Y Not?

When it comes time to disconnect the hose and pressure regulator, the water must be drained before unscrewing the fittings — or, in this case, releasing the quick connectors — to prevent taking a bath. With the wye adapter in place, all you have to do is open the other valve and let the water run out, which is much easier than running in and out of the rig to open a faucet.

A wye connector, added to the outlet side of your water pressure regulator, is one of the most versatile components when hooking up a hose. In its simplest form, it just gives you another spigot for multiple hoses — but it’s much more than that.

Connecting a hose to the RV hookup spigot seems like a benign process — but there are times when the placement of these faucets can have you scratching your head, wondering how designers managed to complicate the process when installing the faucet as part of the hook-up utilities. That’s when a wye connector comes in handy. These simple “splitters” do the obvious: They allow two hoses to be connected at once. Further exploration, however, reveals several other convenient purposes when using this inexpensive piece of equipment.

First off, I use a home-style pressure regulator, which is bigger and bulkier than the typical fitting found in RV supply stores and in starter kits provided with new RVs. Faucets that are too close to the ground, or worse yet, pointed downward, make it difficult to attach the regulator and hose without crimping the hose and impeding water flow. Adding a wye adapter (like the one I purchased at Lowe’s for $11) allows the connection point to be moved into a position that will provide additional clearance.

This is a perfect example of a faucet at a hook-up area that was not installed with RVers in mind. Here the faucet position makes it necessary to run the pressure regulator (which, being a product normally used residential water systems, is even longer) into the trees. To say the least, it’s not very convenient.

This common wye adapter has an On/Off valve on each leg and sells for around $11 at Lowe’s; it’s also easy to find online. The provided gasket isn’t the greatest, in my opinion, and was replaced with an O-ring that offers better leak control. Here, the wye adapter is placed on the regulator’s outlet side to make sure pressure is reduced to a safe level when the hose is connected to the black holding tank flushing system. The wye adapter is rated for up to 60 psi; regulators are usually adjusted up to 50 psi.

The second bib is obviously for attaching another hose, which can be used to clean out the holding tank or to connect a short hose for washing the dog or your feet, etc. Just keep in mind that any time a second hose is used in an unsanitary environment (for example, a holding tank clean-out or portable back-flush adapter) there must be a backflow preventer in the line. These devices can be found online at hardware stores; the one I installed for this project is a vacuum breaker with male and female hose threads; it sells for $7 at Lowe’s but can easily be obtained online. Normally, there is a back-flow preventer on the clean-out devices, but they are not super-robust and can fail, so the brass vacuum breaker is extra insurance to prevent water contamination. Also, always dedicate a hose for purposes other than hooking up city water or filling the freshwater tank.

While the On/Off valves on the wye adapter are generally reliable, a plastic cap was placed on the end just to make sure water is held in check. It only takes a few seconds to remove and reinstall the cap. The cap also keeps the threads clean.

Here, the wye adapter was rotated to keep the hose out of the bushes and trees. When it’s time to hook up another hose, it’s rotated again for better clearance. The second bib comes in handy when another hose is needed to wash feet or the dog, or even clean a bicycle. Always disconnect any hose that feeds the holding tank flushing nozzle; you never know when someone will open the valve by accident and over-fill the tank — and end up flooding the interior.

Beyond the convenience of attaching two hoses to one faucet, the wye adapter makes it easier to disconnect a hose that’s been under pressure. Relieving pressure requires that the water be turned off and any faucet in the RV (or compartment) be opened to allow the water to drain. Inevitably, I forget (or I am too lazy) to do that and get a cold spray of water — usually soaking clothing — when disconnecting the hose, either at the filter pack or hook-up faucet. That’s okay on a hot summer day, but not so much in cold weather. Opening the second valve on the wye adapter is a simple way to relieve pressure and control water flow to the ground.

Another benefit of connecting a hose to the outlet side of the regulator is to keep water pressure under the threshold for the adapter and on-board tank flushing system. Exposing the tank-flushing device hose, fittings and nozzle to high RV park pressure can lead to a rupture, especially if the system has been in service for a number of years. And that’s not pretty.