Why the title?

"Pioneers take the arrows"

Oh, wait. I should be upbeat and taking arrows doesn't sound like an upbeat thing to say.

So, let me amend that statement.

It was courage and vision that led the pioneers to leave behind a comfortable, settled life and trek West to begin a new life in a new place. Many of those from the East that went West found a strength within themselves that they didn't see while they were in their old life. Instead of being one of those that just kind of went along with the others in the old life, they became leaders and visionaries in their new lives.

The sentiments of that last paragraph come from a favorite author, Louis L'Amour, in many of his books. So, I can't really say that it is an original thought from me. However, what he said is truthful.

Welcome to being a pioneer. Look ahead and ignore the "barking dogs" that give you negative opinions and comments. Louis L'Amour also spoke of the barking dogs.

In some of his stories, it was usually a father or older man telling a young boy how it was that when the Westward bound Conestoga wagons rolled through towns, the dogs came out to bark at them. His character then told the young listener that the barking didn't stop the wagons from going on to their destinations.

Following the advice of the Louis L'Amour characters, may we all forge ahead with our plans, after carefully considering all consequences and leave the "barkers" behind.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

EZE-Kleen Sewer System

In the past, I remember reading the blog of another RV’er that spoke of going on during the winter of one year to find their stinky slinky with an area of solid ice in side. The water collects in the crevices of the hose and freezes. Then, as more water comes it tends to build up. This would especially be disastrous if one decided to leave a faucet dripping in winter and left the gray valve open so as not to fill the gray tank.

We recently ordered an EZE-Kleen Sewer System for our Mobile Suites. It is a system of PVC parts that have either two 90 degree elbows or three 90 degree elbows joined together to give one the ability to turn the plumbing in just about any direction. Then it also has two or three “expanding” lengths of PVC that allows one to shorten or lengthen one’s plumbing to reach the sewer inlet. To start with, here is a link to the EZE-Kleen Sewer website, which includes a nice video that describes just how it works:

http://www.ezekleensystem.com/

If one has a motorhome, the two 90 degree right angle piece is what is needed because the RV’s sewer outlet points down. On an RV that has a sewer outlet that comes out parallel with the ground, the three 90 degree right angle part is needed. The systems come with either three 24” expanding pipes or two 42” expanding pipes. The two 42” pipes actually allow the system to reach one foot further than the three 24” pipes.

One can mix and match. In our case, we ordered the two 42” pipe system and also purchased an additional pipe that is 24”. We also ordered one extra support stand. So, as I describe things here and show pictures, remember that a normal system comes with only two support stands. According to the company, two support stands should be sufficient to support 21 feet. However, I am known as the “KING OF OVERKILL” and wanted one extra support

As the “KING OF OVERKILL,” I am very pleased with this system so far, with only one little disappointment. That one disappointment will be mentioned later as I describe this system. For some people, it could be a problem, depending on what they like on their sewer system.

To start with, here are a few images of the system from EZE-Kleen’s website.

This image shows the steps to help one in ordering the system. Motorhomes do need to have an extension that allows the system to extend down from the discharge pipe to under the coach before hooking up the 90-degree elbows system.

Eze Kleen System Image1

This image shows the two 90-degree system with the three 24” pipes.

Eze Kleen System Image2

This one is the three 90-degree system with the three 24” pipes.

Eze Kleen System Image3

The next two images show two different RV’s (one motorhome and one fifth wheel) showing that their owners installed “hangers” to hold the system in place for travel without having to break down the system and store in tubs or wherever.

Eze Kleen Storage from John McClun Fifth Wheel

Eze Kleen Storage on CoachMotorhome

Now, I did have a problem or two, both of which are related to the length of the connectors that goes into the discharge pipe of the RV. Note in this photo the length sticking out past the locking lugs with the extra O-ring.

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That extra length prevented it from being hooked up to the clear plastic short piece of sewer I had that lets me see the sewage flowing and insuring that something isn’t backing up. Mine looks like this one with the garden hose hookup for rinsing. If you notice the inside flange of that is not deep enough to allow the length of the PVC with the O-ring.

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Also, the flange area on our Mobile Suite’s discharge pipe had burrs on the inside of that flange. You can see the flange area in this photo and if you look at the bottom, you can see where the burrs went up to the inside edge of the flange.

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That large burr was removed using a combination rasp/file that I have. (I think it is called a shoe rasp.) It has one side rounded with coarse rasp and finer file and the other side is flat with coarse rasp and finer file.

shoe-rasp500

I also used that rasp/file to create a small beveled area around the inside of the discharge pipe. That was suggested by the EZE-Kleen folks so that it would be easier to insert that O-ring on the extension into the flanged area of the discharge pipe.

Our system came with two tools. One is a plastic spanner wrench that engages the locking lugs, making it easier to turn the pipe to lock on the lug pins on the previous pipe/discharge pipe. There is also the metal pliers that are really helpful to hold the second pipe as the spanner wrench is used to twist in the opposite direction.

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Here is the entire three 90-degree elbow system.

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Here are the support stands with one being the extra we ordered. Also, the two base pieces that are at right angles will turn to be in line with the rest of the base for easier storage.

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And, here is the right-angle discharge adapter for going into the sewer inlet.

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And, here are photos of the finished system. The larger PVC running along next to the tires is the system of fresh water supply hose, flush hose, foam insulation tubes, heat tape and insulation all placed into that 4” PVC running back to the underground faucets. The crappy looking cardboard box back there will be replaced with a nice looking wooden box to add protection for the underground faucets.

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One final note to make is that the whole system with tax cost us a little over $330.  But, it certainly seems to be a good quality system, even though I haven’t even dumped the tanks once yet.  The company informed me that people that had bought their systems back when the company first started are still using the system.

2 comments:

  1. Strange, the "the right-angle discharge adapter" ...the piece that goes into the sewer isn't threaded. That piece should separate and could be replaced, mine uses this: http://emptythetanks.com/thumbnails/334-ADAPT.jpg and slips onto the other piece. Hope that makes sense. Having a good threaded connection to the sewer is important.

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  2. In our case, we just insert the downward section of the adapter into a donut and into the sewer connection. I don't even think there are threads in the sewer inlet pipe of the mobile home park. At least, I don't remember having seen any.

    I contacted the company and they said to use a Valtura 5" straight clear section and it could go "in-line" in the straight pieces. So, I'll be looking for that now.

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