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The blade valves on your black and gray tank outlets are the only things standing between you and a tsunami of… well, you get the picture. It’s impressive how well they work… and how long they can last. Our gray valve is the original one that came installed on our RV when we bought it back in 2003. So it’s pretty amazing that it’s held up to full-time use all these years, quietly doing its job of controlling the gray tank contents, letting it out only when WE want it to, and keeping 100% of the 65-gallon-capacity tank fully contained the rest of the time, even while vibrating along thousands of miles of roads.
But recently we began to notice a couple of symptoms of a failing valve: (1) An occasional small drip from the handle itself (primarily when pulling it for dumping) and (2) A small amount of water accumulating behind the sewer pipe cap, even though both blade valves were closed. Thankfully, it was the gray valve that was failing, and not the black valve (hang in there fella)!
So we’re doing a replacement… and we’re doing it “real-time” with only the slightest bit of editing, so you can get a feel for how long a job like this takes, and how easy it is to do.
This is our second “Real-Time DIY” (after our recent propane detector replacement). Leave a comment below to let us know if you like this type of video and if you think we should try doing more of them. And be sure to share any advice you you might have from any experience you’ve had replacing your black or gray valves. Maybe we got lucky and ours was just particularly easy!
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Featured & Related Products:
- Valterra 1.5″ Replacement Gray Blade Valve
- Valterra 3.0″ Replacement Black Blade Valve (same replacement process, just a bit smellier ????????)
- 3/8″ Drive Reversible Socket Wrench with “Speed Rotation Ring” (Sorry… this is RIDICULOUSLY expensive, but was the only socket wrench we could find with the same finger-ring mechanism ours has)
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Sometimes we receive products for evaluation at no cost and may use affiliate links to the products and services from which we earn commissions. For example, as an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. That said, it's important to us to let you know that our opinions are our own. We only recommend products we believe deliver real value and that we can confidently recommend without reservation. You also won’t pay an extra penny by using our links. Thanks so much for supporting RVgeeks as we work to create helpful RVing-related content that we hope enhances your RVing life!
Even though we're handy RVers, we're not professional technicians. So although we're happy with the techniques and products we use, you should be sure to confirm that all methods and materials are compatible with your equipment and abilities. Regardless of what we recommend, consult a professional if you're unsure about working on your RV. Any task you perform or product you purchase based on any information we provide is strictly at your own risk.
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