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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Topic: Fresh water tank drain Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 5:15pm |
Just to repeat my warning, whatever fix you go with, if you can get those female threads cleaned up and get a male pipe thread engaged in them and not leaking, then don't mess with it after that. You will likely never get a new fitting to seal in that tank if the existing one gets damaged, the tank is polyetheylene and its really hard to repair, nothing adheres well to that stuff. Either add a separate cap to a permanent nipple, a valve, or a valve at the pump inlet.
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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yelvington
Newbie
Joined: 05 Nov 2020
Location: GA
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Posts: 18
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Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 10:21am |
I located the threaded plug in a drawer in the trailer, and it looked pretty rough. I thought the threads were trashed ... then discovered it was nothing more than dead teflon tape shards, which I removed carefully and replaced with a fresh wrap, and it screwed into the drain port easily. I'll keep my eye open for a low-profile valve solution next time I'm in Lowes. (This is a Hood River Edition so I have lots of ground clearance, but no sense tempting fate).
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geewizard
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Location: Spokane
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Posts: 347
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Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 6:00pm |
Yours is just like mine and I've been taking that plug out at the end of each season to drain the tank. I don't use teflon tape when I put it back in. I've never had a problem with it in three years.
I would NOT put any kind of extension in the threaded hole. It will be more of a lever and lead to damage if it gets hit or it hits anything. Just use the supplied plug and put it in hand tight plus a quarter turn.
Polyethylene tank fittings are bonded to the tank using friction to melt the plastics together. It's a very common method and involves spinning the tank fitting at high speed in the hole cut for it.
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2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB
2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD
2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper
2014 Toyota Tundra DC
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Pod People
Senior Member
Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1078
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Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 8:21pm |
One caution-- since it looks like there has already been a repair, the area is suspect. be very careful screwing the "whatever-plug/valve/etc" into the fitting and try NOT to cause any rotation of the female unit in the tank. Rotation could cause a separation between the tank and the fitting since it appears to be bonded somehow with ????? Be carefuland put something there that does not have to be removed. Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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geewizard
Senior Member
Joined: 16 Apr 2017
Location: Spokane
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Posts: 347
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Posted: 10 Dec 2020 at 8:48am |
What you see in the OP photo is how spun-in polyethylene fittings look after being done. I don't see any evidence of a repair. Mine looks very similar.
See these links for how it's done:
And a video of it being done:
Doveryai, no proveryai.....which applies to a LOT these days.
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2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB
2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD
2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper
2014 Toyota Tundra DC
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mcarter
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 07 Apr 2016
Location: Greenbrier, TN
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Posts: 3419
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Posted: 10 Dec 2020 at 3:45pm |
+1, not seeing repair either, looks exactly like mine, minus cap.
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Mike Carter
2015 178
" I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability."
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