Replacing water lines and faucet- Scamp - Fiberglass RV
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Old 05-06-2016, 10:37 AM   #1
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Name: Carrie
Trailer: Scamp 13
Massachusetts
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Replacing water lines and faucet- Scamp

We have a Scamp 13 with no bath. There is some nasty gunk in our water lines. Some parts are clear and the rest is black (the original, I think). I can only imagine what I can't see, so we are thinking of replacing them all. What kind of tubing am I looking for? Braided vinyl?

We also want to replace the faucet with a higher bar faucet. Not sure yet whether we'll just leave the second city water faucet as is or connect it to the new faucet. If you've gotten rid of yours, what to do with the big hole in the countertop?

Thanks!
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Old 05-06-2016, 10:56 AM   #2
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Carrie, I used a piece of aluminum (an old road sign that I found in a ditch while walking) to make a base plate to cover the original holes. I used a wire brush to give it a brushed finish to match the look of the sink. The new faucet had a sprayer attachment that was very handy to spray larger items, and could also be used to wash our hair in the sink or be passed through the kitchen window to a shower enclosure just outside the Scamp. The attachment to the faucet's aerator is a water saving device that I picked up at a marine supply store. I hope this helps.
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Old 05-06-2016, 01:31 PM   #3
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PEX tubing is what late model trailers use these days as it's less liable to crack in freezing weather. PEX fittings take a special crimping tool to install, so many use Shark fittings instead. Should be able to find both at a big box store or certainly online. PEX comes in red and blue if you want to color code your piping.
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Old 05-06-2016, 03:58 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by tractors1 View Post
PEX tubing is what late model trailers use these days as it's less liable to crack in freezing weather. PEX fittings take a special crimping tool to install, so many use Shark fittings instead. Should be able to find both at a big box store or certainly online. PEX comes in red and blue if you want to color code your piping.
Pex also makes slip on fittings, straight, nineties, and swivel which require no tools other than to cut the tubing. Plus they are reusable.
I bought at Menards.

DE25 Direct Elbow Tee Fast Joint for PPR PVC PE PB PEX Fitting Select Style DN20 | eBay
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Old 05-06-2016, 04:29 PM   #5
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Name: Lyle
Trailer: Scamp 16, previously Scamp 13
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While I have no argument with any of the above, and if I were to replace my water system, I would use PEX, I will say this:

I had the same problem with a hand pump water system in my older Scamp. I had black crud in the tank and water lines. I get the same thing in my water bladder hose that I use for backpacking if I leave it wet when stored away. Based on my experience with that, I just did a rather strong dose of bleach water into the tank, then pump the mix through the water lines. Let that sit for several days, then just started pumping the water out via the sink. All the black crud comes out and leaves the clear lines perfectly clean and disinfected.

Rinse with several tanks of clear water and you should be good to go, save you the hassle of replacing the water lines if you would rather avoid it. I'm totally satisfied with my results.
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Old 05-07-2016, 08:02 AM   #6
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Lyle has the answer. We do the same thing every year to insure the water lines are disinfected and safe to use. Even with new pipes, you should still do that.

Try his method and if it works, you have saved time and money.
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Old 05-07-2016, 08:48 AM   #7
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Name: Steve
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One good thing about PEX is that it is not transparent, that way when crud builds up in your water lines you will not be able to see it.
Out of sight ,out of mind . We have PEX tubing in our trailer and we still have to flush it out with bleach. This Spring when Dewinterizing
our trailer , ( flushing out antifreeze) , the pump screen was covered in slime and crud . Changing out your water piping to avoid cleaning the system seems like overkill to me.. One nice thing about PEX is that you can color code your water system. PEX is also more resistant to freeze damage unfortunately PEX fittings are not.
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Old 05-07-2016, 10:09 AM   #8
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Name: Carrie
Trailer: Scamp 13
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Thanks. Got the PEX today plus the shark bite fittings The whole thing was less than $20. Worth it to me because it's not my crud that is built-up- it's the p.o.'s. There is so much gunk in there that I actually thought the tubing was black, but on closer inspection I realized it was clear. I will do the bleach thing from now on to clean out my own crud!
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Old 05-08-2016, 08:51 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David B. View Post
Carrie, I used a piece of aluminum (an old road sign that I found in a ditch while walking) to make a base plate to cover the original holes. I used a wire brush to give it a brushed finish to match the look of the sink....
I like that approach, Dave, one man's trash, another man's treasure!

Quote:
Originally Posted by LyleB View Post
I had black crud in the tank and water lines. I get the same thing in my water bladder hose that I use for backpacking if I leave it wet when stored away. Based on my experience with that, I just did a rather strong dose of bleach water into the tank, then pump the mix through the water lines. Let that sit for several days, then just started pumping the water out via the sink. All the black crud comes out and leaves the clear lines perfectly clean and disinfected.

Rinse with several tanks of clear water and you should be good to go, save you the hassle of replacing the water lines if you would rather avoid it. I'm totally satisfied with my results.
That is exactly what I would recommend.

Quote:
Originally Posted by CarrieR View Post
Thanks. Got the PEX today plus the shark bite fittings The whole thing was less than $20. Worth it to me because it's not my crud that is built-up- it's the p.o.'s. There is so much gunk in there that I actually thought the tubing was black, but on closer inspection I realized it was clear. I will do the bleach thing from now on to clean out my own crud!
It seems you are committed to re-plumbing the lines at this point, so I would still say that the crud in the clean water lines is no different from one owner to another. It comes from airborne dust, spores and bacteria that gets into the system via tank filling from a container, as well as via the tank vent. No way to avoid. It will get bad if the camper sits idle for a long time.
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Old 05-08-2016, 03:22 PM   #10
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Name: Carrie
Trailer: Scamp 13
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Done! Wasn't sorry to see this go and it was super easy because I don't have a bath... That was a clear hose...blech.
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