Foretravel Owners' Forum

Would someone kindly confirm the part number for the manual grey and black dump/tank valves?  My list says T40H, which appears to be a Valterra 3-inch for a cable (not a straight handle), and it doesn't include the cable.  I'm betting this isn't a standard CW item, so any good online vendors for such?

One of ours is weeping a little when the tank gets pretty full, so Steve's going to replace them both when he has the wet bay disassembled.

Michelle
Cant help with the part # but while replacing valves, Steve should look into putting in a 3rd valve.  He can set it up with a standard Valterra fitting so he can use any hose he wants ( I really like my Rhino hose).  Just a thought while he is doing the " dirty work " anyway.  The 3rd valve also makes a very simple back flush- FYI

Not an option for the 2003 if you want to be able to leave the hose hooked up and close the bay door. 

Back to the question at hand.

Michelle,

Prior to taking delivery of our coach in Aug 14 FOT replaced both dump valves, invoice indicates part# T40H with a description...Sewer Valve, CABLE TYPE 3.  Price $27.73 each.  Our coach is an 05.

Thank you - that confirms what I have on my documentation  ^.^d

Now to find a source here in the Dallas area or online...

Suggest to Steve (with your direct supervision of course) that he lube the blades with silicone grease (plumbing department of any box store).  Will make them SMOOOOOOTH for a long time.

And, with our supervision, I know he will not use silicone sealant (which would mean they would never leak AND that they would never open!).

A bit off topic:
Is dielectric grease a substitute for silicone grease?

I just finished taken out my valves and overhaul them, they are electric , and they where weeping .What I used for lube was just regular Vaseline, Works like a charm.

Michelle,

Amazon.com: Valterra T1003PBC 3" Valve Body: Automotive (http://amazon.com/gp/product/B009QWWXRG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

Is the Valterra T1003PBC 3" Valve Body with the cable connector, not a handle. 

I'm right in the middle of replacing mine.

Grease... I would use plumber's silicon grease for lube on these parts.  It is not the same as dielectric grease.  Petroleum based greases like vaseline can deteriorate aome rubber products.  No idea if it would have a negative impact on Valterra valves.  For most of us a couple of bucks for a small container of silicon grease will last the rest of our lives. It is in my tool box.

Ours looks like this (https://www.foreforums.com/imagecache.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.valterra.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F12%2FT40H-400x807.jpg&hash=b9f28e6c3915d88c75335fe3212721a2" rel="cached" data-hash="b9f28e6c3915d88c75335fe3212721a2" data-warn="External image, click here to view original" data-url="http://www.valterra.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/T40H-400x807.jpg)

Here's some photos of what's behind the wall from back when Steve modified the access panel

Exactly like mine.  The upper section comes off when you remove the top two valve body bolts.  Remove the four screws in upper section and loosen the set screw in the connector and the cable will come off and the cable holder assembly comes off. Then remove the other two bolts from the valve body and the valve body will slip out from the pipe flanges.  Clean things up. Lube with plumber's grease.  Reassemble the valve body between the flanges, bolt on the cable holder with the upper two bolts. Insert the cable, tighten the set screw, tighten the cable holder bolts and Bob's your Uncle,

All you really need is the valve body ithe the cable connector.  The cable holder assembly should be good.  I would lube the cable and the cable sleeve (with plumber's grease)

All,this seems simple until you get into the tight little compartment and try to get wrenches on those bolts. 🔦🔩🔧Roger

At Amazon, what Michelle's picture shows is a T40BH.

Amazon.com: Valterra T40BH Valve: Automotive (http://amazon.com/Valterra-T40BH-Valve/dp/B00PHSB2D4/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1430441231&sr=1-1&keywords=T40bh)

The T40B has a handle.

You probably don't need the flanges, they are glued to the pipes.  The rubber gaskets come with the flange body.  You should be able to reuse the cable holder and the existing cables.  That is what I am doing.  I just want to replace the valve bodies.  I am adding a third valve as well.

Of course, that assumes Amazon has it right.

Roger

Unfortunately our 03 compartment is a tight fit to get anything else added on.  I do use the old lift the dump hose trick to get a good tank backwash when needed though, works great and easy to do  ^.^d

Thanks for the idea!  .. I'm always looking for a use for that tube of Si grease, seems like one tube will last a lifetime.  And yes I do need proper supervision or my Tim the Toolman comes out and we would have a Binford 3000 dump valve.

I think thats one of those all thumbs are fingers, but not all fingers are thumbs kind of things :D

Hummm ... I'll provide the rubber gloves if you can supply the expertise :D

Awesome find on just the guillotine section, going to get some on order so I can get those replaced before things go from kind of OK to Oh no ... real real bad !  Let us know how the replacement goes and any "watch out for" items.

It took me two or three hours to open the small dark cave and get all of the parts disassembled.  By then, sitting on the ground, I was remarkably stiff.  Tomorrow, some more.  It would be nice to,have the coach bottom about four ft off the ground.  I'll take pictures. Roger

When I have had leaks in my valves in the past, a good cleaning and lube job was all they needed.  It is very easy to get some small pieces of bad stuff stuck in the seal.  Then the blade doesn't seat properly.

Rich

Rich, Looking at the valve bodies I removed you are probably correct.  I was not sure what I was going to find so I just ordered the new valve bodies which come with new seals.  If I was going to go to the trouble (it is a bit of work) to take these out again cleaning would work but I think I would replace the rubber seals at least. 

This seems to be a pretty tough place to service.  Getting the cables off on mine was not very easy.  I am thinking on that.  Roger

When I replaced both our valve bodies (and added the 3rd valve), this is what the rubber seal on the "leaker" looked like.  No amount of lube will cure this problem.  Sometimes "remove and replace" is the only solution. 

I picked up my new seals, and blade rebuild kits at United RV on Airport Freeway in NE Ft. Worth, if you happen to be down in town for any other reason.  They also seem to carry an amazing amount of RV plumbing parts to build almost anything you want, in the fresh, grey, or black water areas of our coaches.  Open bins, and you walk the isle and put the parts together as you design.

Took a friend and we built a totally second and different way to dump his grey water without having to use the 12 volt pump to lift the water to the mid chassis dump valves.  We were able to keep his pump in the system, so he now has two dump hose connections that he can access.  But United had many ways to change, modify, and rebuild his and my systems.

Thanks Dave.  Darn, we were just down in FTW last week but didn't have dump valves on our minds.  I went ahead and ordered from Amazon but will keep United RV in mind for future projects.

One way that seems to give our drain valves more life and easier actions, is after draining each holding tank, close valve and pour in 48 ounces of the least expensive vegetable oil.  We wait about 10 minutes to give the oil time to settle in bottom of tank, then with many quick short partial openings of valve, let the oil coat the valve seals.
We do the lub job a couple times a year and it always makes drain valve opening actions much easier, smoother and quicker.  Can't say it repairs leaking seals, but it can't hurt.

Here is what I got from Amazon.  They come in a bag and include the allen wrench and new seals.

Roger

Nice job.  Good to get it done. Looks just like mine, Steve, in our 2001. Other than the disassembly of the outer panels it was not as hard as I anticipated. Some of the parts are assembled differently on our front panel.  Getting the faucet connections removed and the cables removed from the valves to get the panels out led me to my local sheet metal shop for a three part stainless panel.  The bottom has the valve handles and cables to the valves.  The middle section has the 110v outlets and the cable connection as well as the service faucet.  The upper section has the lights.  Reassembles one section at a time, much easier to do.  Pictures soon.

Did you put a third valve on?  I did.  I have a 90° fitting and a 45° fitting to go from the third Valtera valve down through the flapped slot.  I can use the 90° fitting and then the 45° fitting for more clearance if I need it but I think the 45° will be fine.  We usually don't leave the waste hose connected unless we are dumping the tanks.

No, he didn't.  There isn't room in a 2003 to have a third valve and be able to close the bay door when the sewer hose is connected.

Roger, I cannot close the flap door with our third valve so I disconnect the sewer hose, reconnect at some frequency I will not describe to avoid possible adverse comment.  So I am in the situation Michelle avoided, and kinda wish I did not have that issue.  Still, I like the third valve and would do it again.  The alternative to keeping the hose connected is to leave the bay door open just a tad (that is a small amount, an East Texas term?) resting on the hose.

Cheers, and good connections

mike

Yeah, that so won't work with the Maine red squirrel population...

I don't think there is room on most of them to do this. Mine had a 3rd valve from previous owner and I don't think I could close the door....but I don't leave a sewer line attached.

2003 ? Is that a guess, I see nothing regarding year or model.

Steve,
As neophytes, when we purchased our first coach (a new 1998 U270) at the Tampa FT store, they encouraged us to stay with them for at least 3 days to "learn the coach"  and to do a "fast cruise" with them.  We stayed five and then a sixth day back at the store.  They (a sales team) put us up at a premium local campground, went through a multipage "teaching" checklist, at a "four hours per day pace", over four days, including road time each day and then a day back at the shop clearing a short worklist of issues. 
Items on that "learnig" checklist included the "commonsense, but neophyte non-intuitive" backflushing of the black tank and black valve with grey water "lube", twice, each dump cycle, by elevating the dump hose.  No extra hardware, no extra maintenance or expense - KISS KISS.
They also taught us in each dump cycle to close the black tank valve ONLY when there is strong grey water flow going INTO the black tank, again by elevating the dump hose, in order to be sweeping  any entrained solids back into the black tank rather than trapping solids in the gate valve seating surfaces as one is closing the black valve. Another KISS.
Each day of "fast cruise" learning, there was time allotted to "new information", "practical factors" i.e. - show me "how to do"/"or where things are" that I taught you yesterday, and a "free for all Q&A period".  Graduation was a "dinner out, on the company store" the last day.
Those two dump hose lessons (and dozens upon dozens more neophyte-owner coach lessons) have served us well and are vividly recalled, even 17 years later. 
Much better, they made us instant brand and company loyal advocates, anxious to spread the word and our pride in our decision as well as being extremely confident that we had made the right choice.
It was a very nice way to start off "FT Motorcoaching".
BY THE WAY, that was very much the polar opposite of our recent  Nac purchase of our second FT coach last October, where the consigning owner and we ended up disappointed and on nonspeaking terms over at least a dozen unresolved Nac/FT issues that continue even today. 
Our attempts to elevate those issues within FT have repeatedly fallen on deaf ears.  I guess that we have become small peanuts in today's FT "bottom-line" world.
We eventually just gave up and chalked the dozen issues up to a "shift in FT customer satisfaction goals" and a shift in "FT coach bucks decimal points" -- lessons (re)learned.
Neal

Not sure what you're asking.

I have this image of Steve standing, holding the sewer hose to "flush" his black tank and something bad happens.  Think Robin Williams in RV.  Just sayin.......