Kantleak Valve Replacement

[2825Matheny]

I have removed and replaced the Kantleak valve in my RV.
See the attached PDF about this project and also the attached PDF piping schematic.
So I do not get swamped with questions about where I bought every piece that went into this project, I will say there probably are 10 different ways to do this and no one way is particularly better than another.
I used two different types of valves.
But, there is no reason why all 5 valves could not be the same also.
You can go to you local Menard's, Lowe's, Home Depot, Ace Hardware or True Value Hardware and get similar items.
Also, shop on Amazon.com or other online retailers too to check for best prices and options you have.
If you do choose to go down this path, I would be willing to drill down and be more specific about parts and methods if you need some help.
Thanks for reading.

26.OCT.2015 Update
After using this system for most of this season I concluded that the addition of the pump saver-tank is not what I expected.
I have since removed the pump saver-tank and I am back to an on-demand setup as it was from the factory.
The attached schematic has been updated to show the plumbing without the pump-saver tank.

I am so glad that I took the time to do this upgrade.
I have used it on 8 weekend trips and every time I use it the more I appreciate its simplicity.
I used to glance at my valve configuration chart to ensure valves were in the correct position.
But, this system is so intuitive that I no longer need that reference.
If you are looking for a project during the off-season of camping (if you are in a cold weather state), I highly recommend that you make this change.

 

[minnow101]

Outstanding !! Very evident that you modification is no McGyver, 15 minute fix. Can I ask how long it took you to put this all together? The write up and detailed schematics will be of tremendous assistance to the rest of us here that will be changing out this problematic water valve.
Thank you so much !

 

[Cate&Rob]

Jamey,

x2 on what minnow101 has said. You have definitely "raised the bar" on project guidance on this forum .
Your profession is obvious in your whole thought process, design logic and hardware execution.
I know how long it takes to put an explanation like this together for the benefit of others . . . even though your project is "finished".
Thanks for this.
(and, appreciate your sense of humour )

Rob

 

[TucsonJim]

What a great job, and detailed instructions. Being an engineer and project manager myself, I could follow step by step and It looks like you did a really clean install. I'd never thought about installing a pump saver tank, but it sure makes sense. Terrific work!

Jim

 

[campusa]

Great Job, thanks for sharing.

 

[Justaguy]

Wow! Great Job. Makes perfect sense. I know it took a lot of effort to design and refurb this system. And it took a lot of effort to document it. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Bartman-MGRV]

Nice job. I will do this if mine goes out again. Maybe you should make these for GD.��
Bart

 

[ACDW-Ottawa]

Very impressive and simple. Great Job! Just an observation; I notice is that you would need to take out the filter media from the water filter housings as there is no bypass valve which would add more hardware.

Where are your water filters located?
Aaron

 

[el Rojo]

Great Job, thanks for sharing.

X2 Very easy to understand.

 

[2825Matheny]

Aaron,
Correct there is no way to bypass either of the filters.
When it is time to change a filter element, I shut down the water system and release the water pressure.
The incoming filter is located in the utility center and accessed easily from outside of the RV.
The filter that is downstream of the pump and the last device the water flows through before being delivered to the coach is located behind an access panel in the basement.

 

[neil.corrigan12]

Thanks for detailed instruction. Terrific work !!
Documented so well that it is easy to understand it.

 

[bs-smith]

OK, after messing with the Kantleak panel several times, fixing the fitting leaks and then replacing the core only to have the fresh tank fill and vent the next trip out and running to the Sturgis hardware store for a shutoff and piece of hose to stop that. finally had city water working for 9 days. Then was able to make it all the way home before the pump started sucking nothing but air from the tank so I am done with that panel. In looking over your design and wanting to modify it, the more I looked at it the more I really like it and would only change 1 thing if it is possible and that is to put both filters accessible from the wet bay side ( not sure there is room though). The two questions that came up in my mind were one, are you still happy with it and would you change anything, no pressure issues running the dual filters while on city water? And the second is did you have enough of the flexible blue water line when you re-plumbed it or did you need to buy more and if so, what/where did you get it? Thanks for writing this up, it is going to be extremely helpful.

Bryan

2016 momentum 348

 

[2825Matheny]

Bryan,
Kantleak Valve replacement update.
Matheny 2.0 Water System
Yes I would. I would do it all over again.
I do not regret for 1 second my decision to do what I did.
The more I use it, the more it affirms that I did the right thing.
It's robust, user friendly, and it's works.
It has all the features of both a Kantleak system and the Nautilus P1 system.
Since I did the original removal of the Kantleak valve and installed by own "home engineered" system, I have made changes. Not to the design, only to equipment and materials.
After using the system for awhile the first thing I learned was that the flexible reinforced hose is not a good choice for a system that has 50-60 psi in it. Even though the hose is rated to handle that pressure it "balloons" after awhile and in spite of my best efforts it still leaked at the places where is was attached to a PEX fitting and that was just about everywhere. The ID of the hose and the OD of the PEX fitting are NOT compatible. Especially if the hose was previously in service because the ID of the flexible tubing swells up. Then the ID gets to be so much larger than the OD of the PEX barb it is almost impossible to crimp a leak free joint.
So with that said, the upgrade I did to my original design was to replace all of the flexible reinforced tubing with PEX tubing. Since PEX is stiffer than the original tubing I had to add a few more elbows to route the PEX tubing. But, PEX tubing fits PEX fittings and I have a high degree of confidence that the PEX to PEX joint will remain leak free.
The other upgrade I made was that I discovered, the hard way, that the Flojet pump suction screen is only rated at 15 psi. I was at a CG that had very low water pressure so I "stuffed" the suction of the pump with the water hose supply by configuring my valves to make that happen and I was using the pump to boost the psi to a usable amount. Then at some point the CG fixed whatever was wrong with the low pressure or turned on another pump and boom, the suction screen popped out and I had a flood. So I replaced the Flojet pump suction screen with a Teejet strainer that is rated at 100 psi.
And since the root cause was a surge of high pressure I install a good quality Watts water pressure regulator too.
The other "nice to have" feature I added later was to add a 3-way switch in the utility center for the water pump. Some RV's come with that as a standard. But, mine did not have it. So I changed out the original 2-way switch up inside of the coach with a 3-way switch, added wiring, and added the utility center 3-way switch and now I can turn the pump on or shut it off from the outside.

There are no issues having two water filters in use when the RV is supplied with fresh water hose supply.
I take the elements out when I winterize in the fall and put in new ones in the spring to start the camping season. For me the location of the 2nd filters works OK because access to it is only twice per year.

Here is the folder for my water pump.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1lN8-BWMEaGaldZTmJYdTZjb0U?usp=sharing

Here is the link to my folder that has all the current files and photos of my upgraded system.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1lN8-BWMEaGanhDcFdubU1mWUk?usp=sharing

Here is the link to my folder with all photos and files related to how the water system was when the RV was new.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1lN8-BWMEaGTVh5VGRuX1l6amc?usp=sharing

 

[bs-smith]

WOW, is all I can say, you have made this so simple, your documentation is amazing and like I said before, I thought through redesigning it and just couldnt come up with a better design. In the limited time I have used the Kantleak, I have had to reference the flow chart on the wall to make sure I had the, only 3 valves, set correctly, when I looked at your layout, it only took twice and I knew exactly what it was doing, it just made sense. I had thought about having the final filter on the exterior to make changing it easier, but honestly around the same time I would be taking the filter in or out, I know I would be pulling the basement wall to make sure everything was looking good, no leaks, etc, so it wouldnt matter anyway. I appreciate the input on the flex hose vs pex I will go that route first time, I had actually had that issue the first time I attempted to fix "T" leaking on the back of the Kantleak and had to go back and get a 1/2 OD T instead of the pex I originally purchased just to get it to seal.

Adding a pump switch was on my list of todo's, it had not bothered me yet, but I knew it would soon enough, my last trailer had it and I took it for granted. One question though, and I havent looked yet, but could you not find SPDT Lighted switches, I noticed you used non lighted and added an LED? And the schematic for the pump switch, what can I say, I dont even have to think about it, much appreciated.
I also noticed you changed the valves to the yellow handled gas ball valves, any particular reason?

I will say my wife loves it when we get something new like this and the first thing I do is start taking it apart and cutting holes in the walls, she was still putting things away and I was moving the interior ceiling light switch to the entrance wall from behind the cabinet door with all the switches, I knew first time I walked in that was going to make me insane having to open that cabinet door to turn on the lights. Now if I could figure an easy way to isolate the opposing kitchen/living room slide outs to their own switches I could retire but I think I am going to just have to get used to that.

I really appreciate all the info, pictures, schematics, etc,

Bryan

 

[2825Matheny]

Bryan,
No particular reason why I changed valves other than I wanted them all to be the same.
They are WOG valves I bought at Menard's so they are suitable for water use.
I did not want anyone to get confused and think that different valves meant something different.
The reason I chose the 3-way switch that I did is that is was made by the same manufacturer that the original 2-way switch was.
I wanted to reuse the same hole and I wanted it to look similar to the rest of the remaining switches.
I did not want it to look like an add-on. I wanted it to look like it grew there at the factory.
They do not make a 3-way that is lighted that fit in the same hole as the original 2-way.
So I added an LED. Same effect and I think it looks kinda cool.
If I had that to do over I would have picked a larger LED.
The one I picked does not put out a lot of light and when the sun is shining its hard to see if the light is on or not.
Take your time. If you run into something that is as clear as mud, just ask and I will be glad to help a fellow family member.
The way the kitchen and living room slides work is a balance thing for the RV.
You really do not want one slide all the way in and the other all the way out.
The slides are very heavy, especially the kitchen slide, so you do not want your RV listing under the weight of only one slide open.

 

[bs-smith]

I am done!! and I love it, works great, since I took these pictures, I added the pump switch in the wet bay with a blue led indicator, same as the one on the interior panel and a valterra adjustable water pressure regulator. I also went with the blue theme and changed out the lighted switches to blue lighted ones, and have changed to last 2 water heater ones since this pic was taken. I actually rather enjoyed making this change, took my time and had a good time with the pex crimping, wish I had something else to re-plumb so I could play some more.


Thank you for all the info, it made this very easy

 

[2825Matheny]

Outstanding.
You did a very good job.
The more you use it, the more it will affirm your decision to do the "heart transplant ".
Send me your model and VIN and I'll send you a custom "As Built" schematic.
If you made any changes to how you piped it compared to my drawing, just mark up the drawing a send me a photo of it so I can customize your schematic.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

 

[bs-smith]

Thank you James, I sent you a PM with info.

 

[WhittleBurner]

You guys have some great info going on here for anyone who wants to modify their water system. Ever think of adding the docs to the reference library section so it can be easily found.

 

[Zed157]

Thanks for this well documented solution! I was able to implement in my 308BHTS over the weekend. The original board had gone soft from water damage so replaced whole thing.