Sewer connector question

Topic: Sewer connector question (Read 2532 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #25 – April 03, 2016, 08:53:14 pm

Well lots has happenednsince my last post. I had not tried the valves as suggested by Drainmaster untill they are installed so after finally getting some time to get back to this job I tried the switches and guess what!. One valve opened but would not close and fuse blew and the other did nothing except blowing the fuse. Hmmm (scratching my head)
I decided to call the maker but Friday afternoon was a bad time as the Tech's have gone home. So not wanting to wait till tommorrow I decided to take it all apart and try to figure out the problem. Once the valves were off the pipes they worked fine ( with new fuses).
I checked the alignment of the 3" flanges for valves and they are slightly out from each other and thereby putting a slight twist on the flanges of valves and this caused the gate valve to slightly jamb and blow the fuse.
I decided to cut the pipe that joins the 2 elbows and take a piece about 2" out of it and install one of the rubber connectors with clamps (see picture) This allows the valve to sit correctly and now works fine. I filled the tanks agian for a leak test and that was fine. Finally I could install the panels of Aluminum and these can be removed (should I ever need to get to plumbing ) very quickly and also gives me more storage thatn before.
The wet bay is now totally sealed form water ( there better had not be any leaks now) and looks pretty close to what I was trying to achieve, although not as shiny as Dons SSteel job. I still have to get a holder for the spray head and mount that on the sidewall.
John H

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #26 – April 03, 2016, 09:17:30 pm

Nice looking job John! What is the round black thing in the upper right hand area, a vent?

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #27 – April 03, 2016, 11:14:22 pm

Looks like a heat outlet - you can see the tube that hooks up to it in the first photo.

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #28 – April 03, 2016, 11:34:54 pm

John,

What did you wind up using to frame your small sewer door opening?

Thanks,

Trent

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #29 – April 03, 2016, 11:47:55 pm

Looking good John!

I may have to raise the bar... let's see, maybe I will have to add a sink and a wet bar to my set up! Oh yea, and an ice maker of course...

Just kidding, looks fabulous and I am sure every time you have to do the necessary business there you will get a kick out of seeing it.
Don

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #30 – April 04, 2016, 12:21:30 am

Trent, that opening has a 1/8" x 1 1/2" wide alum'n U shaped strip that is a real neat fit and is bedded with a roofing silicone type sealant behind then a few scews tapped into the box frame of opening. I also drilled a couple of holes in the box section and pumped POR15 into them then left it for a while then blew compressed air into it so the inside would get sprayed hopefully with it. I did fill the holes after a few days so no water from road would get in. The bottom section of base and walls is a formed 1/8" alum'n welded "box" like unit that is totally water sealed so no leaking into sub frame etc. The top piece has 2 side strips coming down to a lip that are formed to cover the bottom section. There is a one piece section that fits into that openinmg and forms the "storage" section that sits over top of the plumbing. By removing 6 screws this will come out and give you full access to all the sewer system in case of problems or regular checking to make sure nothing is leaking etc.
The vent in the top right is also on your coach and gives warm air from rear furnace. The third valve is still manual and safety back up I guess.
The one thing I wanted to do (along with having the electric valves) was to make it possible for fast removal but go back and look like it had not come out. I did not like the M Mouse way FT did it before and this was always on my hit list to change. Seeing Don's made me do it once we got back from our trip.
I am getting thru my "to do" list well but house reno's keep getting in the way!!!
JohnH

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #31 – April 04, 2016, 01:36:41 am

Way to go John! I lurk here mostly but you and Don (acousticart) are my heros! I'm probably older than you guys but I want to be just like you when I grow up...

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #32 – April 04, 2016, 08:09:31 am

Quote from: John Haygarth – April 04, 2016, 12:21:30 am

There is a one piece section that fits into that opening and forms the "storage" section that sits over top of the plumbing.

John,

Are you saying you have recessed that center section to provide storage? (If not, why not?

) I had considered replacing the top two pieces with one piece, but I like the way you extended the top section to provide more stability.

I have some thin stainless steel that I thought I might try gluing to the fiberglass panels; any thoughts on that procedure?

Keep up the good work!

Trent

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #33 – April 04, 2016, 09:37:45 am

Like Don I used stainless steel. I used three sections to make access easier. If I had to do it over I would use aluminum. It is cheaper and much easier to work with. My original rubber was in great shape so I put it back in. The space is configured differently in 2001 with a slide so these all turn out to be a bit unique to fit the space. I like John's recess for mugs. 😷

I have a bore scope that shows the image on my iPhone or iPad. I should have left a small opening for that to go through so I could do remote inspections. Next time I take the top section off it will get added.

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #34 – April 04, 2016, 12:56:14 pm

Trent, I did something similar to what you are asking. I used 22 Gauge SS sheet. Very difficult to cut clean and not easy to drill a 4" or so hole even with a new hole saw. Thinner is of course easier to cut, but still not easy. I would suggest that you clamp it to some scrap plywood when drilling to get the best results. Here is a link to a thread I posted about my utility bay....
Putting the Utility compartment back together...
This type of fabrication requires some creative problem solving and some tools, but you knew that already...

Don

Quote from: TulsaTrent – April 04, 2016, 08:09:31 am

I have some thin stainless steel that I thought I might try gluing to the fiberglass panels; any thoughts on that procedure?
Trent

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #35 – April 04, 2016, 01:09:02 pm

Trent, the answer is yes, I did put a storage compartment in centre location as my last photo shows part of it.
Roger, you did a neat job too and my rubber base was in good condition too but I wanted absolutely no way that any water could get to frame below it and that rubber was not the way to go in my mind. The bottom section and up the walls 6" is a one piece welded unit (except of course were the 3rd valve pipe comes thru the back panel) but there would have to be a good pool of water to get into back space thru there. This also is the reason I put the strip of alumin around the opening as well, tight join and sealed before install. I also have 2 small deflectors ( one either side of the drop down hatch cover) so that road dirt and water can not get forced in past cover ( which I also extended) and put a strong foam seal around to make it even more tight.
JohnH

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #36 – April 04, 2016, 01:36:47 pm

For those having to drill in Stainless steel I learned a little secret from a man that was making SS guards for a machine I designed while working at Fiskars--the scissors people.
Pulsate your drill speed while maintaining feed pressure. In other words, high RPM, then slow RPM, then keep repeating.
This will help keep the SS from workhardening ahead of the drill point.
Also, use what is called a centering drill for small holes. Quicker penetration, smaller chisel point so the drill doesn't walk as easily, and less burring. Centering drills have a small dia to start then goes to a larger dia. Usually double ended so you get twice the drill life for the price.

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #37 – April 04, 2016, 01:49:00 pm

I used this technique, but I didn't know why it worked... just that it seemed to help.
Don

Quote from: nitehawk – April 04, 2016, 01:36:47 pm

For those having to drill in Stainless steel I learned a little secret from a man that was making SS guards for a machine I designed while working at Fiskars--the scissors people.
Pulsate your drill speed while maintaining feed pressure. In other words, high RPM, then slow RPM, then keep repeating.
This will help keep the SS from workhardening ahead of the drill point.
Also, use what is called a centering drill for small holes. Quicker penetration, smaller chisel point so the drill doesn't walk as easily, and less burring. Centering drills have a small dia to start then goes to a larger dia. Usually double ended so you get twice the drill life for the price.

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #38 – April 04, 2016, 06:25:00 pm

I wondered about using a step drill in the stainless. Anyone try one of these? Using a holesaw was a challenge. Went through quite a few saber saw blades as well. Next time aluminum for me. For this purpose it is just much easier.

A sheet metal shop nearby will make anything I need pretty inexpensively. Great to have nearby.

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #39 – April 04, 2016, 07:06:51 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – April 04, 2016, 06:25:00 pm

I wondered about using a step drill in the stainless.

I've used those a lot, VERY NICE!

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #40 – April 04, 2016, 07:32:07 pm

I used these a lot, both for enlarging holes and deburring the stainless ⅛" flat stock that I used as reinforcement for the through bolts I used to attach the basement framing to the coach. I couldn't bring myself to reuse the 5/16" roloks except for the pony walls that separate the fuel tank from the propane tank and house batteries and between the FW tank and waste tanks. Those partitions were framed with ¾" thick by 1 ½" wide rectangular tubing. I still used nuts (square nuts which I had to grind a bit off of two sides so I could slide them in the tube) on the inside of the tube. Anyway, I used the original holes which I used a step drill to accommodate the larger ⅜" through bolts and since I had drilled the stainless flat stock with a 5/16" drill bit before I decided to use the larger ⅜" ARP 300 series stainless bolts, I had to enlarge about 40 holes in the stainless flat stock. I went through a couple of step bits because I wore out the ⅜" step on them, even using cutting oil. Works much, much better by the way, when you use some cutting oil.
Don

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – April 04, 2016, 06:25:00 pm

I wondered about using a step drill in the stainless. Anyone try one of these? Using a holesaw was a challenge. Went through quite a few saber saw blades as well. Next time aluminum for me. For this purpose it is just much easier.

A sheet metal shop nearby will make anything I need pretty inexpensively. Great to have nearby.

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Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #25 – April 03, 2016, 08:53:14 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #26 – April 03, 2016, 09:17:30 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #27 – April 03, 2016, 11:14:22 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #28 – April 03, 2016, 11:34:54 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #29 – April 03, 2016, 11:47:55 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #30 – April 04, 2016, 12:21:30 am

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #31 – April 04, 2016, 01:36:41 am

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #32 – April 04, 2016, 08:09:31 am

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #33 – April 04, 2016, 09:37:45 am

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #34 – April 04, 2016, 12:56:14 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #35 – April 04, 2016, 01:09:02 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #36 – April 04, 2016, 01:36:47 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #37 – April 04, 2016, 01:49:00 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #38 – April 04, 2016, 06:25:00 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #39 – April 04, 2016, 07:06:51 pm

Re: Sewer connector question

Reply #40 – April 04, 2016, 07:32:07 pm

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