Water pressure regulator/tank fill valve mystery solved

[Gregory OConnor]

Dick, Farmers across the country had a crisis when nylon string
replaced bailing wire in hay packaging. I found a professional
bailing wire device at Quartsite 07 and returned this year to buy it
because my 07 statement "I can make one of these" never put metal to
mill. I was disapointed when the vender didnot show up this year.
Forum member, Dick Hayden found one of the tools earlier this month
and sent it to me in the mail. This is a got to have tool for
everyone. I will find a web site or take pics and post soon. A big
thank to DickH for my much loved ClampTool

GregoryO'Connor
94ptRomolandCa

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Gideon"
wrote:
>
> Greg: All good points; the sporland is working just fine; my
guess
> is that the PO installed the bypass hose setup simply because the
> check valve within the external water fill/regulator needed a good
> cleaning...I chose to replace the water fill/regulator because of
my
> lack of knowledge for disassembly for service. Just adding my 2
> cents regarding "quick fixes" to solve a problem and thereby
possibly
> introducing a new problem or inconvenience. Kinda like some of
those
> temporary fences I used to build on our farm years ago...many of
them
> are still being used!
>
> Dick Gideon
> Freedom Bird
> 1989 35FC
> Rolla, MO
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Gregory OConnor"
> wrote:
> >
> > The mystery is why was the garden hose installed?
> >
> > The potable water tank fill is an appliance on the
citywaterhookup
> > line. like an icemaker or sink. On 91 and newer birds the
sporlan
> > is a diaphram valve like a automatic lawn sprinkler valve. the
> valve
> > is closed passivly then opened when the valve is energized by
the
> > switch. the problem with the notion that it is closed all the
time
> > is that when there is no pressure pushing into the input side of
> the
> > sporlan tankfill valve, the diaphram that keeps the valve
closed
> > floats open. since ther is no pressure, water doesnt pass but
air
> > gets in the valve.
> >
> > when the plumbing system in the bus is not hooked to city water
> and
> > the automatic 12 volt pump is turned off, some one is sure to
open
> a
> > sink valve and depressurize the plumbing lines which will float
the
> > valve open. when this happens and the bus sits for a month or
two,
> > scum builds up on the rubber and the valve will not shut closed.
if
> > the valve does not shut closed, hooking up to city water the
> potable
> > tank will overfill. with the valve failed open, running on the
> > 12volt pump you will keep removing water from the tank and
refill
> > the tank with that water so removed.
> >
> > Fulltimers have frequent or constant pressure up against the
valve
> > thus have not this problem but us monthly or bimonthly users
> > welcome your "hose through the wall upgrade"
> >
> > One caution I see with filling the potable tank too fast via a
non
> > Bird-engeneered design is if you fill it faster than the air or
> over
> > fill pipe can exhaust the air or water you build pressure in
> > the 'not designed to be pressurized', plastic tank. This may
> cause
> > the potable tank to split. talk about wetting the bed!
> >
> > GregoryO'Connor
> > 94ptRomolandCa
> >
> > --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Richard Gideon"
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > On our recent visit with Ralph and Charolette in our 89FC35,
> Ralph
> > and
> > > I performed the obligatory 'walk around' of our coach. I
opened
> > the
> > > utility hookup door, (street side rear) and Ralph immediately
> > spotted
> > > the non standard piece of garden hose added by a PO. Ralph's
> > comment
> > > was "get rid of that" as I tried to explain I was not the
guilty
> > party
> > > responsible for this re-engineered method for filling the pure
> > water
> > > tank via a 1/2" hose protruding through a 1" hole bored
through
> > the
> > > backside steel bulkhead of the utility compartment.
> > >
> > > Now settled down after our South Texas travels, I'm doing
> > preventive
> > > maintenance on the bird, 3208 & ZF service, AD4 dyer rebuild,
new
> > D2
> > > air governor.
> > >
> > > We've had this 35FC 18 months now and that dangling piece of
fill
> > hose
> > > has bugged us long enough...previous owner told me that's the
> only
> > way
> > > to fill the fresh water tank. Turns out, the first night we
> spent
> > in
> > > the coach when bringing it home from GA, the regulator /fill
> valve
> > > leaked like a sieve (through the 2 small holes where you
insert
> > snap
> > > ring pliers for service) and the first repair I made to the
coach
> > 18
> > > mos ago was replacing that regulator assembly. This fixed the
> > leak.
> > >
> > > Previous owner related he did not ever hook to 'city water'
but
> in
> > lieu
> > > always filled the tank through this stupid hose and like a
dummy
> > I've
> > > continued to use the "hose thru the wall" instead of filling
by
> > > flipping the fill switch to energize the sporlan valve. Hose
is
> > gone
> > > now and I plugged the hole with a chrome plug purchased at
Lowe's.
> > >
> > > My lesson here is simple; try to keep the original systems
fully
> > > operational when practical! This case of the water hose added
to
> > > bypass the factory regulator could have been avoided by merely
> > doing
> > > the preventive maintenance on the regulator and the city water
> > function
> > > as well as the electric fill function could have remained
intact.
> > >
> > > Ralph, thanks for helping us keep the Blue Bird systems
working;
> > also
> > > thanks to all who contribute to the forum.
> > >
> > > Dick Gideon
> > > Freedom Bird
> > > 1989 35FC
> > > Rolla, MO
> > >
> >
>