Changing the fresh water hose attachment on an 06' Meridian?

[Ramzfan]

Hi. I own a 2006 Meridian and the water hose connection has gone bad. I bought a new one but when I went to change it, I found out that it is a lot more work than I expected. Has anyone here ever done it? Is there a simple way rather than tearing apart the entire box inside the power compartment?

[FIRE UP]

Ramzfan,
Does your compartment look like the picture below? If so, I'm not sure how one would go about replacing that fitting. You say yours went bad? How so? Does it leak? I don't think you'd have too much problem getting that little panel off so you could see what's behind it and therefore remove the hose fitting and replace it. The photo is of a water compartment on a 2006 Meridian 36G that a good friend just bought and brought home.

[SCVJeff]

Which Meridian do you have? If it's a 34H, take a look at Scott's picture above. You can remove the entire plate around the plumbing to gain access to everything. It's not easy, but not at all hard. All thats needed is a screwdriver.

[Ramzfan]

That's it exactly. I've removed all of the screws but the plate doesn't seem to want to come off. I don't want to bend it or damage it. That's why I asked if anyone had done it before. It would be easy to just reach up from the bottom and unscrew the fitting, but there's a piece of plywood there.
In answer to Scott's question, the pressure regulator that's built into the fitting has gone bad on mine. I just got tired of using my screw-in regulator and thought I would replace the fitting.

[FIRE UP]

Ramzfan,
I don't blame you for wanting to replace the regulator. I like things to work right too. But, I have no idea what kind of reputation those built in regulators have in terms of longevity, duration and quality regulation of water pressure. So, here's a suggestion. We purchased one of those more expensive adjustable regulators for ours. This is the one:

Adjustable Water Regulator

We don't have a built in one so, knowing those little tiny ones like I do, I elected to get a more reputable one. Now, will this do for you, sure it will, and basically be permanant. I put mine of the end of the hose with some pliers so, it's going to be pretty hard to get it off. But, all this may not be to your likeing. If you still want to repair/replace the factory one, than you just need to determine just what's the hold up in getting that plate off or, loose enough to get at the back side of that water fitting. Good luck and let us know what held you up in getting it off so others can learn.Thanks and good luck.
Scott

[dc8cappie]

Some of these panels are sealed with a sealent. I needed to look behind one on the right side of my 39K and discovered the black sealent. The sealent really did hold the panel on. I never did completely remove the panel. I just looked behind it, desided I couldn't do what I wanted and resured it.

This doesn't mean yours is the same, just what I found on this panel.

[Sammie]

Ramzfan,
I removed my panel several years ago right after I bought my coach in order to install a permenant water pressure regulator behind it.. If I remember right, that water connection fitting is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long and has a female 1/2 inch pipe thread on the other end. If you remove the two screws located on each side of the stainless flange and turn the whole assembly counter clockwise, you should be able to remove it for replacement. I think that there is enough plastic tubing hooked to it to be able to pull it out a few inches to make the new connection. You should not have to remove the whole panel in order to replace just the water connection.

Sammie

[Sammie]

Ramzfan, Here is what the connection looks like and depending on where you buy it, you can get it with either an aluminum flange or a stainless steel flange.

Sammie

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by Sammie

Ramzfan,
I removed my panel several years ago right after I bought my coach in order to install a permenant water pressure regulator behind it.. If I remember right, that water connection fitting is about 2 to 2 1/2 inches long and has a female 1/2 inch pipe thread on the other end. If you remove the two screws located on each side of the stainless flange and turn the whole assembly counter clockwise, you should be able to remove it for replacement. I think that there is enough plastic tubing hooked to it to be able to pull it out a few inches to make the new connection. You should not have to remove the whole panel in order to replace just the water connection.

Sammie

Sammie,
Just a hint of advice here. I just took a look at the back my water inlet which, looks identicle to the one in the picture I posted. (That picture is from a friends recently purchased '06 Itasca Meridian 36G). Mine is the '04 Itasca Horizon, 36GD. And, using a mirror, I could get a good look at the back side of that water inlet. Ramzfan, not to doubt your statement(s) here but, are you sure there's a regulator in that area?

When I looked at mine with the mirror, all that's there is the water inlet which, like Sammie says is about 1.5"-2" long. It attaches to the normal white, plastic pipe via a female fitting from the tubing end. Not to cast doubts on Sammie's suggestion but, I'd be real careful on putting a "twist" on that water inlet fitting due to the fact that, that plastic hose/tubing it's connected to may or may not have any support in any direction. So, my thought is, would it be possible to either "crack" that hose/tubing or, another possibility might be that the female coupler that connects it to the water inlet threads might just turn with the turning of the water inlet.

From what I saw with my mirror, there's very little play in the tubing/hose back behind that will lend itself to being pulled up to the backside of that plate. But, that's not to say it's not worth a try. I'm all for Sammie's suggestion and, it could work, I'd just try and be careful.

[Sammie]

Scott, I think the pressure regulator built into the fitting that Ramzfan is describing is really the buit in check valve. I wanted to have a permenant water pressure regulator so I removed the metal panel and piped in a regulator that I bought from home depot. I think I have it set for 60lbs. but would have to go check for sure. Also I'm pretty sure there is enough play in the plastic pipe so that you can pull it out far enough to get a backup wrench on the male fitting attached to the pipe.

Sammie

[firedoc]

Originally Posted by Sammie

Scott, I think the pressure regulator built into the fitting that Ramzfan is describing is really the buit in check valve. I wanted to have a permenant water pressure regulator so I removed the metal panel and piped in a regulator that I bought from home depot. I think I have it set for 60lbs. but would have to go check for sure. Also I'm pretty sure there is enough play in the plastic pipe so that you can pull it out far enough to get a backup wrench on the male fitting attached to the pipe.

Sammie

There is a school of thought that the pressure regulator needs to be at the faucet end of the hose to protect the hose also. This could save a hose problem if the pressure should get seriously high. Of course it could also grow legs. Or as mine has done, twice, it could freeze😜

[Sammie]

Originally Posted by firedoc

There is a school of thought that the pressure regulator needs to be at the faucet end of the hose to protect the hose also. This could save a hose problem if the pressure should get seriously high. Of course it could also grow legs. Or as mine has done, twice, it could freeze��

Since I'm not a fulltimer and hence do not stay in any one campground for more than a week or two at a time, I don't really care if I lose a hose but do care if I would lose my pressure regulator. It's also kind of a conveince thing.

Sammie

[SCVJeff]

Yeah, the hose end connector is just a check valve. I have had that plate off a couple of times now. I can't remember exactly what since it's not in front of me, but there is another bracket of something on the left side IIRC that needs to come loose as well to get the panel out. But it will come out.

[Ramzfan]

Thanks guys, you have been very helpful. I think I'll work on it some more when the weather warms up a bit. I'll keep you posted.
Steve

[Ramzfan]

Well, I took a better look at it today and got the front panel off. Has anyone worked with the plastic fresh water lines that Winnebago uses? They appear to be about 3/8" diameter and are attached at each joint with a threaded cap. When I unscrewed a couple of the caps and tried to release the tubing, it wouldn't move. I didn't want to apply too much pressure to it, in the fear of ruining something and then having another problem on my hands. Are they glued? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Steve

[FIRE UP]

Steve,
I've not had the opportunity to goof around with any of the tubing that Winne and Itasca use for plumbing. I think it's called "Pex" but, not sure. And, to my knowledge, it's all "press fit" stuff. There should be no glue involved, I think. If your pieces don't want to move or, separate, they're most likely "time glued" together. That is, time has just sort of sealed them together.

I'd be a bit hesitant to apply too much pressure too, to break them loose but, you have to do what you have to do, in order to replace what you need to. And, worse comes to worse, let it break. There's lots more fittings where those came from. And, again, I'm pretty sure that it's all a push together system.
Scott

[Ramzfan]

Thanks Scott, that's kind of what I figured. I'm thinking right now though, that this is not a 'life or death' problem that I have with this water inlet, and that I may just put everything back together and live with it like it is. Kind of "Why dig up the whole yard because of one gopher?"
Steve

[FIRE UP]

Ramzfan,
Roger that Sir. I'd maybe fix it at a convenient time.
Scott