plumbing bay

[larryweikart]

I installed a new water pump today and fixed a leak at the house water filter, however when I went to put the facia back on and reinstall the faucet handles, a couple started to leak. Has anyone had this problem? Are there O-rings in there? I don't want to remove one of the nuts until I have a little knowledge of what to expect. See pic and Thanks4434

[77newell]

As luck would have it I was into my water bay today and took one of those valves apart on my 93 coach. Under the nut are two washers, one metal looking and one rubber looking. They keep the water from leaking out the stem and from the threads on the nut. The rubber washer is plain and there is little to keep water from creeping out the stem other then when the nut is tight and the handle is turned in the open valve direction until snug. I suspect the stem backing out puts pressure on the washer to enhance the sealing. I did have to snug down the nuts pretty tight as well. Since the stem is threaded into the body it is possible to take the nut off without getting wet if the valve is closed.

So why was I whiling away the afternoon disassembling my water bay you ask? Well, during a just completed trip I tried to hook a hose up to the "hose barb" faucet in the water bay but could get no water to flow. The shutoff valve was open, the faucet was open, and a short bit of pipe and a few fittings were all there was between the two. Something in the piping was blocking the flow. It turns out one of those fittings was a backflow preventer that was installed backwards. Backwards backflow is no flow at all. Judging by the dope on the pipe threads I'm guessing the preventer was installed backwards at the factory and the "hose barb" faucet never worked right for the past 20 years. Go figure.

[larryweikart]

Thanks a lot Jon. What a coincidence! Since you are only 3 hours away maybe you would like to come down and display your expertise.rollinglol I'll be back at it tomorrow with my new knowledge. Thanks again!

[77newell]

If I took a picture of my water manifold I would find it difficult to tell from yours, right down to the writing on the tubing, the penmanship is identical.

I'm located just north of Detroit, where are you? I'd love to meet a fellow Newell cruiser.

[folivier]

Wow Jon! I always wondered why that didn't work. Just never took the time to take it apart.

[77newell]

Forest: your not getting around to it was perhaps a wise choice. I left some skin and blood getting it done, my wife will say that's nothing unusual. She thinks if I don't bleed a bit I got nothing done. More than actually needing water right there I was intrigued by the mystery of why such a simple looking part of the system just didn't work. I looked at it for hours trying to guess why the water didn't flow with no answer appearing so I finally just starting taking things apart.

[larryweikart]

Got mine back together today Jon and with no leaks! Took the nut off of the one that leaked and just cleaned it, put it back on and tightened it real tight. No issues. Thanks for the help!

[77newell]

Larry: you are most welcome, I'm glad it worked out for you.