RJ's Beginner Guide to Water Systems  
 

RV Water Systems 

The Nautilus system is a water supply router for an RV. It can redirect or pull water from different areas, such as an onboard holding tank or an external hose connection. To fill the fresh water tank, you simply connect a hose to the Nautilus system and set the dials to the correct orientation. The Nautilus will guide the freshwater into your RV's holding tank with ease! If you'd prefer to use city water instead, simply change the settings on your Nautilis system accordingly. In addition, it also helps with winterization and when we need to flush the system out. For each setup, the Nautilus system provides a label that indicates the dial orientation.

 

When you connect your RV to City water, keep in mind that the pressure levels vary from campground to city. If you're using city water and want to prevent pressure changes from wreaking havoc on your RV, I highly recommend a water pressure regulator installed on your system. I keep my plumbing system at 40PSI, which is perfect for both showering and cleaning dishes in the sink.

 

When you extract water from your freshwater tank, a water pump is used. This pump is designed to switch off at 45-55 psi. If you don't use your freshwater tank much, it's still a good idea to run the system once or twice a month since the pump is in constant contact with water.

 

PEX waterlines are becoming increasingly popular in RVs for several reasons, chief among them being the flexibility of the lines and their insulation properties. However, like all things, they're not impervious to breaking; it's always good to have a PEX repair kit on hand just in case.

 

Tools: PEX Cutter (for cutting perfectly perpendicular cuts across the tube), a PEX crimping tool, 1/2 inch PEX crimps, assortment of fittings and 20' of extra PEX tubing.

 

RV Black Tank

Maintaining your black tank will make or break your camping experience, and water is key. If you dump the black tank, immediately fill it back up with water - about 5-6 gallons or 10% of the 50 gallon capacity. This way, there will be enough water to cover the entire tank floor. Having water across the bottom of your tank will hydrate the bacteria that breaks down solids in the tank. If you keep that black tank empty, you will de-hydrate bacteria and it won't be able to eat, eventually causing solid problems. Only open your black tank valve when it is 3/4 of the way full. After you have dumped it, then add in 5-6 gallons as a primer. Remember to dump and prime again before driving; as the water sloshes around, this will clean up the tank further while driving. 

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RV Vents and Valves

There are some vents on RVs that you might not be familiar with if you've never lived in one before. In this article, we'll go over the basics of RV vents and how they work. To begin, let's review the P-trap. Most of us are familiar with this device; it is located in the sinks within our homes and also in every RV sink. The P-trap helps prevent gases coming up from your black tank, gray tank or even your septic system you're connected to from entering into your livings area.

 

There are a few places where a P-trap would not work in an RV, such as beneath the shower or at the washer and dryer connections. They do however, have one-way check valves (also know as in-line P-traps) that allow water to flow into the tanks but block water and gases from rising up.

 

RJ's Tip # 1 - When something falls down the shower drain.

If something falls down the shower drain, such as hair, don't try to push it through by using an object. If you do, there is a possibility of damaging the baffle in the check valve and gases from your tank will escape into your bathroom.

 

An air admittance valve is also installed under your sinks. When we're emptying the sink as the water drains into the tank, it needs to let air out. Every bathroom in a house has a vent stack that ascends through the roof to allow fresh air to enter when you're draining the sink. Because you don't have quite as much space in an RV, the air admittance valve is right next to the P-trap. So, in conclusion, the air admittance valve allows fresh air to vent into the RV grey tank while keeping sewage gases from getting inside of it.

 

RJ's Tip #2 - How to Root Cause the smell around the kitchen. 

If you identify a foul smell near your kitchen sink, it's likely coming from the air admittance valve. To check if the odor is emanating specifically from the valve, put a plastic bag over it and seal it with a rubber band. If after a few hours you don't notice the scent, then you'll know that replacing the valve should take care of the problem. It's also something that you can change without needing any tools. Simply remove it from the line and replace it with a new one.

 

If you are venturing up to your roof for some maintenance and catch a whiff of something sewage-esque, don't fret. It is completely normal for the vent stack from your sewer to emits smells on the roof. This happens because when we flush the black tank, air has to go back into replace what was lost. The vent stack provides an opening for that fresh air from outside to enter. So if you smell septic while doing work on your roof, no need worry— it's perfectly fine!

 

Hold Tank Gate Valves

RV Nautilus systems have valves that are cable-controlled. These need to be kept clean and lubricated, no matter the model or tank variation. When we pull out the cables as we drain the tanks, they come into contact with water, dirt, and dust. When that cable is pushed back in, it can get trapped in the cable sleeve and reduce the cable's lifespan. Nothing is more devastating than having a full black tank; you go to pull out the cable, and it breaks. All it takes is adding a little dry lubrication every now and then to the cable pull that is exposed when you are draining the tank. I always use a dry lubricant in this application to avoid any dirt or dust buildup.

 

RV Water Pump

The water pump is usually located right behind the Nautilus system. This lets you get freshwater from your tank to supply your sink, shower, and toilet while you're not hooked up to city water. To keep things running smoothly, inspect and clean the strainer in the hose going to the pump at least once a year. Monthly also checks the water lines for looseness to ensure they are in good working order. It's not unusual to see a slow drip from the lines every now and then, so keep an eye on these to be sure no problems develop.