Fresh Water Leak - Fixed! (Again!?)

BrianZ · November 2019

The question of whether the city water line can twist freely behind the wall prompted me to look back at my original collection of photos from my 360° camera taken last March when we had the leaky valve fitting. I found these interesting..

The city water port appears to be installed off-center in the hole in the Azdel wall, such that the threaded collar seems to be wedged against the cut edge of the hole. This situation might tend to cause the wall to grip the collar & prevent it from twisting even if the port tube is twisted, in effect either loosening or tightening it, depending on direction of rotation. If some are installed like this while others are not, that might also explain why many do not have this problem.

In the second photo, you can see two of the the four plastic ridges on top of the knurled collar. The one that would be opposite the one to the right side is unseen, but would be located at the point where it would begin to be wedged against the wall when tightening the collar, & it might even feel tight when it is not (i.e., It may not turn because it's tight against the edge of the wall, but not tightly screwed onto the threaded pipe). I can barely reach far enough to get a grip on this collar to tighten it, so it's not as firm a grip as I might like.

I'm now planning to revisit the idea of cutting a new access hole in the wall behind the toilet for easier access to the check valve port - maybe a smaller round one than what @ScottG did for his toilet line repair - one that could be easily accessed without removing the toilet. Two leaks in one season requires better access to be able to more quickly & easily check the check valve more frequently.

BrianZ · November 2019

I also plan to keep this spare city water valve on hand, should we ever have a problem with the check valve itself..

Or, if we do have a problem with tightening the water line due to the current off-center installation, I'll replace it with this new one.

More importantly to me right now is how sturdy this assembly actually is..

The white mounting flange holds the black pipe very tightly, and it does not allow even the slightest bit of rotation, as long as the 3 screws in the flange hold it firmly attached to the wall. Further, the outer parts (hose-tightening collar & cap assembly) rotate entirely independently of the flange & pipe, so I am convinced now that no matter what technique one uses to attach the water hose to this port, it will not itself cause loosening/leaking of the water line connection inside.

I'm also quite certain now that a leak at the hose connection inside the wall happens for other reasons, such as insufficient tightening (due to its difficulty to reach or an off-center installation causing interference between wall & tightening collar), vibrations, etc. Prevention of leaks inside the wall may require improved access for regular checking and/or correction of installation issues. Once I get better access, I may be able to determine whether I need only better hand tightening or installation of the new valve.

BrianZ · November 2019

Ok, I "took the plunge" - using my plunge cutting tool..

..to install this 4" port hole. Discovered that by lifting the lid halfway and pulling the lid part of the hinge sideways & towards you, it is flexible enough to clear the base & comes right off (much like the lid of our ARB fridge); then goes back on by reversing the procedure. So I was able to install it without removing the toilet.

It's still a bit of an awkward reach, but easier now to reach the city water valve, because it allows me to use my right arm for a better grip, since I'm right-handed (something I could not do before - only my left arm with longer reach). A 6-inch porthole would have allowed more flexibility, but it may require removal of the toilet for installation (not for use), and I'm not sure it's worth a "redo".

This model is only $10, but well-made, with a rubber gasket that holds the screw-on lid snugly. I had some extra 1/2" #8 stainless steel pan head screws on hand that were a good fit, with a predrilled hole using a 3/32" bit. I think it will also allow easier inspection with my small camera if needed. I can also easily reach the water supply line for the toilet with my left arm if needed.

Bayliss · November 2019

@BrianZ. Nice work!

Sharon_is_SAM · November 2019

Brilliant!

BrianZ · November 2019

Thank you, @Bayliss & @Sharon_is_SAM. We shall see how things go next season.

And just a followup to say thanks again, @Marceline, for suggesting the water hose quick connect device. After giving it some further thought, I realized that by using two sets of them, we could save 2/3 of the "screwing around" during setup to get hose parts connected more quickly & easily..

While looking at the parts on amazon and trying to envision how they could all be optimally connected, I decided to explore some of my photo editor app's features to help visualize it, and this is what I came up with..

The green line follows the flow & order of connected parts, while the 3 circled groups of parts indicates those that will always remain connected together. When the water line is unscrewed from the trailer & faucet, groups 1 & 3 may then be temporarily quick-connected together for storage, while the hose ends may also be quick-connected for storage to avoid any leakage. In the past, we would have screwed & unscrewed 6 connections each time we either setup or packup, but this will reduce it to just two (plus 4 quick clicks).

I also note that each time a quick connect is used, it eliminates the opportunity to lose a washer from inside the female hose connector. We will, however, need to keep some 0.65 inch O-rings on hand.
Update: These O-rings work & are cheap..
111 Viton O-Ring, 75A Durometer, Round, Black, 7/16" ID, 5/8" OD, 3/32" Width (Pack of 50) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051Y1VYY

Sharon_is_SAM · November 2019

I am going to use Marceline’s idea, too. We connect the Camco faucet and it requires a lot of turning, so the quick connect is a great idea. We’ll see if it extends the faucet too much.

tybladesmith · November 2019

@BrianZ The 4" port hole Mod is a beautiful access solution for many potential issues. I feel the pain you have expressed over a number of related threads. Are you happy with the specific location, any suggestions?

BrianZ · November 2019

Thanks, @tybladesmith.
That's hard to answer, as I don't think there is any ideal location in such a small space. If you go too far left in the corner then it's more difficult to use, and too far right makes it a longer reach. I think if I was going to do it over, I'd go with a 6" porthole with the top & left edges on the same lines, so it extends more down & to the right (though this would require moving the toilet to install, which isn't a big deal). There's not much room to move my arm in any direction inside a 4" space, but it works well enough & definitely better than without it. I put it as far down & right as I could while still being able to cut the hole & put screws in without moving the toilet. I'm 5'8", but if you're tall & have long arms, then a bit farther right might be better. A 6" hole would give more freedom of movement, because when your arm is angled downwards through the hole there is, in effect, less than 4" of space. If I have a thick sweatshirt on, I have to take it off to get my arm in the hole comfortably.

tybladesmith · November 2019

Thanks @BrianZ, this is exactly the advice and experience I am looking to gain from!

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Fresh Water Leak - Fixed! (Again!?)

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