Dibsy Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Hello I'm afraid I've got another question from a new motorhomer.... We have a Pilote Atlantis A5 (2003). I've attached a picture of the waste water drain. It seems like a really silly question but how do we fix waste hose to this? It looks like a screw fit but we can't find anything to fit it. The internal diameter is about 32mm and the external about 40mm. We've been to our local caravan shop and they say they've never seen anything like it (we took a photo). They don't have any hose that will fit the internal or external diameter. Do I get some of the hose which has a similar diameter and fit something to the end to either screw on externally or push on internally? Also I'm assuming that the knob above and the slot are to loosen it then lower it so it is lower than the base of the tank. It is very stiff and I didn't want to force it if that's not what it is. Behind the tap there is some flexible hose attached to the tank. Oh, and another question. There seems to be some sort of heater in the waste water tank (or at least I think that's what it is) and in with all the paperwork there was a sheet of information but it talks about manual and automatic versions. How do I know which I have and how does it work? Thank you all once again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agaric Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 On my Burstner the hose for that is stored in the garage in a storage tube, but in most cases you won't need it as you can drive right over the drain. You can probably find something on flee bay to fit it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Thanks for the reply. Does yours look like ours? Do we need something that pushes/screws on around the outlet or pushes inside it? There wasn't any pipe with our motorhome when we bought it and I didn't think to ask... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agaric Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Mine just slides over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebishbus Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Our Hymer B 584 has a 40 mm grey water pipe and came with a push fit hose, so I think they must be available . Some plastic vacuum cleaner hoses are about that size, could be worth checking out. Brian B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Would a push fit hose push onto a threaded outlet? As our outlet is 40mm the hose would need to be bigger... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Den Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Try Machine Mart, they have in stock various sizes to fit the water pumps that they retail. You can purchase any length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 32 mm is approx 11/4", the size used for domestic drain pipe. Try buying (or scrounging) a plastic pipe fitting with an external (male) thread. It should be compatible. Any Plumbers Merchant should be able to supply anything you need to go with it. I was able to obtain a length of flexi pipe for my last van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
747 Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 32 mm is approx 11/4" (1.25"), the size used for domestic drain pipe. Try buying (or scrounging) a plastic pipe fitting with an external (male) thread. It should be compatible. Any Plumbers Merchant should be able to supply anything you need to go with it. I was able to obtain a length of flexi pipe for my last van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Our last van (Hymer) came with a push fit flexible waste water extension. The current van has a screw connection. Have a look at CAK tanks catalogue page 21 - they do 40mm hose with push fit ends. We very rarely use the extension hose as you can normally get over the drain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 21, 2015 Author Share Posted November 21, 2015 Ah, I think that last one is probably what I'm looking for. Thank you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Dibsy - 2015-11-21 5:45 PM Ah, I think that last one is probably what I'm looking for. Thank you!! Suggest you ask CAK tanks if they do a screw fitting, if your outlet is of the screw variety. They are normally very helpful but it's probably best to phone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Take a trip to a local garden centre who have a specialists pond section.............That's where we got our pipe when we first used a super pitch, and they carry a range of connectors for the larger outlet ;-) ......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gocro Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Any garden centre that sell Koi carp and larger pond suppliers, will be much cheaper than dealers. If none in the area check out eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Wonka Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I don't know how much relevance this has to your problem but I'll post it anyway. My Pilote waste outlet is central under the MH and I've added a plastic pipe to allow me to offload the grey water without having to park directly over the drains. The pipe was bought from a local Aquatic shop, they had varying diameters of pipe that are smooth on the inside and corrugated on the outside, and fastened to the waste outlet by worm drive hose clips. The plastic pipe is clipped to the underside of the MH with a tool clip and the pipe gives me at least a couple of metres of wriggle room when parking over or near the drains. The whole lot cost about £2 and took 10 minutes to fit. If it's feasible get a local fabrication firm to make a handle and thin bar to fit on the tap that turns to release the water - see photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Very ingenious! Thank you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Dibsy As has already been advised, it should be possible to obtain an internally-threaded female connector that would allow an extension hose to be attached to your motorhome’s waste-water outlet. It’s commonplace when this type of ball-valve drain-tap is side-mounted on a motorhome to have a ’spout’ on the outer end of the tap as shown in some of these images http://tinyurl.com/o3a24sz This is the arrangement on my Rapido and, although a hose could be connected to the tap’s spout, it’s usually possible to position the vehicle accurately enough at the service-point for the waste-water to pour directly from the spout into the drain. (I’ve yet to see anyone with a motorhome with a ‘spout type’ waste-water tap fit a hose to the tap when emptying.) In the early-2000s I translated Pilote’s User Manual into English. I still have the original French manual and this mentions draining the waste-water tank by connecting a flexible hose to the drain-tap. The hose is said to be stored behind the aluminium skirt at the base of the bodywork. So it might be worth you checking whether that’s the case with your Atlantis and there’s a hose hidden away behind the skirt. Motorhomes can be fitted with waste-water tank heating to avoid the water in the tank freezing in cold weather. When an electric heater is within the tank itself (rather than there being an electric heating ‘pad’ stuck to the tank’s exterior) the heating element may be switched on and off manually or be controlled automatically by a thermostat. The two types are well described in the “TANK DE-FROST ELEMENT” section at the top of Page 20 of this CAK file: http://www.caktanks.com/files/cak_catalogue_2012/2012_CAK_Water%20Tanks.pdf As this type of heater consumes a fair amount of 12V power, motorhome manufacturers may arrange that the heater will only operate when the vehicle is being driven or connected to a mains 230V power-supply. (This was the case with my Hobby motorhome.) There’s nothing in the Pilote manual I have to suggest that Pilote were fitting waste-water tank heaters then, but that doesn’t prove that they weren’t! It should be fairly straightforward to retro-fit a tank heater, so it may be that a previous owner of your Atlantis has done this. There’s a reasonable chance that - as you have documentation relating to the heater - you’ll be able to decide whether it was originally fitted by Pilote in 2003 or added subsequently. As you are pretty sure the tank has a heater and have heater-related paperwork, it should be anticipated that somewhere (near or on the motorhome’s electrical control-panel?) there will be a switch (hopefully illuminated) to turn the heater on. I’m not sure if it will be possible to tell visually whether the heater is manual-only or has a thermostat, but you ought to be able to tell by experimenting whether or not it’s in working order (ie. when it is switched on you ought to be able to feel the outer end of the element warm up). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Thank you for your very detailed reply! I'll have to go and have another look to see if there is some hose lurking behind the skirt. I think the waste water tank heater has been retro fitted and we have the CAK Tanks leaflet but it's about installation rather than use. But, I've managed to find a picture of the switch they recommend with installation so will have to have a search around for it. I've definitely not noticed it yet but am wondering if it is in the garage. I may get in touch with Pilote and see if they have a copy of your translated manual - it would be useful I think. Thanks again. Dibsy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 But, unless your Pilote has its waste outlet mounted centrally beneath the van, you shouldn't really need to attach an extension to dump waste water. Drain points vary, but I have only once come across one where a flexible pipe was required (since I invariably dump on exit there is little water in the waste tank, so I simply aborted dumping on that occasion and dumped at the next opportunity). Some dump points have a central grating in a concrete or tarmac pad, so that a side mounted drain outlet will discharge onto the pad rather than directly down the drain, but there is usually a water supply point nearby which will allow the pad to be rinsed off after dumping. The valve is probably stiff from lack of use and being dry. It should become easier to turn once in use and wetted. Alternatively, you may find you can apply a little silicone based lubricant to the spindle or valve elements, to ease matters initially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibsy Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Thanks for your reply. I'll have a look to see if there is a pipe but otherwise may try without. Having only used a motorhome once before where there was a flexible pipe attached I just assumed that is what is required. We've got lubricant added to our list for next time we go to the motorhome (as we aren't able to keep it at home). Dibsy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiesgrandad Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Of course, you could always use a short length of bicycle inner tube, stretched over the outlet of the tap and onto any suitable bit of flexible pipe, and that would cost nothing, but as everyone keeps saying, it's generally not a problem, so you really don't need to spend much money on it. AGD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Brian Kirby - 2015-11-22 11:52 AM ...The valve is probably stiff from lack of use and being dry. It should become easier to turn once in use and wetted. Alternatively, you may find you can apply a little silicone based lubricant to the spindle or valve elements, to ease matters initially. Brian I believe you’ll find that the ‘stiffness’ Dibsy refers to in the original posting relates to the knob above the tap’s outlet. As Dibsy has assumed, loosening the knob allows the outlet to be lowered to increase the waste-water flow from the tank or - when a tank’s outlet is below the height of the drain-tap - to permit the tank to be more fully emptied. It’s not that uncommon, though I’ve never inspected the arrangement in detail to check its fail-safeness. Better a stiff knob than the drain-tap and hose dropping on to the road when the motorhome is being driven. (My Hobby’s waste-water tank drained through a hose attached permanently to a large-bore tap in the tank’s side. The hose was a couple of feet long and, when not being used for emptying, needed to be clipped up behind the motorhome’s skirt. Every now and again I used to forget to clip the hose up and was alerted to this oversight by pedestrians pointing to the hose dragging on the ground or me noticing it later. Fortunately the unclipped hose pointed backwards not forwards, so no harm was done except for a bit of friction damage to the rubber.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Derek Uzzell - 2015-11-23 9:16 AM....................... I believe you’ll find that the ‘stiffness’ Dibsy refers to in the original posting relates to the knob above the tap’s outlet. ......................... On re-reading the OP, Derek, it clearly relates to that knob, and not the waste discharge valve itself. In which case, I agree with your conclusion: probably better to leave it dry and a bit stiff, than to lubricate and risk having it working loose and drooping onto the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbo Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Brian Kirby - 2015-11-23 6:12 PM Derek Uzzell - 2015-11-23 9:16 AM....................... I believe you’ll find that the ‘stiffness’ Dibsy refers to in the original posting relates to the knob above the tap’s outlet. ......................... On re-reading the OP, Derek, it clearly relates to that knob, and not the waste discharge valve itself. In which case, I agree with your conclusion: probably better to leave it dry and a bit stiff, than to lubricate and risk having it working loose and drooping onto the road. Regarding the mysterious knob - can I suggest that it MAY be a spring loaded shoot bolt of some kind. When released, it would allow the mechanism to be lowered (for what reason, I do not know). However, my theory is probably flawed, because if it were a shoot bolt, it would have a mushroom type knob to facilitate easy release. Back to the drawing board, I guess !!! Mind you, the French do have a reputation for designing simple but effect systems, that are generally robust. Obviously, they have managed to defeat the best brains on this forum >:-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Is this what you are looking for. Female-hosetail-connector-1-5in-thread/dp/B007Q1PZBU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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