Black Tank Valve Leaking

[Kitesontheroad]

We have a new 4 month old 3720RL Montana and have had the displeasure of going to dump the tanks and find the dump valve full of black tank gump. I immediately check the valve and it was closed, took it to the dealer and found there was blockage keeping the valve partially open. Supposedly this was cleaned out and fixed, wrong still leaking. So it back to the dealer. This valve has a looped cable not a direct pull which I think is part of the problem. Has anyone else has this problem and how was it fixed.

[1retired06]

Just had ours fixed at the dealer. Leak free and you can open and Close using your little finger. According to our dealer keystone is installing the wrong cable flush kits black and gray, too long, and also installing the incorrect kit wrong resulting in the valves not closing properly. Both of our upstairs cable kits were replaced under warranty. Keystone argued but since they installed our refrigerator with the packing material still attached to the cooling unit, causing it to fail in the first 90 days, guess there was some embarrasment, they rolled over for the dealer who then installed different cable flush kits then originally installed to include fabrication for shortest possible cable runs.

[Kitesontheroad]

Thanks Mike and Lorraine, I'll let my dealer know this. I have had good luck with Olathe RV in getting things repaired under warranty. Now they may have a starting point in getting this done correctly.

[bigskyjimmy]

I have had that happen on both Montana's ,and the new one is leaking now a little,I have fixed both rigs a few times it is just toilet tissue that gets stuck in the groove of the valve and I drop the underbelly take apart the valve and with a screwdriver clean out the jammed tissue in there and then all is well but now I am tired of doing that so I am getting a add on valve for the end of the pipe and call it good

[richfaa]

we have the add on valve on the end of the dump valve to prevent the "leaks. we also use a LOT of water in the black tanks and have never had a clog or blockage problem.

[CORattler]

Just had the same thing happen to our Montana black valve. Seemingly, there's always something to repair. This is a problem if you just want to dump grey tank(s).

[hunts800]

Had some surprise leakage with all three of my rigs after bouncing down the highway. Ended up with an add-on valve on all three which eliminates the issue totally. Notwithstanding that, I have found that back flushing does a better job of cleaning out the blade valve grooves than the built in flusher.

[swanny]

just replaced our black tank. while i was cleaning all components of the dump system i noticed a valve problem. the gate part of the valve has a 1/16 of an inch gap on each side, top and bottom. this gate is a flat piece of plastic a rectangle that slides across the round opening. bottom line its not wide enough and lets water leak by. bottom line, crap valve. LMAO. just typical junk parts used in manufacturing.

[Charli]

We had a similar problem with periodic leaking of the black tank valve. We also added on the extra valve on the outside which works well. The other issue we had was the pull handles for both black and bathroom grey were very hard to open and close. When trying to close the final inch was spongy (would push the handle to fully close and they would spring back). The kitchen grey pull works well as it is direct and not on a cable as are the other 2.
Have the unit in for some warranty work and hope they will be able to reroute or shorten the cables to make it easier to pull the handles and eliminate the spongy feel when closing.

[richfaa]

All the tanks replaced by our dealer Black and galley are now very easy to pull as they replaced all the cables.

[chris199]

We have the same issue with our black tank leaking. What is the supplemental valve mentioned?

[1retired06]

Back flush attachment with outside valve blade. Any RV parts source sells them. Couple of different brands. Goes between your hose and the dump pipe connection. Nice to have. Ours is clear plastic which lets me see when the tank has cleared out. Valterra, Camco, Hydroflush are three options. One specific example is the Camco dual flush pro. Lots of choices.

[winter texan]

My 2015 3582RL going into shop Monday with a sizeable list of things to fix. One is gray water valve is not closing all the way and kitchen tank viberates open during travel (non cable type). Black valve is hard to operate

[winter texan]

When I posted yesterday my gray water tank valve was not closing. This morning when I pulled the black water lever to open, 5 days of water did not come out. Closed n ran flush with valve closed. Watched water continue to flow. I've had 4th Keystone 5th wheels and 2 have been Montanas. Never had as many things wrong with the other 3 together that I'm having with this one. My last Montana was an 07 and was never back to the dealer. Except for the infamous graphics, there wasn't any problems.

[Clemson1881]

Pouring a capfull of Calgon in the black tank each time really helps keep the pull handle easy to open/close and prevents tissue paper from sticking in the valve. You have to run 10-15 dumps through to begin seeing the benefit of the Calgon. Haven't had a problem in several years since using it. I also have an extra gate for backup.

[winter texan]

We use calgon and as gross as it sounds we never put paper in the tank, We are ex house boaters and learned that lesson. we just take our bathroom trash out daily

[1retired06]

quote:Originally posted by winter texan

We use calgon and as gross as it sounds we never put paper in the tank, We are ex house boaters and learned that lesson. we just take our bathroom trash out daily

Never found it necessary to go to that extreme.

[richfaa]

Well Ed (winter Texan) you may now understand the problems we have been having with this 2013 3402 Big Sky. It has been problem after problem for three years. Looks like we are not alone judging from the post on the forum.

[chris199]

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

Back flush attachment with outside valve blade. Any RV parts source sells them. Couple of different brands. Goes between your hose and the dump pipe connection. Nice to have. Ours is clear plastic which lets me see when the tank has cleared out. Valterra, Camco, Hydroflush are three options. One specific example is the Camco dual flush pro. Lots of choices.

Thanks! You leave it on permanently? Doesn't it extend too low/too far?

[Sundogette]

We use Calgon as well. The hard water in Arizona is just too harsh with calcium and other minerals.
Also use a lot of extra water and have a trash basket for toilet tissue. If its brown, flush it down.