Replacing Freshwater fill spout?

[John in Michigan]

Originally Posted by Vtec

Sometimes there is no one dumber than me on earth for a few seconds.

Then after those few seconds, the title reverts back to a politician

[Richard Davis]

Thanks again for all the help re: rivets. I had certainly planned to ruin a few practice projects, but these posts will make sure I benefit even more from that practice. Why, by the way, are rivets used instead of nuts and bolts? Just faster to install? Hold better?

[likeair2me]

I am currently wrestling with new side marker lights. I have panhead nuts and bolts. I don't have rivets. The only ones I had with shanks long enough would not fit through the holes in the light assembly. I could do one shot with the rivet all by myself. The nuts and bolts require two people to assemble, one to hold the nut side and one to turn the bolt. Then you have to mess with working in a blind location and standing on your head.
The rivet will deform before it cracks through your fiberglass. The nuts and bolts don't care about the condition of your fiberglass.

[John in Michigan]

Rivets are quicker, easier. I recently replaced my fresh water fill, city water connection and grey water connection all at the same time because all 3 had problems. I used ss machine screws with nylock nuts, but found it very difficult to access the space to put on the nylock nuts when installing the fresh water fill. Rivets would have been easier.

Having said that, I really like the machine screw/nylock nut combo because it can be tightened "lightly" to minimize FG cracking. And then tightened more later or even removed and reused later.

[Wayne Collins]

Ours developed a leak inside. The connecting hose split.
To get at it I had to remove the bench board. The tube has an S bend that makes it tricky to install.
I did get a different style filler, with a lockable cover. It allowed me to fill faster from a hose with an adapter and length of clear vinyl tubing that can be shoved into the filler.

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

Why, by the way, are rivets used instead of nuts and bolts? Just faster to install? Hold better?

Yes they are faster and cheaper. In a production environment for most situations rivets are a one man job, nuts and bolts takes two.

[Richard Davis]

OK. So the parts arrive from Scamp, only to discover that the fill spout is actually two separate pieces - 1) the exterior bathtub-like piece and 2) a straight piece of rigid plastic tube that screws into the bathtub and to which the flexible hose connects at the other end. As it turns out, all I really need is the piece of rigid plastic tube. That is what's broken. However, mine is so solidly attached to the bathtub that I assumed it was one piece. When the new parts arrive, nevertheless, I see I MIGHT be able to unscrew the broken rigid tube from the bathtub and just go from there -- no removal of the bathtub, no rivets, no butyl caulking tape. Life on Easy Street!! But the original rigid tube is very brittle (remember, IT is what's broken), so there's not really any way to get enough grip on it to unscrew it. So a couple of questions to this helpful forum: 1) Is there anything that loosens seized-up plastic threads? If it were rusted metal, I know a few tricks -- heat, penetrating oil, etc. But this is a plastic conduit for drinking water..... 2) Would Scamp likely have joined the bathtub and the rigid tube with some sort of sealer/cement? 3) If I manage to break the connection, should I also use a sealer/cement on the threads, and what kind? Of course, if this fails ot a break the bathtub in the process, I'm back where I started, rivet-gun in hand!

[stevebaz]

You can try to take a socket or piece of metal tubing that fits closely inside the screw in fitting. Then you can grab the plastic tube part with a pair of sliplock pliers ( chanel locks ) the piece inside the fitting will keep the plastic fitting from crushing down and breaking apart. As long as it isnt glued you may get them apart.

[Borrego Dave]

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

OK. So the parts arrive from Scamp, only to discover that the fill spout is actually two separate pieces - 1) the exterior bathtub-like piece and 2) a straight piece of rigid plastic tube that screws into the bathtub and to which the flexible hose connects at the other end. As it turns out, all I really need is the piece of rigid plastic tube. That is what's broken. However, mine is so solidly attached to the bathtub that I assumed it was one piece. When the new parts arrive, nevertheless, I see I MIGHT be able to unscrew the broken rigid tube from the bathtub and just go from there -- no removal of the bathtub, no rivets, no butyl caulking tape. Life on Easy Street!! But the original rigid tube is very brittle (remember, IT is what's broken), so there's not really any way to get enough grip on it to unscrew it. So a couple of questions to this helpful forum: 1) Is there anything that loosens seized-up plastic threads? If it were rusted metal, I know a few tricks -- heat, penetrating oil, etc. But this is a plastic conduit for drinking water..... 2) Would Scamp likely have joined the bathtub and the rigid tube with some sort of sealer/cement? 3) If I manage to break the connection, should I also use a sealer/cement on the threads, and what kind? Of course, if this fails ot a break the bathtub in the process, I'm back where I started, rivet-gun in hand!

Good tip Steve, could even use a wooden dowel too. Richard, from looking at the pics, it seems the hose piece has a pretty large flange behind the threads. I have never seen the inside view of a Scamp filler so I'm just tossing this out. Is the hole in the shell large enough for it to pass through? I replaced a filler like this many years ago (non FG) but it was one piece.

[Richard Davis]

Thanks for the ideas. There wasn't much of the rigid tube left, so I wasn't successful in getting the remains of it (mostly just the threaded part and the flange) unscrewed from the external bathtub. I talked to Scamp and they didn't think the rigid tube would have been cemented into the bathtub part -- maybe only some plumber's grease. Nevertheless, it looks like the whole assembly is going to have to come out. Oh well... Gotta go practice my riveting now.

[stevebaz]

Don't worry riveting is a good skill to have especially if you own one of these trailers. When you ready and if you have a compressor at home get one of these.
https://www.harborfreight.com/3-16-i...ter-93458.html

Use one of their readily available 20% off coupons and they piratically give it to you. Takes the chore out of setting rivets.

[Richard Davis]

So everything appears good to go, thanks to all your help! The old rivets are out and the Scamp is all cleaned up around the water spout. I have my butyl tape at hand and the new water spout ready to attach. Scamp sent me the three rivets I need when they sent the spout, so I'm assuming I have the correct size. I've practiced installing a number of rivets and -- while you wouldn't want to hire me and I wouldn't say I FULLY understand these interesting little guys called pop or blind rivets -- I think I'm ready. One question remains: just on the inside of the fiberglass is a bubble-wrap-like insulation, with a layer of foil over that, followed by the rat fur. The various insulation-like fabrics aren't tidily out of the way where the three holes that receive the rivets come through the fiberglass. Will that stuff be a problem if I just put the rivet through from the outside? Do I need a solid interior surface where the back of the rivet can expand to hold the rivet in place? Or can I just ignore it and pop in the rivet as if there WERE no insulation on the other side? P.S. My Mom was a Rosie the Riveter during WWII and I only now thought of that!!!http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/i...cons/icon7.gif

[Radar1]

When you push the rivet in from the outside, it needs to go far enough in so it will grip the fiberglass on the inside wall when it expands. As you push it in, the end of the rivet should push any insulation/rat fur away from the fiberglass, which is what you want to do.
I replaced mine last year, I suspect it cracked when the clamp was overtightened on the inside, and would leak water on the inside whenever water was standing as high as the filler tube level.

[Richard Davis]

Thanks! That's the answer I was hoping to hear! I just hate making a mess of anything new, yet I'm too curious not to keep trying new things! Thank goodness for sites like this.

[stevebaz]

Put your fitting in place. Put masking tape around the outside. Since this fitting is on a curved place check the gap between the fitting and the shell of the trailer. If the gap needed to fill between the 2 is thicker than your butyl tape is then in those wide areas you may need to layers of tape so excess will squeeze out. Now put it together and push the fitting inside the new fill hose. (You are using a new hose right?) Don't forget to slip on the hose clamps. Now push your fitting all the way down and set your rivets. Let the excess butyl tape squeeze out. Now wait until a cool time of day or early morning. Take a knife and wet it with water and cutoff the excess butyl that has squeezed out. Then peel the tape for a clean edge. Now tighten the hose clamps.

[Richard Davis]

Excellent instructions! Thanks a bunch. Yes, I did order some new hose from Scamp. I think I have all the troops gathered now -- just waiting until I get enough good replies (such as this one and Dave's) to go commit!