How do I fix this plumbing problem?

[newowneroldmontana]

I have a 2002 3670RL. I bought it old and used, with some modifications made by the first owner, so I don't really know what's original or not, plumbing-wise. I know pictures would help, but I just can't post any--so here goes--I'm going to see if anyone can help me solve my problem even with the vague information I'm going to give:

My water froze up this week but eventually thawed on its own, and I thought everything was fine. Last night, though, I sprung a leak in the basement.

The problem is quite clearly with a blue plastic thing which I'm pretty sure is a shut-off valve. Going from left to right, there's pipe that's kind of whitish/opague, then a fitting that looks like I ought to be able to unscrew it, then the blue plastic thing, then another fitting that looks like I ought to be able to unscrew it, then more pipe that's whitish/opaque.

The blue plastic thing had water spewing from it--I think it's a shut-off valve which froze and then broke. It's a plastic circle with a raised area meant to hold onto in order to turn it. I know that I've turned it and shut off water to the toilet before, but I could still get water to the sink and shower while I didn't get water to the toilet. Last night when the blue thing started gushing water, I lost water to the sink. (I mean the bathroom sink. I don't know about the kitchen sink.)

Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Can I just go to Lowe's tomorrow and buy a new blue thing/shut-off valve, and replace the leaking one? Can I really unscrew those fittings? How does one splice in a new shut-off valve(?), or a new short length of RV water pipe?

[newowneroldmontana]

Okay, I've looked it up some and yes, it's absolutely a shut-off valve. I think my problem is very basic, but I still don't know the answer. My questions are: 1) Can I buy a new shut-off valve which will work, at Lowe's or Ace Hardware near me? and 2) How do.I get the old one out, and the new one in?

(I know in a house, you cut some PVC pipe, go around it with purple glue, use plumber's tape at fitings, etc.--but I don't know how to cut or put togther two sections of RV water pipe, which I assume is different.)

[BB_TX]

Posting pictures is actually very easy. And would help tremendously.

Below the reply box is a clicky labeled “Go Advanced”. Click on that and a new larger reply box will open. Scrolling down below the reply box you will see “Attach Files”. And under that click on “Manage Attachments”.

Then you will see “Chose File” (4 times). Click on the first one and you will see Photo Library to chose a picture on your phone, or Select File to chose a picture on your computer.

Find the picture you want and click on it. Click Done. Repeat for up to 3 more pictures. Then click Upload. When it finishes, click Close This Window. Then click Submit Reply.

And you are done.

[newowneroldmontana]

Originally Posted by BB_TX

Posting pictures is actually very easy. And would help tremendously.

Below the reply box is a clicky labeled “Go Advanced”. Click on that and a new larger reply box will open. Scrolling down below the reply box you will see “Attach Files”. And under that click on “Manage Attachments”.

Then you will see “Chose File” (4 times). Click on the first one and you will see Photo Library to chose a picture on your phone, or Select File to chose a picture on your computer.

Find the picture you want and click on it. Click Done. Repeat for up to 3 more pictures. Then click Upload. When it finishes, click Close This Window. Then click Submit Reply.

And you are done.

Thank you so much for your response! I am seriously technologically challenged, but tomorrow I'll give it a try.

[Carl n Susan]

Posting pictures on the MOC isn't too difficult once you know the process. Lots of members do just that. Be sure to take the photo in Landscape mode.

Go to https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=70323 and read posts #8 and #25.

If you upload the pictures to the MOC, subsequent viewers can blow them up to a larger, more viewable size. And you will avoid the problem where the picture hosting site decides to no longer allow web forum access (Tinypic, Photo Bucket, etc.)

Pictures of your problem would help greatly to get solid answers.

You have 1/2" Pex lines in the RV. They come with clamps that hold the pipe on the fitting. You can buy a tool and clamps to install new fittings but there might be an easier way.

Shark-Bite fittings simply slip onto a Pex line with no crimping required. Pretty easy for one time jobs.

Home Depot, Lowes, Amazon, and other box stores carry Shark-Bite fittings including shutoff valves. They also have Pex lines in case you need it.

[newowneroldmontana]

Thank you so much too, Carl n Susan. I haven't even been able to figure out how to email myself pictures from my phone! But I'll see if I can figure out how to post a photo.

Meantime, you've given me some words to get started with--to look stuff up with, or to say to somebody at the store who might be able to help. "Pex lines." "Shark-Bite fittings." Thanks!

[Daryles]

Take pictures and go to your local hardware store. They may be able to help you with the parts you need. Buy a PEX Crimp kit and 1/2" pex pipe while you are there. The PEX Crimp tool kit is very easy to use and is far cheaper and fits in more compact spaces than Shark Bite fittings.

Once you get your leak fixed you need to work on the root of the problem. Freezing temperatures.
Look in the Forum for the section on Winter camping. Lots of good info on skirting, and keeping your pipes from freezing.

[newowneroldmontana]

Originally Posted by Daryles

Take pictures and go to your local hardware store. They may be able to help you with the parts you need. Buy a PEX Crimp kit and 1/2" pex pipe while you are there. The PEX Crimp tool kit is very easy to use and is far cheaper and fits in more compact spaces than Shark Bite fittings.

Once you get your leak fixed you need to work on the root of the problem. Freezing temperatures.
Look in the Forum for the section on Winter camping. Lots of good info on skirting, and keeping your pipes from freezing.

Thank you--will do!

I should have said in my previous posts--one reason I'm not sure I can figure out how to post photos is because my phone is so old that lots of times, it's not even possible for me to follow exact instructions on how to do things. Same goes for my Chromebook.

I can hand a guy my phone at the hardware store, though, to show him a picture. I'll head out today.

[pyoung47]

Take off the offending part. If the rupture is in the valve, go to a RV store and replace it. Or order from Amazon, and you will have it in a couple of days.

[newowneroldmontana]

Originally Posted by pyoung47

Take off the offending part. If the rupture is in the valve, go to a RV store and replace it. Or order from Amazon, and you will have it in a couple of days.

Holts Summit!!!!???? I'm from Fulton, originally. I live in Alabama now.

Thanks for your comment--I went to Lowes a couple of days ago and got some parts, then went to fix the plumbing and realized I'd brought home the wrong thing. I plan to go back to Lowes tomorrow and see if I can get the right thing this time. If I can't, then I'll start looking elsewhere.

[Ttman]

Our camper is a 2002, so the whitish/opaque pipe is the original Pex-A. It requires a Pex-A expansion tool, and expansion collars. The blue Pex would appear to be an owner change, and most-likely use crimp connectors. They are two completely different types of Pex piping. Our camper uses Flair-it connectors, that are white, and have twist compression end/fittings. Without a picture its hard to clearly understand, but since your camper is the same year as mine, I’m 99% sure you have Pex-A and Flair-it fittings.

Edit Note: Pex-A and the Blue/Red Pex have different fittings, and the fittings and connection process are completely different, without the proper transitions, they will leak!

[newowneroldmontana]

Ttman, thank you! Yes, the Flair-It fittings look just like what I have, and the whitish/opaque pipe must be Pex-A pipe. Turns out I wrote it wrong the first time, though--one side of the piping leading up to the shut-off valve is clear, and the other side is whitish/opaque. The clear side must be a modification, though it's got the Flair-It fittings, too. I'll look into all this before I go back to Lowes.

[Ahdmeyer]

the easiest i think without seeing any pic. would be to get a new shutoff valve and some pex pipe and shark bites . cut it back to good pipe and install the new pex with some shark bites avaiable at amazon , home depo or most any ace or the like here is what i mean.https://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-Cou...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[newowneroldmontana]

Originally Posted by Ahdmeyer

the easiest i think without seeing any pic. would be to get a new shutoff valve and some pex pipe and shark bites . cut it back to good pipe and install the new pex with some shark bites avaiable at amazon , home depo or most any ace or the like here is what i mean.https://www.amazon.com/SharkBite-Cou...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

Thanks! I read up on it this morning, on other RV forums too, and I think that's exactly what I'm going to do. I don't think it'll be too expensive, since I'll only need two Sharkbite fittings plus the shut-off valve. And a pipe cutter, and some Pex pipe. My Montana is stationary, so I don't think leaking will be a problem, and the pipes in question are right in front of my face, so it'll be easy to see if there is a leak. I'm certainly looking for a quick and easy fix, at this point!

[newowneroldmontana]

I'm back in business! (Sort of.)

Here's what happened:

On whatever day it was, I thought about trying to post a picture, but my phone is madder at me than ever these days, and keeps threatening to quit on me altogether if I don't do something it wants me to do--which I can't really figure out how to do. So I decided to let sleeping dogs lie, and just show a picture to a guy at Lowes who would help me.

So on whatever day it was that wasn't pouring down rain, I went to Lowes, determined to get this thing fixed already. But after wandering around for ten minutes or so in the plumbing department, looking at things and waiting for somebody to answer the page and show up to help me, I decided nobody was coming, and I'd better just go to Ace Hardware instead.

But just then a kid in a Lowes vest walked by, looking quite harried, and I stopped him and asked him if he knew anything about PEX pipe. He said sort of, maybe, and he was willing to try to help me because he'd been looking for the plumbing supervisor himself, but the plumbing supervisor was nowhere to be found.

So I showed this nice kid my pipe/shut-off valve picture, and he and I looked around together and guessed together about what I should do, and finally I got to the check-out with a length of 1/2" PEX pipe plus the metal Sharkbite shut-off valve which was stuck on it, which we figured must be going to work, since we couldn't get the shut-off valve off the PEX pipe. I also bought a weird SharkBite brand PEX pipe cutter.

But after I checked out, I realized I'd forgotten to get couplings, of which I'd probably need two--so I headed back to the plumbing department and picked up the little bag of couplings I'd been looking at and had apparently dropped on the floor. I paid for them, too, and left.

Then I got home too late to fix anything that day, and the next day it poured down rain, then I went to fix things but realized I'd bought the wrong kind of couplings, because "SharkBite" is a brand name as well as a type of coupling--then I couldn't go out for a day or two--

*Then today---*

I went back to Lowes and returned the wrong type of couplings I'd bought, and went looking for the right kind. Which they didn't have, except in a 4-pack that was going to cost me $31. (Still no Lowes plumbing department personnel around, but a nice fellow customer helped me figure things out, and helped me sort through the mess of fittings which were all out of place. This nice fellow customer told me things are much better stocked and organized at The Home Depot.)

Ace Hardware was much closer to me than Home Depot at that point though, so I called Ace Hardware from Lowes parking lot. Ace Hardware said they had what I needed.

So I went to Ace Hardware, and they had much more stuff than Lowes did, and were better organized. And unlike Lowes, they had the exact same shut-off valve that was in my rig and had broken. They also had 1/2" PEX push-to-connect-type couplers, and a different pipe cutter that was cheaper but looked like it made more sense than the one I'd gotten at Lowes.

I was hoping not to have to go back to Lowes to return anything though, so I just bought the two push-to-connect-type couplers that the Ace Hardware guy had picked out for me--(he was a nice kid whose dad is a plumber)--and went home in time, I hoped, to get the water back on in my Montana before dark.

But things were not as simple as I'd hoped they would be. I don't know why, but the couplers I got at Ace Hardware will only stay on the original PEX pipe that was in my RV, and not on the length of PEX pipe I got from Lowes. I think it might be because the SharkBite brand pipe cutter I got at Lowes is stupid--you're supposed to put the pipe in it and then turn the pipe cutter, which is ridiculous. It left the pipe cut unevenly, with a jagged edge and a piece of PEX hanging off it. I tried to smooth the pipe edge with a utility knife, but that didn't really work.

The metal Sharkbite shut-off valve I got at Lowes did attach to the clear PEX that was already in my RV, though.

So what I have now is a length of clear PEX pipe which was already in my RV, attached to a SharkBite brand, sharkbite-type shut-off valve which is stopping water from going to my toilet. The other side of the shut-off valve is just hanging, not attached to any pipe. (It's supposed to be attached to the pipe supplying water to the toilet.)

Whoops--edited to say that there is a bit of Lowes-bought PEX pipe attached to the other side of the shut-off valve--but that pipe is not attached to the original RV PEX pipe. So the shut-off valve is only connected on one side.

This means that I have a shut-off valve stopping water from going to my toilet, while still allowing water into the rest of the RV plumbing. I'm good with that--I really just wanted to make sure I had water to the sinks and shower anyway. The rest of the problem--getting the shut-off valve attached to PEX pipe on the other side--will have to wait for another day. (I am taking that stupid pipe cutter back to Lowes, though. Cost me $12!)

Thank you all so much for your help. I appreciate each and every one of you. The answers I've gotten from reading this forum over the years have saved me a fortune in mobile RV tech fees.

[BB_TX]

Ahh, the joys of owning an RV. Never a dull moment. And it helps greatly to have a good sense of humor.