How do I not blow up my city water connection check valve?

Press the check valve in gently, and only far enough to let the water drain out. Mash on it, and there's a risk of unseating the o-ring seal. That's usually fixable, but it can be a pain to do.

What I don't understand is that one can send 40-50 psi of water or air through the valve during normal operation or winteriztion, but if I want to just release some trapped water, the valve can break so easily.

rvhippo wrote:
What I don't understand is that one can send 40-50 psi of water or air through the valve during normal operation or winteriztion, but if I want to just release some trapped water, the valve can break so easily.

The check valve doesn't "break" ... rather excessive pressure causes the small rubber O ring inside to dislodge and the check valve can no longer seal properly. Simple solution - before pressing the check valve stem always relieve pressure in the system a bit by turning on one of your faucets for a few seconds, then close it again. There'll be sufficient pressure left in the system to push any unwanted water out of that city water inlet hose yet not enough to dislodge the O ring.

Most people don't drain it and never have a problem caused by freezing.

What I used to do was AFTER running antifreeze through the system, was to relieve the pressure, remove and reverse the steel screen, so that it would hold the valve in. then go back inside, and hit the pump button for a second, so that antifreeze got pushed out the inlet. then I just put the screen back in normally.

Well if you are worried about that then what about your black tank flush?

mayo30 wrote:
Well if you are worried about that then what about your black tank flush?

I was concerned about that exact thing last year. First year with a flush.

I got a blow out connector and just ran compressed air through both the city water side and the black tank flush. Seemed to work just fine, down to 0 last year and no breaks

Chris

After getting antifreeze absolutely EVERYWHERE else, turn off the pump, and open the kitchen cold water faucet. That will depressurize the water system. Leave it open as a vent, and go outside and depress the plunger on the shore water inlet. There is no pressure to blow the gaskets off, but the gravity flow of antifreeze from the kitchen faucet will flow antifreeze through and out of the check valve. Then, go back inside and turn off the kitchen faucet.

I run "pink stuff" through the water lines via the on-board pump. Then use an air compressor attached to the fresh water city inlet and pump air to push the pink out and it all goes in the holding tanks then. Using air via the city water inlet will definitely get rid of any trapped water. (This works for me). The entire process still only takes about 15 minutes.

DutchmenSport wrote:
I run "pink stuff" through the water lines via the on-board pump. Then use an air compressor attached to the fresh water city inlet and pump air to push the pink out and it all goes in the holding tanks then. Using air via the city water inlet will definitely get rid of any trapped water. (This works for me). The entire process still only takes about 15 minutes.

On my old TT I used pink stuff, However on the new one, because I can't get to the inlet side of the pump, I just use air thru the city water. Never thought about doing both? Why should I do pink, and air?