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Old 05-16-2021, 09:59 AM   #1
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Plumbing - Fresh water tank overflow

I have a Winnebago Vista 31be 2016 and recently experienced my fresh water tank fills while on shore water supply?

I ran a test to empty the fresh water tank to ⅓ full and it fills up through the night. I made sure the valves are in “NORMAL” positions. Tried turning them to fill and back to exercise it. Still happens? Water then overflows and leaks under the back of camper…pouring….

Bad valve? Could one of the other valves cause this….they all seem to be in the normal position…..

Also noticed when I shut the shore water supply off, use the pump….that it occasionally kicks on the off without you water request. Not sure if this is another symptom ….

Any troubling shooting guidance greatly appreciated!……
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Old 05-16-2021, 11:04 AM   #2
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In our vista 29 there is a valve under the bed which needed to be turned off to prevent the drainage. I believe it is a winterizing valve.

I don’t know if your configuration is similar, but you should be able to see if that is what is letting the water out.
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Old 05-16-2021, 11:18 AM   #3
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There is a check valve built in the pump and I suspect it is letting pressure water flow past to fill the tank by going through the pump and the pressure loss is also due to the check valve leaking.

Some pictures of the parts drawings from here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

At the fill port/wet bay, you have a port leading to tees which connect to all the other tubing throughout the RV as the green arrows show, as well as the fill/normal valve. When the fill valve is on normal, it should stop water from going to the tank as it is cut off as drawn in red.

One come assume the fill valve might be defective but they are a pretty simple thing and I would not expect it to be worn out on a newer RV.

But looking at the tank plumbing, there are only three connections to the tank. One marked in yellow is the overflow. Marked in red is the normal water coming in during filling direct from the fill port, through the fill/normal valve and to the tank.

But the third tubing, marked in green is normally where water is drawn out of the tank by the pump and passed to the rest of the RV. In the pump there is a check valve and it should keep water only going in one direction, tank to pump.
However, if this check valve gets so it doesn't seal well and we have pressure water on the input port, it is also connected to the right side Output?) of the pump and can leak through the pump in the reverse direction than planned!
In the out until the tank overflows!

I would have to check the pump for the problem.
A U-tube can be worth the time?


Best of luck to getting it cleared?
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Old 05-16-2021, 03:59 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sundog964 View Post
In our vista 29 there is a valve under the bed which needed to be turned off to prevent the drainage. I believe it is a winterizing valve.

I don’t know if your configuration is similar, but you should be able to see if that is what is letting the water out.
Thank you….it’s the area I’ll focus…..
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Old 05-16-2021, 04:00 PM   #5
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Great detail and both symptoms are called out in the video……

I’ll investigate this week……thank you so much!
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Old 05-19-2021, 05:53 PM   #6
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2016 Winnebago Vista 31be - Hood latch dislodged

Quote:
Originally Posted by Morich View Post
There is a check valve built in the pump and I suspect it is letting pressure water flow past to fill the tank by going through the pump and the pressure loss is also due to the check valve leaking.

Some pictures of the parts drawings from here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

At the fill port/wet bay, you have a port leading to tees which connect to all the other tubing throughout the RV as the green arrows show, as well as the fill/normal valve. When the fill valve is on normal, it should stop water from going to the tank as it is cut off as drawn in red.

One come assume the fill valve might be defective but they are a pretty simple thing and I would not expect it to be worn out on a newer RV.

But looking at the tank plumbing, there are only three connections to the tank. One marked in yellow is the overflow. Marked in red is the normal water coming in during filling direct from the fill port, through the fill/normal valve and to the tank.

But the third tubing, marked in green is normally where water is drawn out of the tank by the pump and passed to the rest of the RV. In the pump there is a check valve and it should keep water only going in one direction, tank to pump.
However, if this check valve gets so it doesn't seal well and we have pressure water on the input port, it is also connected to the right side Output?) of the pump and can leak through the pump in the reverse direction than planned!
In the out until the tank overflows!

I would have to check the pump for the problem.
A U-tube can be worth the time?


Best of luck to getting it cleared?
I installed a new ShurFlo (Pentair) pump and its now under test! I think I attached pictures....anyway, it will be fully tested tomorrow to see if the tank fills when shore water is on...... it makes sense......
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Old 05-19-2021, 08:22 PM   #7
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White water hose connector

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lette View Post
I installed a new ShurFlo (Pentair) pump and its now under test! I think I attached pictures....anyway, it will be fully tested tomorrow to see if the tank fills when shore water is on...... it makes sense......
The white water hose in the picture is not a pex hose but Winnie connected all using a pex connector. Several owners, including myself, have had the connectors fail. I started carrying adjustable hose clamps to make quick repairs when they do fail. Also had one pex connector fail on the red pex hose, so I also carry a pex clamp tool and replacement connectors.
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Old 05-20-2021, 08:07 AM   #8
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RE; Fresh water tank overflow.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Twpinaz View Post
The white water hose in the picture is not a pex hose but Winnie connected all using a pex connector. Several owners, including myself, have had the connectors fail. I started carrying adjustable hose clamps to make quick repairs when they do fail. Also had one pex connector fail on the red pex hose, so I also carry a pex clamp tool and replacement connectors.
Thank you! Will purchase xx feet and keep it on hand along with fittings!!! Great feedback.....
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Old 05-22-2021, 07:07 PM   #9
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Purchased repair kit, connectors and clamps…..
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Old 05-22-2021, 07:09 PM   #10
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Testing completed today……FIXED! Thank you all for the insights! Easy to replace once you watch some of the YouTube videos…..
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Old 05-23-2021, 06:50 AM   #11
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This problem is almost always a spec of dirt in the pump’s check valve. First off, it is usually intermittent and the issue comes and goes. Replacing the entire pump does fix the issue, but so does cleaning the check valve or rebuilding the valve with a $10 kit.

Here’s the thing, your new pump will likely exhibit this same behavior over time.

Many fix the issue and prevent it from recurring by buying a cheap small plastic inline check valve and adding it to the plumbing just on the other side of the pump.

When this happened to me I first solved it by turning off the city water and living off of the now full fresh tank. This usually cleans out the valve. But after the 2nd or 3rd reoccurrence over about a year I rebuilt the check valve with the kit on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-94800...dp/B01MG476D5/

So far it has not recurred but I’ll not be surprised when it does.
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Old 05-23-2021, 08:58 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by creativepart View Post
This problem is almost always a spec of dirt in the pump’s check valve. First off, it is usually intermittent and the issue comes and goes. Replacing the entire pump does fix the issue, but so does cleaning the check valve or rebuilding the valve with a $10 kit.

Here’s the thing, your new pump will likely exhibit this same behavior over time.

Many fix the issue and prevent it from recurring by buying a cheap small plastic inline check valve and adding it to the plumbing just on the other side of the pump.

When this happened to me I first solved it by turning off the city water and living off of the now full fresh tank. This usually cleans out the valve. But after the 2nd or 3rd reoccurrence over about a year I rebuilt the check valve with the kit on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-94800...dp/B01MG476D5/

So far it has not recurred but I’ll not be surprised when it does.

This points toward but doesn't actually get around to mention of some small points that we need to be aware of as we move our RV from different parts of the world into other where we are likely to find standards are different.

We kind of grow used to things like health and safety being watched for us and ,in most cases, it works pretty well. But it can be in those "fringe areas" of life and safety that we are more likely to get caught! We get used to being safe and forget what to do when we move into those areas who define safety in a different way!

When we go out to the campsite, we may know to do bear safety and watch for some hazards but totally ignore the small points that may kill our trip just as easily.

When we go to a place way out in the backcountry, we know to watch out for bears and there are lots of signs to remind us, but if we move into a "business friendly" area, you are not going to get any signs warning you about the water supply being compromised!

Sure it is likely you will find signs about the water supply "meeting all state and federal regulations" but what does that actually mean in the areas which fully resist any type of regulation?

It may mean the water supply is required to meet all the safety standards BUT it may not mean it has to be tested, just somebody has to certify it meets the standards!
The difference is whether somebody is actually required to take speciific samples and do specific tests of the water or does somebody just have to meet and agree the water supply is safe!
The water out on the ranch may be the same water they used a hundred years back and they may still have the same regs in place that were always "good enough" even though there's now a major battery factory just up the road!

Whether it is Flint, Mi and lead in the water or Boca Chica, Tx where Elon Musk is launching rockets, it pays to be aware of the water and whether or not it is regulated OR NOT in that area. If you are seeing signs of dirt left after draining water, ask how well that water is actually treated and tested.
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Old 05-23-2021, 07:51 PM   #13
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Pumps check valve

Quote:
Originally Posted by creativepart View Post
This problem is almost always a spec of dirt in the pump’s check valve. First off, it is usually intermittent and the issue comes and goes. Replacing the entire pump does fix the issue, but so does cleaning the check valve or rebuilding the valve with a $10 kit.

Here’s the thing, your new pump will likely exhibit this same behavior over time.

Many fix the issue and prevent it from recurring by buying a cheap small plastic inline check valve and adding it to the plumbing just on the other side of the pump.

When this happened to me I first solved it by turning off the city water and living off of the now full fresh tank. This usually cleans out the valve. But after the 2nd or 3rd reoccurrence over about a year I rebuilt the check valve with the kit on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/SHURFLO-94800...dp/B01MG476D5/

So far it has not recurred but I’ll not be surprised when it does.
I saved the other pump, pulled it apart, cleaned the entire guts including valve. I’ll order the parts and replace. I also added stake ons for quick replacement. Is there a higher quality pump with higher MTBF?
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Old 05-23-2021, 08:21 PM   #14
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The Shurflo 4008 pump is the most popular RV water pump. I’m not sure this issue is considered a “pump failure”.

I don’t know if adding water filters to your city water input helps prevent this or not.

One nice thing Shurflo sells complete pump head replacements for not a lot of money that easily bolts on and contains all new check valve, pressure switch and diaphragms. So unless your motor fails the pump doesn’t need replaced just the head assembly.
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Old 05-23-2021, 08:26 PM   #15
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The higher quality is one that I am not sure of the value in this case due to the way they tend to fail.
If you get the best motor, best controls and still get trouble from a bit of debris like rust getting stuck in the check valve, do we get better value from a higher quality? So much of our trouble in not the item itself like heater, pump or light, but in the small parts that come loose, corrode or, get something stuck in them and that part is pretty much the same on low or high quality.
I like to think I'm going the better direction on pumps by adding a better filter to the intake water, whether going to the storage tank or straight to fixtures for use.
The city or state may say the water has to be at a certain level to serve the public but that may not cover those pipes the have been in the campground for forty years and may be closer to rust buckets than pipes, so once it leaves the city control and goes to their pipes, we may get more trash and rust flakes than expected.
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Old 04-09-2023, 05:11 PM   #16
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I want to confirm per "But looking at the tank plumbing, there are only three connections to the tank. One marked in yellow is the overflow. Marked in red is the normal water coming in during filling direct from the fill port, through the fill/normal valve and to the tank." that my 2019 Vista 29VE fresh water tank has an overflow such that if the tank is full excess water coming in from the street will go thru the overflow back to the street and this not damaging the tank.
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Old 04-09-2023, 05:52 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Noah4448 View Post
I want to confirm per "But looking at the tank plumbing, there are only three connections to the tank. One marked in yellow is the overflow. Marked in red is the normal water coming in during filling direct from the fill port, through the fill/normal valve and to the tank." that my 2019 Vista 29VE fresh water tank has an overflow such that if the tank is full excess water coming in from the street will go thru the overflow back to the street and this not damaging the tank.
It would be nice to post the drawing you are referring if you seek confirmation.

My 2019 Sunstar 29ve does have a overflow. I overflow all the time because I tend to forget.

I do not follow your comment " such that if the tank is full excess water coming in from the street will go thru the overflow back to the street"

There are still ways to damage your tank even if you have overflow. I control the pressure of the freshwater coming in.
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Old 04-09-2023, 06:18 PM   #18
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I want to confirm per "But looking at the tank plumbing, there are only three connections to the tank. One marked in yellow is the overflow. Marked in red is the normal water coming in during filling direct from the fill port, through the fill/normal valve and to the tank." that my 2019 Vista 29VE fresh water tank has an overflow such that if the tank is full excess water coming in from the street will go thru the overflow back to the street and this not damaging the tank.
I think what you are wanting is to verify that your tank will have an overflow or some way to vent water out if overfilled?

Two ways to go on that.
One is to think of what happens if we try to put water in a tank and not have a way for air to get out? Like blowing into a paper bag! Not going to get much done, so since we CAN put water in the tank, it has to have a way for the air to get out! And when that air is all out the water will run out the same hole if we keep filling the tank!

But then it is always nice to actually see how and why things work, so I like to use the interactive parts catalog they give us online here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

There are two builds for your RV, one early and one later, with the difference being the 7th digit of the serial number being 1 or 2!
But in your RV, the different designs are both easy to see what they do, so I took a snip of both.

One easy to spot and the second even easier?
Click these snips to get a better view or go direct for the full layout.

Early build here with two drains leading to under the RV. One is overflow out the top.
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The later build only shows one overflow in that area. As the year went along they found a better way, perhaps, and saved the second drain?
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But the short answer is that , yes, you do have an overflow!
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Old 04-10-2023, 04:26 AM   #19
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Thank You Morich

These diagrams are much easier to understand than the ones earlier in the thread.
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Old 04-10-2023, 07:57 AM   #20
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There, yes is a great deal of difference in looking at the other RV when compared to what you have.
Just the difference in the early year build of your model and then the change they made to move the pump away, makes seeing things easier but that may only be true for this model and this overflow. When they moved the pump, it made the tank space easier to see but that means some other portion of the plumbing has the pump and piping added, so that space gets harder to see!
This view of the overflow is about as simple as it gets.
But one of the really nice things about the interactive parts catalog is that we cAN specify which systems we want to se. In plumbing we can choose to see the fresh water without having the drains block the view. Many times looking from one angle we can see but looking from the other side we might not see any of the plumbing.

I like to be able to look withoutcrawling!
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