Black & Grey Water Valves

I occasionally spray mine with silicone spray while in the 'out' position. Seems to keep them working smoothly.

mockturtle wrote:
I occasionally spray mine with silicone spray while in the 'out' position. Seems to keep them working smoothly.

+2 helps a lot or you can buy replacement seals and install. there cheap to purchase,easy to put in.

I never thought it was EASY to change valve and seals. the parts don;t seperate that much to get the gaskets in properly. Some have suggested olive oil in the water to lube the shafts. Some makers of toilet treatments say they help lube the valves. I apply silicone grease to the shafts while in the dump mode and work them in and out. I find that use works better than anything. Dump more often or have a cap on them and work them . I find that if the valves are covered in water they work better then if you completely empty the tank and leave it empty.

I buy very cheap cooking oil and pour a little in each tank at each use. Sinch the oil floats on the water, when the tank is drained, the oil coats the seal and valve offering some lubrication.

When mine started getting difficult, I decided that replacing them was much better than waiting for them to fail.

Ron

I added dish soap to the holing tanks and it seems to have worked.

I bought some valve lube, contains coconut oil or something similar.
bumpy

Like mockturtle, I use silicon spray lubricant on the handle shafts. Seems to work well.

I had the same problem last summer. It turned out to be the sheath on the cable assembly was split etc causing them to stop working, so the one grey water & the black water cables were changed. I was told while out west that it was the valve but it wasn't. It worked for me.

I had the same problem with my dump valves for years and after several sets of new seals and a couple of new valves, I think I figured out the problem. I used to use bleach as a final cleaning step for the gray and black water systems and I'd apply Rectorseal Plumbers grease directly on the valve seals and occasionally spray them with WD40. After a while the valves got harder and harder to operate until they would start leaking and one time, completely came unseated.

I have since learned that one should not use a petroleum based product on a rubber type product because it will swell and soften it. So now I'm using silicone grease exclusively on the seals and no bleach in the tanks and things seem to be working fine. We'll see. I took my first trip recently and so far so good.