Road hazard got me

[MVA]

Originally Posted by Centex

Glad it all worked out David, it was great to visit, be able to lend a hand, and have a chance to view the innards of the black valve/gaskets firsthand (though I hope neither of us needs to see that again ).

FYI two things I checked on mine upon returning home:

• That 'cap lanyard button' is on the bottom of mine
• The angle of the 3" outlet can be rotated as it could on my Casita - upward for clearance or downward for more free-flowing drain.

FYI of others, at some point ETI started installing a rubber coupling in the gray pipe run between the tank and the valve on the 5.0 (my August 2021 build, for example). That slightly flexible coupling allows some 'wiggle-room' making the process of R&R either the black- or gray-valve much easier than on David's 'all rigid' assembly. Hopefully none of us ever needs that wiggle-room, but it's nice to know it's there.

Alan,

From David's comments, it appear that you two had to do the same procedure as we did. And yes, it did take the two of us to get the new valves inserted! It is a tight fit.

What does the rubber coupling look like, and in your opinion is it something that can be retrofitted to allow more flex in the piping?

[Centex]

Originally Posted by MVA

... What does the rubber coupling look like, and in your opinion is it something that can be retrofitted to allow more flex in the piping?

The attached set of pics are some I took of the underside of my foam-less 5.0 while it was still on the delivery trailer. Shown are the rubber coupler on the grey pipe and an aluminum 'support plate' that is screwed to the frame through which the grey pipe passes. The support plate has a large 'grommet' to protect the pipe, but the pipe is not attached to that in any manner. Yes, it's likely that one would need to unscrew the support plate to get the 'wiggle room' needed for easier black / grey valve R&R.

I see no reason that this could not be retrofitted if one were so inclined. Most likely ETI adopted this arrangement in response to concerns expressed by some trailer owners regarding failures at the grey pipe-to-tank interface. No speculation from me about how any of this might differ on trailers slated for foam insulation, or how much of this would be buried in the foam.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

How many times was the 'S-word' expressed?

I expect there more expletives than that

[Roger C H]

Never had that problem with our porta potti! LOL