Earlier model hot & cold t-handle type drain valves - maintenance tip

ChanW
ChanW Member Posts: 3,165
in Heating/Plumbing & Winterizing
Early 2014 model. Since I had it apart anyway, I thought I'd post some pictures of how to make your tee-handle valves work more reliably.

I had some trouble closing these little valves again this year (after winterizing), and at one point pinched the o-ring enough to cut it. It helps a lot to add a touch of silicone plumbers' lube on the o-rings.

The stem is held in with a simple stainless steel clip on the side. You pull it out (and don't drop it!), and the stem lifts right out. When reinstalling the clip, be sure it goes into the slot and goes on straight.

When closing the valve it helps to turn the t-handle a little bit when you press it down. You'll feel a little click.





Chan  -  near Buffalo NY
2014 S Maxx
2011 Tacoma 4cyl ... edit: 2022 Tacoma 6cyl - oh yeah! 

 A_Little_T@b'll_Do_Ya
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Comments

  • Verna
    Verna Member Posts: 6,876
    @ChanW, thank you, as this is good to keep for our files. 

    My 2014 was refurbished and the inside was a 2015, but it didn’t have those “T-handle” valves. 
    Verna, Columbus, IN
    2021 T@B 320S  Boondock “The T@B”
    Towed by a white 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 Supercab, 3.5L V6 Ecoboost “The Truck”
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  • Mellow_Yellow
    Mellow_Yellow Member Posts: 354
    Thank you @ChanW. You're a  :star:
    The valves in my 2014 T@B are exactly the same, so this post was awesome. The issue I was having was a sporadic drip out of the cold (and sometimes the hot) drain valve to the exterior of the trailer. It was especially bad in the recent hot weather, for whatever reason. Turns out, the o-rings are in fabulous shape (my trailer was hardly ever used by the previous owner) but they were dry, not brittle at all. So I added a light coat of plumber's silicone and now when you pull them, they 'snap' in and out like they should. 
    The clip was tricky getting back on, but after a few tries, it seemed to find the correct groove.
    I will order an assortment of o-rings and post here the size that fits as I was not able to find them locally.
    2014 T@B 320 S "Sunny" - 2015 Toyota Sienna LE - British Columbia, Canada
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  • Mellow_Yellow
    Mellow_Yellow Member Posts: 354
    the replacement washer seems to be: 8mm OD x 4mm ID x 2mm 
    My washers are in great shape, but I ordered replacements, in case. I'm guessing this is the size because 4.5mm ID was slightly too big.
    (OD = outside diameter, ID = inside diameter) 
    2014 T@B 320 S "Sunny" - 2015 Toyota Sienna LE - British Columbia, Canada
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