Access to systems

[lslblues]

I’ve got a Winnebago 31be which we are very happy with so far. Haven’t had any major issues at all yet, but when I look at all the stuff, electrical, plumbing, etc that seems totally inaccessible, it concerns me if/when something does go wrong. How do they access all the stuff under the floor that you can’t get to from a storage hatch?

[Jim_HiTek]

What stuff? Wiring? That seldom needs work. Neither does the plumbing. So you need to be more specific with your concerns maybe?

[lslblues]

When I read in the forums about this problem or that problem, I wonder how would I access or fix that. A perfect example is the sewer valve. The valve itself is way up under the coach somewhere, I assume right on the outside of the black water tank. In the wet bay, I have a handle with a cable going up to the actual valve. How would it get repaired if that cable broke? Valve started leaking? Its like having a house with a crawl space, but you have VERY limited access.

I guess my question boils down to, for major repairs, do they actually do things like take slides off and pull up flooring?

[Ken_]

Worry about it when it happens!
As far as removing walls and floors, that would be very very difficult, so I wouldn't think that would be the first choice, most things are accessible by removing drawers or panels.
Underside probably has a plastic barrier to keep critters and weather out.

[Jim_HiTek]

Originally Posted by lslblues

When I read in the forums about this problem or that problem, I wonder how would I access or fix that. A perfect example is the sewer valve. The valve itself is way up under the coach somewhere, I assume right on the outside of the black water tank. In the wet bay, I have a handle with a cable going up to the actual valve. How would it get repaired if that cable broke? Valve started leaking? Its like having a house with a crawl space, but you have VERY limited access.

I guess my question boils down to, for major repairs, do they actually do things like take slides off and pull up flooring?

I'm aware of Winnie using a handle and cable in the wet bay for the water tank drain valve. The valve is right under the middle of the RV and is difficult to access but not impossible. They do tend to develop a leak quite readily. That valve is just to drain the water tank when the RV is in storage over winter. Mine did leak when I first bought this RV but I didn't feel like fixing it.

What I did was to use a rubber plug. A standard plumbing piece that's basically just a piece of rubber between to flat washers with a wing nut to tighten it so it expands. Crawled under the RV, jammed it in the drain, tightened it so it expanded, and no more drip. I've heard the valve itself (a small version of the big 'guillotine' valve used on the gray and black tanks) is easy to replace but that usually all that needs to be done is for the cable connection to be shortened (it slips out of position on the cable over time) 1/4" and that's it.

I didn't bother as I full time. Even if I need to drain the fresh water tank, it only takes a minute to crawl under and remove the plug.

I am not aware of any RV that has ever had a hidden black or gray tank valve.

Take some pics of your setup and show us.

I guess my question boils down to, for major repairs, do they actually do things like take slides off and pull up flooring?

To directly answer your question, yes, these rigs are difficult to work on but it does get easier as you learn how they put them together. Working on them is like working on cars in many ways. Not impossible though. Ripping up floors or tearing apart walls is a requirement sometimes...but only for major repairs like from water damage, or remodeling.

Now that I've lived in 2 different Class A rigs over the last 14 years, I'd say that there's very few jobs in or under the house I wouldn't be able to tackle in this Winnie...but I'd rather do maintenance so I won't need to do major overhauls.