I own a 2012 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 43 DFT. Several years ago - we discovered a leak in the wet bay after unwinterizing. A mobile tech addressed the issue with with a "shark bite" connector. He pretty much had to work "blind" using a mirror to spot the leak ... and then basically turning into a contortionist to reach up behind the panel in the wet bay to actually make the repair. Five years later - I've got another leak in the same area.
The wet bay in my coach was NOT designed to make accessing the connections behind the panel easy. From the little bit I've been able to see back there - the plumbing and electrical connections are a rats nest of Pex tubing and poorly routed wires. The panel itself isn't designed for easy removal so that the connections behind the panel can be accessed for repairs.
With a fresh leak in the mix - I do NOT want to make another blind repair back there. I'm considering doing whatever is necessary to remove the panel to expose the plumbing and wiring behind it, performing whatever cleanup of the rats nest of Pex tubing and wiring is appropriate - and then fabricating a new panel - designed for easy removal in the event future repairs are needed.
Has anybody here taken on this sort of project? ... and if so, do you have any suggestions or things I need to take into consideration as I start on my upgrade? Pictures of "remodeled" wet bays would be wonderful!!!!
Thanks in advance for any insight my fellow forumites can share!!!!
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Not sure my layout is the same as yours. I have a ‘16 Bounder.
I replaced the Anderson valve a few years ago.
It’s less of a rats nest than one thinks and actually was pretty easy.
I do have to tighten the nuts in the connections to the valve once a year or so as a find they work loose and a drips starts.
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Cheers!
I worked on that very project this past February. I had broken my exterior shower knob, so that faucet had to be replaced. Also had a slow but constant drip from one of the shower hose connections. The plumbing was enclosed with a metal skirt that wrapped around two sides of the "mystery area" within the wet bay. The only way to get a pair of pliers back there was from the bottom, and doing it blind. The overhead screws holding this skirt on were a challenge to remove, but I used a set of vice grip pliers to get them out. Then, of course, everything attached to the skirt had to be removed. The water lines to the shower. The fresh water connection. The black tank connection. The fresh water divertor valve. The rocker switch for the water pump. The 110-volt outlet and the cable tv outlet. The compartment light fixture.
Once the metal skirt was removed, I took it into the garage and used a drill and a jig saw to cut a 6" by 6" hole in the front (not where anything would reattach) and a 9" by 9" hole in the side. Reinstalled the skirt using more user-friendly screw positions. NOW I had a way to get both of my hands back behind the skirt in order to reattach everything. It made snugging down plumbing connections incredibly easier than trying to do it while holding the loose skirt. And it's easier now to inspect and, if necessary, retighten anything back there. Also, I purchased a new shower faucet with a quick hose disconnect fitting. The old one was just a short kitchen sprayer. When not in use, the water hose and sprayer tuck up underneath the skirt and out of the way. No high-tech changes, but I find the setup much easier to use now and less intimidating to make any necessary repairs in the future.
I've never rebuilt mine but have looked at some really nice jobs. One of the things many do, is to create a removable panel within the panel. Making the entire panel removable would require making all the connections easily removable or adding longer wiring or plumbing behind them. Instead, people rearranged the various components, so they have a clear area to put a good-sized service door/panel. This way you can just pull the service panel and access key items.
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Don & Mary
2019 Newmar Dutch Star 4018 (Freightliner)
2024 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali 4x4 6.2L
I've never needed to modify any of my coaches, but I have certainly pulled enough pipe and wire to have an idea what I would try to do. I would cut out the original panel, leaving about 2 inches remaining around the perimeter. I would then attach a new two(maybe 3) piece panel to the remaining frame. Another version would cut out two holes in the original, leaving a reinforcing strip down the middle.
It's been quite a while since I've seen your "handle" on iRV2. I hope you are doing well!
I improved my coach's wet bay in 2016, and again in 2018 or 2019 (can't remember which). Here's a link to a post I made in 2016, with pictures. For the 2018-19 work:
1) I added new dump valves and eliminated the cables that operated the old valves, and
2) Added a permanent back-flush adapter, custom-made but similar to the Valterra Flush-King
Pictures provided on request.
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Mark 2008 Holiday Rambler Admiral 30PDD (Ford F-53 chassis) 2009 Honda Fit Sport (automatic)
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