While in Red Bay I chatted with a neighboring Tiffin owner about plumbing bits (always a fun topic, for me anyway), and he showed me his Eley hose quick connectors. I was impressed; they were much nicer than the cheap ones I had been using, that I got from Amazon.
Better how, you no doubt ask with bated breath? Perhaps the most exciting thing for me is that one can just push them together without having to pull the release mechanism; that saves a lot of effort and time, milliseconds and milliseconds each time!
The release mechanism is much the same as most quick connects, pulling back on the outer ring. But the implementation is a bit better, with stainless steel bars holding the connectors together. And (one thing that confused me at first) they also have a safety feature where the connectors can’t be separated while under pressure, preventing messy accidents.
Another benefit is a wide aperture, so they don’t restrict the water flow.
The only downside of these connectors is that they are several times more expensive than the cheap ones, at about $27 for each pair (you can buy in units of 1-4 of each side). But you get what you pay for.
Based on that recommendation, I bought a bunch of them; each plug and socket comes in a cute twist-together container (that we gave to Mom to repurpose in some craft project):
A closer look at the plugs and sockets:
I also got a shut-off valve, a different design than the usual ball valve lever:
Here’s an example of them in use, with quick connects at the campground faucet (which makes it easier to disconnect), and before and after a 4-way splitter, and when connecting to the coach, as visible in the previous picture:
I use a 4-way splitter, with one outlet having a pressure gauge to check the pressure of the campground supply, one quick connect that I attach a second hose to for filling a bucket etc, a quick connect to a pressure regulator (and another quick connect after that), and a spare regular hose thread, often used to depressurize the hose:
I sometimes add a third gauge after the pressure regulator, to confirm the reading, also with quick connects:
Yes, I do enjoy my plumbing bits, and one could perhaps even suggest that I might get a bit too carried away, if one felt like being wrong. But hey, it’s a hobby. And useful! The quick connects etc make my life easier when moving campsites, as we do weekly on average.
