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Old 07-27-2014, 12:43 AM   #1
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: 31F
State: Georgia
Posts: 166
THOR #631
Slide out sink hose problem

We own a 2013 Thor Four Winds 31F (with two slides on the driver's side, one with the dinette/sink/oven and the second smaller slide for the rear double bedroom).

We bought the unit used from Crown RV in Conyers GA and immediately on our first camping trip found that the hose that connects the kitchen sink to its holding tank had become disconnected.

Try as I might, I haven't been able to tighten the flexible gray plastic hose enough to its fittings so that it will stay connected for more than a few slide openings and closings.

Our dealer is supposedly ordering a more flexible and maybe longer hose for us as I recently took the RV to them and explained the problem.

I'm interested if this is a problem others have had or if it is a one-off irregularity.

Thanks in advance for any replies or suggestions.

John & Gail
Athens, GA

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Old 07-27-2014, 09:41 AM   #2
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THOR #631
I read last night that someone used a 2 inch shop vac hose as a replacement so I'm going to look into this potential option today.
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Old 07-28-2014, 12:42 AM   #3
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Brand: Thor Motor Coach
Model: Hurricane 27K
State: Nevada
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THOR #970
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDHoge View Post
We own a 2013 Thor Four Winds 31F (with two slides on the driver's side, one with the dinette/sink/oven and the second smaller slide for the rear double bedroom).

We bought the unit used from Crown RV in Conyers GA and immediately on our first camping trip found that the hose that connects the kitchen sink to its holding tank had become disconnected.

Try as I might, I haven't been able to tighten the flexible gray plastic hose enough to its fittings so that it will stay connected for more than a few slide openings and closings.

Our dealer is supposedly ordering a more flexible and maybe longer hose for us as I recently took the RV to them and explained the problem.

I'm interested if this is a problem others have had or if it is a one-off irregularity.

Thanks in advance for any replies or suggestions.

John & Gail
Athens, GA
Had the exact same problem on our 2 day old Hurricane 27K. Looking closer at it the electric junction box actually press the hose as the slide goes out causing more trouble, bad place to put that junction box and I will be moving mine soon. My dealer took it all apart and put clamps on instead of the hand twist connectors used OEM.
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Old 07-28-2014, 09:19 AM   #4
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THOR #631
My wife and I went to the closest Camping World yesterday (Sunday) afternoon to see if they had a longer and/or more flexible sink drain hose. No, they didn't but sent us to ACE hardware where I found a highly flexible "economy" 1 and 1/2 inch drain hose. The hose material is a bit like pool liner vinyl it comes off a roll and is flattened.
I bought a three foot length and will install it today and report back on my degree of success or failure.
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Old 07-28-2014, 03:05 PM   #5
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THOR #631
The flat, blue vinyl economy drain hose installed and didn't leak. It also presented no obstruction problems when the slide was opened and closed. HOWEVER, because it is flat it fails to drain the sink as quickly as most people would desire. I thought about inserting some sort of coil, but although that would be easy, I don't know of a source. I suppose the coil could be metal, but I would prefer plastic. Also, no matter what kind of coil was used, it would inevitably function not only to increase the flow of dish water, but probably catch small debris and plug up more easily than a smooth surfaced drain pipe.

So our problem is not solved yet. We're looking for a more flexible drain pipe of the same or slightly longer length.
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Old 07-28-2014, 08:02 PM   #6
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THOR #908
I can't imagine flat being all that good for drain, with its built-in kink.
I would think the reiforced PVC, commonly known as spa hose or PVC Suction hose
would be better


or even nylabraid hose

but then I can't picture what you are dealing with.....

I don't think a coil would be good either.... for fast draining.
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Old 07-28-2014, 09:52 PM   #7
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You are certainly correct on all accounts. The flat blue vinyl emergency drain hose would only work well on the output of a clothes washing machine stationed on someone's country back porch!

So what I've finally wound up doing on the advice of a plumber and a mobil home repair parts person is working with the original stiff plastic pipe but replacing the hose end connectors with threaded rings and new plastic ferrules. The old one-piece nut and ferrule set up just couldn't be tightened enough to hold.

I also placed an extension on the sink drain in order to give the drain pipe a slightly greater length.

I'll post back when done.
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Old 07-29-2014, 01:28 AM   #8
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Can't you use the original hose and better hose clamps?
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Old 07-29-2014, 03:13 AM   #9
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Yes, the better hose clamps and the extension and a repositioning of the baffle plus the addition of a hose support seems to have fixed the problem. i'l post photos tomorrow. Too tired tonight!
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Old 07-29-2014, 12:32 PM   #10
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THOR #631
Here are three photos of the repair we made.

The first shows a standard 1 and 1/2 inch extension has been added to the floor fitting. I bought a 6" extension but cut it off to about 3".

The second shows the relocation of the factory installed baffle.

The third shows the strap that I put in to help keep the upper fitting from being pulled down and out of place.

Oh, and you will see the new two piece hose clamps that were recommended as a stronger means to keep the drain hose solidly attached at both ends.

We operated the slide only 4 times since attempting this fix, and if you look carefully you'll see that both ends of the drain pipe are slightly dislocated (i.e., no longer fully inserted). This drain hose movement happened on the first in and out sequence of the slide and did not get worse or grow as we cycled the slide several times more.

if this set up/fix fails I'll report back.
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Old 07-29-2014, 04:06 PM   #11
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THOR #908
Oh, now I get it.....
Is that white polypropylene stuff taht you added?
I can't tell what the grey straight part is that is inserted into the white fittings though.....
but it looks sort of like it might be the same kind of end I just purchased to reapie my pool vacuum hose...
Porpoise Standard Hose | Pinch A Penny Store
On my pool hose, the old ones were cracked (& glued on) so I cut them off. the new ends just threaded onto the spiralate suction hose.....

Just a thought, but if what you've got isn't holding.....
Seems to me that you might be better off with a proper size hose barb fitting
Plastic Multiple Barbed Tube Fittings | MSCDirect.com
and propper clamps, like these
Bolt Clamps | MSCDirect.com
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Old 07-29-2014, 10:00 PM   #12
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THOR #631
I agree that the Thor hose looks like a pool hose that goes to a sand filter but the Thor hose is a good bit heavier even though it doesn't have to handle pressure (go figure). It is also less flexible and certainly not stretchable. IMO it was a bit short to start with, hence the pulling out of the fitting at the sink drain. Also the threaded attachment nuts had a built in flange which a plumber said "never worked that well."
Everywhere I looked/asked not a soul had a slightly more flexible or slightly longer hose with the same male end fittings. So that is why I finally decided to simply extend the existing floor fitting with the white PVC and also replaced the one piece nuts with two piece units that supposedly hold better. The top strap that I installed was my attempt to add a little more resistance to the pulling action that comes at the end of the slide extension.
I know that none of this is elegant, but perhaps it will work. I'd like to see better solutions if they exist!
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Old 08-06-2014, 11:24 AM   #13
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This is an update on the above repair story and photos. We've been on the road now for 6 days, that includes at least 8 slide-out-in cycles. So far the repair is holding but the hose has moved out some. i'll post the photos that show the movement, but here is what I am hoping: that this amount of movement is all that will ever happen--meaning that I will be able to forget about this problem and consider the repair to be permanent.
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Old 08-06-2014, 12:37 PM   #14
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THOR #908
yep, sounds like a fix to me! Congrats!
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Old 08-10-2014, 12:32 AM   #15
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Well, I thought it would work permanently, but it just failed today. We were on the road to upstate NY and my wife ran some water into the kitchen sink while on the road and she informed me that it had failed. My son and I will work on the problem tomorrow or the day after and try to come up with a better, more permanent solution.
My apologies for thinking that I had solved the problem.
John
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Old 08-11-2014, 12:21 PM   #16
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THOR #531
You can also try West Marine stores, they often have many parts that are used on RVs. They might have a different hose that will work.

Our sink is on a slide out on our Four Winds 28Z. So far, luckily there have been no issues. Hope it stays that way.
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Old 08-11-2014, 07:23 PM   #17
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THOR #908
Hey, too bad.

If it were me, I'd get a proper hose barb fitting and clamp. the clamp I linked to before is for the spral type "spa" hose.
Other hose types would use a different clamp.

Poke around at industrial supply houses
Grainger Industrial Supply - MRO Products, Equipment & Tools
https://www.mscdirect.com/
McMaster-Carr
to name a few

If you just don't want to mess wit hit any more.....I'll even bet if you look around, you'd find a place near you that makes up industrial hoses, or even hydraulic hoses
You wouldn't need anything nearly as heavy duty as this type of hose,
I don't think you'd have any more problems with a hose barb and proper clamp
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Old 08-11-2014, 08:31 PM   #18
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THOR #631
My son and I came up with a fix that I think will actually work. What it involves is a much more flexible "bilge pump hose" sold at Lowe's in 6 foot lengths and two reducer type hose clamps and two regular hose clamps. I'll post pictures now that we have a workable fix. My son's a mechanical engineer and he said that he thought the flexibility of the bilge pump hose was important along with the reducers and the hose clamps. I hope this is the fix that lasts!
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Old 08-12-2014, 12:26 AM   #19
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THOR #631
BTW, when he looked at the original gray hose that Thor used he felt that the male mating surface that inserts into the black ABS plastic sink and floor couplings was too soft to allow for a secure fastening of the hose to the sink and floor plumbing. The solution we have now provides a metal insert that can be securely clamped to the more flexible white hose. While the reducer nut and its red oversized washer are less than ideal (IMO) this is the function they were designed to serve. So, we've got a much more flexible hose that is replaceable and a much more secure fastening system.
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