Replacing an Unavailable Winnebago Vista Shower Swivel Elbow

[Telfords04]

Hello all,

I am at the end of my rope here so any help is appreciated. I had a leak in my shower in the coach and I troubleshot it down to a hairline crack in the swivel elbow PN 326658-01-000. I tried to use the Winnebago approved parts vendors but everyone told me that this part number is out of stock from Winnebago. I then asked a service center, "if I bring this coach to you for this repair and this part does not exist on the planet, how would you fix it?". My responses were varied from installing Pex to rigging up some form or repair using shark bite fittings.

Long story long, I bought a shark bite fitting and because of the water supply line size, it is less than 3/8' and the fitting would not work. Mind you this is after I clipped the supply line. Anywho, take a look at this picture and please advise on how to get this connected back to the shower faucet. All ideas are welcomed.

Thanks

 

[P and D]

Looks like it is a 1/2 PEX fitting, most all repairs we have done, have been 1/2 PEX fittings have worked

 

[Telfords04]

Thanks I will check it out.

 

[Telfords04]

Looks like it is a 1/2 PEX fitting, most all repairs we have done, have been 1/2 PEX fittings have worked

It does not appear that the supply line in the picture will not take a pex fitting.

 

[bigbAZ]

It looks like PEX B. Use a PEX B coupling to a new section of PEX B to get your length back where you need it, then install a FIP to PEX B 90 https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-8-in-...re=486&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl at the fixture. Screw the FIP end of the 90 into the fixture then attach the PEX.

Orrr..... see below

 

[bigbAZ]

Where do you get the less than 3/8", is it inside diameter of the supply line? I got some tubing like that at the RV supply for the toilet. It looks like garden hose. I had to adapt it to 1/2" but don't remember exactly how I did it but I can check later.

If it is PEX B though, PEX B does measure slightly under 1/2" ID but only by a hundredth or so. Your shower valve should be standard 1/2" pipe thread, so if I am understanding we need to go from the less than 3/8" supply to the 1/2 pipe on the fixture with a 90?

 

[Morich]

Beg to differ as the parts drawing shows it should be 3/8 and not PEX!
I might favor going away from RV supply and moving to talk to a desk at plumbing supply stores. Not the normal big box type but the folks who do it every day and really know the game. They should have the correct items as well as tell you what you have and need.

Big b is most likely correct but when dealing in new, I like to get parts in hand and see them fit. So I might favor snipping off a few inches to take along so they can actually see it, rather than any info which you tell them,.

 

[bigbAZ]

Richard nailed it. I have attached 3 pics below, the first one shows the 3/8" line I bought from the local RV supply. the second one shows where it is attached to an adapter that is barbed for 3/8" on one end and has a male 1/2" pipe thread on the other end. I attached the hose onto the barb and secured it with a fuel injection clamp. Then in the 3rd pic you can just see the white plastic of the adapter where it is threaded into a 1/2" valve and from that point on everything is just standard 1/2". (Sorry about the white plastic clamp hiding most of the adapter but it's behind the toilet and not easy to remove).

When I bought the 3/8" line they had 2 kinds, one was white with a blue stripe and looks just like garden hose, the other has those crossed lines in it like in my picture. I have used both in my RV.

I don't know why you couldn't just use a 3/8" barb to 1/2" pipe adapter right where you cut off the supply line then you could just use standard commonly available 1/2" stuff from that point to finish it.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/B-K-3-8-in-Barbed-Barb-x-MIP-Adapter-Fitting/1000505037?user=shopping&feed=yes

 

[Morich]

This may be a time to consider all the alternate ways to go?
I hate moving from one type to another to yet another to get things to fit in plmbing. Just more parts seems to add to more chances of leaks or problem as well as more fittings adds to the expense?
In this case, I can only wonder what made them go for changing the tubing from under the shower where it meets standard PEX and go four feet up to the shower valve with a different tubing. WHAT were they thinking?

But the more I look at the online parts drawings, I'm pretty sure the info is NOT correct on some of the fittings??

A big question may be how much trouble to access just below the shower pan and near the front? Can you reach it and do you like to work PEX clamps? If those are right for your situation, I might consider just going to the store for a four foot secton of PEX and do away with lots of odd transitions for such a short run.

Looking down at shower pan from front, I see tubes for faucet come down loose to meet standard PEX. Does this actually show an access door you can find? Can you remove the old tube as you tie new on to pull the new in?
Can you do a PEX tube connection here?
Too many QUESTIONS!
So what I see they are saying is not what I see as right!

I don't see how they get pipe threads if they are connectiong tube to PEX? Am I missing something?
But my thought is that I might look at just changing this tube to a more standard PEX where you would have standard PEX tee here, go up to faucet and have standard PEX fiting to screw to the faucet. That would be less hazard of leaks and more common way to go but depends on how you feel about working PEX. Have a crimper?
I'm not geared up to work PEX well but I'm also trying to quit!

Just another option to consider because I don' like tubing to PEX and then adapt again to faucet!!!
Just me, perhaps? More questions than answers!
I'm still trying to figure out what the computer gods have done to me on snipping these pictures!
About the time I get used to it, they change!