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Old 03-04-2017, 07:18 PM   #21
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OK, I know what they say, measure twice, cut once. And that's what I intended to do, honest. But I wanted to see if my sawzall would be able to get into the space as it's near the frame. Seemed to have room for it but my finger slipped and wham, bam, before I knew it, the deed was done. Blind luck on my part but it all fits perfectly.

I had a choice. I could have left the original hub in place and used it with a new valve. But cutting the 3" pipe off closer to the 90* fitting on the bottom of the floor meant that the grey water plumbing was shorter and more optimum.

The main housing is cemented in place and all the rest of the grey water plumbing is cut and ready for gluing. All in all, it went well and I'm going to appreciate the mod every time I"m at a dump station.

So I'll remove the old valves from the old set-up, keep the valves and chuck the rest.

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Old 03-04-2017, 07:26 PM   #22
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Looks good!

I see that you used Valterra valves instead of the Lasalle Bristol's that mine came with. Both brands are good but it seems to be a lot harder to find replacement seals for the Lasalle Bristol valves than the Valterra.

That long 90 that you used for the grey should help with drain time - good idea.

Best of all - now you can reach the grey valve handle without getting on your knees!
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Old 03-04-2017, 09:34 PM   #23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post
I see that you used Valterra valves instead of the Lasalle Bristol's that mine came with.
That long 90 that you used for the grey should help with drain time - good idea.
My old valves are Bristol's so it's not as if ETI switched brands. Just luck of the draw that both Camping World and my local RV store both stock Valterra.

Good eyes on spotting the long 90. I'm not sure too many folks would spot that detail. Then again, it's not the best photo. Almost as hard getting a decent photo when you're laying on the ground jammed up against a fence as it is to get the side pull valve open.

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Old 03-04-2017, 11:16 PM   #24
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well if new owners without spray foam for the 2017 19 and a 17 post a pic of this same dump stuff area, then all 2017 trailers will be documented....
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Old 03-05-2017, 12:59 PM   #25
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Most excellent! To those that shared, thanks for the pics. Now, I need to get under Ten Forward and see what's what. Think I'll wait until it stops raining though.
Hey Donna, the valves are screwed together and depending on where it broke off you can just buy a new valve (same exact one) and switch the parts over, without cutting, unless you desire to change the orientation of the handles as others are talking about here.

Also I used silicone grease on o-ring, flat and other rubber items like the insides of these valves. This will keep the rubber from ripping! The silicone grease will not deteriorate the rubber and will allow the valves to open and close very nicely.

Bill
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Old 03-05-2017, 01:03 PM   #26
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Originally Posted by tdf-texas View Post

I see that you used Valterra valves instead of the Lasalle Bristol's that mine came with. Both brands are good but it seems to be a lot harder to find replacement seals for the Lasalle Bristol valves than the Valterra.
Edit; just looked a little closer at my old valves etc. It appears that Valterra makes and brands the valve housing. But the valves themselves are Bristol. It looks like there are 4 different brand names for the same valve.

Wow, as they say, timing is everything. The weather cleared up yesterday and the sun was shinning while I did the valve swap. Today, I'm not sure that I'd want to be out there laying down doing the job. This is one weird Winter.

Separated the old assembly into usable spares and junk. Happy to have spare valves when on long trips.

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Old 03-05-2017, 01:14 PM   #27
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Be careful about rotating the fitting. The valve seal will tear and leak if you rotate the fitting unless you loosen the bolts attaching the valve first. Before I could catch him, the guy doing the orientation at Escape turned mine to show me how it worked - and now it leaks. After I got the trailer home, I took the fitting off and sure nuff, the seal was torn.

Casita has been using these for years and has had the same problem. Per Gene (Webmaster) at Casita Forum:

"I will add once again - I personally spoke with the technical dept at Valterra and they said NOT to rotate the valve that the swivel was designed only for installation purposes by the RV manufacturer to be able to adjust it to their specific installation and then the bolts were to be snugged up and left in that position. Do what you want but that is what it is designed for.
Gene"

I'll paraphrase Gene - Do what you want but they are not designed to be rotated ad hoc. My experience is that if you do that enough, your valves WILL leak. If you do it with a dry valve like the guy at Escape, it will leak immediately.
Have you passes this info on to ETI?
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Old 03-05-2017, 02:28 PM   #28
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Have you passes this info on to ETI?
No, and don't intend to. If they are interested in what we say, then they can read the forum like the rest of us.

I guess the bitter taste of dealing with Casita over the years has left me jaded. I fix what I find wrong and don't communicate with the trailer manufacturer unless I cannot find a source for a specific part I need that they have used.

The forum community is different. I try to post the improvements that I think might be helpful to others and also, any info I find that might prevent problems down the road. I have found that most people on the forums are eager to help each other and have a wealth of information to share. A lot of us are retired professionals with many years of experience - I don't know any other place with that much knowledge on tap as the forums.

(Leaving soap box now)
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Old 03-05-2017, 02:42 PM   #29
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No, and don't intend to. If they are interested in what we say, then they can read the forum like the rest of us.
Sorry, but I strongly believe this is the wrong approach. It is great you are sharing with the forum, much of which I have gained good insight on, but Escape can't be expected to muddle through all the stuff in this forum to look for things that they need to know. Heck, even I don't read near everything. I guess I just really don't understand why you would not be wanting and willing to share and help them.

As a business owner I want to get feedback from customers, even if it is with something I have done wrong. Worst case scenario is I go and sulk for a couple minutes, but in the end I am always appreciative that they told me.
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Old 03-05-2017, 02:59 PM   #30
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Calling Escape when I have a problem can serve a twofold purpose. One, if they made a mistake or there's a build issue, they can correct it for me. Two, they can insure that it isn't repeated for future customers.
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:06 PM   #31
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And three, they may have another solution, explanation or method that works better than what you were told or read somewhere.
Forums are full of misinformation and misunderstanding.
Post over on FGRV today about Google Maps using an average speed of 60mph to determine travel times is an example. OP has no clue how Google Maps works and has come up with their own theory.
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:07 PM   #32
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No, and don't intend to. If they are interested in what we say, then they can read the forum like the rest of us.

I guess the bitter taste of dealing with Casita over the years has left me jaded. )
I have no experience with Casita, but I certainly have with Scamp. In my experiences Scamp basically let me know that my feedback was irrelevant. Reace and ETI in general constantly make improvements, many of which are based on customer feedback. As Jim says, with as busy as ETI is, I don't think we can expect them to sift thru these forums for feedback.

Many or even most Escape owners never come here, but they all benefit from quality feedback that lead ETI to make improvements.
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Old 03-05-2017, 03:27 PM   #33
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Tom,
There are quite of few owners that do not participate nor read this forum. A helpful hint passed onto Reace and Company would benefit all Escape owners, those here as well as those who are not. In addition future owners will benefit from your shared knowledge. I remember mentioning to Reace in 2012 why did I pay to have an extra insulated trailer with thermal windows and foam, but my door was not insulated and sweated on the inside. Starting in 2013 Escape started insulating the door. We all can contribute to a fine finished product as one person can not think of everything, but a group can benefit all.
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Old 03-05-2017, 05:26 PM   #34
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I'm finding this thread development to be curiously amazing! It seems to be suggesting that someone should tell ETI that they are doing something wrong!!!! Ever since I joined the forum and ordered a trailer, I have gotten the feeling from reading the responses and comments that this was something that is just not done. ETI can do no wrong!
I've always been amazed and impressed when folks say "I talked to Reace and blah, blah". How does this happen? I feel lucky if I get a return call from Sarah.
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Old 03-05-2017, 05:51 PM   #35
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There is no telling when Reace may be reading e-mails going to Escape or be reading this forum, or Tammy will, and see something that someone needs. Or whether someone you call will ask Tammy or Reace about a certain problem and one of them will answer. Maybe it is a problem that has already been addressed for others or a new one that they want to know about. And you will then hear from Tammy or Reace about what they might do or are doing.

You have an Escape on order? You might want to put it in your avatar. As your order goes along, you may end up talking to Reace or Tammy about something particular. It depends partly upon your options or requests.

Plenty of complaints have been made to Escape and many many requests which may or may not have been approved.
They are generally very good at addressing complaints.

Also, some of us have been around for so long that we may know about items that some employees may not know about. And then when an employee says the wrong thing, if it is important, you might just address that to Tammy or Reace. Some things can only be taken care of by them and you may be able to get a good idea of when that is the case. You can always ask the forum if you think something is not right, and we will be happy to give you conflicting answers!

Edit: By the way, we used e-mails generally, not calls, and sometimes I waited around several days for a reply only to find that they say that they replied immediately but I did not get anything. It happens.
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Old 03-05-2017, 05:58 PM   #36
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I'm finding this thread development to be curiously amazing! It seems to be suggesting that someone should tell ETI that they are doing something wrong!!!! Ever since I joined the forum and ordered a trailer, I have gotten the feeling from reading the responses and comments that this was something that is just not done. ETI can do no wrong!
I've always been amazed and impressed when folks say "I talked to Reace and blah, blah". How does this happen? I feel lucky if I get a return call from Sarah.
I am not following this. You sound bitter with Escape, and/or the members of this forum, for some reason.

The folks at Escape are only human, and just as I explained above with my company, mistakes do happen. Escape, or any other company, will make them. It is how they get dealt with is the issue. A few folks (myself included) just suggested we help them by pointing out errors. Between my previous trailer and the new one, I have done this more than a dozen times. They do listen and react accordingly.

As far as Sarah not getting back to you, I find that strange, as in the many emails I sent, I never waited a full business day.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:07 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by Starbrightsteve;185313
I'm finding this thread development to be curiously amazing! .
Me too, it started as a how to change your dump valve to the new front pull style. But it wouldn't be a typical thread if it didn't wander off to new topics. Fortunately no one's thrown any poutine into it.

I think it's fair to say that there's been a large difference in experiences in contacting ETI about an issue. Some haven't gotten a response from either Rease or Tammy and others have. That, and we all have our own comfort level in correcting issues.

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Old 03-05-2017, 06:09 PM   #38
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Chocolate, that is the secret. Just send some chocolate to the office, the girls love it and when you call they are eager to help you. Oh, and attend the rally in Osoyoos where you can see Reace going from trailer to trailer to fix little things while there, he and Tammy treat you like family, nicest business owners I have ever experienced and I have had the opportunity to meet 100's of family owned business owners while employed with the US government for 38 years. They are right up there and they listen...that is what is important.
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:11 PM   #39
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Fortunately no one's thrown any poutine into it.
Until now, that is. You are bad!
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Old 03-05-2017, 06:57 PM   #40
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I am not following this. You sound bitter with Escape, and/or the members of this forum, for some reason.
Bitter? Do you really think that is an appropriate description? Jim, I'm just amazed at something I have almost never seen before. I am convinced that ETI builds a quality travel trailer and that the owners "care" and that the organization is "human". Maybe instead of labeling me as "bitter" , you might ask what's up? What's going on? Does you comment mean you don't think I'm welcome?
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