Waste dump valve lubrication

[mearly65]

Does anyone know of a lube I can put on the rubber seals of my black and gray water waste dump valves? My gray water dump valve is extremely hard to slide open. I was thinking of maybe Vaseline or something similar? Thanks

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by mearly65

Does anyone know of a lube I can put on the rubber seals of my black and gray water waste dump valves? My gray water dump valve is extremely hard to slide open. I was thinking of maybe Vaseline or something similar? Thanks

I'd stay away from Vaseline - it's a petroleum based product and I believe that it can eventually cause the rubber seals to break down.

Silicone lube is good. Spray it up both pipes with the valves open and then closed. Work the valves back and forth while spraying. Obviously, the system needs to be clean, drained, and dry to do this.

Also, lube the pull rod when the valves are open and work them several times to pull the lube in to the shaft housings.

I have also been told that coconut oil is good, too. You can get the oil on the inside of the valve by completely draining your tanks and the pouring in a small amount of coconut oil (several ounces) and a quart of water on the black side (larger pipes) and a pint or less on the gray side. Do this just before a trip, and the sloshing of the small amount of water/oil mix will completely lube the inside of the valves.

You can get the outside of the valves by hooking up your drain hose and hold it high so the liquid won't flow out. Then open the valves, allowing the mixture to flow into the common area of the drain just beyond the valves. Close the valves and slosh the mixture around by raising and lowering the drain hose. Should get a good coating of oil on the valves and seals.

Reminds me that I gotta do that right after I dump the tanks this weekend.

[JohnB]

I second the Silicone spray. It will work with the type of elastomers in the O Rings.

Pending the Oring material any petro based lube can casue it to swell up like a ballon.

If you have valve way up the pipe, I have enclosed tanks on the T310, then spray some in a long thin plastic tube, shove it up the pipe then put compressed air nozzle on it and it will blow it right to the valve. Works good.

On my T2499 I could just use the little red 4" tube on the nozzle tip of the can and it sprayed right up in there no problem. Dump valves are right out in the open on that model

Good luck

John