Fresh water tank drain
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14270
Printed Date: 18 May 2024 at 4:17pm
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Topic: Fresh water tank drain
Posted By: yelvington
Subject: Fresh water tank drain
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 11:36am
I was thinking I need to sanitize the fresh water tank on our recently acquired 2014/2015 RP179 Hood River Edition. What am I looking at here? It doesn't obviously twist to open, or anything like that. We haven't used the tank, only connecting to city water. 
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Replies:
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 12:36pm
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It looks like you're looking at an open hole. You need to get a short poly pipe, (a nipple) threaded on both ends. Screw one end into that hole, put a cap or a shutoff valve on the other end. Use teflon tape on all threads. Don't let it hang down any further than absolutely necessary. (Use the shortest pipe you can.) I guess I could be misreading the photo. Test this by putting some water in the tank. I'll bet it all flows right out. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 2:14pm
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+1 Be careful threading the male nipple in, the threads in that fitting don't look great and if you get it cross threaded it could be pretty hard to repair. You could also find a pvc ball valve with a male threaded connection on one end to keep it from hanging down too far. Also you should relocate that split tube wire cover, it shouldn't be hanging down where something can catch on it. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: mjlrpod
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 3:54pm
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It looks like a repair someone did. Is that cracking all around it? I would get a short nipple and cap it as well, unless you can find a really short ball cock valve, and put some teflon tape on the threads. You dont have a lot of ground clearance for a long valve stem sticking out. ------------- 2017.5 Rp-172 2020 R-pod 195 2015 Frontier sv 4.0L 6cyl I'll be rpodding |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 4:38pm
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I modified mine years ago to have a valve drain. It had a nipple and cap, I added valve and before hand had shortened valve as much as possible for clearance. It's been there around 4 years. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 4:40pm
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Should take a 1/2" poly short nipple. I have seen them at our local hardware store with a square closed end on one side; total length is about 1.5 inch. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 06 Dec 2020 at 4:46pm
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+1, 1/2 inch pipe thread. Can run a tap in it and fix threads, run the drain and flush out trimmings from tap. Mine, I put a short nipple and ball cock drain. Got tired of taking cap off. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: yelvington
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 11:49am
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A bit of water reveals it is, indeed, not plugged. :-)
Now I recall seeing what I thought was a spare low point drain plug somewhere in the trailer. I suspect it was simply removed from the fresh water tank.  |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 1:46pm
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Better pic, looks like your cap is off. I keep mine in trailer drawer, even after adding a valve. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |
Posted By: podwerkz
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 2:59pm
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You can get a pvc male plug (with a hex end) and just cap that off. A plug is much less likely to be damaged than a projecting valve or nipple, and you can just unscrew it to drain the tank.
Or, you can install that plug permanently sealed, and then add a 'T' fitting at the tank output port, one side goes to the pump intake tube and one side is a ball valve or unscrewable plug or cap. Again, less chance of damage since it does not hang down below the tank. ------------- r･pod 171 gone but not forgotten! |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 07 Dec 2020 at 5:15pm
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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. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: yelvington
Date 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). |
Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 6:00pm
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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. ------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: Pod People
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2020 at 8:21pm
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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 ------------- Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179 https://postimg.cc/0zwKrfB9"> 
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Posted By: geewizard
Date Posted: 10 Dec 2020 at 8:48am
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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: https://vintagetrailersupply.com/spin-weld-fittings-vts-344/ - https://vintagetrailersupply.com/spin-weld-fittings-vts-344/ https://sciencing.com/spin-weld-water-tank-7973830.html - https://sciencing.com/spin-weld-water-tank-7973830.html And a video of it being done: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMdLWAYr7Ck - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMdLWAYr7Ck Doveryai, no proveryai.....which applies to a LOT these days.
------------- 2021 Winnebago Micro Minnie 1708FB 2017 R-Pod 177 (Blue) HRE SOLD 2004 Outfitter Apex 8 camper 2014 Toyota Tundra DC |
Posted By: mcarter
Date Posted: 10 Dec 2020 at 3:45pm
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+1, not seeing repair either, looks exactly like mine, minus cap. ------------- Mike Carter 2015 178 " I had the right to remain silent, I just didn't have the ability." |