Fresh Water Tank Leaking 2016 Minnie Winnie 22r

[bcoldpro]

My fresh water tank is leaking from below and into the interior of my 2016 Minnie Winnie 22r.

Does anyone have the plumbing schematics for my year and model?

Water is running into the interior from below the interior fuse box and along the floor towards the front of my rig. I recently filled
my fresh water tank when I changed out the Anode Rod to the hot water heater in order to refill the fresh water tank after replacing the Anode Rod with a new one.

I understand the fresh water tank information is in my Manual pages 7-22. I may even have to sit down and read that monster!

Any suggestions where the leak is coming from?

 

[Lv2Roam2]

Is it possible you overfilled the water tank? Many have an air vent / overflow separate from the fill port; water will flow out and then gravity and angle will take it all over the place. A suggestion: drain the tank, dry everything out, and then fill the tank about 2 - 3 inches and observe for a leak. If none - add another couple of inches - and so on. That should ID a leak at the bottom of the tank - or somewhere on the side at a given height, etc. Hope you find there's no leak at all!

 

[be happy]

Heres a good place to start for at least an idea of the plumbing. There were two different builds was not sure which one was yours.

Plumbing Diagrams

Heres another good link to help with all things winnebago

Winnebago Owner Resources| Legendary Customer Service

Looking for parts, service, or dealers? Let our Owner Resources section help you find the service and information you're looking for to keep your Winnebago on the road.

winnebago.com

Good Luck

 

[Morich]

As mentioned, there are two builds for your RV. We find which we have by looking at the serial number for the 7th digit. That info is on a label next to the driver's left side normally. Serial number, not VIN! But 7th digit is one for early or 2 for later year build as they may have changed the plumbing, etc.
We can dig up the drawings to spot things more accurately with that info.
But I took a quick look at the early and there appears to be a good chance of a leak being at or near the water pump?
I see an overflow on the tank but it should go up and out through a tube that should extend all the way through the floor to the ground!
I took a snip of the water pump and drains in this area and might think that area is suspect!

Lots of connections around the pump but if you take a good look underneath, you should be able to spot two drain tubes and they should come all the way out underneath. If overflow was possible, maybe worth a look to see these are both fully out to drain to ground?
Second thought would be to look all around the pump for any signs of water.
One way to begin to "track" water and where it might be running across to confuse us is pretty simple.
Toilet tissue or paper towels change appearance when they get wet.
Maybe if it has dried and you can't tell which direction or where water was when leaking, lay some tissue down and then check the next time you find water!

A nasty part of RV water leaks is that they may change every time we park at a different location and different angle! Front down, front up? It comes out at a different place for us to find it!
One really good thing to try to find out is if it is fresh water or from a drain. Try to study WHEN it leaks . Is it after you drain something?? Is it only when on hose water or does it seem to leak when using the pump? Those can be clues.

One to look carefully is the little fragile strainer at the end of the pump. Is this the first fill after winter? Did the little plastic strainer get drained well for the winter or is it tilted so it hangs down and was left with water standing over winter? I turn mine so the bottom is up! Water runs downhill better that way!

Check the little rubber seal at top of filter?
But this is from early model build and may have a few differences from yours?
Good luck on the bug hunt!

 

[bcoldpro]

After calm deliberation and searching where the water was collecting I determined it was a part marked "vacuum side only model 15-085-00" that is attached to the side of the water pump that was leaking. There is a spin on cap below that part that shows "hand tighten only". That was loose and leaking. Part marked RED in your diagram.

Another discovery I made is the last yahoo that worked on the water pump only mounted the 2 screws to the far side of the pump housing and not all 4. There is a visible gap and when I turned on the water pump you could see the actuator arm moving. Good thing it is a dry pump.

All in all it was a long but good day figuring out the water leak at the base of my fresh water tank.

Now my list of items to address is down to 10!

 

[Morich]

OK! Progress is good, even when slow!
Now I might suggest you look at turning that little filter so the strainer cap that was loose is pointed up! If it is hanging down and that feels right, it has a good chance of water being left in the bottom of that cup. Really thin, and it freezes really easy!

While there, it may be a good time to unscrew the housing and look at what the filter has collected?
If it has had a lot of hard water run through , the minerals can dry and eventually reduce the flow from the pump, so a soak in vinegar can help to clean it, if it needs it!

 

[bcoldpro]

I think I am going to leave as is for now, it was a real knuckle buster squeezing my chubby little hands down there to hand tighten the cap on the vacuum attachment. I'll have to look up a replacement gasket once I do take on your suggestion.

 

[bcoldpro]

I order a replacement Vacuum Strainer that is at the bottom of the fresh water tank and attached to the dry pump. It is a Sureflo 255-213 1/2" in line strainer from Amazon. Really inexpensive at less than $6. I was searching for the O-ring for the unit that I now have installed that I had issues with. Spin on cap came loose and flooded my galley. I hand tightened the cap so no leak for now. This way I have a complete replacement or I can use the O-ring from the new unit if I need it. $6 Insurance policy for a long upcoming trip.

 

[bcoldpro]

Followup on my fresh water tank and leaks. I drained my fresh water tank today and then hooked up the "Tank Fill" side to run fresh water thru while draining. The hose on the inside of the hose connector has a metal band to cinch the hose to the plastic sleeve. Darn thing isn't cranked down all the way and I had water leaking in! I'm going to try and cut off the metal band with wire cutters and then resecure the hose with a hose clamp. Wish me luck!

 

[Morich]

It's always a bummer when we find things that did not get done right the first time. Bad enough to have to redo but when we find the first challenge is getting the last one off, it bites more!
Is this A PEX clamp?
I see a lot of value in using PEX for the speed of install but one of the things I DON'T like is a clamp that I don't have tools to remove and even worse not have the best, super expensive tools to put a new one on!
I'm about around to trying to reduce my tool closet and buying tools that are less than best is getting me down. But on the other hand, how much value will I get out of a hundred dollar tools if I stop working?
I just went through this with a nice nailer that I have had for a long time. It has been in my storage cabinet long enough for the gaskets to all dry out and break down.
Now the question is how bad do I need to spend 50-75 dollars for parts to repair a nice nailer that I may only want to drive 20 nails?
I just sent it over to my son in law for him to decide if he wants it that bad!

 

[bcoldpro]

So that metal band is called a "PEX clamp"? I can rotate the hose a bit, I wonder if I can just pull it off?
I imagine the PEX clamp is stainless steel and not easy to cut off with wire cutters. Wondering if there is enough play in the braided hose line to just cut it off and reconnect with a hose clamp?

Interesting working in that tight space, I've got the mattress end lifted with a walking stick to lean into the area where the fresh water tank is located and related pumps and hoses.

I'm going to post the following question: If I pull the 3 screws off the "Tank Fill" connector and try and remove it to access the PEX clamp from the outside of the RV wall. What potential problems am I creating
for myself 1 week away from a major trip?

 

[bcoldpro]

As mentioned, there are two builds for your RV. We find which we have by looking at the serial number for the 7th digit. That info is on a label next to the driver's left side normally. Serial number, not VIN! But 7th digit is one for early or 2 for later year build as they may have changed the plumbing, etc.
We can dig up the drawings to spot things more accurately with that info.
But I took a quick look at the early and there appears to be a good chance of a leak being at or near the water pump?
I see an overflow on the tank but it should go up and out through a tube that should extend all the way through the floor to the ground!
I took a snip of the water pump and drains in this area and might think that area is suspect! View attachment 978097
Lots of connections around the pump but if you take a good look underneath, you should be able to spot two drain tubes and they should come all the way out underneath. If overflow was possible, maybe worth a look to see these are both fully out to drain to ground?
Second thought would be to look all around the pump for any signs of water.
One way to begin to "track" water and where it might be running across to confuse us is pretty simple.
Toilet tissue or paper towels change appearance when they get wet.
Maybe if it has dried and you can't tell which direction or where water was when leaking, lay some tissue down and then check the next time you find water!

A nasty part of RV water leaks is that they may change every time we park at a different location and different angle! Front down, front up? It comes out at a different place for us to find it!
One really good thing to try to find out is if it is fresh water or from a drain. Try to study WHEN it leaks . Is it after you drain something?? Is it only when on hose water or does it seem to leak when using the pump? Those can be clues.

One to look carefully is the little fragile strainer at the end of the pump. Is this the first fill after winter? Did the little plastic strainer get drained well for the winter or is it tilted so it hangs down and was left with water standing over winter? I turn mine so the bottom is up! Water runs downhill better that way!
View attachment 978102
Check the little rubber seal at top of filter?
But this is from early model build and may have a few differences from yours?
Good luck on the bug hunt!

The cap on the vacuum unit circled was loose and water was leaking into my rig draining my fresh water tank. I didn't catch it for a couple days because it was raining and couldn't see the water dripping down from the bottom of my rig. I have a runner in the galley that soaked up a good amount of the water but unfortunately now I have a soft spot in the galley floor in front of the sink. I hand tightened the cap on the vacuum unit and the leak stopped, unfortunately damage done. I found a replacement vacuum unit on Amazon for less than $10 and now have it stored in the event I need to replace the gasket of the entire unit. I don't even want to think about what damage done to the subfloor material.