Help with sticking Roller Blinds

[Fiona]

Can anyone help a newbie with my roller blinds please? I have recently purchased a 1995 Autosleepers Symphony (Peugeot Boxer). The roller blinds on each side of the main seating area are not rolling back properly. I understand that they either need cleaning, or re-tensioning. I would like to have a go at doing this myself, but am not sure which screws I should undo without the whole thing falling apart and not being able to replace them!

 

A second problem I have is that the drain tap on the fresh water tank is leaking. I imagine that this just needs a new washer. Can anyone advise me if this is something I can replace myself? The plastic drain tap seems to come directly from the metal tank, so I don't know if this is easy to take out and replace.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated! :-D

[BGD]

Hi Fiona...

 

The way I stopped our roller blinds on our old-dog 1992 motorhome from sticking was simply to:

 

Open windows wide.

Roll blinds right up (ie unroll them from their cassette roller mechanism).

From outside the motorhome (c'so you can see into the top and bottom corner mechanisms more easily from outside), fire liberal squirts of WD40 (using the straw thingy that comes with a can of WD40, so that you can get it into nooks and crannies) into the bottom corners and top corners of each end of the blinds, where they roll onto their spindles....look into the bottom of the window cassette each end and you'll see what I mean.

Roll blinds back into their cassettes.

Liberal squirt of WD40 also up the guides on either side of the window cassette that each end of the blinds go up and down against.

A quick wipe over the blinds to remove excess.

Unroll and roll up blinds maybe a dozen times, to "loosen" them and allow the WD40 to work it's way around the mechanism.

 

I should point out that our blinds are the sort of grey, plasticky material ones, such that WD40 doesn't stain them (or at least it hasn't stained ours anyway).

 

I have heard since of other people using silicone spray to achieve the same result (eg the sort of spray that Thetford recommends/markets to lubricate the "slice" of their Motorhome toilets.........but WD40 worked a treat for us.

 

 

 

[Robinhood]

I suspect that the tap will be the old "plastic beer keg" type, somewhat like that at:

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180503195569

 

If so, these unfortunately don't use a washer, and unless you can turn it a bit tighter to stop the drip, it will need replacement.

 

You can see from the picture how it will be fitted, but in order to replace, you need to be able to access the "back nut" from inside the tank.

 

I have replaced one years ago on the previous model Symphony (I replaced it with a different unit) but as I had to drop the tank for other reasons, I can't remember whether the tank access hatch was on the bottom of the tank (as I suspect, and in which case the tank will need dropping), or underneath, as a number are now.

 

As you can see, not an expensive part, (any local homebrew shop will have them) but maybe a bit fiddly to fit (though certainly not beyond the realms of DIY, especially if, should you have to drop the tank, the retaining nuts are not heavily rusted).

 

I must admit, however, that if I were doing it, I'd be inclined to look for a compatible and better quality replacement fitting, probably by looking through the catalogue at http://www.caktanks.co.uk

[BGD]

Just a thought, but...............rather than going to all the hassle of disconnecting all inputs then dropping the tank etc, and ferreting around inside it to remove the old back nut, etc...is there another, 5 -minute-fix, way?

 

Could you not attach a short length of (flexible?) pipe onto the "mouth" of the existing leaking valve with a jubilee clip, then attach another, more robust valve to the other end of that pipe. Then just leave the leaking valve fully open, and use the new valve "downstream" as the tap instead.

[Guest pelmetman]

Whats wrong with a little dribble....................especially if you spend time abroad, been in France for 2 weeks nearly and not seen one tugger drag his grey water of to be emptied :D .....................me I put an extra pipe on and dribble quietly behind my offside wheel B-)

 

Thats torn it ......the CC club will have me drummend out and my 15 years as a member badge confiscated (lol)

[Fiona]

Thanks BGD for your reply. I've tried the WD40 method, which seems to have worked for one blind but not so much the other, although it is much better. I think I can live with that!

 

Thanks also to Robin Hood for your reply. I think your suggestion sounds a bit out of my league. I've just checked my Warranty, and it seems to include Fresh Water Tanks, so I may try that route :-S

 

Pelmetman - thanks also for your reply. Unfortunately it's the FRESH water tank that's leaking, not the waste water tank. I'm just finding that I have to top up with fresh water more often than I should need to.

 

Really grateful to you all for your help. Many thanks

 

 

 

[Guest pelmetman]

Mrs F Bumstead - 2011-06-18 7:54 PM

 

Pelmetman - thanks also for your reply. Unfortunately it's the FRESH water tank that's leaking, not the waste water tank. I'm just finding that I have to top up with fresh water more often than I should need to.

 

 

Then I should think it's a washer problem....................... ;-)

 

Which should be a fairly easy fix, although I'm not familiar with your type of van................but the fittings seem to be pretty standard across the Autosleeper range so hopefully somone will be along soon who's done a fix B-)

[Robinhood]

I've just re-read my post and realised I've not made a lot of sense (though I suspect that people reading it will mentally correct it).

 

Instead of "bottom" it should of course say that I suspect the access hatch will be on the top (which would necessitate dropping the tank).

 

I would check, however, as if it has access (like a large jar screwtop) underneath it is a much easier job.

 

Following Bruce's line for "alternative solutions", as a short term fix would a soft rubber bung inserted into the tap outlet work? In reality, you shouldn't have to drain the fresh tank very often.

 

(BTW, I think you will find the tank isn't metal, but is plastic, most likely polyethylene.)

 

Edit

 

I suddenly thought that (if it is the plastic beer keg type as in the picture link above), I might have an old one hanging around as a spare.

 

I've managed to find it, and look at the construction. Having done so, it appears it may be worth taking it apart and cleaning it just in case it has got a bit of grit trapped.

 

On the one I have, the tap top part has a flat, circular disc on the top (with "off" and "on" etc written on it) somewhat less than 1/8 of an inch thick.

 

This can be levered upwards with a thin bladed knife, (it is retained by a single plastic lug - which also stops you turning the tap more than 360 degrees - and pulls up and out). The tap can then be turned more fully until the top screws out of the body. Whilst there is no washer, it is now possible to clean the mating surfaces (both on the tap stopper, and the tap body) and put it all back together again and see if it is better.

 

Technically, I think it woud be possible to put an "O" washer of the correct size in the body as well, but this might be difficult to obtain.

 

Hope this makes sense, this is very simple and easy to do.

[Guest Tracker]

In my experience taking these taps apart to clean them does not usually work and may make it worse - in any case it will probably only be a temporary cure?

 

The best place to buy they taps is from a home brew shop where they tend to be half the price of the identical ones at caravan shops and the best way to stop them leaking again is to have a spare one!

 

They do come with a rubber washer usually and a quick phone call to Autosleepers should confirm whether the tap has an internal retaining nut or whether it simply screws directly into the plastic tank?

[Robinhood]

Tracker - 2011-06-18 10:12 PM

 

In my experience taking these taps apart to clean them does not usually work and may make it worse - in any case it will probably only be a temporary cure??

 

Given the very simple construction, the ease of doing it, and the fact that it is currently dripping, I can't see that there is anything to lose. ;-)

 

The best place to buy they taps is from a home brew shop where they tend to be half the price of the identical ones at caravan shops ?

 

I agree (and have said so above); though if there isn't a homebrew shop nearby, then eBay as in the listing quoted above is a good alternative.

 

and the best way to stop them leaking again is to have a spare one!

 

....but only if you are capable of fitting it yourself, which takes us full circle. :-S

 

They do come with a rubber washer usually

 

....not my experience, having replaced one on a Symphony in the past, having two on homebrew kegs, and having just disassembled the spare I have (but, of course, you may be right B-) ). And you may of course not mean the equivalent of a tap washer, but the washer around the tank connection, which I would agree, does exist, and is obvious in the eBay link I've posted.

 

and a quick phone call to Autosleepers should confirm whether the tap has an internal retaining nut or whether it simply screws directly into the plastic tank ?

 

Indeed it might, but from experience I'll bet it has a "back nut".

 

 

[Fiona]

Thanks Robinhood and Tracker for your latest posts. I'll let you know at a later date if I manage to get it all sorted.

 

 

[getaway]

I too had a leaky drain tap on my freshwater tank. On stripping it I found that the base of the thread was cracked, probably due to water remaining in the tank overwinter freezing! Wonderful design, the tap is on the side of the tank so with it fully open,about an inch of water remains! I searched all over for a replacement (including CAK tanks) without success,finally using a water butt tap from Focus. Only problem was aligning the tap with the hole in the floor for the drain hose, this was achieved by adding/subtracting washers until it lined up.Not food quality but did the job! Good luck with yours.