s., I'm sure glad she doesn't read the forum (yet).

DHenry · 12-31-2008, 12:12 PM

Sure would have been nice if you could have walked up to him while he was in the act of doing this. You could have planted a size 10 in his black tank.

HamRad · 12-31-2008, 02:41 PM

Stiles,

How did you discover the problem? Was the door still open? Did they take the handle or just unscrew it? What a pain. And I can't believe someone would go to all that trouble. My handle came loose all by itself. I was lucky mine stayed on the trailer so all I had to do was reinstall it. Our friends lost theirs completely and had to buy a new one.

I'm glad it wasn't any worse.

But have a Happy New Year anyway.

Dennis

stiles watson · 12-31-2008, 05:07 PM

The handle was left behind, unscrewed. I could see how travel vibration might loosen the handle, but the valve is too tight to loosen due to vibration. Someone had to pull it open. I discovered it I opened the bay to check something. Sometimes I forget to lock the bays, so they are vulnerable. Of course they are always vulnerable to anyone with a 751 key.

I grew up in a neighborhood where people didn't lock their doors. Crime was really low. It is hard for me to quit trusting people. I get burned now and then.

Devildog · 01-01-2009, 03:02 AM

While this has not happened to me, and incident similar to this made me think to replace the spring pin that holds the pin locking handle on the hitch head with a padlock. We had stopped at a rest stop in I-81 a few years ago when we were pulling a travel trailer, and helped a couple who had dropped their fver on their truck bed. They had stopped for a couple of hours, and someone, kid or otherwise, had pulled the handle release for the kingpin. He missed it during his pre start list, and dropped it.
At least it puts the blame on me if it drops for being stupid. And the lock ensures no one plays around with it while I'm not looking.

DarMar · 01-01-2009, 03:46 AM

Jim, the lock on the release handle is a very good idea. I have used it in the last few years when we are going to be away from the hooked up RV for any period of time and also while staying hooked overnight. Have always wondered if someone walking by might pull that handle, guess you just confirmed that possibility.

CanDo · 01-01-2009, 07:35 AM

We were in New Hampshire over the summer and a fellah pulled into the park with his 3-week old Ford F350. He had stopped at a rest area and, while in the rest room, someone pulled the handle on his hitch. Yep, you guessed it. When he pulled out of the parking space, his fiver dropped onto the bed of his brand-new truck. We always padlock our hitch for our peace of mind. It's truly a sad state of affairs that people don't respect other's property or even seem to know right from wrong. So glad to hear that you caught the problem with your black tank valve, Stiles, before it really became a problem! Your RV Angel must have been looking out for you. Safe Travels.

richfaa · 01-01-2009, 12:00 PM

Mine has always been locked.I never thought about someone pulling the release handle my concern was me forgeting to secure the latch. The lock was a check for me to check under there. My thought on those stories was that the indvidual had forgot to secure the latch and was not about to admit the possibility. I do know of one observed case where the individual did not secure the latch drove the camper several hundred yards and the pin weight kept the camper from falling off. Someone noticed the error at the dump station...

MAMalody · 01-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Stiles, in another posting you indicated you will be in freezing weather. I might recommend that you open the valve at the end of your sewer output. It can freeze shut and it will not matter if you other valves open because you still will not be able to open your sewer output valve. (Don't ask me how I know this.)

sreigle · 01-04-2009, 03:00 PM

I had one of those slide valves disappear once but I thought we lost it on the road. Now I wonder if someone stole it at a rest area stop. Mine is now bungeed in place, just in case. But maybe I'll add a little pvc cement.

stiles watson · 01-04-2009, 03:21 PM

Steve, mine is a cemented connection, not a bayonet one. I sawed off the end connection and put the valve in its place. This set it back out of the line of the wheel. I was afraid a blowout would take it out.

ole dude · 01-04-2009, 10:57 PM

Mentioning hitches, I have a B&W turn over ball hitch with the additional pin hitch for the 5th wheel. After a stop for refreshments I found some one had pulled the two pins that hold the pin hitch to the part that is connected to the truck. Don't know that things could move enough to disconnect, but presented a possible issue. They now have locks.

Bruce Lenhardt · 01-05-2009, 12:33 PM

When returning to the truck, after taking a break, my wife and I both check the hitch pins and padlocked release lever for any tampering. There are some true morons out there.

Waynem · 01-05-2009, 03:51 PM

I also locked my release and plate to bed pins.

birdie · 01-05-2009, 04:21 PM

Stiles, Know the feeling of finding the black tank handle pulled. I was lucky I had just dumped and only had about 5 gal of rinse water in the tank. I also caught the critter that pulled the handle a four year old that calls me grandpa.

Steve and Brenda · 01-10-2009, 01:06 PM

I've looked at the end-of-pipe valves and wondered how it stayed locked in place when traveling. Do y'all use an adhesive or just trust it'll stay on?

stiles watson · 01-10-2009, 03:09 PM

Some folks buy one that just fits on like the cap. I cut the end off and the cemented the new end on (that housed the valve). That did two things. (1) Someone can't come along and just easily twist it off. (2) By cutting off the end of the pipe, the new end with valve sets back out of the way of the line of the tire tread should there be a blowout.

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