Waste / grey water valve loose - easy fix?

[zisdorf]

hello,

We forgot to close the waster water earlier this summer on a long drive. The red handle fell off (I guess the nut holding it on unscrewed? Is there one?). I can still use the handle, no problem, and I'm he closed position it's held in place by the framing plastic of the cupboard.

But I noticed today the sink drains now even when I have three valve shut. It comes out faster when I open it, but I can't get it to stop when "closed". Any idea how to tighten it up?

(If another post already addresses this, please send me the link...it's hard to search from the phone while on the road)

 

[Hotel California]

Zisdorf , have you sorted it out yet ?
I can not fully understand what you mean but my guess is the valve is stuck inside and the handle is broken?
Did you buy the Cali new , are you the first owner or is it a 2nd hand .

 

[zisdorf]

Hi, thanks for the reply - sorry I wasn't clear...

When we use the sink, all water that goes down comes out of the waste water outlet under the car just in front of the rear tire. Yes, this is where it is supposed to come out - when th valve is in the open position. My problem is that it comes out with the valve in any position; faster when open, and slowly but surely when closed.

The handle is physically not broken, but it is no longer bolted on to metal mechanism it screws open/closed. Instead, when in the open position (turned towards me, mostly horizontal to the ground) it easily slides off. In the closed position (pushed away from me, towards the side of the car, past 90 degrees vertical), it is held into place by the plastic retaining container.

Question is: how can I tighten it back, with limited tools (or knowledge) at my disposal.

 

[ArunAlec]

If yours is the same as mine then the tap handle is slotted. The stop valve mechanism shaft should be shaped to go into the slot in the handle. The nut is just there to hold it in place. So unless the valve is broken, which I would think unlikely you should be able to operate the valve by holding the handle in place or use a pair of pliers.
Just to check... Open the handle is horizontal. Closed vertical. There is a 90degree movement from open to closed.

 

[Hotel California]

The valve can be broken inside ....means either way you turn the lever it stays the same position inside .
First thing you need to do is put the lever back on the valve attached correct .
Than play it arround again.


Also still no answer on if or not the Cali has always been yours or 2nd hand , someone owning the Cali before you could have damaged things.

 

[zisdorf]

Hi all,

Delayed response (not a lot of service in the mountains of Spain!)...so, quick answer: our valve works fine!

Longer answer:
- the lever indeed can rest on the valve, without the nut holding it in position
- vertical straight up is closed. horizontal, pulling towards me is open.
- I had overrotated the lever, past 90 degrees vertical upright, to about 30 degrees towards the side of the van (that is, 120 degrees from fully open). This re-opened the exhaust pipe. This was my problem.
-> I had pushed the top of the red lever 'in' a little bit so that the base connection was not square with the main piece and therefore skipped/avoided its natural mechanical block.
-> As long as I do not have the nut, I must pull the red lever outwards a little bit in order to align the base of it square/flush against the main contraption.

I still don't have a nut to hold it in place. I have therefore have risk of the lever falling off and being lost. So, I tied a little piece of rope around the lever and fixed it inside the van so that if the lever does fall off while driving, I do not lose it in the bowels of the pipes and refrigerator.

I attached photos because that always helps me....the first two one is fully upright, and closed. The second two are how I over-rotated the lever. The lever was held in position while I drove, but water leaked out (therefore, it was useless). The last one shows the missing nut