Sticky Dump Valve

[Kountryguy]

I put a safety dump valve on my discharge pipe. It is difficult to open and close. I took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it with no improvement. Any suggestions? Could I put some petroleum jelly on the seals without damaging them? Thanks for any help.

[tomman58]

we always put a few drops of Dawn soap in th toilet and that helps everything.

[John_Joey]

Here's a thread I put together long ago when I had that problem.

Clicky

Be careful what you use to clean the toilet. I was using PinSol which worked great and left a clean smell. Well it also was dissolving the grease on the slide blade making it harder to pull each time. Lesson learnt.

[doxiemom11]

petroleum jelly will attract and hold dirt. That is why they were recommending using the silicone spray.

[JBarca]

Kountryguy wrote:
Yes, it is the add-on Valtera valve. I will try all of your suggestions. In lieu of silicone grease I used petroleum jelly and it helped, not sure how long it will last.

I have used the silicone spray and it lasts about a year, maybe less. Spray it on and work the valve a few times until it loosens up. I do it at least once every spring. Works well.

My tank valves are way up inside the enclosed tank compartment to protect from freezing. To overcome this, I use a piece of 3/8 plastic tubing, spray in the silicone, then blast up the tube with compressed air to get to the valve.




I would caution the use of petroleum jelly, it may or may not be a problem. If the seals are made from a rubber type that petroleum products affects them, turns rubber gummy etc. that is the concern. With the silicone, it will not affect rubber or many other elastomers.

Hope this helps

John

[Kountryguy]

Yes, it is the add-on Valtera valve. I will try all of your suggestions. In lieu of silicone grease I used petroleum jelly and it helped, not sure how long it will last.

[pawpaw47]

I had a similar issue on the grey tank valve. I removed the valve & seals, cleaned them and reinstalled them......problem fixed. There was no apparent "gunk" anywhere that would have caused the problem. The only thing I can figure is that when the valve was installed at the factory, the 4 bolts were not tightened to the same level and the valve was binding. When I reinstalled it, I tightened the bolts slowly checking the operation as I proceeded. I also tightened them in a crossing pattern like you would do on a wheel - tighten one then do the one that is directly opposite it.
Hope this helps!
Merry Christmas and Happy New year to all!

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Kountryguy wrote:
I put a safety dump valve on my discharge pipe. It is difficult to open and close. I took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it with no improvement. Any suggestions? Could I put some petroleum jelly on the seals without damaging them? Thanks for any help.

"Safety dump valve" ?

Do you mean the add-on Valtera type which is added-on (twist on, twist off) at the end of the discharge pipe.......or

Added a secondary dump valve in-line?

Lastly - do you open and close it directly at the valve.....or
is it via a cable with a remote handle? (Check cable!)

"Direct" pull type - besides the other suggestions - try some silicone lubricant on the *shaft* which attaches to the handle and the valve.

Usually there is no reason to disassemble the add-on type, never had
one of those "bind".

~

[Kountryguy]

Thanks rv2go, I tried that and not much help. I will try the other suggestion and see what happens.

[RJsfishin]

Some valves are just plain impossible, short of replacing the whole valve.
Others never give any trouble for yrs.
I know better than to change just the seals, that has never worked for me.

[Gjac]

My black tank valve always was harder to open and close than the grey. I replaced both about 8 years ago and added a grease fitting on the top of both valves and pump in a few shots of grease whenever the valve gets hard to open. The grey valve rarely needed it always the black.

[dkreuzen]

The Silicone grease is the ticket. Smear it on the deals, blade, and shaft.
I use this one: MPT19 Silicone/PTFE High-Performance Lubricant
I put it on over two years ago and the valves are still working smoothly.

[rv2go]

You might have tighten the two halves too tight against the seals. Try loosing the 4 bolts a little and see if that helps.

[agesilaus]

Kountryguy wrote:
I put a safety dump valve on my discharge pipe. It is difficult to open and close. I took it apart, cleaned it and reassembled it with no improvement. Any suggestions? Could I put some petroleum jelly on the seals without damaging them? Thanks for any help.

I'd try a little silicone grease.