rynosback Posted October 26, 2017 Report Share Posted October 26, 2017 I am getting tiered of these cable dump valves. My unit is just over two years old and I have replaced the gray valve. My black one will not close now and needs to be replaced, and my replaced gray valve is going bad again. I talked to an RV tech and he said that he hates cabled valves. So now I am thinking of going electric. Any tips, suggestions and advice is appreciated? Is there one name that is better then another? 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted October 26, 2017 Report Share Posted October 26, 2017 Temporarily get yourself a Thetford twist-on valve so you can block your black and grey tank effluent: It goes on where your sewer hose attaches, then you attach the sewer hose to the other side of the valve. I had my cable-controlled valves replaced a few years ago by Camping World and they still work great. I considered electric valves but the service dept. talked me out of the idea. I had replaced the cables twice without resolving the non-sealing valves issue. I still carry the Thetford twist-on valve, just in case. 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulltimer51 Posted October 26, 2017 Report Share Posted October 26, 2017 The last time I had mine replaced I chose not to have the handles installed through the wall where they were from the factory. I think at least some of the problem is that the cables have to make to sharp a bend when installed through the wall. For now I have them accessible from the basement. They move much better and for now seem to work fine. George2011 F350 6.7PSD CC 4X4 DRW Lariate2015 Mobile Suites 41 RSSB4 5th Wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGO Posted October 26, 2017 Report Share Posted October 26, 2017 My valves are either cable or shaft, but so for (13 yrs) they are OK. I bought a thetford glue-in valve, and put it in the line just before the outlet. For less than $10 I can now say "NO S***!" You'd have to see the movie to understand.......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted October 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 On 10/25/2017 at 11:50 PM, Ray,IN said: Temporarily get yourself a Thetford twist-on valve so you can block your black and grey tank effluent: It goes on where your sewer hose attaches, then you attach the sewer hose to the other side of the valve. I had my cable-controlled valves replaced a few years ago by Camping World and they still work great. I considered electric valves but the service dept. talked me out of the idea. I had replaced the cables twice without resolving the non-sealing valves issue. I still carry the Thetford twist-on valve, just in case. I have already bought that valve and It is attached to the 5ver. Thanks for the tip. 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted October 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 So besides rerouting my cables and relocating the pulls, no one recommends an electric valve? 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpydoc Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 We have had both cable and electric valves. The issue I see with changing to electric is the current location of your valves. The electric valves we have in our current rig are located in a easy access bay and have an appropriate amount of space to operate. Furthermore they are easily accessed in case of repair. The cable valves we had in our Teton were hidden deep in the underbelly of the rig and were very difficult to access and repair. Which is why we had electric valves in an easy access bay on the new rig! Without seeing where your current valves are it would be difficult to say if electrics would be a reasonable recommendation. All I can say is I like our electric valves and would never have another rig where the valves were hidden deep inside the underbelly, Best Wishes, Jay 2015 Continental Coach Elegance by Forks RV, 41'; 2015 FL M2 112, DD 13, by 2L Custom Trucks; Trailer Saver air hitch; '48 Navigoddess with a Rand McNally GPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronbo Posted October 27, 2017 Report Share Posted October 27, 2017 My cable valves were hard to operate. I saw problems in the future and difficulty accessing them. I added valves to the pipes under the rv and just leave the cable valves open all the time . Ron C. 2013 Dynamax Trilogy 3850 D3 2000 Kenworth T2000 Optimus Prime Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reed and elaine Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 Always had problems with the cables binding and effluvia draining out when cap was taken off. We installed the Thetford twist-on valve about 8 years ago at suggestion of an RV tech in Washington, as advised by Ray, IN and Rynosback above. The twist-on valve has been on ever since on our RVs. We needed cables replaced and a RV tech in Fort Collins came by and suggested pulling the cables and just installing Thetford or Valterra straight pull valves. He installed these three or four years ago and we have had no problems since. The handles do hang down but no more than the twist-on vale. It does require bending over to get them but it has been well worth their installation. The Twist-on valves permits flushing/back-flushing the black water tank. Reed and Elaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray,IN Posted October 28, 2017 Report Share Posted October 28, 2017 5 hours ago, grumpydoc said: We have had both cable and electric valves. The issue I see with changing to electric is the current location of your valves. The electric valves we have in our current rig are located in a easy access bay and have an appropriate amount of space to operate. Furthermore they are easily accessed in case of repair. The cable valves we had in our Teton were hidden deep in the underbelly of the rig and were very difficult to access and repair. Which is why we had electric valves in an easy access bay on the new rig! Without seeing where your current valves are it would be difficult to say if electrics would be a reasonable recommendation. All I can say is I like our electric valves and would never have another rig where the valves were hidden deep inside the underbelly, Best Wishes, Jay That is the reason the CW technician talked me out of electric valves. They are difficult to access(most of labor cost was removing stuff to get to the valves), and once you are there, no room for anything other than the OEM valves. 2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA ." And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy 20 Jan 1961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reed and elaine Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 Figure electric valves and/or macerator are just something else to go wrong in the middle of nowhere. RV parks in Mexico primarily use septic tanks so they forbid the use of toilet paper. Once you get used to it (we have all had kids with diaper pails), it means that one has a lot less mass in black water tank - and nothing that will clog the drains. Reed and Elaine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alie&Jim's Carrilite Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 Kansas RV center has a tech that fixes the DRV hard to operate valves. He rotates them a different direction and shortens the cable. Someone at the rally was talking about them and the fix. You can literally operate them with 1 finger. On our old Carrilite we had Drainmaster electric valves. They didn't work well. If the tanks were full the motor didn't have enough torque to pull the blade with pressure against it. I changed them to cable and never had an issue after. Alie & Jim + 8 paws 2017 DRV Memphis BART- 1998 Volvo 610 Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted October 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 5 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said: Kansas RV center has a tech that fixes the DRV hard to operate valves. He rotates them a different direction and shortens the cable. Someone at the rally was talking about them and the fix. You can literally operate them with 1 finger. On our old Carrilite we had Drainmaster electric valves. They didn't work well. If the tanks were full the motor didn't have enough torque to pull the blade with pressure against it. I changed them to cable and never had an issue after. Thanks for the tip. I guess if I have not fixed it and I am close to them, then I will have them do there magic. 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulltimer51 Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 They werent very magical when I was there George2011 F350 6.7PSD CC 4X4 DRW Lariate2015 Mobile Suites 41 RSSB4 5th Wheel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 I've had both on various rigs. It is hard to determine which is "better". The real issue is access to either - which has been mentioned. Given free access, I'd go with electric, but frankly it is a tossup. I'd go electric because EVERY manual valve I have had....and it is a lot of them...has had issues with the cable or shaft. I've had one electric valve fail, but it was just a bad wire...and easily fixed. The key is easy access. Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted October 29, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 2 hours ago, Jack Mayer said: I've had both on various rigs. It is hard to determine which is "better". The real issue is access to either - which has been mentioned. Given free access, I'd go with electric, but frankly it is a tossup. I'd go electric because EVERY manual valve I have had....and it is a lot of them...has had issues with the cable or shaft. I've had one electric valve fail, but it was just a bad wire...and easily fixed. The key is easy access. If I were to go electric. Is there any electric valve that is better then another? 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpydoc Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 Ryno, can't say with any degree of authority which is truly best, but we have had the Valterra electric valves in our rig for three trouble free years, Best Wishes, Jay 2015 Continental Coach Elegance by Forks RV, 41'; 2015 FL M2 112, DD 13, by 2L Custom Trucks; Trailer Saver air hitch; '48 Navigoddess with a Rand McNally GPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted December 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 On 10/29/2017 at 12:46 PM, grumpydoc said: Ryno, can't say with any degree of authority which is truly best, but we have had the Valterra electric valves in our rig for three trouble free years, Best Wishes, Jay Thanks Jay. I will have to do something soon as one is getting worse. 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpydoc Posted December 20, 2017 Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 Ryno, if you have an easy access location for your valves I don't see much down side to going with the electric valves. We recently had to replace both of our electric valves(along with a lot of other stuff) due to flood damage from the storm surge of hurricane Harvey. It was an easy 15 minute job to replace both valves. Replacing manual valves wouldn't have been significantly easier but probably would have been cheaper. Fortunately our insurance covered all the damage to our rig except for the deductible, Best Wishes, Jay 2015 Continental Coach Elegance by Forks RV, 41'; 2015 FL M2 112, DD 13, by 2L Custom Trucks; Trailer Saver air hitch; '48 Navigoddess with a Rand McNally GPS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted December 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 One looks to be a tight reach, the other I need to remove a panel to get to. I honestly think it is more of the cable then valve. So if I eliminate the cable, my thought is that I will be better off. As I will be on my 3 gray valve and first black valve in just under three years. 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewhoknowslittle Posted December 20, 2017 Report Share Posted December 20, 2017 9 hours ago, rynosback said: One looks to be a tight reach, the other I need to remove a panel to get to. I honestly think it is more of the cable then valve. So if I eliminate the cable, my thought is that I will be better off. As I will be on my 3 gray valve and first black valve in just under three years. I ordered a set of Drain Masters valves, gray and black with the 2 sets of switches so I could open them from the water hookup station, or inside the 5th, I never had them installed and I would sell them for 400.00. I have over 600.00 invested in them, so if your interested in them shoot me a message. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rynosback Posted December 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 11 hours ago, Hewhoknowslittle said: I ordered a set of Drain Masters valves, gray and black with the 2 sets of switches so I could open them from the water hookup station, or inside the 5th, I never had them installed and I would sell them for 400.00. I have over 600.00 invested in them, so if your interested in them shoot me a message. Roger I’m looking at the same ones minus the inside wiring harness and switches. I need to do some measurements to make sure that I have enough space for them to fit properly. https://www.rvupgradestore.com/Drain-Master-Electric-Waste-Valve-With-LED-Switch-p/5202dm20-rpms.htm 2015 Ram 3500 RC DRW CTD AISIN 410 rear 2016 Mobile Suites 38RSB3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted December 21, 2017 Report Share Posted December 21, 2017 On 10/26/2017 at 6:58 AM, Fulltimer51 said: The last time I had mine replaced I chose not to have the handles installed through the wall where they were from the factory. I think at least some of the problem is that the cables have to make to sharp a bend when installed through the wall. For now I have them accessible from the basement. They move much better and for now seem to work fine. ^^^^this. 2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline 2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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