Black tank - dump valve and rinse connection

[aknavy]

Well, it was a fun day. My black tank valve has been leaking, so I replaced it today. My flush had quite working, so I fixed that as well.



The most difficult part was getting the new valve in and keeping the seals in place while doing it. The old valve had something blocking it - it was 1/4 inch from closing all the way, which left an 1/8th inch gap at the end for the leak. When I inspected it after, I didn't see anything in it. The seals fell out while I was removing the valve, so I suspect that one of them was stuck in it.


Lesson learned - dump all tanks before starting. Would have been much easier if I could have loosened the grey valve above the black, as that would have allowed me to pull the pipes apart. Then it would have been really quick. I ended up using a piece of 2x4 to wedge the drain pipes apart and allow me to get the new one in without screwing up the seals.


I was going to replace the black flush with a Tornado...until I realized that I had to enlarge the hole quite a bit, and it's pretty inaccessible. The flush is on the side of the black tank, and there's only about 8 inches of cramped clearance around it. On to plan B.


Took the original flush out, and it was clogged. It resembles a stationary sprinkler head. I cleaned it up, then drilled all the holes out with a small drill bit. Also added some, as they were a little sparse. I'm not sure it's a great solution, but the reviews on the Tornado are so so. It'll get the job done. Hardest part of that was getting the screws back in - it's a tight space.



The new black valve has a solid cable, and it is easy and smooth. Maybe in the future I'll replace the other two cables, but they work for now.

[buc1908]

I had a hard time to replace my black tank valve because of the very limited space.Is done and I am happy.

[aknavy]

Tested out the newly revised flush this morning - way better performance than before it clogged up. When I turned the water on, I could here the water jets inside hitting the far side of the tank. After a couple test fills/dumps to ensure no leaks, my back tank sensor is at the very elusive "empty" light. That'll last till someone used the toilet, but it's a first in a long time for me.