LOOK OUT TAMPA! The Hanks are coming for ya along with Greg Johansen, Jeff Woods, and Bob Lerzo! These fine peeps are the winners of an evening and dinner with the Hanks. We want to find many ways to give back to YOU (yes, you reading this) for all your love and support you show us. Have you subscribed!? Follow us for new weekly content! urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/KVJA Need more Hanks videos? Check out some of these hidden treasures you might have overlooked! bit.ly/3QkwkfZ
By any chance was the glitching on the screen of your truck like a line of the buttons at the bottom showing up on top? I had a 2018 gmc seirra and mine flashed at the top stuff that was at the bottom. Turns out it was triggered by the reverse camera coming on got 3 new radios and two new center console buttons. But it was all the reverse camera never happened again
Rv’s, boats and diesel’s are the biggest money pits. After 73 years of rv’ing i have given up the life. My wife died 2 years ago after 51 years together. Rv’ing by yourself just isn’t fun anymore. Good luck to all who still want to enjoy the life. I enjoy watching your exploits in your fiver. I will rv through you. Great channel.
So … at 73, with 8 injury related surgeries under my belt, mobility issues (see comment on surgeries), great difficulty getting on my knees (see comment on surgeries), unable to completely bend over because of spinal fusion and (see comment on … well, you get the picture), your videos about RV life have inspired me to … perhaps rethink the purchase of an RV, at least until I die and reincarnate back to a younger version of myself. You know the times, when you can lift your own body weight without splitting your britches, run like a cheetah chasing prey, and keep your wife … well, you get that picture too. But seriously guys … hmmm actually I am being serious, no, no, no, for reasons of not wishing to discourage anyone from buy an RV, I will say that you two prove that the inevitable disasters can be overcome, overcame, hell, whatever the term is. Rock on RVers Larry from Texas
Your black tank valve is fixed!..You replaced that plastic check valve with a much more durable brass fitting and you have a super clean pass through storage area!! Good job Hanks!
I have had all three valves replaced in 2022 by mobile techs. They are a life saver. While fixing a propane leak he discovered a problem with the galley tank. Well worth the price of a call out.
You truly give us the “real” side of owning an Rv and how to deal with it. I am sure that we have all had that one “holy crap” moment, take a deep breath and deal with it. Thanks Hanks!! ❤😊
My husband and I have been living in our RV for going on 3 yrs. Mostly stationary but we moved into Montana for his job. Currently learning how to really "winterize" our home on wheels for the -30 + weather we will experience. The week before Christmas we experienced our first -30 degree weather and found our poor refrigerator can't handle that. We had left for a week to spend time with family only to come back and have a non-working refrigerator. So learning to keep our cool and be proactive. 💕Happy New Year!!🎉
We have been saved at least 3 times by mobile RV techs. They have all been independent owners and I was so happy to have their help and support their business. They have known exactly what they were doing , brought everything they needed and did the repair faster than we could have. We always try everything we can think of first…but sometimes it’s bigger than we can handle.
EXCELLENT advice; "Don't think about everything you need to do at one time; but one thing you can achieve before moving on ". I'm pretty mechanical & carry a lot of tools when we go out. It makes me feel a bit more confident when tackling repairs. We're not full timers; but 45+ years of RV-n has taught us to (try) not to get overwhelmed & remain calm when things go south. For years I've said; "You can eat an elephant, if you take one bite at a time" (i actually wrote this prior to you saying it; jinx) . The last couple of outings I've relayed these thoughts to people we RV with when they are having issues. Usually roll up my sleeves with them and we get to work. It's a lot easier done when its not your rig as well.
Kyle and Renee, you guys should replace your hot water heater with a tankless system. We are now on our second camper with the Gerard tankless water heater. We love it. Very easy to install yourself, takes about 60-90 minutes! Love your videos!
That check valve is also useful for not letting cold water to backfeed into the water heater and thus letting the unit operate efficiently. Keeps your hot water hot when you need it
I literally had a sinking feeling in my stomach watching you guys deal with this. I’m so thankful you had a tech available to help you! Wishing you better days ahead! 💕🙏
Appreciate the videos! Brings back memories! It is quite a sight when you are gone for a few hours and come back to a waterfall on the trailer steps - a water line connection under the sink came apart due to the park having too high water pressure. 1. replaced the pipe connection 2. use a water pressure regulator 3. turn off city water when leaving the RV for any length of time. Draining hot water tank - remove the plastic drain plug, install a brass adapter, attach a stainless steel water supply hose with a 1/4 turn shutoff valve on the end ... whenever you leave a site, open the valve and let the hot water drain between sites; saves weight and keeps the tank flushed.
Pretty sure you can buy an in line check valve that you can just put anywhere into the middle of a water line if you wanted to still have one in play. I'd say that keeping the metal fitting that you replaced the original broken plastic one with in conjunction with one of these is still a better option than the original setup. At least the leak was contained in the underbelly and not inside where it can do so much more damage to the flooring and cabinetry etc. Love your channel!
There are plastic check valves that can be installed in a few minutes. SeaTech/AquaLock/Watts makes a push to connect check valve. All you have to do is cut your pex, and pushed the ends into the check valve. Easy peasy!
Our black tank valve just malfunctioned like this! I figured it was probably TP in the valve. I am so thankful you guys posted this now to get it fixed 🙃
We love you guys. I hate to say this. We have started an excel spreadsheet with estimated dates of failure based on your experiences. I figure if we can replace a or fix the weak links BEFORE they happen, it will save us some money. I wish manufactures published the mean time to failure of these components. Have a great time at Tampa!
Its always the most terrible feeling when issues with water come up, wether its a leak, or no water flow, drain clogs, black or grey tank issues. You guys handled this just as well as anybody could of in the moment. “Thanks Hanks” for sharing with us and safe travels maybe we’ll see you at the show.
Thanks Hanks! Mobile techs have been a life saver for us. Water leaks 1000 miles from home. Empty the whole storage looked like us in Tucson.Stuck slide, luckily at our storage unit. As South Texas RVers the check valve on the water heater is good info too.
I’ve been thinking about using a Genie diaper pail to put waste paper in, it really helps for odours etc. that is if you want to go with the no toilet paper situation.
Crochet hooks. Teeny tiny crochet hooks. Not for only crocheting, they are made of strong steel, they last forever. and are so handy for a multitude of handy tricks, including pulled out stuck plastic in the threads of a metal screw thingamajig!
Crochet hooks-who knew they had so many handy uses?! Thanks for the tip - We'll definitely keep that in mind! 😃 We appreciate you taking the time to watch
Always somethin, ain't it guys? Sorry about all the trouble you guys are having, but you know what, yall are learning! Yall are becoming seasoned RVers. It does help to have a guy like you had there working on your RV. Always, watch and learn. Adapt and overcome. I know all this is behind you now, but I just want to say that yall are Heros to the RV World! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
Those water leaks in the bay are why we carry a small wet dry vacuum with us. If not needed for water I can vacuum the truck. We have a 328M Momentum and why don’t they put some sort of a water tray in so if there is a leak it drains out instead of flooding the bay. Especially under all the water connections. Great job fixing it guys!
You both just rock with the information. The hubs and I are about to buy our first fifth wheel for full time. We’re military and hoping this will be a better solution for all of the moving we do. Are we nervous? Ummm, yes! But following along with y’all’s journey has given us so much knowledge so it eases the nerves a bit. Just wanted to say a quick thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I imagine it is super time consuming, but it is so much appreciated. ❤
Like my husband always says: if it’s not one thing it’s another! Sorry y’all are having troubles! Glad you got it all fixed! Happy Camping and Safe Travels! ❤️❤️
Always amazed at how resourceful you both are when something comes up...no matter what it is, you tackle it and share the real life experience with us which helps so much. Thank you for always being authentic and sharing your RV life...Sending love & hugs🌼😎 LB
Holy Cow! Look at that blue line coming off the right side of the pump @11:13! It must have such a vacuum on it that it is sucked flat. I've never seen that in a PEX pipe before, so I hope it is actually a rubber hose that happens to match the blue of the PEX piping. Nay Nay did GOOD turning off the water and power and tilting the camper to drain the water. Carl, "Mr. Handyman," you did really great getting that broken off check valve out and replacing it with a brass fitting. Great video as always.
Just last week I experienced the same check valve leak in my 2019 3740bh. Drilling out the plastic in two spots with a drill and a pair of needle nose pliers + flat head screw driver makes quick work of removing the broken plastic section. Used a brass fitting to repair also.
Y'all always keep the best attitude! I love that! Nay, great idea to tip the rv! I love the way you problem solve and work together. Much love from SC, Jane ❤️ 🙏
I just laughed at myself when you, Nay Nay, were explaining “Carl”! Some of my first videos I remember saying to myself…I SWEAR I thought his name was Kyle! Carl cleared up my confusion…you all are AWESOME!!!
Ney Ney, if you are doing other things and you want to drain a place like that, get a cotton towel, lay it in the water and get it soaked. Then pull it toward the outside leaving half the towel in the water. It will wick siphon the water out. Great job finding and fixing it Carl! Best wishes, Kevin
We feel you guys with the water! We are currently trouble shooting a leak (fresh water) in our basement bin (class A). We learn something new every couple of weeks even though we are in our 5th year RVing. 😀 Also, super "thinking outside the box" by tilting the RV!
Ahhhh! What a pain! You guys showed the truth about RV construction being “twinky” thus issues with leaks or not functioning. We’re not “ handy” at all. The joke with us is that once we pick up the rv and go on a trip we should schedule an appointment upon our return because something or a couple of somethings will need to be repaired. We’ve used mobile techs as well as the dealer service.
Your gonna be very happy you replaced that check valve like you did. My water heater did the exact same thing, leaked. The unknown benefit has been is now when I shut off the shower head while showering, I don’t get that blast of cold water anymore! WIN!
This is why I put my toilet paper in a wastebasket instead of in the toilet. And I do not use those packet toilet cleaners- they can gum up the valve. Glad it was an easier/ simple fix
Absolutely... me and my wife never put paper down the black tank. As a matter of fact. Without getting to personal. We only use the toilet for number1. We usually stay at campgrounds and always use their facilities for the other.
We use the thin 2ply toilet paper from aldi. Never have had an issue. We also pre dissolve our packets or I tare it open and poor the contents in while the potty is being flushed.
Oh Snap! Nobody likes a leaking pipe. Good to see you both kept your cool and Renee was a trooper while you were getting Nali fixed. Now I have to go out and and do a pressure check on my lines on my RV, It's winterized but one never knows what can happen, had a 17 degree night along with mid to upper twenties. # THANKSHANKS Stay safe and safe travels. Oh and my black thank cable has the same issue and I thought it was paper in it. now I know what i have to do.
Hey Hanks... You'll might want to do something with that blue hose under the stairs, at the shoe bin. I'll bet over time it will rub and leak. Fasten it up. Y'all are great, thank you for sharing your experiences.
I love the fact that ya'll show the real life happenings of RV life. I think that was a smart fix with the brass fitting. Yall stay safe looking for the next video and maybe you could let Dex say Hi 👋
Carl I’m not sure of the material of your hot water heater tank, but adding a brass fitting to your tank if the tank is metal ( and not brass) the brass fitting will corrode quickly by a process known as galvanic corrosion because of contact of dissimilar metals. The plastic check valve was plastic for a reason Peter
Good catch on the steps. Moryde has a major design flaw in those step above steps. I got so frustrated with mine binding the door, etc. that I replaced them with Torqu Lift scissor steps that have a pivot point at the door so in a case like this the steps will pivot up and not ruin the bottom of your door.
We bought a brass check valve from Amazon for like $11 haven’t had a issue since. But been there done that with the water heater. Last year we got back from the gym in freezing temps and had ice hanging from camper from a similar flood.
Hey! Champions Run is a great park. We were just there like a week ago. On a side note, this is the first time I've seen the plumbing of a 5th wheel. The number of fittings and lack of support for all that pex is driving me nuts! Anyways, we are over in Tampa before heading west if you are interested in meeting fans.
Oh, what a bummer! One thing you might think about is getting a small 12 volt Wet/Dry Vac. Kohl's had them on the shelves for Christmas gifts. It works great for sucking up water. Also Walmart has cheap WiFi Water Sensors. The products are Kangaroo and only $19 bucks.
Kyle, You are so lucky to have a smart wife. She was able to logically proceed through your water problem, calm, cool and collected. She did all the right things. If you ever want to trade her in, I'll take her. Don
Plastic plumbing pieces in an RV just begs to vibrate it's way into trouble. Sorry to see you all wet with this leak, but at least it was clean water, right? Those pipes that are so tightly strung in the RV put a lot of strain on those plastic connectors are just a setup for these disasters to hit at the most inopportune times. You're lucky that you were already settled in a nice park with access to hardware and supplies. Would be a real headache in the middle of BLM land or boon-docking somewhere remote! Nice job Hanks, and thanks for sharing your pain. We feel ya!!
Wow, enjoyed how you shared about keeping calm. I would not have been worried about the battery, as I feel like I may have tunnel vision over a problem. Good looking out Neyney! While watching I kept think a small shop vac might have been helpful. Maybe some RVers think so too but, I just hate sopping up liquids. Enjoyed the tip about the hooky thing. 🖖🏻😘👍🏻🙏🏻
Just keep an eye on that underbelly now. We purchased our 2019 Solitude 374TH used in May 2020. The previous owners had the black tank valve replaced under warranty and the dealership cut the underbelly and taped it back up. That tape didn't make it a full year before the underbelly was dragging.
My goodness when it rains it pours. Plumber at my house 2/2/22. Still not all fixed. Nope nothing in the drains he checked both toilets and the bathtub, 50 ft of checking all the drains and now waiting on the day he comes back with a camera that he can look to see if a pipe broke. Glad yours was not that bad. And you got yours fixed
Hope the future gives you better times and less problems, although it is nice to know that other people besides us can have one thing go wrong and then another... Good Luck and Happy Trails.
Great video, but sorry for the circumstances that made it possible for us to also learn. Those plastic check valves are notorious for failing and leaking and should be replace with a brass one. For around $6 at a home improvement store with lawn sprinkler items. There is a “riser”, plastic pipe nipple extractor tool that would easily remove a broken piece like the one you improvised to get out. Great job getting that out.
Yea, I figured that had to be the problem on the black tank valve. It seems like you have been having the problem of the valve not closing all the way for awhile. That's going to happen if anything gets in the way when you close the valve. It might help to change the TP you use or using a tank treatment that is better at breaking down the TP before it's flushed.
😢 I feel your pain #Hanks we are not full timers but we do travel for a few months at a time, we came home in Aug, parked our RV and started to get things ready for our next trip Oct-Dec. I installed a new hitch receiver in the back of the RV to carry our e-bikes, it needs to be sturdy and heavy duty. Check, we’ll while I had the underbelly open I decided that I would replace the gates and seals in all 3 of my tanks. After watching your video of your fiasco to have your tank replaced I figured let’s do this. I had ordered the parts and went to town, got all 3 replaced, they open and close great, being I did this maintenance in the front of my house on the street with cars zipping by I did not have a resource to test the valves before closing up the belly. But they seemed to work well. Fast forward to our first stop Cedar Creek SP near Dallas Texas, keep in mind this is a 2 month trip. We arrive in Dallas area, set up and get some groceries and fuel, I feel this pain in the gut, but play it off and went to bed. Around 2 in the morning I wake up in terrible pain and tell the wife, we need to go to the emergency room, long story short, I had an appendectomy! Got bill 32,000 lucky me I am a veteran and the hospital has agreement with Gov so it’s paid for by VA. Next stop Hot Springs, Gulpha Gorge, nice park by the way, but I am not supposed to lift anything above 10 lbs so it was a struggle driving the distance. We went to town and when we got back we walk into the RV and there is a bad smell, I think that maybe the toilet seal is gone bad, nope, it has water in the bowl. Look under the RV and I have a leak. I drain my tanks and figure we will deal with it at our next stop, I open the belly up and find that my seal is leaking, as you mentioned your mobile tech having a day, 4 or so tries to get it installed. Well yea, having the same issue but my rubber seals are bent and deformed due to how they have been in the gate, so I boiled some water and placed them in the water and they returned to their normal shape. Got it fixed no leak and all is good. Seal it up and we move to our next stop. 2 days later I have another leak, but it’s in a different location I open it up and find my second gray tank is leaking the same way, went through the same hassle but got it fixed. Now I am gun shy that something else is going to break, couple weeks later we wake to a terrible smell or electric burning, we shut the power off and go back to sleep, find out the in-line surge protector burned up one of the lines on the output side, no idea what or why or how, all I can find is that possibly loose connection it arched and caused it to overheat. We hightail it to Virginia where I order new surge protector, and wire from my inverter to the surge protector and spend a day replacing it, now we hardly can get any sleep because we are worried that it may burn up… well we made it through that and it’s all well we are heading home, and find out that my brother in law is on his last days of life on hospice so we decided to cancel all our stops and just head home, on one of those one night stops where I had pulled the entire 30 feet of cable out to connect to the pedestal in the morning as we are getting ready to leave the motor is not working to reel back in the cable, so I spend 30 min inching the reel in to coil the cable back in. Luckily we have 15 foot extension that I can plug in without unreeling the cable. Yesterday I spent 5 hrs removing the old one and installing a new one. What a PITA! If I did not have one I would not miss it. happy Travels guys, keep your heads up, stuff happens and sometimes it’s like the never ending story or ground hog day, you just have to push through. BTW we did not make it home before he passed. 😢 I think our first stop was an omen as to how the rest of our trip was going to go, and Diesel prices wow, they. Just kept going up so it was an expensive and memorable 2 months that will go in the books as “let’s not do that again” oh and that bike rack I installed to carry our e-bikes, we never took the bikes down the entire trip, there just was not good weather or time to ride them, I spent a great deal of my time driving and fixing stuff. @flamingomooncampers
First thing I did with our motorhome was put those govee water sensors everywhere underneath in basement near water lines, behind fridge, under sink, and in the wet bay…one day sleeping while we were tailgating an alarm went off underneath. Saved a huge mess… I recommend them 1000%
Attitude and mindset makes or breaks a situation and you guys seem to always rock it! Great video and as always great tips! We replaced our check valve in the water heater with a brass one. Plastic doesnt hold up well when living full time and bouncing around the country!! Safe travels!
Wow really sorry to hear you continue to have problems with the black tank valve. One question I have after you discovered it was wads of toilette paper, is it poorly designed that allows the toilette paper to get in the way? RV Life, you are utilizing your truck and RV all the time. I would suspect that the constant use plays a major factor in things going wrong. I really love how well you take this pitfalls on camera. It's a reminder that with all the issues you've experienced/encountered, it's not the end of the world. Happy Holiday's and Happy New Year. Looking forward to the 2023 adventures.
I'm thinking that every homeowner of any kind who has water and electricity running knows that it's impossible to think of everything, everywhere, every single time. Also just remembering what we found out the last time and applying it again seems difficult. Right now I'm reading and rewriting and adding to descriptions of issues and solutions in a document for later use. Why, what, solution and all that. It's tedious but system and valuable. I'm also working on our fire and waterproof box of valuables and docs that can't be reproduced. It feels healing and helpful for the future. Definitely recommendable 👌
Great tips for minimizing stress and eating the elephant one small bite at a time! One tip on removing the broken check valve pipe piece: a box cutter or utility knife. poke the blade in there to slightly cut it and then twist. similar to how you used the screwdriver.
Thanks Hanks I really appreciate the videos and after seeing just how much work those steps you have they just seem to add more stress to your life seen your other videos you had issue with on these steps and I am going to keep the factory steps and just add the lippert solid stance. As always Renee your awesome.
Thanks for another great video! Always look forward to a new one. My black tank has been leaking ever so slightly for a while and I think this may be the problem.
Nearly the same thing happened to me a few months ago. It was the diverter valve for me that switches from water to antifreeze that was leaking behind the panel. Pass thru flooded and had to take everything out, mop it dry with towels, leave the doors open a few days to dry and then replace the valve. No leaks there now, but I’ve got a roof leak to tend to now. 😢 Always something
Great video thanks Hanks. On our trip to Yellowstone last September our check valve went out also but just the opposite way could not get water through it took it apart and when we got home I just added a shut off valve instead of replacing the check valve works great thanks from Wisconsin
Dexter's suggestion use a cat box and a cat bowl they don't leak it's much simpler. My cat suggest that all the time! Have a great day and I hope things get much better and many thanks to your mobile tech may he be blessed! Stay safe and stay well
I don't use the pink stuff to winterize. I blow out all the lines with low pressure (one at a time), open up the low point drains, open all the faucets and drain the tanks. I do pour some pink stuff into each drain since the traps will still have water in them. Haven't had to on this rig since we are living in it during the winter but didn't have problems with the previous 3 rigs. I will say I wish we have the space in our unit to be able to sit to work on plumbing. Laying down to change the water pump sucked. And I don't think I could even get to the water heater from the inside. Mind you, I'm not a young whipper snapper anymore. :)
Hey Carl, buy the brass check valve learned that one from Changing Lanes. We have a Grand Design Reflection and ours broke as well seems to be an issue don't know why GD don't spend the extra couple of dollars would save all GD owners alot of time and headaches. Travel safe from Quartzsite Az. Dody & Cat
So sorry guys. Hang in there. YES, water detectors, cheap and loud. Scatter them in good places. Consider a small Wet/Dry vac as well. (not just shut offshore water but maybe also open the water system drain valves) Be SURE to dry out your underbelly fiberglass. (lot of work) but wet fiberglass is worthless as insulation. You guys always have such positive attitudes, love you. Ya, lets see swim suites.. LOL
You did the right thing you can just get you a Pex inline check valve you can install it'll make it a lot easier to replace in the future if need be.. I'm heading down to Tampa Florida Sunday I hope to see you guys at the RV Expo
We had a check valve failure two years ago-ish. Got all the plastic out I could and used a pipe tap to remove the rest. Replaced it with a brass one. They should never use plastic valves. Oh yeah, it was the middle of the summer in south Florida so it was 1,000° in the pass though.
In situations like these my wife suggests either beer or bourbon ! 😂😂😂 you could have used a shut off valve in place of the check valve just in case for some reason someday you needed to close that off ? I was setting up once and blew a water line and that was loads of fun! See ya in Tampa!
LOOK OUT TAMPA! The Hanks are coming for ya along with Greg Johansen, Jeff Woods, and Bob Lerzo! These fine peeps are the winners of an evening and dinner with the Hanks. We want to find many ways to give back to YOU (yes, you reading this) for all your love and support you show us.
Have you subscribed!? Follow us for new weekly content!
urlgeni.us/youtube/channel/KVJA
Need more Hanks videos? Check out some of these hidden treasures you might have overlooked!
bit.ly/3QkwkfZ
I'm soooo jelly
So sorry befor the mishaps.
Congratulations to the winners!!!
By any chance was the glitching on the screen of your truck like a line of the buttons at the bottom showing up on top? I had a 2018 gmc seirra and mine flashed at the top stuff that was at the bottom. Turns out it was triggered by the reverse camera coming on got 3 new radios and two new center console buttons. But it was all the reverse camera never happened again
I still don't understand how and why you killed two birds with one stone , was one behind the other ? 👍
Rv’s, boats and diesel’s are the biggest money pits. After 73 years of rv’ing i have given up the life. My wife died 2 years ago after 51 years together. Rv’ing by yourself just isn’t fun anymore. Good luck to all who still want to enjoy the life. I enjoy watching your exploits in your fiver. I will rv through you. Great channel.
Married to an RV mobile tech here in San Antonio. He went to school for this and he likes to help people.
You are a very blessed lady!! Hold onto him, if he can repair an RV he's worth his weight in GOLD 💛💛💛
I’m glad you guys actually show real world rv problems instead of the ones that make it seem like rvs are the easiest thing to live in
From experience, most of the mobile techs are RV gods and very experienced. Worth every penny.
"The only thing that works ALL the time on an RV is the owner"!! Safe travels this year. Fair winds and Following seas.
So … at 73, with 8 injury related surgeries under my belt, mobility issues (see comment on surgeries), great difficulty getting on my knees (see comment on surgeries), unable to completely bend over because of spinal fusion and (see comment on … well, you get the picture), your videos about RV life have inspired me to … perhaps rethink the purchase of an RV, at least until I die and reincarnate back to a younger version of myself. You know the times, when you can lift your own body weight without splitting your britches, run like a cheetah chasing prey, and keep your wife … well, you get that picture too.
But seriously guys … hmmm actually I am being serious, no, no, no, for reasons of not wishing to discourage anyone from buy an RV, I will say that you two prove that the inevitable disasters can be overcome, overcame, hell, whatever the term is.
Rock on RVers
Larry from Texas
Your black tank valve is fixed!..You replaced that plastic check valve with a much more durable brass fitting and you have a super clean pass through storage area!! Good job Hanks!
I have had all three valves replaced in 2022 by mobile techs. They are a life saver. While fixing a propane leak he discovered a problem with the galley tank. Well worth the price of a call out.
You truly give us the “real” side of owning an Rv and how to deal with it. I am sure that we have all had that one “holy crap” moment, take a deep breath and deal with it.
Thanks Hanks!! ❤😊
Now we know why we decided to not put TP in the tank. Safe Travels from Show Me RV Adventures. Clayton& Denise.
My husband and I have been living in our RV for going on 3 yrs. Mostly stationary but we moved into Montana for his job. Currently learning how to really "winterize" our home on wheels for the -30 + weather we will experience. The week before Christmas we experienced our first -30 degree weather and found our poor refrigerator can't handle that. We had left for a week to spend time with family only to come back and have a non-working refrigerator. So learning to keep our cool and be proactive. 💕Happy New Year!!🎉
The dreaded water leak… we feel your pain with this one. Thanks to your advice we have a nice supply of pex tool’s amongst other things.
We have been saved at least 3 times by mobile RV techs. They have all been independent owners and I was so happy to have their help and support their business. They have known exactly what they were doing , brought everything they needed and did the repair faster than we could have. We always try everything we can think of first…but sometimes it’s bigger than we can handle.
EXCELLENT advice; "Don't think about everything you need to do at one time; but one thing you can achieve before moving on ". I'm pretty mechanical & carry a lot of tools when we go out. It makes me feel a bit more confident when tackling repairs. We're not full timers; but 45+ years of RV-n has taught us to (try) not to get overwhelmed & remain calm when things go south. For years I've said; "You can eat an elephant, if you take one bite at a time" (i actually wrote this prior to you saying it; jinx) . The last couple of outings I've relayed these thoughts to people we RV with when they are having issues. Usually roll up my sleeves with them and we get to work. It's a lot easier done when its not your rig as well.
👍🏻🍻
Kyle and Renee, you guys should replace your hot water heater with a tankless system. We are now on our second camper with the Gerard tankless water heater. We love it. Very easy to install yourself, takes about 60-90 minutes! Love your videos!
That check valve is also useful for not letting cold water to backfeed into the water heater and thus letting the unit operate efficiently. Keeps your hot water hot when you need it
Thanks. You guys bring so much entertainment to us and hated to see the issues you faced with the truck and leaks. Hope this helps
Thank you so much, Richard! You are so kind and we wish you all the best!
❤️Ney Ney, Carl, and Dexter
Aww thank you for giving to these beautiful people
God bless you. It's better to email them cash as youtube takes 40%
.
I literally had a sinking feeling in my stomach watching you guys deal with this. I’m so thankful you had a tech available to help you! Wishing you better days ahead! 💕🙏
Thank you so much!!
Your water heater element cover is melting!!!! 🔥🔥🔥 14:17
Appreciate the videos! Brings back memories!
It is quite a sight when you are gone for a few hours and come back to a waterfall on the trailer steps - a water line connection under the sink came apart due to the park having too high water pressure. 1. replaced the pipe connection 2. use a water pressure regulator 3. turn off city water when leaving the RV for any length of time.
Draining hot water tank - remove the plastic drain plug, install a brass adapter, attach a stainless steel water supply hose with a 1/4 turn shutoff valve on the end ... whenever you leave a site, open the valve and let the hot water drain between sites; saves weight and keeps the tank flushed.
Pretty sure you can buy an in line check valve that you can just put anywhere into the middle of a water line if you wanted to still have one in play. I'd say that keeping the metal fitting that you replaced the original broken plastic one with in conjunction with one of these is still a better option than the original setup. At least the leak was contained in the underbelly and not inside where it can do so much more damage to the flooring and cabinetry etc. Love your channel!
There are plastic check valves that can be installed in a few minutes. SeaTech/AquaLock/Watts makes a push to connect check valve. All you have to do is cut your pex, and pushed the ends into the check valve. Easy peasy!
Our black tank valve just malfunctioned like this! I figured it was probably TP in the valve. I am so thankful you guys posted this now to get it fixed 🙃
We love you guys. I hate to say this. We have started an excel spreadsheet with estimated dates of failure based on your experiences. I figure if we can replace a or fix the weak links BEFORE they happen, it will save us some money. I wish manufactures published the mean time to failure of these components. Have a great time at Tampa!
Its always the most terrible feeling when issues with water come up, wether its a leak, or no water flow, drain clogs, black or grey tank issues. You guys handled this just as well as anybody could of in the moment. “Thanks Hanks” for sharing with us and safe travels maybe we’ll see you at the show.
Thanks Hanks! Mobile techs have been a life saver for us. Water leaks 1000 miles from home. Empty the whole storage looked like us in Tucson.Stuck slide, luckily at our storage unit. As South Texas RVers the check valve on the water heater is good info too.
I’ve been thinking about using a Genie diaper pail to put waste paper in, it really helps for odours etc. that is if you want to go with the no toilet paper situation.
Crochet hooks. Teeny tiny crochet hooks. Not for only crocheting, they are made of strong steel, they last forever. and are so handy for a multitude of handy tricks, including pulled out stuck plastic in the threads of a metal screw thingamajig!
Crochet hooks-who knew they had so many handy uses?! Thanks for the tip - We'll definitely keep that in mind! 😃 We appreciate you taking the time to watch
Always somethin, ain't it guys? Sorry about all the trouble you guys are having, but you know what, yall are learning! Yall are becoming seasoned RVers. It does help to have a guy like you had there working on your RV. Always, watch and learn. Adapt and overcome.
I know all this is behind you now, but I just want to say that yall are Heros to the RV World!
Thanks for sharing your adventures with us!
Those water leaks in the bay are why we carry a small wet dry vacuum with us. If not needed for water I can vacuum the truck. We have a 328M Momentum and why don’t they put some sort of a water tray in so if there is a leak it drains out instead of flooding the bay. Especially under all the water connections. Great job fixing it guys!
You both just rock with the information. The hubs and I are about to buy our first fifth wheel for full time. We’re military and hoping this will be a better solution for all of the moving we do. Are we nervous? Ummm, yes! But following along with y’all’s journey has given us so much knowledge so it eases the nerves a bit. Just wanted to say a quick thank you for taking the time to do these videos. I imagine it is super time consuming, but it is so much appreciated. ❤
You both are so great at keeping it real for us. We ALL have WTF situations.
Like my husband always says: if it’s not one thing it’s another! Sorry y’all are having troubles! Glad you got it all fixed! Happy Camping and Safe Travels! ❤️❤️
Always amazed at how resourceful you both are when something comes up...no matter what it is, you tackle it and share the real life experience with us which helps so much. Thank you for always being authentic and sharing your RV life...Sending love & hugs🌼😎 LB
Nay nay is very handy 👍 water problems are the WORST! Better times are just around the corner.
Great job showing the problems one can have and how to remedy them. Always something isn’t it. Stay safe and warm 👍✊
My husband is a mobile RV tech working in Florida for the winter. We will be on the road in the spring traveling and working on rigs.
MAN! You guys were right down the road from us! I lived in Ocala from 1969-2012. Down in Sumter county now! Enjoy the travels!!
Taking care of problems when they occur and giving us good tips along the way to completion. Thank You. Be Safe, Enjoy your travels!
Thanks, you too!
Holy Cow! Look at that blue line coming off the right side of the pump @11:13! It must have such a vacuum on it that it is sucked flat. I've never seen that in a PEX pipe before, so I hope it is actually a rubber hose that happens to match the blue of the PEX piping.
Nay Nay did GOOD turning off the water and power and tilting the camper to drain the water. Carl, "Mr. Handyman," you did really great getting that broken off check valve out and replacing it with a brass fitting. Great video as always.
Good eye.
I’ve seen that once before but I can’t remember why it occurred. It’s a rubber hose without any skeletal strength
Just last week I experienced the same check valve leak in my 2019 3740bh.
Drilling out the plastic in two spots with a drill and a pair of needle nose pliers + flat head screw driver makes quick work of removing the broken plastic section.
Used a brass fitting to repair also.
Y'all always keep the best attitude! I love that! Nay, great idea to tip the rv! I love the way you problem solve and work together. Much love from SC, Jane ❤️ 🙏
Thanks so much!
I just laughed at myself when you, Nay Nay, were explaining “Carl”! Some of my first videos I remember saying to myself…I SWEAR I thought his name was Kyle! Carl cleared up my confusion…you all are AWESOME!!!
Ney Ney, if you are doing other things and you want to drain a place like that, get a cotton towel, lay it in the water and get it soaked. Then pull it toward the outside leaving half the towel in the water. It will wick siphon the water out. Great job finding and fixing it Carl! Best wishes, Kevin
We feel you guys with the water! We are currently trouble shooting a leak (fresh water) in our basement bin (class A). We learn something new every couple of weeks even though we are in our 5th year RVing. 😀 Also, super "thinking outside the box" by tilting the RV!
Wowzer, that was some fun!! Glad you had it all under control!!! Always look forward to Thursday for your video!!!! Now relax and have a drink!!😮😊😊❤
Ahhhh! What a pain! You guys showed the truth about RV construction being “twinky” thus issues with leaks or not functioning. We’re not “ handy” at all. The joke with us is that once we pick up the rv and go on a trip we should schedule an appointment upon our return because something or a couple of somethings will need to be repaired. We’ve used mobile techs as well as the dealer service.
Your gonna be very happy you replaced that check valve like you did. My water heater did the exact same thing, leaked. The unknown benefit has been is now when I shut off the shower head while showering, I don’t get that blast of cold water anymore! WIN!
Thanks for showing the realities of RV living. I hope all goes smoothly for a long time!
This is why I put my toilet paper in a wastebasket instead of in the toilet. And I do not use those packet toilet cleaners- they can gum up the valve. Glad it was an easier/ simple fix
Absolutely... me and my wife never put paper down the black tank. As a matter of fact. Without getting to personal. We only use the toilet for number1. We usually stay at campgrounds and always use their facilities for the other.
We use the thin 2ply toilet paper from aldi. Never have had an issue. We also pre dissolve our packets or I tare it open and poor the contents in while the potty is being flushed.
Yes no tp in toilet. Put it in wastebasket.
Always do a couple of full bowls of clean water before shutting the valve to flush the line.
So you use the restroom and toss the toilet paper into a wastebasket? You dump that right after tho right?
Oh Snap! Nobody likes a leaking pipe. Good to see you both kept your cool and Renee was a trooper while you were getting Nali fixed. Now I have to go out and and do a pressure check on my lines on my RV, It's winterized but one never knows what can happen, had a 17 degree night along with mid to upper twenties. # THANKSHANKS Stay safe and safe travels. Oh and my black thank cable has the same issue and I thought it was paper in it. now I know what i have to do.
Hey Hanks... You'll might want to do something with that blue hose under the stairs, at the shoe bin. I'll bet over time it will rub and leak. Fasten it up.
Y'all are great, thank you for sharing your experiences.
I love the fact that ya'll show the real life happenings of RV life. I think that was a smart fix with the brass fitting. Yall stay safe looking for the next video and maybe you could let Dex say Hi 👋
You kids make me smile and feel good . I really enjoy watching you two and the fun you have stay safe and enjoy your life together
Carl
I’m not sure of the material of your hot water heater tank, but adding a brass fitting to your tank if the tank is metal ( and not brass) the brass fitting will corrode quickly by a process known as galvanic corrosion because of contact of dissimilar metals. The plastic check valve was plastic for a reason
Peter
Good catch on the steps. Moryde has a major design flaw in those step above steps. I got so frustrated with mine binding the door, etc. that I replaced them with Torqu Lift scissor steps that have a pivot point at the door so in a case like this the steps will pivot up and not ruin the bottom of your door.
At least you can always stay on the positive side! We are headed to key west in april, counting the days down.
We bought a brass check valve from Amazon for like $11 haven’t had a issue since. But been there done that with the water heater. Last year we got back from the gym in freezing temps and had ice hanging from camper from a similar flood.
Hey! Champions Run is a great park. We were just there like a week ago.
On a side note, this is the first time I've seen the plumbing of a 5th wheel. The number of fittings and lack of support for all that pex is driving me nuts!
Anyways, we are over in Tampa before heading west if you are interested in meeting fans.
Another Hanks Gem . Thank-you for all the education and entertainment. MICHIGAN LOVES THE HANKS.
Oh, what a bummer! One thing you might think about is getting a small 12 volt Wet/Dry Vac. Kohl's had them on the shelves for Christmas gifts. It works great for sucking up water. Also Walmart has cheap WiFi Water Sensors. The products are Kangaroo and only $19 bucks.
Nothin like a few curveballs to keep the high quality content rolling out, keep it up Hanks!
Hang in there. I am a Newbie with my wife in retirement. (Not full time RVing) Love you two. Thanks for the videos. Happy New Year.
Kyle,
You are so lucky to have a smart wife. She was able to logically proceed through your water problem, calm, cool and collected. She did all the right things. If you ever want to trade her in, I'll take her.
Don
Plastic plumbing pieces in an RV just begs to vibrate it's way into trouble. Sorry to see you all wet with this leak, but at least it was clean water, right? Those pipes that are so tightly strung in the RV put a lot of strain on those plastic connectors are just a setup for these disasters to hit at the most inopportune times. You're lucky that you were already settled in a nice park with access to hardware and supplies. Would be a real headache in the middle of BLM land or boon-docking somewhere remote!
Nice job Hanks, and thanks for sharing your pain. We feel ya!!
Wow, enjoyed how you shared about keeping calm. I would not have been worried about the battery, as I feel like I may have tunnel vision over a problem. Good looking out Neyney! While watching I kept think a small shop vac might have been helpful. Maybe some RVers think so too but, I just hate sopping up liquids. Enjoyed the tip about the hooky thing. 🖖🏻😘👍🏻🙏🏻
That looks like Champion Run Rv Resort. We were there last month and loved the place
We’re hoping to land there next winter for an extended stay
Just keep an eye on that underbelly now. We purchased our 2019 Solitude 374TH used in May 2020. The previous owners had the black tank valve replaced under warranty and the dealership cut the underbelly and taped it back up. That tape didn't make it a full year before the underbelly was dragging.
My goodness when it rains it pours. Plumber at my house 2/2/22. Still not all fixed. Nope nothing in the drains he checked both toilets and the bathtub, 50 ft of checking all the drains and now waiting on the day he comes back with a camera that he can look to see if a pipe broke. Glad yours was not that bad. And you got yours fixed
Way to keep a level head in a stressful situation well handled
Hope the future gives you better times and less problems, although it is nice to know that other people besides us can have one thing go wrong and then another... Good Luck and Happy Trails.
Great video, but sorry for the circumstances that made it possible for us to also learn. Those plastic check valves are notorious for failing and leaking and should be replace with a brass one. For around $6 at a home improvement store with lawn sprinkler items. There is a “riser”, plastic pipe nipple extractor tool that would easily remove a broken piece like the one you improvised to get out. Great job getting that out.
Yea, I figured that had to be the problem on the black tank valve. It seems like you have been having the problem of the valve not closing all the way for awhile. That's going to happen if anything gets in the way when you close the valve. It might help to change the TP you use or using a tank treatment that is better at breaking down the TP before it's flushed.
😢 I feel your pain #Hanks we are not full timers but we do travel for a few months at a time, we came home in Aug, parked our RV and started to get things ready for our next trip Oct-Dec. I installed a new hitch receiver in the back of the RV to carry our e-bikes, it needs to be sturdy and heavy duty. Check, we’ll while I had the underbelly open I decided that I would replace the gates and seals in all 3 of my tanks. After watching your video of your fiasco to have your tank replaced I figured let’s do this. I had ordered the parts and went to town, got all 3 replaced, they open and close great, being I did this maintenance in the front of my house on the street with cars zipping by I did not have a resource to test the valves before closing up the belly. But they seemed to work well.
Fast forward to our first stop Cedar Creek SP near Dallas Texas, keep in mind this is a 2 month trip. We arrive in Dallas area, set up and get some groceries and fuel, I feel this pain in the gut, but play it off and went to bed. Around 2 in the morning I wake up in terrible pain and tell the wife, we need to go to the emergency room, long story short, I had an appendectomy! Got bill 32,000 lucky me I am a veteran and the hospital has agreement with Gov so it’s paid for by VA. Next stop Hot Springs, Gulpha Gorge, nice park by the way, but I am not supposed to lift anything above 10 lbs so it was a struggle driving the distance. We went to town and when we got back we walk into the RV and there is a bad smell, I think that maybe the toilet seal is gone bad, nope, it has water in the bowl. Look under the RV and I have a leak. I drain my tanks and figure we will deal with it at our next stop, I open the belly up and find that my seal is leaking, as you mentioned your mobile tech having a day, 4 or so tries to get it installed. Well yea, having the same issue but my rubber seals are bent and deformed due to how they have been in the gate, so I boiled some water and placed them in the water and they returned to their normal shape. Got it fixed no leak and all is good. Seal it up and we move to our next stop. 2 days later I have another leak, but it’s in a different location I open it up and find my second gray tank is leaking the same way, went through the same hassle but got it fixed. Now I am gun shy that something else is going to break, couple weeks later we wake to a terrible smell or electric burning, we shut the power off and go back to sleep, find out the in-line surge protector burned up one of the lines on the output side, no idea what or why or how, all I can find is that possibly loose connection it arched and caused it to overheat. We hightail it to Virginia where I order new surge protector, and wire from my inverter to the surge protector and spend a day replacing it, now we hardly can get any sleep because we are worried that it may burn up… well we made it through that and it’s all well we are heading home, and find out that my brother in law is on his last days of life on hospice so we decided to cancel all our stops and just head home, on one of those one night stops where I had pulled the entire 30 feet of cable out to connect to the pedestal in the morning as we are getting ready to leave the motor is not working to reel back in the cable, so I spend 30 min inching the reel in to coil the cable back in. Luckily we have 15 foot extension that I can plug in without unreeling the cable. Yesterday I spent 5 hrs removing the old one and installing a new one. What a PITA! If I did not have one I would not miss it. happy Travels guys, keep your heads up, stuff happens and sometimes it’s like the never ending story or ground hog day, you just have to push through.
BTW we did not make it home before he passed. 😢
I think our first stop was an omen as to how the rest of our trip was going to go, and Diesel prices wow, they. Just kept going up so it was an expensive and memorable 2 months that will go in the books as “let’s not do that again” oh and that bike rack I installed to carry our e-bikes, we never took the bikes down the entire trip, there just was not good weather or time to ride them, I spent a great deal of my time driving and fixing stuff.
@flamingomooncampers
First thing I did with our motorhome was put those govee water sensors everywhere underneath in basement near water lines, behind fridge, under sink, and in the wet bay…one day sleeping while we were tailgating an alarm went off underneath. Saved a huge mess… I recommend them 1000%
Attitude and mindset makes or breaks a situation and you guys seem to always rock it! Great video and as always great tips! We replaced our check valve in the water heater with a brass one. Plastic doesnt hold up well when living full time and bouncing around the country!! Safe travels!
I know how y’all feel. Glad y’all were able to get the issue fixed. Safe travels
Wow really sorry to hear you continue to have problems with the black tank valve. One question I have after you discovered it was wads of toilette paper, is it poorly designed that allows the toilette paper to get in the way? RV Life, you are utilizing your truck and RV all the time. I would suspect that the constant use plays a major factor in things going wrong. I really love how well you take this pitfalls on camera. It's a reminder that with all the issues you've experienced/encountered, it's not the end of the world. Happy Holiday's and Happy New Year. Looking forward to the 2023 adventures.
I'm thinking that every homeowner of any kind who has water and electricity running knows that it's impossible to think of everything, everywhere, every single time. Also just remembering what we found out the last time and applying it again seems difficult. Right now I'm reading and rewriting and adding to descriptions of issues and solutions in a document for later use. Why, what, solution and all that. It's tedious but system and valuable. I'm also working on our fire and waterproof box of valuables and docs that can't be reproduced. It feels healing and helpful for the future. Definitely recommendable 👌
Great tips for minimizing stress and eating the elephant one small bite at a time! One tip on removing the broken check valve pipe piece: a box cutter or utility knife. poke the blade in there to slightly cut it and then twist. similar to how you used the screwdriver.
What a beautiful reflection pond…. in your front storage bay!
Again, you guys have helped me with our sewer valve.
The ending was so helpful about how to deal with these stressing situations 🥹 thank you !
Thanks Hanks I really appreciate the videos and after seeing just how much work those steps you have they just seem to add more stress to your life seen your other videos you had issue with on these steps and I am going to keep the factory steps and just add the lippert solid stance. As always Renee your awesome.
Thanks for another great video! Always look forward to a new one. My black tank has been leaking ever so slightly for a while and I think this may be the problem.
I will pray for you guys as well. Thank you as always for sharing the good and the bad ❤️
Omg I can’t believe it. We’ve had water problems too. Panic sets in because you worry about other damage it can cause.
Nearly the same thing happened to me a few months ago. It was the diverter valve for me that switches from water to antifreeze that was leaking behind the panel. Pass thru flooded and had to take everything out, mop it dry with towels, leave the doors open a few days to dry and then replace the valve. No leaks there now, but I’ve got a roof leak to tend to now. 😢 Always something
Wow, Ney Ney you did so well thinking about tilting your home.
Great video thanks Hanks. On our trip to Yellowstone last September our check valve went out also but just the opposite way could not get water through it took it apart and when we got home I just added a shut off valve instead of replacing the check valve works great thanks from Wisconsin
Dexter's suggestion use a cat box and a cat bowl they don't leak it's much simpler. My cat suggest that all the time! Have a great day and I hope things get much better and many thanks to your mobile tech may he be blessed! Stay safe and stay well
I don't use the pink stuff to winterize. I blow out all the lines with low pressure (one at a time), open up the low point drains, open all the faucets and drain the tanks. I do pour some pink stuff into each drain since the traps will still have water in them. Haven't had to on this rig since we are living in it during the winter but didn't have problems with the previous 3 rigs. I will say I wish we have the space in our unit to be able to sit to work on plumbing. Laying down to change the water pump sucked. And I don't think I could even get to the water heater from the inside. Mind you, I'm not a young whipper snapper anymore. :)
Hey Carl, buy the brass check valve learned that one from Changing Lanes. We have a Grand Design Reflection and ours broke as well seems to be an issue don't know why GD don't spend the extra couple of dollars would save all GD owners alot of time and headaches. Travel safe from Quartzsite Az.
Dody & Cat
I have a 2018 Silverado 2500HD and my screen did the same thing. So frustrating! GM needs to fix this problem
Love me some HANKS!! You guys are awesome!! Thank you for all that you've shared with us, keep it up!!
So sorry guys. Hang in there. YES, water detectors, cheap and loud. Scatter them in good places. Consider a small Wet/Dry vac as well. (not just shut offshore water but maybe also open the water system drain valves) Be SURE to dry out your underbelly fiberglass. (lot of work) but wet fiberglass is worthless as insulation. You guys always have such positive attitudes, love you. Ya, lets see swim suites.. LOL
You did the right thing you can just get you a Pex inline check valve you can install it'll make it a lot easier to replace in the future if need be.. I'm heading down to Tampa Florida Sunday I hope to see you guys at the RV Expo
We had a check valve failure two years ago-ish. Got all the plastic out I could and used a pipe tap to remove the rest. Replaced it with a brass one. They should never use plastic valves. Oh yeah, it was the middle of the summer in south Florida so it was 1,000° in the pass though.
Glad you guys got everything on Soli and Dee fixed, hopefully your Done with emergencies for a few YEARS. Keep up the good work and helpful videos.
In situations like these my wife suggests either beer or bourbon ! 😂😂😂 you could have used a shut off valve in place of the check valve just in case for some reason someday you needed to close that off ? I was setting up once and blew a water line and that was loads of fun! See ya in Tampa!