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11-05-2019, 09:29 AM
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#1
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Senior Member
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 614
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Draining Air Tanks
After a year of ownership and never finding the air tank drain cords I asked the shop to drain the tanks and run the cords where I could get to them while the coach is in for annual service.
The shop advised to not use the cords because the valve could get stuck open requiring crawling under the coach to reset the stuck valve.
What they suggest instead is to run a drain hose from the tank to the front of the coach, with a brass valve that can be accessed and drained from the front air tank and two more going to the rear for the rear tanks.
Has anyone else gone this route? Was it worth while for you?
__________________
Allan & Mary-Ann
2011 Winnebago Tour 42QD AKA Bailey
FMCA #F490316
Blog: bailey18.com
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11-05-2019, 09:33 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,732
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This is the way Monaco's of my vintage, came from the factory.
Very convenient!
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Ben & Sharon
2008 43' Holiday Rambler Scepter PDQ
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11-05-2019, 09:47 AM
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#3
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Registered User
Monaco Owners Club
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Blairsville, GA & WPB, FL
Posts: 3,993
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I would not change from the cords...just pull on them often. With a air dryer you are not going to get much water (if anything) out of the tanks, but pulling on them will help to keep them from sticking open. Most big trucks have pull cords.
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11-05-2019, 10:20 AM
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#4
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Community Administrator
Tiffin Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 21,267
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You would have to run three drain hoses with valves and it's not worth it. You sometimes have to turn the front wheels to the side to find the loops, then use an awning pull rod to pull the valves. There will be two on one side and one on the other, can't remember from my Freightliner days which side is which. Our current coach has drain valves in the rear next to the DEF tank.
__________________
2017 Phaeton 40IH XSH Maroon Coral - Power Glide Chassis with IFS
Previous '15 Tiffin Allegro RED 38QRA and '06 Itasca Sunrise 35A
'16 Jeep JKU Wrangler Sahara or '08 Honda Goldwing
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11-05-2019, 05:00 PM
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#5
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2000
Location: West Palm Beach, FL. USA
Posts: 27,563
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After never finding water in the tank (my air dryer gets serviced every 3 years, per Spec), I stopped fooling around with tank drains.
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Gary Brinck
Former owner of 2004 American Tradition and several other RVs
Home is West Palm Beach, FL
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11-05-2019, 05:38 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 2,392
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I don't get their reasoning...
Rather than have a single possible point of failure (the drain valve) they are suggesting adding tubing, fittings, and a valve?
Our coach is from 1974. The drain valves on all but one tank can be accessed easily. On the one that's not accessible, there is a drain valve with a pull cable. I drain all tanks daily (no air dryer) and have never had a problem. But that's probably because this drain valve is on my maintenance schedule.
If you have tank drains which are not accessible and use a pull cable (or any other type of remote method of draining) they should be inspected/serviced regularly. When my coach is in for routine maintenance, one of the items on the inspection list is the drain valve with the pull cable. It's inexpensive and only takes about 10 minutes to replace if it's ever needed. To me, this is one of those things I'd rather replace proactively than wind up getting stuck somewhere with a tank that won't air up.
Probably the best way to keep the thing from getting clogged or gunked up is to use it regularly, rather than allow crud to collect inside the tank.
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Richard
1994 Excella 25-ft (Gertie)
1999 Suburban LS 2500 w/7.4L V8
1974 GMC 4108a - Custom Coach Land Cruiser
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11-05-2019, 08:03 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Fort Myers, FL
Posts: 1,669
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100,000+ miles and the lanyards work fine.
I think your shop was selling you an upgrade - often called an "upsel" in the industry; when you come in for a new tire valve stem rubber cap and walk away with replaced ball joints, new shocks and a scheduled return visit.
__________________
2008 Phaeton 36QSH, Safe-t-Plus, Quadra Bigfoot
2017 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk w/ flat tow wiring mod.
Blue ox, BrakeMaster + BrakeAway, diode lights and charge.
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11-06-2019, 09:08 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: High up in Arizona
Posts: 2,050
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AllanK
After a year of ownership and never finding the air tank drain cords I asked the shop to drain the tanks and run the cords where I could get to them while the coach is in for annual service.
The shop advised to not use the cords because the valve could get stuck open requiring crawling under the coach to reset the stuck valve.
What they suggest instead is to run a drain hose from the tank to the front of the coach, with a brass valve that can be accessed and drained from the front air tank and two more going to the rear for the rear tanks.
Has anyone else gone this route? Was it worth while for you?
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I have the front valve and the rear valve, both brass. I open and drain the 2 tanks perhaps 4 or 5 times a year and never have water or vapor come out of them. I don't think it is a bad idea to do it more often so why not just use what comes on the coach? My brother has the yank cords on his Tiffin and has not had an issue draining, just getting to them is a bit inconvenient.
__________________
2019 Allegro Bus 37AP towing a Jeep JK Rubicon Wrangler
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11-06-2019, 09:23 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 1,944
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivylog
Most big trucks have pull cords.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richard5933
Probably the best way to keep the thing from getting clogged or gunked up is to use it regularly, rather than allow crud to collect inside the tank.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Domo
100,000+ miles and the lanyards work fine.
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Most of the trucks I've driven in the past had lanyards. Park it, give a tug to check for water coming out, hold it until it stops spraying water if there is water present, and move on. But they all had lanyards that were easy to reach, from the driver's side. It was a daily routine, and I don't remember any valves ever getting sticky, though being mechanical devices, it's certainly possible. But exercise is good for them.
__________________
Tom & Jeri
2018 Coachmen Galleria 24T Li3
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11-07-2019, 08:24 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Apollo Beach & Key West , FL
Posts: 3,810
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After having our new coach a few months and getting ready to go on an extended trip, I pulled the lanyards for the air tanks. One of the valves did not return to the closed position. At that time I was recovering from a back issue and couldn't get under the coach so had to call for assistance. He returned the valve to closed position, WHen I was able, I crawled underneath and found the lanyard was rubbing some wiring and that caused it to hang up.
__________________
2013 DS 4338
2015 F-150 toad with kayaks,bicycles and a Harley in the back
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