How do I get the caps off my drainage? they’re stuck, anybody know a trick?

[MJo]

I decided to see how I would attach the hose for drainage if I needed to and I can’t get the durn thing off !! any ideas, is there a trick to it?

[Iowa Dave]

They get stuck pretty tight some times. You might try a BIG set of channel locks or a strap wrench or a chain wrench. If there’s a Square plastic end molded into the cap you can use an adjustable wrench on it . Big crescent, big 12 point socket or pipe wrench. Easy does it. Spray the inner surfaces from the outside
with wrench eze the night before. In a few hours the fluid will walk between the cap and the tube. Then try the removal in the morning. That’s what I would try. If you break the hooks off the cap, you can buy a new one for a few bucks. Others may have another course of action.
Iowa Dave

[jerrybob]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

They get stuck pretty tight some times. You might try a BIG set of channel locks or a strap wrench or a chain wrench. If there’s a Square plastic end molded into the cap you can use an adjustable wrench on it . Big crescent, big 12 point socket or pipe wrench. Easy does it. Spray the inner surfaces from the outside
with wrench eze the night before. In a few hours the fluid will walk between the cap and the tube. Then try the removal in the morning. That’s what I would try. If you break the hooks off the cap, you can buy a new one for a few bucks. Others may have another course of action.
Iowa Dave

Good advice here......the best wrench eze is a 50/50 mixture of auto trans fluid and acetone.....been using it for years on almost any stubborn nut...bolt....etc.....used it thousands of times on old carriage parts....works great and cheap. Mix in small hand pump oil can. Good luck.

[AlanKilian]

Originally Posted by jerrybob

auto trans fluid and acetone.

I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT use acetone on plastic sewer connection caps. You'll melt the plastic and have quite a repair bill.

[MJo]

I bought the plastic wrench for sewer caps on amazon but it slips. Maybe I’ll wait for my neighbor, or figure out what to do. would like to try out my Scamp, have had it for almost 2 1/2 years with no maiden voyage.

[jerrybob]

Originally Posted by AlanKilian

I DEFINITELY WOULD NOT use acetone on plastic sewer connection caps. You'll melt the plastic and have quite a repair bill.

Not at the 50/50 soultion level I mentioned......have used it.....no problem....just sayin.

[Raz]

I would put a strap wrench on the pipe and a second wrench on the cap. Arrange the handles so you can squeeze the two. Hopefully this will minimize the torque on the rest of the system. I also would apply heat using a hair dryer to loosen the crud bonding the threads. Good luck.

[MJo]

Originally Posted by Raz

I would put a strap wrench on the pipe and a second wrench on the cap. Arrange the handles so you can squeeze the two. Hopefully this will minimize the torque on the rest of the system. I also would apply heat using a hair dryer to loosen the crud bonding the threads. Good luck.

I think I may have a solution. I feed the birds, chickadees, nuthatches and birds like them love unsalted peanuts. The new jar’s cap wouldn’t come off. So I turned the jar upside down and poured a little cooking oil around the rim of the cap and let it sit for a while and then when I tried, it came right off. Now to find a way to try that on my grey water and black water hose caps.

[Campingbliss]

I had this same issue. A friend had offered to deal with my tanks at a CG and he tightened the black tank cap so tightly that I could not unscrew it at all. I bought a large plumbers wrench (channel lock?) from Home Depot and that worked well. Good luck.

[monB]

Apply heat (hairdryer) to the top part for a couple minutes. Let the bottom part stay cool. Or vice versa. The warmer side will be a touch larger, easier to undo.

Or maybe just use a heating pad.

Mon

[Dan Meyer]

What is the temperature? If it is below freezing it may simply be frozen shut by a bit of water.

--Dan Meyer

[Jon MB]

Mary Jo, there are two types of closures I've seen. What technique you use will depend on which type of cap you are trying to remove.
One is a PVC plastic length of pipe with threaded caps screwed, with several turns, on the ends. These I've usually seen as carriers for the flexible drain hoses and are often found as additions to bumpers. These are typically white and have a square projection at the center of the cap on which a wrench can be used. Turn the cap counterclockwise to remove. Install only hand tight. The thread sections are tapered and get tighter as the cap is screwed on. The taper fit is the seal.
The other type is a 'cam-lock' bayonette cap using less than a 1/4 turn to engage 2 or 4 hooks on the cap edge to matching pin projections on the camper's plumbing outlets. These are typically black or grey color. These have a rubber seal ring that gets compressed when the cap is turned to the stops.

As Dan points out, the residual water at the cap seal (threads of rubber gasket) may simply be frozen. A hair dryer is a quick means of thawing if it is an ice situation. Don't use a paint stripper hot air unit as that higher temperature will melt the plastic before the heat penetrates to melt any ice.

[MJo]

Originally Posted by Jon MB

Mary Jo, there are two types of closures I've seen. What technique you use will depend on which type of cap you are trying to remove.
One is a PVC plastic length of pipe with threaded caps screwed, with several turns, on the ends. These I've usually seen as carriers for the flexible drain hoses and are often found as additions to bumpers. These are typically white and have a square projection at the center of the cap on which a wrench can be used. Turn the cap counterclockwise to remove. Install only hand tight. The thread sections are tapered and get tighter as the cap is screwed on. The taper fit is the seal.
The other type is a 'cam-lock' bayonette cap using less than a 1/4 turn to engage 2 or 4 hooks on the cap edge to matching pin projections on the camper's plumbing outlets. These are typically black or grey color. These have a rubber seal ring that gets compressed when the cap is turned to the stops.

As Dan points out, the residual water at the cap seal (threads of rubber gasket) may simply be frozen. A hair dryer is a quick means of thawing if it is an ice situation. Don't use a paint stripper hot air unit as that higher temperature will melt the plastic before the heat penetrates to melt any ice.

I’ve never used the water system, never used the sink, etc. 2 year old Scamp sitting in my yard, new. I can’t get the caps off the drainage black or grey water pipes. How?

[Jon MB]

Please say you haven't been fighting these for 3 months...
The black and grey water tank drain caps need less than 1/4 turn counter clockwise to free the plastic hooks molded into the cap(s) from the projecting plastic pins molded into the pipe on the camper.
Look at the flexible drain hose that you'd attach, that is, if you were able to remove the stuck caps. The same configuration of the hooks on the stuck cap is used on the flex drain hose. The same action you'd use on the hose to unscrew it from the camper is the action you'll need to remove the cap.
That's the technique.
If the issue is hand grip strength not being sufficient to rotate the cap without slipping, I can't help other than to suggest leverage.
https://www.google.com/search?client...q=strap+wrench
Once you do have the cap off, smear some petroleum jelly or lip balm on the exposed face of the rubber seal. That won't help this time, but it will prevent the rubber from binding next time, if that is the cause this time.
It's May in MA, so it ain't still frozen......

P.M. sent to you as well.

[Gerry]

Fighting with anything stuck, I find that tapping it with a hammer while trying to turn it will sometimes work. the vibration helps

[Iowa Dave]

Use a strap wrench as I suggested in late February. They are not expensive. This pair cost me about $20 a couple years ago at a true value hardware store. I’ve used them to free the bonnet on a lavatory sink handle, to free up twist lock poles, and to remove stuck caps of all kinds.
Iowa Dave