So, I have a couple of thoughts about if you own an RV long enough. One thought is you will eventually fix everything on the RV, the other not so good thought is there may be items that you end up fixing twice. Last night's repair on our 2003 Monaco Dynasty was the latter.
When we bought our 2003 Monaco Dynasty in Feb. 2007 it was only 4 years old and shortly after purchasing it we developed the infamous galley slide sink drain leak. I had done a lot of research on this prior to purchasing our coach which was one of the reasons I actually didn't want a galley slide. We were actually only looking for a living room slide and a bedroom slide model as my thinking was too many moving parts and a sink drain hose that was known for having issues. These issues are not specific to Monaco products as other manufacturers such as Newmar, Tiffin, Country Coach and a host of others all use a very similar design for the galley sink drain hose. When this coach was found it had everything on our needs and wants list and the wife really liked the opposing slides which added a lot of living space so I figured I'd just have to accept the fact that the galley could potentially have issues. Sure enough, only a few months after purchasing the coach the slide drain hose broke. I guess I should be pleased at least knowing that the original drain hose only lasted 4-years and my initial repair lasted almost exactly 16 years now (July 2007).
The flexible drain hose is of the PVC variety and sold under the description of "spa hose" and readily available at local hardware stores so acquiring the necessary parts was not a big deal. The repair itself however, was a huge PITA due to the location. I am not a small guy and there is absolutely no room to work under the galley cupboards. To make matters even worse, much of the work had to be done one-handed due to not being able to get both hands back in there at the same time.
Also, we were fortunate that it didn't make a bigger mess and we discovered it before our next trip. We didn't use the sink last week as we ate most of our meals out and only had coffee and toast in the mornings so very few dishes or cups to wash and therefore minimal leakage out of the break in the drain hose. Actually, it didn't leak out from under the slide until the drive home and the wife noticed a small water trail across the tile floor when we arrived home. Further investigation after washing and parking the coach revealed the failed drain hose. Looks like it was right at the glued PVC adapter fitting. I remember the original one seemed to be too short causing the hose to pull down at an angle at the fitting when the slide was extended so I added a couple of inches of length when I repaired it back in 2007 so the hose was still somewhat in line with the adapter at full extension. That must have helped somewhat to make it last 16 years.
It leaked at the fitting again but this time I opted to go a step further and add a piece of angle iron to give me a little more space to add a few extra zip-ties to act as a strain relief. Maybe this one will last longer than 16 years.
Here you can see the split at the glued connection after running some water in the sink to test and find the actual leak.
After cutting the remaining flexible hose from the fitting I was able to remove the adapter using slip-joint pliers.
The lower fitting's integrity was still good enough that I was able to turn the flexible hose and it threaded the lower adapter out of the black PVC pipe.
The cleanup began by using absorbent pads to wipe up the water. I then removed the lower guide or track and cleaned that as well as the surface under it. I let it dry overnight and then sprayed with a bleach mixture to kill off any potential issues before they started.
Yesterday I stopped and picked up the necessary supplies for the job. I was fortunate that I was able to find threaded adapters that had a deeper socket for the flexible tubing to fit into. The OEM adapters as well as the ones I used last time had a 3/4" deep socket for the tubing to be glued into whereas the ones I found yesterday have a 1-1/4" deep socket. This will allow more surface area for the glue and should provide a longer lasting repair, in theory.
Everything wiped up and sprayed again with bleach before reinstalling the guide or track for the flexible hose. Fortunately no damage was done to the substrate and nothing had to be done structurally, only clean up and the bleach mixture to treat the area.
In addition to the new adapters having a deeper socket, they also have a hex which aided in installation as I could use a large axle socket to thread the adapter into the black PVC "T" after applying some thread sealant/paste.
Upon more thinking about this over the past couple of days, I also thought I'd add a small section of angle iron which would extend out a couple of inches past the small "trolley" that moves with the slide. I thought this would give me another option to add more zip-ties and add to the strain relief.
The flexible hose glued into place and the angle iron screwed to the trolley.
The added zip-ties for strain relief in place to hold the flexible drain line. The zip-ties got slightly longer as they moved away from the glued connection but are still holding the drain line adding support. Secured to the drain line were well of the pex hoses for the water supply and glycol lines in addition to the two wire looms.
Job completed and hopefully should last a long time, fingers crossed, although I hate using "hope" as a plan.
