Quote:
Originally Posted by 2012voltron
Thanks for your reply. I checked the drain plug and the relief valve. Both of them are dry and no water anywhere near them. When I shut off the cold water supply to the water heater, the leak stops. The pump runs ok and I left it on for half an hour after I shut the valve to the water heater off and it did not run at all until I turned the faucet on in the kitchen sink. I think that is telling me that the leak is in the water heater itself. Do you think I am correct or have I missed somerthing in my diagnosis? Thanks
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Googled a 'Drop" Sweet! I like it! Much like our old Trail-Lite C-17 Hybrid TT.
That would sound about right. Pump on leaks. Pump off no leak. Water is contained only in the WH cabinet? Maybe some more checking is necessary.
Maybe start here first:
Here's a linky to the WBGO 'Towables' Manual. Section 7 maybe of interest.
http://winnebagoind.com/resources/ma...OWABLES_US.pdf
Drain lines located in a compartment. I'd look at those as well, maybe first to be sure they are fit for purpose. Should be closed except for winterizing or draining the system. Could be it's not closed; or, not closing completely; or the drain line is not extending out of the compartment? Or there's a bad fitment in that line farther back in the coach.
Since you mentioned 'compartment....' and those lines are hidden in plain view IN a compartment.
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HWH is on the port side behind the axle. This looks like a 'conventional' 6 gallon-ish Suburban job, right? Looks like a miniature home WH. Not an instant hot model. (Don't know squat about those instant jobs but they would also have 'IN and OUT' connections.
RV WHs generally have two water lines. One low (cold in) and one high (hot out). Probably PEX line (that plastic, slightly bendy stuff sometimes colored red (hot) or blue (cold)). They use fittings that are of the 'Shark Bite' style. Cut the PEX to length and they just push the fitting on to the PEX. Nice sold, leak free connections (almost all the time). The actual connections are resin/plastic and much like the old school brass fittings in your house.
Suburban types are built as a self contained unit. There's always an 'inside' and 'outside to the WH. Outside is the pressure relief and drain; backside of the tank with the LP furnace & electric elements. And, some electrical components.
Inside the TT (on the other side of the WH) is the 'plumbing'.
What complicates the deal is that RV WHs have to have a winterizing 'by pass' that allows you to drain the WH in cold weather. Usually, that's one or two valves in the cold water IN line somewhere close to the WH on the 'house side" or inside the TT/coach. Should be right close to the WH so that you don't end up with water in the lines when you winterize. That makes maybe two lines and at least 4 connections (2 PEX Shark Bites and two conventional water system joints) and two more at the winterizing valve + two more Shark bites. The 'hot' line will divert to the rest of the TT (galley sink, lav, shower, etc.).
Now here's where I'd start: does the water leak out the WH door to the outside. Remember the WH is a self contained unit!! but divided in inner and outer. If it does, the leak is probably in the outside 'sub' compartment.
If it's leaking out somewhere else (you mentioned a 'cargo compartment' ???) that would likely mean it's leaking in the inside sub compartment. Or, somewhere else in a line or fitting.
Once you figure out inside or outside, maybe you can traced the fittings/PEX from the inside sub-compartment/winterization area to somewhere else in the system.
Maybe a tip? Cold water comes directly from the FW tank/shore water through the pump to the faucets. Hot water comes from the top of the WH to the HW faucets (Duh, Crows!!!! we know that!!!) Almost all the time, the HWH is located near the galley or near the Lav. Not always, but every RV we've had the HWH sat right under the galley sink. From the 'hot out' on the HWH, they run a line up to the hot faucet in the galley sink. You need to look at all the connections under the sink. Yes! a B@$t@rd of a job! But installers ain't the sharpest tools in the kit and sometimes they don't tighten or cross thread connections. Bears looking at.
The other area is the cold water line into the HWH. They will very often spring a line from the Cold In up to the galley sink cold faucet. But, they put in a simple carbon filter in the line figuring you use cold for cooking, drawing water, etc.. They are installed using PEX because it's bendy and you can work it easily in a confined space. There's an IN and OUT on the filter base. Need to check those for leaks at the joints and the Shark Bites. Then the filter base. No cracks. No jammed O-rings? Last, the actual filter to base connection. These are usually 'bayonet' types..... push in and twist. Mine have a pair of O-rings on the 'nipple'. All that hast to be good or it will leak like Niagara Falls! Also, the filter can break or crack, especially if it's been in freezing weather (even in a cabinet). There should be a 'plug' with a bayonet fitting somewhere in the trailer's kit to blank it off when necessary.
If it's not leaking at the galley sink, go to the Lav. Same deal. check all the joints and Shark Bites under the sink. Shower and head plumbing are usually under floor and impossible to get to so you might have to pass on that. Next, is the outside water closet if you have one. Water's not leaking out from there? If it does, it should go straight to ground as they have drains in the bottom. Out door shower? Check the hose fittings and valves.
Again, the water pump..... check to see all fittings are tight AND that the pre-filter is not cracked and that is is also tight to the fitting.
If all is good, that would take me back to the shower based on my experience. Our 14 View developed a chronic puddle on the shower floor. No big thing.. just an annoyance. We'd dry it, drive awhile and go to use the head and there it was.... again. Since it was in the shower pan... no big deal. After one trip I decided that the problem was behind the shower wall vic. the water faucet assembly. Well, that's a problem because once you remove the faucet manifold and pull it out a bit, you have an area the size of a tea cup to put your hand into to check the connections. YEP! One was wet! and the water was dripping down the back side of the shower stall and fortunately it would drain out on the inside to the pan. PITA to fix but the reason was that the fittings were cross threaded and they cut up the O-rings on both fittings.
Thinking about this while writing... just to be sure.... When on shore water, you turn the water pump off, right? Not needed due to shore water pressure. And you are using a pressure reducer on the shore water input??? The system is designed to take shore water but if the pressure is too high, it could be opening the anti-return valves and dribbling water into the FW tank. The tank is vented and it will puke water out the overflow if it's over filled.
I don't know where your FW tank is located. Usually they are between the frame rails behind the axle. Sometimes built into a 'box' under the bed. Right close to the fill port(s) and water closet. It is possible, when hooked to shore water that if the backflow valve is opened and there's a leak in one of the hose connections to or from the FW tank OR the overflow line. Anything is possible.