Water Pressure

[RazorbackTraveler]

While camping last week we 'perceived' that the water pressure inside the trailer was not as strong as we remembered it from camping last season. Water pressure was measured in the 'city' side at 40 psi. I started second guessing myself so will you please straighten me out.

While hooked up to 'city' water, is the water pump supposed to be on?

This is definitely a newb question but I've never had to do it before. So, when filling the fresh tank, how do you know when its full? Or do you just leave the source on (something tells me this would be very bad)?

When 'flushing' the black tank, are you supposed to use a completely separate hose or is it acceptable (safe) to use a small intermediate hose in between the regular 'fresh water' hose and the 'black tank' connection.

Has anyone ever tried quick connects on the trailer side?

I've been tasked by the boss to install a new kitchen faucet. She has selected a residential model. Anything I need to know?

Regards,
Mike

[ckreef]

There are small screens right where you hook up water hoses. Any garbage coming through the hose (small bits of leafs, bugs, spiders etc...) should get caught on the screen. That would lower the pressure - check it out to make sure you have a clean screen.

It's my understanding that city water bypasses the fresh water tank. The water pump pulls from the fresh water tank. When using city water keep the pump off. If you were on city water and there was no water in the fresh water tank and you had the water pump on you would probably burn up your water pump from running dry.

The fresh water tank should have an overflow. A small blue water line that is open underneath the trailer near the fresh water tank (not the big white fresh water dump valve). If you over filled the fresh water tank it should run out the overflow. Personally I would have someone watch the tank meter and turn off the water as soon as it reads full.

[boyscout]

Hi, welcome.

There are no bad questions - everyone here starts out knowing less than they need to know.

Water Pressure

The 40 psi pressure at your source is not great pressure, but we've perceived the same thing... apparently lower pressure in the second year. There's a screen on the fresh water inlet; make sure it's clean. There's a water filter in the Nautilus cabinet of our Solitude - you may not have one - which is an obvious culprit but replacing it didn't improve things for us. There are quite a few reports that the water-saver features in the tips of the faucet can become clogged - some people remove them. We're so far living with the lower water output because it does reduce what goes in our tanks when we're boondocking.

Water Pump

The water pump is not required when you're on city water, switch should be turned off.

It's not a bad idea, though, to occasionally put some water in the fresh water tank - don't have to fill it - using the Powerfill setting on the Nautilus panel, turn off the water source (your hose), turn on the pump, and run a little water through the bathroom sink and shower before turning off the water pump and dumping the fresh water (there's a dump valve, probably behind the driver's side axles). This is mostly to ensure that your water pump is operational, but it also runs a little fresh water through places where water may have been sitting for a while and could become stagnant.

When Is the Fresh Tank Full

The fresh water tank has an overflow system, so when it's full you'll hear water splashing under the trailer. Again I'll give you more than you asked for: Grand Design's manual says to fill the tank until the sensor system inside the trailer says that it's full, but I'd bet that few owners do it that way. Filling it until it empties out the overflow ensures that it's really full - a larger supply of fresh water.

However, there's a *possible* downside to it. On *some* trailers, filling until it overflows can enable a siphoning effect. Some people have reported that as they've driven to a camp the overflow system has siphoned / pumped a lot of their fresh water out the overflow valve - when they arrive at camp 1/3 or more of their water has disappeared. To counteract this, some install a 3/4" Sharkbite valve on the bottom of the overflow tube but there's a *really serious* risk in that: if the valve is closed to preserve water on a road trip, and not opened immediately upon arrival, the next time the fresh tank is powerfilled it will likely rupture when it's full because the overflow pressure has nowhere to go. There's also a risk in a closed valve when traveling through significant changes in altitude as the pressure inside the tank changes.

I installed the valve on my trailer before I learned that I don't need it. I've powerfilled to overflow and driven to camps a dozen or so times without closing the valve and lost little or no water. Others also say they don't have the siphoning problem. Try it without the valve first.

Separate Hose for Black Flush

Grand Design's manual says to use a completely separate hose for black tank flush, and a whole lot of people do. However the risk of infection from using the same hose IF USED PROPERLY is very low. I once used a second hose, but have used the fresh water hose for about a year now. Have a look at the following post, which describes in detail how the black tank flush system is designed to be bacteria-safe as long as it is used as it was designed to be used. Then make up your own mind about whether you need a hose dedicated to black flush. The most important caveat if you decide not to have a dedicated hose: never leave anything attached to the black tank flush inlet.

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...l=1#post272554

Quick Connects

I don't know what you mean by "quick connects" or by "trailer side".

Kitchen Faucet

A fair number of people have replaced the kitchen faucet; I'm not one of them. I recall that you *may* face minor challenges in matching water supply connections between new faucet and old plumbing. They're easy to overcome as long as you anticipate them and if necessary buy adapters when you buy the faucet.

OK, that's it. If you're not too old to enjoy your trailer by the time you finish reading this, enjoy your trailer. And ask any questions you have without concern that you'll be ridiculed... we've all been there.

[ramcneal]

Separate Hose for Black Flush

Grand Design's manual says to use a completely separate hose for black tank flush, and a whole lot of people do. However the risk of infection from using the same hose IF USED PROPERLY is very low. I once used a second hose, but have used the fresh water hose for about a year now. Have a look at the following post, which describes in detail how the black tank flush system is designed to be bacteria-safe as long as it is used as it was designed to be used. Then make up your own mind about whether you need a hose dedicated to black flush. The most important caveat if you decide not to have a dedicated hose: never leave anything attached to the black tank flush inlet.

https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...l=1#post272554

I'll add one other reason to have a second hose for the black water. We're currently staying at a park for the last month. I flush out my black tank every couple of days to keep the gauge reading correctly. If I only had one hose I would have to disconnect the fresh water each time to connect the hose the to black tank flash. With a second hose I can leave the fresh water hose connected and turned on so my wife can continue to use water without interruption.

[RazorbackTraveler]

@ramcneal, @ckreef, @boyscout - Thank you for your responses. Nice to know that I wasn't too far off base.

Quick Connect

[boyscout]

@ramcneal, @ckreef, @boyscout - Thank you for your responses. Nice to know that I wasn't too far off base.

Quick Connect

"On the trailer side" still makes your question confusing... these connectors go on both sides, right?

I have those fittings everywhere they can be used. Mine look just like that photo - they work well.

I have two of these very-flexible three-foot hoses:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are attached to ninety-degree brass fittings on the fresh and black water inputs. The fresh water input has a regulator inline. No regulator on the black flush side - it's unlikely that water pressure will ever be high enough to damage that simple system. There is a shut-off valve on the end of the fresh water hose.

Quick-connect to the short hose on the black flush and flush. Turn off the valve, disconnect from the short black flush hose and let the fresh water in it drain completely back out onto the ground. Then quick-connect back to the short fresh water hose.

[JColeman]

"On the trailer side" still makes your question confusing... these connectors go on both sides, right?

I have those fittings everywhere they can be used. Mine look just like that photo - they work well.

I have two of these very-flexible three-foot hoses:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

They are attached to ninety-degree brass fittings on the fresh and black water inputs. The fresh water input has a regulator inline. No regulator on the black flush side - it's unlikely that water pressure will ever be high enough to damage that simple system. There is a shut-off valve on the end of the fresh water hose.

Quick-connect to the short hose on the black flush and flush. Turn off the valve, disconnect from the short black flush hose and let the fresh water in it drain completely back out onto the ground. Then quick-connect back to the short fresh water hose.

^^^This is exactly what we do although I am glad you included the link for the 3' hoses. I have been using 5 footers.

We also include a water softener in our setup: hose bib--> pressure regulator --> 5 micron sediment filter --> water softener --> onboard filter with .1 micron carbon filter --> all water used in trailer

I also use the water softener when flushing the black tank as I want to keep all tanks as clean and as slippery as possible.

[RazorbackTraveler]

I apologize for the confusion. It should like you are already doing what I envision.

[jh.xsnrg]

The problem is not necessarily at the trailer end where you control everything, and the plumbing is made to keep things cleaner, it is at the water source end where the last person there had sewage on their hands disconnecting their hose and left some for you to screw your clean water hose into. To each their own, but I am siding with that hose gets used only for that purpose.

[JColeman]

The problem is not necessarily at the trailer end where you control everything, and the plumbing is made to keep things cleaner, it is at the water source end where the last person there had sewage on their hands disconnecting their hose and left some for you to screw your clean water hose into. To each their own, but I am siding with that hose gets used only for that purpose.

A quick clean with a clorox cleaner wipe, letting it dry while I do other things around the trailer and then hooking up my pressure regulator, etc is standard procedure for me. I generally like people but I generally don't trust them either.