iankr Posted May 21, 2012 Share Posted May 21, 2012 The waste water tap on my Rapido 963F motorhome has separated from the valve. Does anybody know how it is connected as it is impossible to see or access it. Need urgent suggestions as due to go away soon and the suppliers cannot fit us in! Can I fix it without having to drop the waste water tank? Help. . . ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I'm not familiar with the 963F, so can't offer practical advice. I believe the Rapido 963F was marketed from 2004-2007 using a Fiat/Al-Ko chassis as the base. I expect all 963Fs had the same waste-water tank draining arrangement, but it might be useful if you can provide the year of manufacture of your motorhome just in case there's a difference. This is an earlier Rapido-related forum thread that suggests Rapido may use a 'slide valve' to drain waste tanks (but that might not be so for your 963F). http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=11751&posts=6 As you are in a hurry I suggest you contact a Rapido dealership for advice - Wokingham Motorhomes or Highbridge Caravans may be able to assist. http://www.rapidomotorhomes.com/ http://www.highbridgecaravans.co.uk/index.php You could also try copying your inquiry to the Motorhome Matters forum, as this should give you a larger audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 My last 'van was a 983F. If the arrangements on yours are similar, then I suspect this may not be an easy job. The waste tank on my 'van was mounted in an insulated box, which was heated by the blown-air system passing through it. I never had reason to check, but the Rapido documentation strongly implies that the valve is actually in the (heated) void between the tank and the insulated outer. This would make sense, as the "tap" on mine simply rotated a rod that passed through a metal collar on the outer box, and ended up I know not where. If this is the case with yours, then I suspect something may have broken or separated within that void. Whilst it was (theoretically) possible, on mine, to access the inside of the tank by removing an inspection flap from the underside of the boxing, and then removing an inspection cover on the tank, the latter defeated me (and as I was only attempting a bit of cleaning, I gave up). It would appear to me that you may need to access the void between the tank and the boxing, and on mine, at least, there was no obvious way of doing so - which leads to the conclusion that this is probably done from the top - which would mean dropping the tank. :-S (It might be worth trying Wokingham Motorhomes for a quick bit of advice - they have a very good reputation for service on 'vans bought from them, and good knowledge of the product, but requests simply for info appear to have met with mixed response). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankr Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Thank you for your prompt reply! Alas, I think my concerns seem to have some foundation. If indeed the valve is inside the insulation, that might explain why I cannot seem to locate it easily through the very small hole in the garage bulkhead. I have contacted Wokingham Motorhomes and they have offered some advice, but not really from a position of knowledge, more guesswork. They have, however, said that they could accomodate me for a repair next week, which would hopefully answer my urgency problem assuming that no parts are needed. Hey ho! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iankr Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Thanks for your very prompt reply. I have contacted Wokingham Motorhomes and they have offered some advice, and the possibility of looking at it next week. Whether they can fix it or not in time, i wait to see! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robinhood Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I'm basing my answer on what I observed on my own 'van, and the following info that was in the Rapido catalogue for the "9" series from at least 2006 to at least 2008. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Given what Robinhood has said, is there perhaps another removable 'hatch' in the insulated box that encloses the waste-water tank and that would allow access to the drain valve assembly? If I remember correctly, these Al-Ko chassis Rapido models did not have a double floor, which is why heating was provided for the waste-water tank. Assuming Rapido fitted the waste-water tank to the chassis and then fitted the insulated box around the tank, there'd still be the need to connect the operating rod to the drain valve and (logically) the simplest way to do this would be to have a removable section in the insulated box that could be replaced after the connection had been made. My Hobby has a thick insulated floor and access to the drain-hose connection to the shower-tray's outlet is gained through a hole in the floor beneath the shower-tray. This hole is covered with a piece of plywood screwed to the floor and painted to match. It's not a subtle soulution, but it's simple and rational and might be the type of approach Rapido has adopted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ailsa Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 best tank for waste water used fabricated material made by best Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 There are persuasive arguments for making the Out&AboutLive forums pay-to-join... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithl Posted April 11, 2015 Share Posted April 11, 2015 Derek Uzzell - 2015-04-11 6:35 AM There are persuasive arguments for making the Out&AboutLive forums pay-to-join... Or the moderators have to approve a request to join before you are allowed to post. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.