5 DIY Wet Bay Upgrades + Pex Crimping Explained

Over the past 3 years we’ve done a lot of upgrades to our 2015 Entegra Aspire and upgrades to our wet bay area are no exception. Everyone can probably agree that the wet bay area is one of the least favorite places in an RV, so making it function as well as possible can really improve ones experience.

In this video we go over some of the improvements we’ve made over the years and also give a brief tutorial on how to cut and crimp plastic plumbing pipe commonly referred to as PEX. Below is a complete list of the materials used in our video should you wish to use or build any of these solutions featured in our video for yourself!

Upgrade #1 – Clear Sewer Elbow – You know when we got into RV’ing this seemed to be one of the most controversial purchases for us. It sounds silly but we were thinking.. why would one want to see what is coming out of there, lets just leave that up to mystery! Turns out you absolutely want that visual indicator as its one of the only ways you can tell if you’re done dumping your tanks, and also the status of your tank rinse if you are looking to do a more thorough cleaning. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it and be happy you made this small, inexpensive upgrade. The clear elbow is available in 45, 90 and straight angles. Amazon links below.

• Camco Clear 45 Degree: https://amzn.to/2jywTE8
• Camco Clear 90 Degree: https://amzn.to/2JXpaup
• Camco Clear Straight: https://amzn.to/2JUXhDt

Upgrade #2 – Sewer Cap With Garden Hose Fitting – You wouldn’t think this would be that big of a deal but these are great. First, if you are on private property and you want to drain your grey water in your garden beds or somewhere else that gravity will allow (make sure to always dump where permitted by law) this can be a great way to keep your tanks from filling up without having to find a sewer clean out. You CANNOT dump your black tank or sewage through this device, but grey water will drain just fine as long as you have gravity on your side.

• Camco Sewer Cap with Garden Hose Attachment: https://amzn.to/2HW7KBQ
• Sewer Cap with Garden Hose (CLEAR MODEL): https://amzn.to/2FQqz3r

Upgrade #3 – Portable Macertator – If you are looking to learn more about our portable macerator that makes dumping long distances through a garden hose (including your black tank!) a breeze please check out our full article here.

Upgrade #4 – Hose Upgrade – We first got this idea after looking at the wet bay of a 2017 Entegra Cornerstone which had a coil hose in the wet bay. We thought, wow thats a really smart idea because the crappy white shower head that comes with just about every RV is too short and lets face it, you never use it for an actual shower! We found a 10 ft RV specific model which is in the links below, but wanted something longer so we could wash our windshield and also use as a hose for when we were not hooked up (boondocking). This would allow us to use our onboard water in our tanks outside and would give us a lot more flexibility. Love this upgrade!

• 50 Foot Coiled Garden Hose for Wet Bay https://amzn.to/2jkqJHu
• 25 Foot Coild Garden Hose for Wet Bay https://amzn.to/2wlcEmI
• 15 Foot Coiled Garden Hose for Wet Bay (we have the 50 ft version but this 15 ft is great for folks who don’t need as much length. https://amzn.to/2JDk1rt
• Shower Head to Standard Garden Hose Adapter (1/2 female pipe thread to male garden hose thread – amazon description is wrong but its correct fitting, see reviews/comments)  https://amzn.to/2w3EqE6

Update 5/5/2018: Wet Bay Hose Extension Improvement: Jack Bowden, a Livinlite follower had a great idea to release stress on the nylon fitting near the hose outlet in many RV wet bays. He installed a small, insulated, automotive fitting to hold the hose from pulling on the outlet fitting. Picture above. What a great idea!!

Upgrade #5 – Sea Level II Tank Monitoring System – We admit we were totally spoiled with the Sea Level Tank Monitoring System as it came pre-installed on our 2015 Entegra Coach. We kept hearing people say that they didn’t know how much fresh water, grey water or black water they had (or didn’t have) and we started to quickly realize the system we had was not what came installed in a lot of other coaches. If you are thinking of doing any one upgrade to your coach that will give you the biggest bang for your buck, while making RV life MUCH easier, this is a great one to consider! Make sure to checkout the video above from our friends Pau Hana Travels if you have any questions about the installation. They also have a full article link here.

 Materials List (amazon links)

• Camping Travel Chair – Great for Working on Your RV in Low Spaces – https://amzn.to/2HH3WQT
• Valterra – 45° Clearview Adapter with 3″ Bay Lug – https://amzn.to/2FyVKk0
• Sewer Cap with Garden Hose Adapter Connection – https://amzn.to/2jkeRoX
• 50 Foot coiled Garden Hose for Wet bay https://amzn.to/2jkqJHu
• 15 Foot Coiled Garden Hose for Wet Bay (we have the 50 ft version but this 15 ft is great for folks who don’t need as much length. https://amzn.to/2JDk1rt
• Shower Head to Standard Garden Hose Adapter (1/2 female pipe thread to male garden hose thread – amazon description is wrong but its correct fitting, see reviews/comments)  https://amzn.to/2w3EqE6
• Flojet Twist-on Portable Macerator – https://amzn.to/2JGFJLe
• Sea Level Tank Monitoring System – https://amzn.to/2w0kTV1
• Hose Power Reel 50 Ft – https://amzn.to/2jl6YzO
• Pex Portable Crimping Tool – (Half the price of SharkBite branded tool and does same thing with crimp rings included) https://amzn.to/2rcPCJy
• Additional 1/2 Rings if needed – https://amzn.to/2KrfVDP
• Portable PEX Cutting Tool – https://amzn.to/2FwRXn0
• Pex Pipe (Home Depot will be cheaper if you just need a few feet) https://amzn.to/2jl28CJ
• Hose Trigger with Threaded End for Hose Extending: https://amzn.to/2HJxBsI Multi Pack Available here: https://amzn.to/2JHiC2W
• 90 Degree Pex Fittings (lower qty options at Home Depot) https://amzn.to/2HFyzub
• T Junction Pex Fitting (lower qty options at Home Depot) https://amzn.to/2JHgE2I
• 1/2 Ball Valve (2 pack) – Couldn’t find on Amazon – Home Depot Link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBite-1-2-in-Plastic-PEX-Barb-x-Barb-Ball-Valve-2-Pack-24606A2/206133153
• Double Check Value Back flow Preventer (Vacuum Breaker) – https://amzn.to/2Ku5Wh0