Last night my wife read out to me advise written in one of the big camp groups on how to stop leaking taps. The advise was to carry around gas fitters tread tape, and wrap this around the threads to stop the fittings leaking. This is not correct. Tap outlets have a 3/4 or 1" parallel thread on them. The outlet is also faced with a flat surface. The adaptor you are fitting has a rubber seal inside it designed to tighten up against this face.
If the tap leaks it is because the seal is damaged, or is not tightening up against the face (tape threads damaged), the machined face on the tap is damaged, use a fine file to "face" the surface, or your adaptor has a crack down its side.
Thread tape is used on taper threads, and is to take up clearance between the threads of poorly made fittings, which most of todays fittings are.
If you wind thread tape around the tap fitting, you are effectively increasing the diameter of that thread. When you screw on the "Click-on" adaptor, because of the increased diameter, the side of the adaptor splits, then you will have a leak. I always remove any thread tape left on tap fittings by the previous occupier before fitting my hoses.
I totally agree with you Iana. There is nothing worse than trying to use a tap in a van park after someone has left a mile of teflon tape on the thread. A new replacement washer in the fitting usually solves the problem. Will they ever learn?
Your correct don't use Teflon tape or and tape, I have spare washers as this is where they seal on the tap male connector unless the fitting itself is damaged just replace the washer.
I too have come across this problem and only lately because most of my set ups are freedom camping. I also just take all that tape off the thread first. I get very annoyed with people that don't care and just leave the tap or fitting to their vans leak away. I pointed it to a van near me the other week and he just said "not my problem" and walked away. I felt like dropping him as the place I am in is on tank water. I did mention it to the manager though.
I went out and invested in brass fittings but still find they leak sometimes, well drip anyway.
Without trying to make this sound like an add but there is only one way to say this. I am now thinking about the 'Hoselink' fittings. Does anyone use them and are they worth it.
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Doug, may I suggest a trip to the green shed, there are a new range of connection adaptors that swivel through to 90'. The advantage is that they allow your hose to hang straight down from the van inlet, or if the tap is low to the ground, bend and stop the hose having to have that tight bend, hence stopping the leaks. The units are about 130mm long, and cost about $6:50. There are several different options available.
Two ways a tap leaks . The O ring on the main shaft leaks . The washer is warm out . Other than that its washer, gaskets in the hose to tap fitting . If it requires thread tap ? The rubber gasket or washer has come out or not tightened properly. The O ring on fittings dont last forever . We carry a few spares . A hose to hose fitting to join . Can bet the day you havnt got one is the day you NEED one ! Ahhh
-- Edited by Aus-Kiwi on Wednesday 23rd of January 2019 11:41:49 AM
Well, that answers the mystery about all the thread tape on some tap fittings, I've often wondered about that. We don't use mains pressure at all in any of our RV's but rather run on tanks and the pumps that are part of the fit out. I've seen too many RV's wrecked by internal fitting leaks caused by the system being exposed to excessive mains pressure. We very rarely use facilities that have water on tap anyway so just as easy to fill the tank where and when water is available.
T1 Terry
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Shurflo seem to be most common in 11 years i've had van and they have very good pressure reducing valve and non return valve. Didn't believe the pressure in Central QLD on couple of visits,,,,, mentioned to owner 90psi normal, inlet hose was hard as a rock. No problems inside. Don't hear many complaints about valve but hear Heaps of COMPLAINTS about poor hose connection inside van OR poor quality hose that bursts at less than 40-50 psi. Just my observations.
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Yes Terry . I was informed RVs have pressure limiting devices on another thread . In fact most dont .
I dont hnow much about how things were in the past but as sure as night follows day modern vans have pressure limiting valves to protect there systems ,some places have huge water pressure ,and that gave us a lot of trouble when we had a faulty pressure limiting valve .the Pressure release valve on the Hw system could not contain the pressure all the hose water was dumped to ground,even the JG fittings failed,there a very very important component component one the most important components from what we went through I can tell you..
In my case a push on fitting failed . The pipes with take pressure . Yes some are fitted to work with on their own water pump system . Strangely enough not all work or fitted on external .. Maybe regulator was ceased ? Not in my case . Was down MT Gambier. A few vans had issues . We have tank and use our inbuilt pump . Which has pressure valve . But not on the external fitting . This area is where there could be issues ? We also have anti hammer device which can be just as bad as high pressure . Ahh if only things worked and simple !! The more we know , you realise theres more we dont know !! Lol
Often wonder if the pressure from a mains connection and not contained by the pressure limiting valve is the cause of many of the hot water system tank failures.
T1 Terry
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Yes I wouldnt be surprised.. Oh the pain finding the leak also . You hear the pump turn on at night .. Ahhh ! Turning it off doesnt exactly fix it !!! Then cant sleep thinking about it !! Ahhh
Yes I wouldnt be surprised.. Oh the pain finding the leak also . You hear the pump turn on at night .. Ahhh ! Turning it off doesnt exactly fix it !!! Then cant sleep thinking about it !! Ahhh
Many yrs back we met up with a couple who had "a new to them" converted bus. They were driving out from Cordeaux Dam on the NSW Southern Highlands and spotted a tap on top of the big silver pipe. Pulled up beside it, attached the new "flat out" hose between tap and bus, turned on the tap and whammoo, instant wash out from behind the kitchen and bathroom walls. Seems the pressure was a lot more than expected and popped every pipe fitting. They had spent weeks removing wall panels to repair pipes and then reassemble the interior best they could. They were the ones that put us onto filling the tanks and using the built in pumps and it seemed a sensible idea to me after hearing their story
T1 Terry
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Often wonder if the pressure from a mains connection and not contained by the pressure limiting valve is the cause of many of the hot water system tank failures.
T1 Terry
Iam talking about mains pressure water entering into the van from The hose connection blowing the Pr valve on our van ,twice back to the stupid dealers they kept relaceing the pr valves first with anew one it failed geniuses replaced it again with higher pressure one it failed bit time,I decided to have a look myself at the 350 kpa pressure limiting valve they used some sort of liguid stuff on the thread not thread tape,the liquid they used on the threads got under the seat in the pressure limiting valve ,the first thing you would check if you were not stupid,went to the local plumbing shop bought new pressure limiting vale and fitted it useing thread tape,never been back to the STUPID dealer again,dealing with these people was agony....
pressure release valve opens to protect the system from excessive pressure..
Pressure limiting valve brings hose pressure down so that you dont blow your pr valve Or damamage your pipe fittings,
you would think theses fools would hnow that....
To answer your question Terry the Pr valve is there to safeguard the tank and if it fails to do so that would e a problem in my view...
-- Edited by Ron-D on Tuesday 29th of January 2019 08:40:10 PM
-- Edited by Ron-D on Tuesday 29th of January 2019 09:01:12 PM
Perhaps 2 pressure limiting valves would be the go, one on a T piece after the main unit with the outlet to the ground. That way there is a clear signal the primary limiting valve wasn't doing its job and also simply dumping the excess pressure so it can't cause and other damage.
That PR valve on the hot water tank has 2 functions, one is over pressure, the other is over temperature dumping the very hot water on the ground and refilling the tank with cold water till the temperature is back within range.
T1 Terry
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