Hey all, I have a 2016 Winnebago Minnie Winnie 25B and my Vacuum Breaker Assembly appears to be leaking fresh water my San-T-Flush system. I downloaded the plumbing schematics and located the vacuum breaker. The little bugger is behind the shower faucet controls. Has anyone had to replace one of these?Do I need to take the shower surround, doors and frame off to replace?If so, it isn't a big deal as my surround has a crack in it, so I could kill two birds with one stone. Thanks for the help.Mike

Moved to Tech Issues forum from DIY.

Yes Mike, if you are talking about the black tank rinse system, leaking is a common issue. Mine is also behind the shower faucet, but many are under the bathroom sink. It seems not using enough water pressure, or too much, can cause them to leak. Most are of cheap design, and lots of folks simply remove/bypass them, although their purpose is backflow prevention. I rarely use mine, just dump a bucket of water down the stool after draining tank, and add another bucket after closing valve, to slosh while traveling, and keep tank bottom wet.Jerry

There must be an access panel to get to the Valve. Also, there must be an access to remove the shower faucet. You need to verify that there is no access panel in a closet or such. Doug

Mike, I had to pull my shower fucet assy, there ws no rear acess.Finally figured it out. Simply unscrew the fixture from the wall and walla there is the hole with the connections to the assy.Just thinking that may give you a little peek a boo.

Mine was leaking leaving a puddle on the bathroom floor after every tank flush. I simply made up some PVC fittings and dumped the VacuumBreakers.No need to get freaked about this as I have them isolated when not in use!

Vacuum Breaker Replacement | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

mchero
Explorer
Oct 23, 2018
Worked a season as an RV tech in Quartsite and seen it all! LOL
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2018
"An intelligent person would replace if leaking NOT bypass"

An intelligent person would understand that dumping the vacuum breaker is not a problem if you keep it isolated while NOT in use.

But hey we need to always allow for "WHAT IF" !!!
Lynnmor
Explorer
Oct 23, 2018
mchero wrote:

An intelligent person would replace if leaking NOT bypass. I'm sure Doug would agree, they are their for a purpose!

Being unintelligent, I eliminated the water expelling device. From the makers instructions: "Water leakage from Vac/Check is likely when water pressure in supply line is under 8 psi. It is normal for a small amount of water to escape Vac/Check as plumbing line for tank flush pressurizes."
Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Oct 23, 2018
mchero wrote:

An intelligent person would replace if leaking NOT bypass. I'm sure Doug would agree, they are their for a purpose!

And there it is LOL.
mchero
Explorer
Oct 23, 2018
I rarely used my black tank flush. Yes, i was concerned about the valve leaking. Had to use the flush couple months back so I removed the cover, inspected (installed in 2006) and found the seals STILL in excellent shape. As stated in the excellent response above too little or too high pressure could possibly cause leaks. Mine is also behind the shower valves but the cover is next to the bed.
An intelligent person would replace if leaking NOT bypass. I'm sure Doug would agree, they are their for a purpose!
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2018
valsamik wrote:
Thanks for the responses. I started troubleshooting and found the leak; caused by a crack check valve connected to the vacuum-breaker.

Now wait for the valve it’s self to start leaking!
valsamik
Explorer
Oct 22, 2018
Thanks for the responses. I started troubleshooting and found the leak; caused by a crack check valve connected to the vacuum-breaker.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Oct 16, 2018
Mine was leaking leaving a puddle on the bathroom floor after every tank flush. I simply made up some PVC fittings and dumped the VacuumBreakers.

No need to get freaked about this as I have them isolated when not in use!
Dave_H_M
Explorer II
Oct 16, 2018
Mike, I had to pull my shower fucet assy, there ws no rear acess.

Finally figured it out. Simply unscrew the fixture from the wall and walla there is the hole with the connections to the assy.

Just thinking that may give you a little peek a boo.
dougrainer
Nomad
Oct 16, 2018
There must be an access panel to get to the Valve. Also, there must be an access to remove the shower faucet. You need to verify that there is no access panel in a closet or such. Doug