Forum Discussion

mmyoyo's avatar
mmyoyo
Explorer
Nov 05, 2018

Grey Tank cable problem

I own a Winnebago Micro Minnie travel trailer - 2017. After 10 weeks of camping I flushed my tanks and set them up for storage (6 months in Florida). I could not open the grey tank to flush. Upon further investigation the cable running from the tank flap to the pull handle is 6' long. They wrapped it in a tight circle underneath. I really need 2' of cable to make a direct connection, just like the black tank. The grey tank was always more difficult to open, kinda spongy feeling. I stretched the cable straight and I can open the tank. Can I cut that cable and shorten it or do I need to buy a shorter cable. It seems that Winnebago did a pretty lame job in the first place.

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  • They used what they had. Typical. Can you cut it? Possibly. Many enda have something on them so cutting is not an option. If the end that attaches to the valve is clamped, then sure, cut it and put it back together.
  • You can probably shorten the cable, depending on the construction of the sheath.

    BTW, you posted this in the wrong forum. This one is strictly for help in how to use this website. You should have posted in a forum dealing with your particular type of RV

    Good luck
  • Community Alumni's avatar
    Community Alumni
    You can use valves with a longer than necessary cable as long as you follow the manufacturer recommendations. Normally the manufacturer specifies a minimum radius and requires that the cable be secured to prevent any movement. Manufacturers normally buy these valves in bulk and get them to fit in every trailer. If they maintained the minimum radius and secured the cable then everything would be fine. They usually just toss them in there any way that they can.

    Yes you can shorten the cables on these valves. The cable is held in the valve with a set screw. You have to disassemble the valve, remove the set screw, shorten the cable and housing, and put it all back together. I had to shorten my black tank valve because the extra unsecured length was causing problems with opening and closing the valve.