Dump valve rearrangement?

[Joe in MN]

Hello, everyone - I don't know what the usual black water dump configuration looks like for a 1988 Scamp 16, but in my case, the dump fitting comes straight down from the tank, and not very far down, either, which makes it really difficult to get at, as it's pretty well hidden under there - not only is it hard to see what I'm doing when attaching the hose, but I often wind up having to kneel in places where I'd rather not kneel in order to get at the darn thing. The more usual thing on RV's in general, I think, is a dump valve that comes out horizontally from under the trailer so that it's easier to get at.

1) Is it possible/easy to attach a permanent elbow fitting in my situation to bring the pipe out horizontally?

2) If so, is it also feasible to move the dump valve out to the end of that so the valve is easier to get at as well as the fitting?

If it was possible to do part 2, I'd worry that the fittings might not tolerate the stress of opening and shutting the valve, as I'd think that it would be a lot less well supported out on the end of the elbow, so leaving it right under the trailer where it is now might be the way it has to be if #1 winds up working out - just having an elbow extension would still make it easier to deal with.

I'm the kind of do-it-yourselfer who hates paying people to do mechanically simple things for me, but even so I'm picturing perhaps farming this whole job out to an expert - even if I go that route, it would be good to hear from anybody who's done anything like this, or had it done.

Thanks in advance for any input!

- Joe

[Donna D.]

Well, that's different. The black valve/gate on my 1988 16' Scamp is configured the same as the gray water.... angle is the same, etc.

Once again, it's dark outside or I'd take a picture. I won't be able to until Saturday, but if no one provides one for you I'll do it then

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Joe in MN

Hello, everyone - I don't know what the usual black water dump configuration looks like for a 1988 Scamp 16, but in my case, the dump fitting comes straight down from the tank, and not very far down, either, which makes it really difficult to get at, as it's pretty well hidden under there - not only is it hard to see what I'm doing when attaching the hose, but I often wind up having to kneel in places where I'd rather not kneel in order to get at the darn thing. The more usual thing on RV's in general, I think, is a dump valve that comes out horizontally from under the trailer so that it's easier to get at.

1) Is it possible/easy to attach a permanent elbow fitting in my situation to bring the pipe out horizontally?

2) If so, is it also feasible to move the dump valve out to the end of that so the valve is easier to get at as well as the fitting?

If it was possible to do part 2, I'd worry that the fittings might not tolerate the stress of opening and shutting the valve, as I'd think that it would be a lot less well supported out on the end of the elbow, so leaving it right under the trailer where it is now might be the way it has to be if #1 winds up working out - just having an elbow extension would still make it easier to deal with.

I'm the kind of do-it-yourselfer who hates paying people to do mechanically simple things for me, but even so I'm picturing perhaps farming this whole job out to an expert - even if I go that route, it would be good to hear from anybody who's done anything like this, or had it done.

Thanks in advance for any input!

- Joe

I have a friend who invented what he called a "potti-plus"...
Keeping the original dump valve, he added several feet of pipe under his trailer, with two lengths of pipe making a "U" turn and terminating in a second dump valve and hose fitting. This adds several gallons to his blackwater tank capacity and serves as a "reserve tank".
When his blackwater tank gets full... he can put off a trip to the dump station by simply pulling the first dump valve,no muss no fuss, This fills his "potti-plus" reserve which will then be handled at the dump staion in the normal manner, with easy access when it counts.

[Carol H]

Funny my 92 is as Joe discribes his. The black water is straight down. If Donna's is set up the same as the grey water's then I don't see why you can't change the black water to match. Suspect though that some might argue it is better to have the black water on a straight down without any angles where TP could clog up. I'm also wondering if perhaps its better to have it a bit higher for clearance. In theory the front of the trailer should be down from the back when towing. Hummmm.

[Joe in MN]

Thanks for the feedback, folks - I just went out there and took some blind nighttime flash pics under the trailer, and I realize now that I can see a lot more of what's up down there that way than I could see while kneeling and grunting under the trailer in the daytime... Looks like the pipe just threads right into the bottom of the tank, so I'm thinking that perhaps a whole new elbow and valve could be fabricated and installed relatively easily. I think there'd be enough ground clearance for an elbow that would clear the side of the trailer, but I may need to assess that in the daytime.

I've got no grey water tank, so nothing to compare the black water dump to.

Anyway, here's the picture of what I've got. By the way, if anybody ever needs any advice on refurbishing a Sealand toilet, I just finished rebuilding my 711-28 - those things are actually pretty simple to tear down and rebuild with a new parts kit.

So, if anybody has any experience with replacing the nether regions of the system, I'd love to hear about it - thank you!

Oh, right, the straight-through setup must be somewhat better for clearing the system than a right angle would be, especially with the smaller dump volume that us egg types have compared to the land yacht people, so I suppose that's a factor worth considering too...

[Carol H]

Last week-end the seals had to be replaced on my black water tank. When you unscrew the 4 bolts the valve, lower flange and bayonet fitting and cap will come off but the upper flange will stay attached to the pipe coming down from the toilet - or at least on mine it did. I think it is glued to the pipe from the toilet.

If you go to the Scamp website in the plumbing parts section they show all the parts you will need including the elbow you wish to add. Pretty sure you can buy all these parts pretty well anywhere. The problem I suspect you will have is getting the upper flange off the pipe that screws into the toilet. If its glued on it may have to be cut off and may not be reusable so you may have to replace the whole valve/flange unit and the pipe coming down from the toilet as well. I'm not sure on that so check around you may find an RV store that sells just the upper flange part but I'm not sure you have enough exposed pipe left coming down from the toilet to connect the new elbow to if you have to cut the upper flange off it. It may be less trouble to start over with all new parts then you would know your good for at least another 15 years or more.

The order in which the parts would go back on appears to be: screw in pipe from toilet, elbow, valve/flange unit, bayonet unit and cap. Give Scamp a call and confirm that though! :-)

[Carol H]

Floyd, your friends approach is an intreasting. I wonder though how he cleaned out the extra length of pipes, did he ever tell you how he did that?

One of the good things about having a short direct system is it is really simple to clean out the whole system from below or inside with just a toilet wand attached to a hose. Or if you want to get serious about it you can use an old fashioned long type toilet brush with a long metel handle you can bend and get into most of the tank from down below. I know the problem of the holding tanks being on the small side so I purchased a porta tote for dumping into when a direct dump is not an option. I have ended up using the porta tote more often to drain the grey water than the black tank though.

[Perry J]

Hi, Joe.
I have a 2004 scamp and the black water drain has an elbow and the valve and outlet is horizontal, but it's much closer to the floor of the trailer. I guess that's to give it more ground clearance.
I still have to kneel where we would rather not. I finally wised up and keep some disposable rubber gloves and a piece of old tarp in my storage box.
John

[Joe in MN]

This is great, thanks everybody! Tons of good info and ideas here. I first discovered this website while I was looking for a used Scamp, and I could tell that once I found me a trailer, this would be an excellent place to get this kind of help.

[Joe Z]

Joe....
I have the exact same setup on my 94' Casita except the dump pipe on mine is on the inside of the frame. I see your handle faces forward but You could easily take those four bolts off and rotate it to face "Out" and then just simply clip an EL to those tabs down bottom but with the lower ground clearance your liable to hit something and crack your black tank...... ask me how i know that! TWICE

[Joe in MN]

Yikes! Sounds like I'll have to consider this REALLY carefully.