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Just sharing my latest project which is to hard-plumb/pipe my Thetford Sanicon Sewer discharge dump line from inside my wet bay to the exterior/underside of my 45' DP for anyone interested in such a project. This project came about owing to a number of factors, 1) For whatever reason (yet to be explained by Newmar), my coach was supplied with a 1-1/2" wide channel exit profile on the outward face of the wet bay basement door apparently intended as a space for the Sanicon hose to exit the bay while allowing the bay door to be closed. When doing so, I found that the profile was too narrow and often resulted in pinching, thus breaking, the hose requiring me to replace it. In addition (and again yet to be explained by Newmar), my coach was not provided with a sewer compartment floor access hatch for routing either the conventional/standard 3"OD or the Sanicon 1-1/2" OD sewer dump hose(s) through. 2) On occasions, I have needed to extend the length of the Sanicon hose in order to reach camp site dump receptacles. This was not easily done and often had me switch back to using my conventional 3" sewer dump system. This modification will enable doing so by using a 2nd section of the Sanicon hose with male/female cam lever coupling fittings attached. 3) When "camped" it is my desire to be able to fully close my wet bay compartment door including such times when the gray water dump valve remains in the open position. Prior to this mod, such was not possible due to closing of the door would result in the pinching off or crimping of either size dump hose. A work in still in progress i'm now awaiting delivery of special ordered PVC fittings and clamp/hangers to connect a clear section of hose to (between Sanicon drain outlet and new Valterra slip gate valve) as well as some strap/clamps I plan to use to secure the piping and cam lever coupler in place. Completion of this project will include making up a separate/spare section of the 1-1/2" Sanicon hose with male/female Cam Lever connections that will permit me to add an additional length up to 21ft when needed. The purpose of the small section of 1-1/2" clear spiral hose is to enable me to witness when dumping is completed (be evidence of clear water).Noteworthy of adding, the Sanicon hose is normally "wet" (retains some fluid likely due to a small amount of internal bypass) so adding the slip gate valve downstream of it is intended to allow my connecting the dump hose by means of the cam-lever couplings without coming into contact with the waste water. It is also being positioned in such a way that appropriate road clearance will be maintained.Meanwhile, here are a few photos of this project....

FMCA Community Members, I'm seeking recommendations for what others here feel is the best liquid chemical treatment product(s) to use for periodic treatment of their sewage tank (i.e. black water). My coach is equipped with both Dometic macerator toilets and a Thetford Sanicon system therefore, the use of dissolving tablet type treatment pods is not recommended.

We're in the first week of ownership of a 2007 Beaver Patriot Thunder. Lots of small problems, most of the flaws in the coach are purely cosmetic. Until today. We were showing friends the coach, I'd pulled it out into the sunshine and opened the slideouts. In one basement, there was a puddle of water. Strange, since I'd been in the basement several times in the last week and it had been dry. Here is the painful part: the puddle and dripping wires right above it were directly under the toilet! I mopped up the water (about 1/4 cup) with a paper towel, and recalled which plumbing items I'd just used. There'd been just one: the kitchen sink. I blotted up the leakage and gave it a sniff: fresh water. Then, I stretched out dry towels and ran some water through the sink. Sure enough, the towels were again wet. Tracing back along the supply and drain lines with a flashlight, I saw all was dry and snug. The dry lines check progressed along the kitchen cabinet, all the way to the sliding wall section at the end of the slide. Unfastening the moving panel with the help of a friend, we looked into the cluttered area where bundles of electrical lines, the sink drain, and hot & cold water lines all form a graceful loop that plays out when the slide is extended. My buddy dabbed his fingers in dark wet dirt in the bottom of the bay and held them aloft: "there's your problem, it's wet." Indeed, the drain line was wet, probably leaking from where black PVC was joined with white reinforced rubber tubing. We congratulated ourselves and rejoined others in our party. Later, after he and his wife had left, I shined a light on the area. The "dirt" was hundreds of black pellets, each 3/8" long and the diameter of a Cheerio. Oh, oh... I immediately called him, told him to wash his hands and not chew his nails. What took up lodging in that crowded space between kitchen and bath must've been a huge rodent. No signs of hair, nesting debris or extensive damage, just guano. Now, the million dollar question is, did this visitor gnaw into the drain line in search of water? Replacing the tube will be a bugger-bear, further exploration will determine what work is needed. I've been all over this coach with a fine-toothed comb, not a speck of insect or rodent droppings anywhere else. This one caught me by surprise. Take a look at your enclosed spaces, see if you have visitors. Places where they might gain access to water might merit extra attention. Update: I'll post a photo of what I discovered in our album HERE. In short, the "rodent" I suspected was working on the Beaver assembly line. Before bundling the fresh water, drain, and multiple electrical conduits that comprise the "loop" adjacent to our kitchen slide, he/she oriented every hose clamp so that the sharp edges pushed against the underside of our kitchen sink drain hose. A worm-drive clamp tail was the first to completely penetrate the doomed hose, this time-bomb took 12,000 miles of vibration to activate. It is not hard (about thirty minutes' work) to expose the loop and cut away all the zip ties holding it together. If your rig is similarly booby-trapped, the time it takes to discover this time-release failure might be worthwhile. Now, I am removing the damaged section of hose, splicing in a replacement. You betcher bippy my plumbing will be wrapped in some type of anti-chafe cushion material.