2024 Minnie Winnie 26T plumbing question....

[CaptainBob406]

I recently purchased a used Minnie Winnie 26T Class C motorhome. This is my third motorhome. My first two were Class A's. I have a few questions regarding the plumbing valves in this unit. Hopefully, there are a few 26T owners on this forum that can help me out. The books I received with the MH did not really cover this topic very well. Hence, my questions which are as follows:
1 - There is a single valve under the bathroom sink. Is that valve a single water heater bypass valve? If not, what is it?
2 - There are three valves next to the water pump just inside the end of the bed frame. One valve looks to be the water tank drain. Would that be correct? Regarding the other two valves in question, one is attached to a blue hose and the other is attached to a red hose. Are these hot and cold water valves? How are they used?
3 - Typically a vale that is turned on is in alignment with the hose it is attached to. When turned off, the valve is perpendicular to the hose it is attached to. Would that logic hold true with these valves?

Appreciate any and all thoughts on the matter.

 

[Morich]

Good time to point to some online info that can be great? But it also can be a bit of learning curve to get the best use of it!
But it also HAS that info in ways we never had before, so I love it for details like finding things on new RV!
Interactive meaning that we can do lots of moving turning zooming and such which can lead to needing to know some controls! We can look at most of the parts t
that we will never be able to see and never get out of our chair or get dirty!
Parts catalog:

Parts Catalog

Pick the RV, pick the system (plumbing) and water for the fresh water supply parts!

This can let you look at how each line runs and where it goes!

Question 1? That would be a valve to let you bypass the water heater. This is good when you want to use antifreeze and not fill the tank with six gallons, so turn it to bypass to winterize!

Cold on blue goes back on bypass to red instead of in to heater!
2. Three valves to drain lines
Also one overflow drain comes down from top of tank, so may see four underneath RV?
You appear to have two fill ports? Not sure about that without looking closer!

I can see a 4th valve there but not able to see clearly what it does. Maybe need eyes on to sort what it does---once you know it is there?
General agree on the valve handle but not to trust too far, if water comes out when not expected as they get changed at times!

The fourth valve is a bit of mystery as it seems silly? Looks like it cuts off water from the tank to the line drain? Missing the idea of keeping water in tank but draining lines??
But it could mess you up if you take out of storage and leave it closed while getting the other three set to use the RV?

The mystery is part of the NEW! I find this info handy when looking to see where lnes are prone to freeze, next to walls , etc.

I play in these drawings a lot and might ease the learning curve if you have questions on moving around in it. Seems we don't get any REAL instructions in the computer world.
I've wondered if that is not the cause of so many folks going crazy and shooting up everybody they see.

I can kind of understand that!

Good luck with the chase!

 

[Morich]

If you don't have the owners manual on hand, this link will get one?

https://www.winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/OperatorManuals/Operator%202024/20MinnieWinnie.pdf

Section 7 has the winterize directions and the location of valves may be a big help also?

Not sure I count the same way they do for what valves to find but that is part of the hunt! I thought I saw four on the drawings, but what you see is more important!

 

[CaptainBob406]

What a great tool! I had no idea that was available. That is incredible! Thank you so much for pointing this out to me. Did you notice that the lavatory sink drains into the blackwater tank? Crazy, huh? This will be a big help and clearly answers my questions. Again, thank you so much!

 

[Morich]

no, I did not look far. But I also want to point to some info that you may/may not be aware of and it may help on sorting questions.
The Winn home site:

Home - Winnebago

www.winnebago.com

Under the "owners" tab, you can find links to lots of info that has different levels of value, depending on your personal interests.
I am a trained electrical thinker, so those drawings are my main thing!
But then I have been a DIY guy long term, so the parts and plumbing drawings are a common stop for me as each gives different looks at different things.
Plumbing here:

Plumbing Diagrams

This gets you more what I call "line drawings" of plumbing and that can sometimes help to see things in a different way than the parts catalog!
Electrical here:

Wiring Diagrams

What I find is , I can get lots f info but sometimes the way it is divided can be a problem when only having the drawings and not able to actually look or know the RV!
When I get into looking for info and posters may tell us it is under the bed, but the drawings for electrical don't show the bed!
To the person owning the RV it likely seems really dumb for me to ask where the bed is when any person should be able to find a bed!

Sometimes I feel DIY fixes are somewhat like an Easter egg hunt? We have to look under ALL the bushes if we expect to find the big prize!

So now maybe you know where there are a few more bushes to check???

 

[CaptainBob406]

It is also interesting that the drawings may not match. For example, the 3D drawing shows a connection at the underside of the tank. Possibly another drain? Yet the line drawing does not show that connection. In addition, the 3D view shows 3 (thru wall) connections into the tank (not including the overflow). Yet the line drawing shows only 2 connections into the tank. The line drawing seems to be more representative of what my unit has. Looks like the line drawing does not show the 4th valve either. Very interesting! lol

So apparently, if I am reading this right. The 3 valves are nothing more than FW tank and waterline drains. They should normally be closed when the RV is in service. I did not see a 4th valve. I am thinking the 4th valve may have been replaced by an in-line ball check valve that prevents the FW tank from filling up when using shore water?

 

[CaptainBob406]

This is great stuff. Again, thank you for showing me this.

 

[Morich]

I do lots of print reading for lots of varied companies. That has left me feeling they are almost impossible to live without! But, there are times when they are almost impossible to live WITH as there are so many things that we have to check carefully before we believe them!
Sounds like normal life, perhaps?

While I have found amazing detail in some drawings, like the inverter on your RV? It shows not just where and what you have but it also shows there Is a GFCI on one end that is not shown any place that I have checked on other inf and drawings!

I talking to folks, I find it would be amazing if they showed us that a tripped GFCI might be found on the inverter hidden away in some compartment. Handy to know if all of a sudden you lose about half the AC outlets?
We get back to never having enough info!

 

[CaptainBob406]

Interesting you should bring up the inverter. I was aware of the GFCI on the inverter but do not know where the inverter is. I will go to the tool you have shown me to locate it. Yes, I agree about wiring diagrams and prints in general. I have an engineering background (electrical) and pay close attention to prints. lol Can I assume you also own a 26T?

 

[Morich]

No, at this point, I may have moved beyond the RV stage. We did a lot of travel for a time but it seemed to get less and less fun and then covid came along and we had several bad incidents with people and just lost interest in being out and around folks who we could no longer trust.

 

[CaptainBob406]

Really sorry to hear that. Yes, people seem to be going sideways right now. However, do not lose your faith. There are still a bunch of good folks out there. I certainly appreciate the help you have given me. Personally, I think you should get back on the horse. I did so when I purchased this latest RV. I sold my last one about 4 years ago and thought that was it. No more RV'ing for us. So... I am soon to be 79, my wife is 2 years older than I. We both have health issues and, guess what we did.... Bought another RV. I figure we have a couple years left before we are just too old to do this anymore. I figure the heck with it. Let's just enjoy our remaining years. My point is.... you do not need other people. Hang out with your loved one and enjoy life. Anyway, sorry for the soap box. last thing you probably need is me chewing the fat. lol

 

[RVSpirit26T]

We have a 26T, valve under the sink is your bypass, the three valves by the water pump are drains for the hot, cold and water tank. You're correct perpendicular is the off position.

The kitchen sink and shower drain into the gray tank, the bathroom sink and toilet go into the black tank.

Under the closet and behind the drawers is access to the furnace, water heater, inverter, converter and most of the wiring including the leveler. It's very crowded in there, so we installed our EMS in the outside bay with the shore cable.

 

[Morich]

It's a day by day thing that comes and goes on whether we should have an RV! We liked to travel and went airlines for long trips but liked the lakes and woods far better than setting at an airport!
On the inverter, it looks like it might be near the bed? Did not loo carefully for location!
But it is much like the AC power might be as it has a stand alone switch just above it. The switch "chooses' shore power or if not falls back to connect the inverter tthrough to that set of outlets and such.
One of the odd things about any set of drawings is how that specific group divides things like AC or DC power. In this case they put the inverter in the AC drawings but don't show any sign of it having DC connections?
Some things not shown as clear as it might?

or in a different way?

It needs an input to get output! Also there is NO mention of this GFCI on anything I've seen! Makes it a bit hard to find since it is hidden away in most cases and we likely never see it!

Sometimes it seems they set traps for new folks! One trap for those who have post 2010 RV is they have stopped posting online 12VDC schematics! OUCH!

 

[CaptainBob406]

We have a 26T, valve under the sink is your bypass, the three valves by the water pump are drains for the hot, cold and water tank. You're correct perpendicular is the off position.

The kitchen sink and shower drain into the gray tank, the bathroom sink and toilet go into the black tank.

Under the closet and behind the drawers is access to the furnace, water heater, inverter, converter and most of the wiring including the leveler. It's very crowded in there, so we installed our EMS in the outside bay with the shore cable.

Thanks. That is what I figured the valves were for. I did find the inverter. What is EMS?

 

[CaptainBob406]

It's a day by day thing that comes and goes on whether we should have an RV! We liked to travel and went airlines for long trips but liked the lakes and woods far better than setting at an airport!
On the inverter, it looks like it might be near the bed? Did not loo carefully for location!
But it is much like the AC power might be as it has a stand alone switch just above it. The switch "chooses' shore power or if not falls back to connect the inverter tthrough to that set of outlets and such.
One of the odd things about any set of drawings is how that specific group divides things like AC or DC power. In this case they put the inverter in the AC drawings but don't show any sign of it having DC connections?
Some things not shown as clear as it might?
View attachment 1323387
or in a different way?
View attachment 1323388
It needs an input to get output! Also there is NO mention of this GFCI on anything I've seen! Makes it a bit hard to find since it is hidden away in most cases and we likely never see it!

Sometimes it seems they set traps for new folks! One trap for those who have post 2010 RV is they have stopped posting online 12VDC schematics! OUCH!

I found the inverter. It is under the wardrobe and to the left of a large drawer beneath the wardrobe. Resetting the GFCI is going to be a trick. You cannot see it. You essentially reach in behind the inverter and feel around for the reset button. Thats a bit strange and a little scary. If you remove the drawer and using a mirror on an extension, it may not be such a blind reach. Definitely will need to be a bit of a contortionist though. I wonder whose idea it was to mount it in such a manner. Seems odd. lol

 

[RVSpirit26T]

Thanks. That is what I figured the valves were for. I did find the inverter. What is EMS?

EMS - Electrical Management System used to protect the RV from a variety of electrical issues you might encounter when connecting to a campground pedestal. Many different kinds with people's opinion for each, I hardwired a 30-amp progressive industries EMS-HW30C.

 

[RVSpirit26T]

I found the inverter. It is under the wardrobe and to the left of a large drawer beneath the wardrobe. Resetting the GFCI is going to be a trick. You cannot see it. You essentially reach in behind the inverter and feel around for the reset button. Thats a bit strange and a little scary. If you remove the drawer and using a mirror on an extension, it may not be such a blind reach. Definitely will need to be a bit of a contortionist though. I wonder whose idea it was to mount it in such a manner. Seems odd. lol

Yes, that is where they put almost everything under the closet and behind the drawers. Can't speak to ever needing to reset the inverter as we've only used it twice to power an electric blanket or the Starlink before reaching our destination, the microwave and air conditioner require the generator. Be careful removing the drawers, the rails are cheap with bearings only being held in place with grease, they tend to fall out. After that happened to me when repairing a leaky plastic connection on the water heater bypass. I replaced the few staples used to hold the closet floor in place with small screws, now I have complete access from the top side quicker than taking out the drawers.