Trillium City Water Inlet Woes

[Booker B.]

... and to that I will add my rant =)

*rant on*

I know totally what you mean David. It really irks me that we are working on these 30+ year old trailers that were so well built and everything that I am finding to replace them is shoddy imported parts.

I have the same issue with all the cheap tools that are being sold. I have made the mistake of buying a cheap cordless drill and some sawzall blades to do a reno on the house and was I ever sorry - it still pays to buy good tools and I quickly replaced the drill with a XRP Dewalt and some bosch blades for my Makita sawzall.

I think the problem is that retailers and manufactuers know they don't make big profits off long lasting products and so what we now have is a massive amount of cheap products with zero reliability or repairabilty. I would rather pay double for a dishwasher that lasts 20 years then our piece of crap that lasted 5

*rant off*

[Daniel V.]

This is likely the option I will turn to if I can't sort out the "with cover" version that the Trillium has.

Here's another idea... You could replace it with a cable hatch. Then slap a quick-connect coupling onto the end of the inside hose and pull it through the hatch, making the hose a bit longer if needed.

[Greg A]

Dave,

That hatch when you removed the fittings looks like a perfect fit for a hose. Could you not design a length of potable hose with the connection to the inside fitting and then the female adapter on the outside end. Leave about 6" or so of extra hose length. The hatch would close with the hose pushed back into the trailer and when you hook up you grab the female connector and pull the extra hose outside and make your city water connection. Sort of along the idea of how they do the power cord in the Scamp.

[David Swinnard]

Dave,

That hatch when you removed the fittings looks like a perfect fit for a hose. Could you not design a length of potable hose with the connection to the inside fitting and then the female adapter on the outside end. Leave about 6" or so of extra hose length. The hatch would close with the hose pushed back into the trailer and when you hook up you grab the female connector and pull the extra hose outside and make your city water connection. Sort of along the idea of how they do the power cord in the Scamp.

Greg, great minds think alike! After investigating the various brass (and plastic) plumbing bits on offer at the local building centres, large and small, and perusing a variety of web sites, I came to the same conclusion you did - a short hose.

All the various combinations I could come up with were too big to fit beneath the hatch cover - only a single hose connector would fit easily. Logical conclusion from that is to use a short host and put the connection to the actual "interior" plumbing inside the trailer. (once I've checked all the connections for leaks!)

[Joanne]

Interesting reading about your issues with your water filler. I have just finnished replacing all of my exterior fittings on my 76 Trillium as well. I wish I would've seen this thread and checked out your RV supplier first. Outback Trillium sent me the same thing manufactured by Zebra RV with out the check valve for use as a sink drain outlet, for around 27 dollars. Not Happy!! This brass filler unit u have looks much better, would be curious to see if they have a proper sink drain outlet as well. Replaced my water tank and all water lines with fittings supplied from them and actually am now convinced there is nobody that knows much about plumbing working in there parts department!!!
Best of luck with your project.

[whiteout810]

My wife and I recently acquired a 1975 Trillium 1300. Everything is in working order with only a couple of small leaks from the windows (1/4 cup in two days of heavy rain between all 4 windows). One part that is broken and cannot simply be fixed is the city water entry. I cannot find anywhere that lists the part 664-##/664## other than a catalog and the local RV dealers/shops cannot find the part either. I've tried several places around the web and get no where. Go-West.com does not work anymore (looks like the site has been down since 2014?). I've tried ordering parts from amazon but the flange just covers the hole and the screws have nothing to sink into. Does anyone know where I can get the part? US or Canada is fine.
Thanks
-Chase

[k corbin]

Forget about all those made to a low cost RV items that give you grief and go with something that will last a lot of years from the marine trades. Same function, similar looking but "solid stainless steel" instead of plastic"

Do a keyword search for this item "Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet Stainless Steel" Yes you will have to screw a pressure reducer to the inside but that is a very easy task to do rather than something to be scared of. Having one that is not built into the inlet is good because if the pressure valve goes bad you don't have to replace the whole thing.

Also forget about using teflon tape, it is not nearly as good at sealing the connections as TFE paste, also known as "pipe thread compound". You can purchase it in a small tube or in stick form at any hardware store. We prefer the stick form of it which is very easy to apply. You just rub it across the male threads to fill the grooves up a little then screw the pieces together.

[whiteout810]

Thanks K_Corbin,
The Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet Stainless Steel is not going to work. The flange will cover the hole from the covered housing, but the screws/rivets won't grab anything. I've looked at similar parts, even ordered one and tried to test fit it but it was a no go.
Thanks for the help though.
-Chase

[John in Michigan]

Originally Posted by whiteout810

Thanks K_Corbin,
The Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet Stainless Steel is not going to work. The flange will cover the hole from the covered housing, but the screws/rivets won't grab anything. I've looked at similar parts, even ordered one and tried to test fit it but it was a no go.
Thanks for the help though.
-Chase

The Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet has similar dimensions (same overall diameter) as the "Valterra A01-0170LFVP White 2-3/4" Plastic Lead-Free Flange Water Inlet" that I recently installed on my Trillium. I used SS machine screws and SS nylock nuts to fasten it. Worked fine.

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by whiteout810

Thanks K_Corbin,
The Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet Stainless Steel is not going to work. The flange will cover the hole from the covered housing, but the screws/rivets won't grab anything. I've looked at similar parts, even ordered one and tried to test fit it but it was a no go.
Thanks for the help though.
-Chase

OK, no big deal, quit looking for a match and use something else that requires the hole to be larger.

Use a drum sander in a drill motor to enlarge the hole and then put one of this type in.
https://www.amazon.com/JR-Products-9.../dp/B0002UHVX2

[k corbin]

Originally Posted by whiteout810

Thanks K_Corbin,
The Sea Dog Fresh Water Inlet Stainless Steel is not going to work. The flange will cover the hole from the covered housing, but the screws/rivets won't grab anything. I've looked at similar parts, even ordered one and tried to test fit it but it was a no go.
Thanks for the help though.
-Chase

No big deal, just change to a style that needs a larger hole. You can use a small drum sander in a drill motor to enlarge the hole. Computer program or pencil compass to draw out the diameter of the existing hole plus the diameter of the new hole size. Cut your pattern out like a donut...cut out the center of the old hole then cut around the outside for the new diameter. Then put it in place and trace around the outside of the new hole right onto the trailer. That way you will have lines to guide you while enlarging the hole. Put the new inlet in place and use it to mark where the new mounting screws or rivets go.

https://www.amazon.com/JR-Products-9690-200-023-Water-Check/dp/B0002UHVX2

or https://www.amazon.com/Valterra-A01-...65YVNBZM7AHS5C

The type with the built in regulator is nice as you no longer have to carry a water pressure regulator to screw on the end of the hose.

[whiteout810]

I have since acquired a Dremel. I have less fear now about cutting out the molded cup that the housing and inlet are sitting in. I was concerned before because the cup adds a ton of rigidity to the general area, but I think I can use a 1/4" piece of plywood to act as a clamp on the FG body when the screws are driven through the FG into the plywood, and restore the structural rigidity.

[whiteout810]

I found a new city water fill! It's plastic, as far as I can tell it is identical to the original.
www.RVSupertoreCanada.ca part #20161
The part wasn't as expensive as I thought, but the shipping is really expensive. Next time I order something I'm going to make sure I get get my shipping costs' worth.