Motorhome Plumbing for Bikes

The quality of the plumbing in motorhomes and caravans is appalling. Everything is as flimsy as hell, and bloody expensive to replace, despite being totally unfit for the job at hand.

Over last weekend we experienced a leak around the hot water boiler dump valve - it was either the dump valve itself or the cold water feed connection to it.

I went across to our local caravan and motorhome emporium to get a new dump valve and had already paid for it before I realised I'd parted with 31 quid!

I could have simply used a couple of jubilee clips and a cheap, domestic brass valve, as the pressure is very low.

As it transpired, it wasn't the dump valve itself, but the non-return valve which had come apart. Not being able to find a suitable replacement, I simply Superglued it back together as a temporary solution.

I'm seriously contemplating stripping the entire van of all piping, valves and pumps, replacing same with some decent domestic plumbing that's infinitely more robust and easier and cheaper to fix.

I did some further research on getting off grassy fields in wet weather and came across something called a sand ladder, which is designed for getting off sand, but equally effective on grass and mud. User swear by them.

I bought a set for £26 and they arrived yesterday. They're .made of very robust plastic with one side being rough as a badger's bum and covered in what looks like sand, but is just rough plastic and eminently suited to gaining traction for tyres. The grid-like structure ensures they sink into the grass and don't move. Can't wait to try them out in anger.

The e-bike was dropped off at the bike repair shop yesterday for the motor wheel and Pedal Assist Sensor to be fitted and the gears and brakes to be adjusted. They're closed today, but it should be ready for collection on Thursday afternoon or Friday.

The petrol driven bike has had the aftermarket exhaust fitted, which now requires a tad more adjustment to ensure it stays clear of the pedals.

I'll probably get to work on assembling the carburettor over the weekend, unless the new clutch for the ride-on-mower arrives between now and then - that's a it more pressing.