Black water valve troubles

Thurman · 05-12-2012, 06:42 AM

So I bought a used 2000 FR Grand Surveyor in really good condition. The owner did tell me that one of the dump valves had a leak and to be careful when taking the cap off of the dump line. After checking both of the valves out I found that actually both of the dump valves had leaks, so let's replace them. Those of you who know, know that most FR units have a sheet metal cover under the unit making working on anything harder. I removed two pieces of this cover to find the waste line plumbing, found the valves and removed the valves and drain lines. Good opportunity to clean out both tanks now as water can flow freely without the valves, and I had a place to dump them. After installing the new valves I closed them by hand and put about ten (10) gallons of water in each tank to check the valves---no leakage. BUT--after installing the waste lines and connecting the cables I found that the black water valve is leaking. There is a stream of water about the size of my little finger coming out with the valve supposedly closed all the way with the cable thingy. The grey water valve appears not to be leaking at all. Now I'm wondering if the cable assembly could be part of my problem. Maybe it was cut too short at assembly? I'll get back under it Tuesday, disconnect the cable assembly, see if I can close the valve any without the cable attached, and go from there. Just wondering if anyone who has been through this has any advice/suggestions to look for and/or try. I still cannot figure out if this sheet metal covering under the unit is a good thing or not. Thanks, David

h20ski · 05-12-2012, 06:58 AM

It sounds like your heading in the right direction for troubleshooting your valve trouble. You could measure the travel of the cable to see if the cable end travels enough to close the valve all the way. It sounds like the cable needs replacing.

Thurman · 05-12-2012, 07:20 AM

This system was a mess when I opened up the under-belly. Both of the cable's were way too long and had been "looped-up", so to speak, making them hard to push/pull. Then the excess cable assembly was looped-up into the under-belly and covered with the sheet metal. I moved the handle assemblies out further so the cables would be as much in a straight line as I could get them. Now I'm thinking that the cable for the black water valve does not push the valve completely closed when the handle is pushed all the way in.

Rusticbob · 06-11-2012, 01:55 PM

Sounds familiar! We have 2005 GS272 and the handles with those cables has always felt "funny". I am not sure I want to tear the bottom of the rig apart. I added an extra valve at the hose hook up. that stopped the nasty dreck water draining as I open the drain.

We like the "Basement" on our as it give us another 3 to 4 weeks extra camping on the end of the season. Being in Michigan that takes us from beginning of April to Thanksgiving. (in southern lower Mich.)

Thurman · 06-11-2012, 07:11 PM

Late in replying: I took two panels off of the bottom of this unit to access the dump valves. The cable for the black water valve was not closing all the way, but this was due to the cable needing adjusting. For cable operated valves there is an additional piece bolted to the valve assembly itself. This is to hold the cable housing firm while the cable moves inside the cable housing. With the cable housing placed into the socket in this bracket and snugged down, when the cable was pushed all the way in, the black water valve was not closing all the way. I had to remove about 1/4" of the outer sheathing of the cable assembly, place it back into the socket of the adapter, then assure the cable was inserted into the adapter on the valve stem, assure the valve was closed all the way, then tighten down on the allen screw which holds the cable in place. All is working much better now. IMO==Forest River could certainly do some re-designing on this for improvement, without spending too much money.

OldCoot · 06-11-2012, 07:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thurman

Late in replying: I took two panels off of the bottom of this unit to access the dump valves. The cable for the black water valve was not closing all the way, but this was due to the cable needing adjusting. For cable operated valves there is an additional piece bolted to the valve assembly itself. This is to hold the cable housing firm while the cable moves inside the cable housing. With the cable housing placed into the socket in this bracket and snugged down, when the cable was pushed all the way in, the black water valve was not closing all the way. I had to remove about 1/4" of the outer sheathing of the cable assembly, place it back into the socket of the adapter, then assure the cable was inserted into the adapter on the valve stem, assure the valve was closed all the way, then tighten down on the allen screw which holds the cable in place. All is working much better now. IMO==Forest River could certainly do some re-designing on this for improvement, without spending too much money.

Would imagine it is a standard "Off the shelf" item that FR uses on numerous models and I doubt that the FR assembler or anyone at the factory checks as to whether it closes all the way as that would require putting water in the tank. The dealer should have definitely caught it tho' and you shouldn't have had to revise it.

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