Section 0: Difficulty and Time Required
The installation difficulty of this float valve has been scored at a 3 or 4 out of 10 by your fellow groomers with an estimated time of ~30-45 minutes. Overall it's not very difficult but you will be dealing with the large bulky fresh water tank, small parts inside the tank, limited visibility on what you are doing, and twisting forces that might require gloves. You may need someone to help you, especially if you have weak hand grip.
Section 1: Parts
There are a total of 5 different parts, the valve, stem, float, female elbow, and male adaptor. Some of these parts will come partially pre-assembled for your convenience. The valve will also have some teflon tape on the end that screws into the female elbow.
Valve:
Stem:
Float:
Female Elbow:
Male Adaptor:
Section 2: Preparation
Before you start to install the float valve there are a couple things you should do first that will help make the process easier. While you could install the valve while the tank is still in the van we advise against it as it will be much more difficult to get your hand into the tank to twist the fittings in tightly.
First empty the fresh water tank of all the water you can. This will make it lighter and much easier to handle and maneuver into position so you can install the float valve. While you wait for the tank to empty, take a photo of the top of your tank so you know where everything connects and then remove all hoses from the tank. Once all the water is removed from the tank and all hoses disconnected, pull the tank out of the van. Opening the lid and using the opening as a handle might be helpful in this endeavor.
With the tank out of the van and depending on your reach you may also want to lay the tank on its side. With the tank on its side you can easily reach into the tank to work and if you were to lose your grip on the parts it will not fall to the very bottom of the tank, out of reach.
Section 3: Installation
If you have not already watched the video on installation we would strongly recommend you do. The video will show you how to install the valve while also giving you a different perspective, from inside the tank.
- Look inside the tank and figure out if the fill port is male or female inside the tank. You may want to use your phone to get a picture of the port to verify which one you have. Just be careful to not drop your phone into a tank full of water.
- If the port is female then keep the male adaptor on the female elbow. If the port is male you will need to remove the male adaptor from the elbow.
- Twist the adaptor on your fill port until snug, make sure there is a minimum of three full rotations. Once tight align the elbow such that it is pointing to the center of the tank.
- Twist the white side of the valve into the adaptor previously installed. Make sure that you turn the valve a minimum of 3 full rotations and have the other threaded part of the valve pointing directly to the bottom of the tank.
- NOTE: If the valve is hitting another port preventing you from rotating the valve you can try twisting the adapter a quarter turn so it is pointing away from the port that is in the way. If you have to rotate the adapter do not forget to rotate it back so the valve is pointing to the center of the tank.
- Verify that the stem on the valve is pointing to the center of the tank and the bottom of the valve is pointing to the bottom of the tank. Once aligned you can then twist on the float. Continue to twist on the float until it starts to feel snug, this will take a lot of twists.
Section 4: Testing
Before putting the tank back into the van we will want to do a quick test to verify the correct operation of the float valve. With the tank standing up connect your water hose to the fill port at the top of the tank. Turn on the water and try manually lifting the float straight up to stop water flow. If the flow of water stops then it's installed correctly and it's ready to be put back into your van. If you still hear water hissing into the tank you may not have twisted the adaptor or valve on tight enough. Do not worry if you hear a slow dropping sound.
Section 5: Putting everything back together
Now that it's tested and working it's time to start putting things back together. Start by emptying the water you added into the tank during testing to lighten the tank as much as possible. Once emptied, lift it back into place and do not forget to rotate the tank so the brass valve is inside the conversion area and not in the rear door area. Before putting all the hoses back on the tank take a look at the picture you took earlier. That picture will be your guide on where all the hoses go.
All fittings can be hand tight except for the hose going to the fresh water pump, this one needs to be tightened a quarter to half a turn past hand tight with a wrench. With everything back together hook up the fill hose once more and fill the tank until it stops, this will take 10-15 minutes. Once it stops verify the fill level is where you intend, if not adjust the valve arm by the wing nut until satisfied with the water level.