Black and Gray Tank valves

[Starguy]

I own a 2018 18’ 1808FBS MicroMinnie. About 2 years after I had it the black tank valve froze - I couldn’t open it. Fortunately a RV repair shop was close by our camp site and i was able to free it up by lubricating where the cable exited near the pull handle. I was told water getting into the area was causing rusting that increased the friction, eventually “freezing”it. Subsequently I frequently lubricated this area that seemed to work. In time i found that both valves became increasingly difficult to open and close, necessitating using a rubber mallet to ensure the valves were closed tightly. Needless to say I felt letting it go at that so I brought it in for repair - they were replaced. The valves now open and close but i was told the design of the system and the long cables needed increased the risk of this being an recurrent problem that was not only inexpensive but terribly inconvenient if the valves failed while camping. I will continue to lubricate the valves near the pull handles but this only lubricates a short segment. Also i use a product that can be added to the tanks that helps keep the valves lubricated but does not lubricate tha cables themselves. Any other suggestions. As crucially important as these valves are, I would have thought the manufacturer would have designed a more durable and fail-proof system.

[Oldchinahand]

We are fans of plumber's grease. Available at hardware and pool supply stores. Looks like Vaseline. Pricey but a little goes a long way. Safe in drinking systems, resists the ph swings in the waste water systems. We coat all neoprene, rubber, vinyl gaskets, mating surfaces and washers in water systems.

We've neighbors with rigs with remote pull handles. We have helped them disconnect the cable at the valve, then pull it out of the run. If you can pull your cable completely out of its run, do so. Generously slush it with the grease as you re-insert it. Try to get the run as full of the grease as possible.

You could use axle or other heavy grease, but we like to keep lubes to a minimum, and plumber's grease is non toxic.

Fair Winds and Following Seas

[Eagle5]

I like that Plumber's Grease idea, and that might work better that what I use.
I do have the long cables too, and I lubricate mine often with Tri-Flow. I spray the valves when closed, and when open, I spray the valves again. I also spray the cables at the control handles at the same time when I have the valves open.
Eagle5

[Morich]

Rather than a specific grease which tends to make it expensive as well as hardto find, one of the common lubes used in water situations isjust the generic versions of Vasoline.
It is often called petroleum jelly as official name when buying at Wal-mart, etc.as it was first found by petroleum workers!
It is the recommended lube for around fish tanks as it is non-toxic and doesn't harm the rubber/plastic we now use on most things. Good enough for fish filter O-rings, good enough for my dump valves!
Stays slippery and doesn't wash off in water. Can't work it down into the sleeve and will require the wire tobe pulled out.

[creativepart]

Because those long cables have to be firmly affixed at the valve end to work properly it's best to also check the end of the cable and any cable control point mounted to a frame. It's vital that the sheathing is anchored and not moving when you operate the internal cable.

From what I hear from other Winnie TT owners, this requires you to cut open the material covering the bottom of the RV.

I once had a TT that had a similar setup for the dump valves. When the black tank valve became totally unreliable I had a independent repair shop permanently open those remote gate valves and install new direct action gate valves in the piping up near the dump outlet.

I was told that the remote valves were tucked up under the enclosed part of the TT for freeze protection. But I know better than to camp in consistently freezing conditions. So, I didn't mind losing that "feature."

Also, I always traveled with an emergency gate valve that you attach to the end of your dump outlet. You want to always be prepared for the worst.

[Thomas]

I just run into gray tank issues with the valve. It froze up. You have great idea, however, I have one question (im new into Rving): once you open/get rid of black tank valve (oem), can the gray tank be removed as well? Wont the black water and gray mixed somehow?

[creativepart]

No, I didn’t remove any valves completely, I just relocated the black tank valve which was the stuck valve. But I relocated the valve upstream of the main dump opening. It was still on the black tank pipe just no longer required the use of a cable to operate.

The above photo shows an emergency valve that I used initially when the cable to the black valve started causing problems. I did not want the black and gray tanks to combine.

[Morich]

Agree that you DO NOT want the grey and black to mix and for several possible reasons.
The first I think of is that there are times and places where you may want to drain the grey and use it as irrigation or simply as a way to get rid of it if the situation is right. It is becoming less likely to find the normal campsite where dumping grey on the ground is allowed but some do use it as irrigation water and they would not want the black in that use!
Folks who raise cattle can often look at grey water as an asset for the field but not want any more of the black than they already get from the cattle! At least the cows don't throw paper into the mix. The cow manure can be reused and has value, the human stuff, not so much!