RV Blade Valve Protection

bergger

After a trip where I've used the black tank I always flush it then put about a gallon of water in it with an orange tablet just to keep any possibly funky smell away.  I recently had to drive the T@b an hour away to the dealer for some service, paved roads the whole way.   All was good on when I left.  As soon as I got to the dealer and got out I immediately noticed a small stream of water coming out of the black tank blade valve.  I looked closer and could see it was completely cracked.  I could only think that a rock had kicked up and hit the valve busting it.  Lucky for me the dealer put a new on in when I was there for other service.  

Prior to this I never gave much thought to how exposed the blade valves are.  Especially the black tank valve.  We've had the trailer for over 4 years with no issue like this.  However once I got home I decided to put a double layer of bubble wrap over both valves and then wrap it all in black duct tape.  I love duct tape!  Hopefully this will give some protection from minor rocks and debris while traveling.  Lucky for us it happened on the way to a service appointment and not on the way to a camping trip.  Anyway just wanted to share my experience with others who may have not thought of this. 

Slackers

Hmm. For older Tabs the blade valve is ahead of the tire, making it vulnerable to anything kicked up by the TV tires. On the newer models it's behind the trailer wheel. I have figured the newer configuration was better but after reading your account, maybe not. I'm sure what you have done improves things.

den1jen

@bergger, good idea just did this on our 400. I used some foam I had with black duck tape. 

marchule

I've just had a similar problem except my issue is that the flange where the blade valve attaches is where the crack has manifested.  This is not a simple solution since it requires replacing the elbow.  I removed the black blade valve and the gray blade valve in order to have enough room and get inside the elbow and flange.  I used JB Weld.  Reassembled.  No luck.  I tried Flex Seal.  Reassembled.  No luck  I tried wrapping from the outside.  No luck.  I gave up and have gotten a mobile RV repair service to tackle the project.

All of us have had to deal with rock chips on a windshield and know the type of horrific damage that can occur with a tiny missile.  A similar mishap is probably the cause of my woes plus the fact I've been driving on dirt/gravel roads.  It doesn't take much.  Plus, if the seal wasn't right in the factory between the elbow and flange, the possibility of a crack forming is even greater.  I should add that my trailer is stored during the winter in a garage where the temperature never gets below 50 so freezing is ruled out.  We've had this unit for 2 1/2  years.

I'm just offering this as a cautionary warning.  Maybe some smarter people (hey, nuCamp!) will come up with a better protective solution.