Replacing broken drain valve in a FWC Fleet

[damonhowatt]

Hi to everyone. I have a Fleet camper on a Tacoma. Last week while grouse hunting in the North Cascades, my friend broke the drain valve handle at the rear of the camper. I've read some of the posts on this topic. I have a replacement handle and flange and am getting ready to install. My question is: do I need to use a sealant between the flange and the camper exterior? If so, what kind of sealant?

Thank you all in advance!

Steve

 

[Vic Harder]

yes to sealant. Butyl tape works, and so would 3m 4200 or a Polyurethane caulk. Don't use silicone caulk.

 

[Bosque Bill]

yes to sealant. Butyl tape works, and so would 3m 4200 or a Polyurethane caulk. Don't use silicone caulk.

Curious, why not silicone caulk?

 

[Vic Harder]

Apparently it isn’t UV tolerant, and it makes it hard for anything else to ever stick to the area

 

[Lighthawk]

This is one of my worst fears on an extended desert trip. The nylon draincock seems fragile, and UV degrades the material.
If the valve snaps badly, I worry about losing our tank of water.

I unscrewed the factory OEM valve and confirmed it's just a barb fitting to tubing.
I bought a spare valve at the RV parts store for five bucks and carry it as a spare now.
Redundancy is a good thing, especially 50 miles from pavement.

 

[Kolockum]

X2 to what Vic said. Another popular sealant is Sikaflex

This is one of my worst fears on an extended desert trip. The nylon draincock seems fragile, and UV degrades the material.
If the valve snaps badly, I worry about losing our tank of water.

Look into a marine grade stainless steel draincock from a boat supply place.

 

[damonhowatt]

Thank you to all of the above responses. They were spot on and very helpful. I went to three Seattle area plumbing stores and none carry any accessories that were the size needed for my repair. I then went to an RV repair shop and they offered to sell me the same plastic flange/valve combo for $3.00. I passed on that offer.

Ebay and Amazon had both the metal flange and metal ball valve I needed. Loc Tite sealant (marine and non-silicone) and a ice maker hose for a refrigerator completed the parts. I think that replacement flange/valve setup will work for an extended time. I wanted to attach a couple photos but my Safari browser isn't cooperating! Thanks again to all!

Steve

 

[craig333]

Mine was still in good shape before I did the mod (ten years or so) but I probably have fewer freeze thaw cycles than many of you. Not a bad idea to carry a spare.

 

[Karlton]

Carrying a spare is a good idea, but if not proactively doing the upgrade, be prepared that it is not a convenient swap out. It is not complicated, but will require a few tools as there isn't much tube (hose) to work with in the camper. I had to cut the tubing, work additional tubing out, hold that with vice grips, and install the new flange.

 

[smlobx]

I believe this topic came up in 2018 (May have been on another site) and it prompted me to replace the valve on my Hallmark which was of the same design and concerns.

Based on the recommendations of others I ended up replacing the valve with this..

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HYXQO4C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and I have really been happy with the result. Now that we have no concerns about it breaking we find ourselves using it quite a bit more.
Hope this helps.

 

[damonhowatt]

Thanks SMLOBX. I purchased the exact same valve. It looks like it will last for as long as I need it....!