Direct mains water connection

[martindf3]

Hi . Not posted for a bit , I would like to know if anyone who uses whale direct mains water connections do they tend to leak to the outside of the van  ........ That is from the O ring on the caravan fitting . .
I have to say I bought one 12 months ago ,used it once and had an issue with onboard pump so never used it again , just supply mains pressure to side of aquaroll instead . I did fit a new o ring which didn't improve it ,It was a genuine whale part  too . I think there is a tolerance issue on the whale kit  
I have spoke to a random amount of caravaners on sites and a few have said that they all leak in there opinions . Just thought Id ask here and see the reaction .  And if there is a fix .  Other than grease ,which I opted not to do .

 

[Dustydog]

Six years on my mains kit is still in the locker.I saw a bloke who had one connected. The caravan's internal plumbing failed. What a mess
Stick to the mains adaptor which as you know uses the aquaroll. Regarding your question may a I assume you only get a leak with the direct mains kit? As you point out a new o ring should suffice. However it leads me to believe the when system cannot cope with mains water pressure :silly:

 

[chrisn7]

Hmm replied to this yesterday, but not here..

The whale device itself is totally reliable, which I can say with certainty having used one for 15 years on my old van, and it was still ok when passed on with the sale of that van last year. It was dated 1998...

As to leaks - there are 2, not1, O rings at the connector block, These have a narrow cross section and are relatively easy to tear/ stretch / break if they are not lubricated. In fact you will be lucky to achieve a leak free connection without lubricating both the O rings, and the plastic 'tube' they seal against. I would advise changing these annually to avoid hassle. When the connector block is in place, you must be able to fold down the cover flap to the horizontal position - if it sticks up, the block is not pushed fully home. The ridge on the cover retains the block.
The fundamental drawback is that there is a pressure relief valve, which is reliable in itself, but the design is flawed in that it causes the flow rate in the van to be less than that achieved with your normal pump. There is no remedy for this.
If your van has an onboard tank, use the device to fill that, then use the pump as normal.

 

[martindf3]

Hmm replied to this yesterday, but not here..

The whale device itself is totally reliable, which I can say with certainty having used one for 15 years on my old van, and it was still ok when passed on with the sale of that van last year. It was dated 1998...

As to leaks - there are 2, not1, O rings at the connector block, These have a narrow cross section and are relatively easy to tear/ stretch / break if they are not lubricated. In fact you will be lucky to achieve a leak free connection without lubricating both the O rings, and the plastic 'tube' they seal against. I would advise changing these annually to avoid hassle. When the connector block is in place, you must be able to fold down the cover flap to the horizontal position - if it sticks up, the block is not pushed fully home. The ridge on the cover retains the block.
The fundamental drawback is that there is a pressure relief valve, which is reliable in itself, but the design is flawed in that it causes the flow rate in the van to be less than that achieved with your normal pump. There is no remedy for this.
If your van has an onboard tank, use the device to fill that, then use the pump as normal.

Thanks for the reply. I did change both o rings last year ,but it still leaked slightly without grease . I have seen one opened up and there was only a restrictor in it ,no pressure relief valve of any kind or at least none of the spring type I'm familiar with ,can't see any others . The reason I ask is we've just been way in below freezing temperatures and wanted to do exactly what you suggested and then disconnect pipe ,in the end used the aquaroll on mains till temp dropped and then turned mains off . I'm going to start greasing from now on though and replace seals again . Best regards Martin