4petedaniel Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi I need to change the tap on my waste water tank as it will not open or close. But the only replacements I can find are all screw threaded where my one seems to be set in mastic has any one had a simmerlar experiance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi Pete, assuming your Autosleeper has the same tap as ours, the white plastic one like you'd get on home made wine kit, it's not a difficult job. Our tap snapped in my hand in cold weather so had to replace it, £6 or so from any caravan dealer, they seem to be a standard fit. The mastic you refer to is I suspect like a white rubber band for want of a better description. It is screw headed and tightens into the rubber pipe behind your vans "skirts" The replacement comes with the "band". You may find that if you try to turn your existing tap at the bottom rather than the most exposed end, it will turn eventually. I'd put some rubber gloves on if you have some, it can be a bit messy if you do have to change it. Hope this helps Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 Thanks. Wll try to find a simmerlar tap then, as when I tried our two local dealers they tried to convince me that I needed a different type. I noticed that you mention a pipe my tap fits directly to the tank. I may have a problem here. what do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi again Pete, It may well be that your dealers are right of course but our waste water tank has X number of pipes entering it and 1 exiting it. I'd have to assume then that your arrangement is different with it being fitted straight into the tank. Perhaps another owner might be able to help there's enough AutoSleeper owners on here. Sorry I can't be of more help. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianR Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Your best bet is to contact Auto-Sleepers, who will have the correct replacement tap and will be able to advise you on fitting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Pete If you can reach the tap easily, try pouring a kettle of hot water over it or playing a hair-drier on it for a while. This may allow you to turn it, but , even if it doesn't, it will teach the b*gger a lesson! Are you sure the tap is actually 'glued' into the tank? It may be screwed in and then sealant gobbed around it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shedbrewer Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Hi, I have an A/S Clubman. and the waste water tap, (which was of the beer barrel type ) stopped working, so I visited a local garden centre, saw a 'flow thro'tap, bought it, fitted it with a jubilee clip and Robert is your mum's brother,,,,,,, cheap or what,, Jack & Patty, Cornwall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Auto-Sleepers are notorious for fitting rubbishy drain-taps to their motorhomes' water tanks. CAK Tanks (www.caktanks.co.uk) market a wide range of taps/valves, beginning with a basic 'water-butt' type for about £4 and going up to electrically-operated valves costing over £100. It's well worth obtaining the CAK catalogue to check what's available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Hi, basic water but tap in black is available from Wickes @ £1.98p.. It even has a fitting to take a standard snap-on hose connection so you can drain easily away from the tap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 But should motorcaravanners be expected to drain large waste-water tanks (22 gallons in my Hobby's case) via an outlet with a diameter appropriate for a garden hose? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordThornber Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Derek Uzzell - 2009-05-22 9:25 AM But should motorcaravanners be expected to drain large waste-water tanks (22 gallons in my Hobby's case) via an outlet with a diameter appropriate for a garden hose? Derek, my answer would be no, BUT if you're using a permanent drain, i.e. on a serviced pitch, (or other that you can drain to for that matter), then yes, it works well for us. The only minor drawback for us is the occasional blockage which is usually solved by unattaching the pipe as and when required. Martyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Most caravan dealers keep various taps in stock. A/Sleepers usual practice for taps was to screw them onto a male fitting that passed through a hole in the tank,with a nut on the inside of the tank. The nut can slacken and leak and is a bodged by lots of mastic slapped on the outside, If you can find the fittings hexagon on the outside (hiding in the mastic perhaps) you may be able to put spanner on it so the tap can be unscrewed I have repaired them in the past by discarding the old fitting and going up a size. I drill out the hole very slightly undersize so that i can screw the connector into the tank but also glue it in with an epoxy adhesive such as Araldite rather than drop the tank. Itwill not stick to water or fat so make sure the area to be bonded is really clean. If the interior nut goes round the tank usually has to be dropped to getaccess to the cleaning hatch. Some converters make a hole in the floor in a locker but I have not seen this on an A/S. In the morning I will take a look at the 35 litre grey tank I have just removed from my Medallion. I replaced the plastic tap with a 3/4 in ball type a couple of years ago. I agree with the Derek about the drain taps being to small, You can get a buzz from the fumes with paint drying but grey water just stinks. The the new grey tank I have just made and fitted (85 litres, marine ply and epoxy resin) has a 1 1/4in ball type tap. Best of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4petedaniel Posted May 23, 2009 Author Share Posted May 23, 2009 It's the bit about having to drop the tank that worries me. I had already purchased a tap from wicks but it was the nut for the inside that I could not see how to fit What I need to know is there a tap with some sort of boss that can be fitted without droping the tank?The tap fitted just goes round and round with out doing any thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 There are 'cylinder flange' plumbing fittings designed to be installed from outside a water tank, but I'm doubtful that these could be adapted easily to a motorhome's waste-tank. One possibility would be to fit a slide-type drain valve of the type sold by CAK. These use an adapter-flange that is screwed and sealed to the outside of the tank, and the drain-valve is then attached to the adapter. The valves come in 1.5" or 3" diameter, so tank emptying is pretty rapid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike 202 Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 If a slow empty of the tank is a problem, then open the valve a bit earlier !!!, can't believe anyone with a Motorhome is so short of time that instant emptying is essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Tank draining, paint drying etc are all the same to me especially if sat in a queue waiting to empty before leaving a site. No patience that my trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted May 23, 2009 Share Posted May 23, 2009 Providing the securing nuts are not rusted up geting a moderate sized ( up to 50 litres) tank out is not to difficult as long as its empty. A/S often use standard builders threaded hooks used for suspended ceilings to hang the tanks on. The hook is passed though holes in the chassis. You need a bit more clearance say levelling blocks under the wheels front and rear and chock the wheels for safety. I did mine using a plastic motorcaravan step and some blocks to lower and then replace the tank. You need to watch the plumbing connections but there is usually enough slack to ease access to the hose clips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 The best type of tank-draining arrangement involves a large-diameter electrically-actuated slide-valve in the base of the tank with remote operation from the motorhome's driving seat. Then you don't have to hang around at dump-points at campsites and 'aires': you just drive along, wait until nobody is looking, then drain the tank straight onto the road beneath the vehicle. It's a good idea to wait until it's raining heavily if you can, or do it in the dark, just in case someone thinks you have a problem with your 'van. I'm currently experimenting with a system that dribbles the waste-water into my Hobby's exhaust system just downstream of the catalytic converter. This should cause the water to turn to harmless steam and also clean the inside of the exhaust system nicely. If that works OK, then I'll try feeding some of the steam back into the motor's intake for extra boost. After that I might move on to recycling the toilet waste using a similar technique, though I can anticipate filtering difficulties with the toilet paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.