Leak Under Shower Pan 1994 Warrior 25RU

[quillpen61]

There is a lot of water under the shower pan - in another pan.. I emptied out 4.5 buckets already and there's still about an inch more.

I am trying to find the leak. Maybe its just the drain I need to unscrew and glue.

I looked over my Winniebago '94 book and cant find any info -

I need to know is there another way to empty that other pan?

PHOTO:



PHOTO MOST OF WATER OUT, I CAN SEE THE ELBOW OF PIPE.

 

[be happy]

For folks to help you out a little bit more information is needed. Mostly the specific information as to what 94 Winnebago you have. In the mean time you might find helpful information here.

https://winnebago.com/Files/Files/Winnebago/Resources/Diagram/Plumbing.htm

 

[quillpen61]

type of Winniebago - WCD 25RU

sorry about that, there's no button to edit my original post.
I already saw that diagram, I use that webpage often.
The "2nd tub" under the shower pan doesnt show on the diagrams - or if there's a valve. I'll have to get my 63 yr old butt under the RV and check it out.
Good idea though - to have that "2nd tub" under the floor level, underneath the shower pan to catch water. We only knew there was water when it went above the floor level onto the bathrm floor.

 

[Morich]

You are correct in thinking this "second pan" is not shown on the OEM drawings.
So that tells me you are likely to be dealing with some other owners idea of how to "improve" the design! OUCH!

What I would suspect is that a previous owner did not have a good plan for fixing the leak but instead rebuilt and made a bad situation REALLY BAD!
Can you pick up traces of where this area has been rebuilt?
Possibly places where materials don't quite match what was OEM? Are other points in the RV also the same material or do you see signs the floor has been replaced under the shower? Maybe lift a corner of carpeting at some other points to peek?

Looking at the drain, it says it has been rebuilt and they did not quite understand some of the basics as it shows three different materials were used. Do we also see a bunch of silicone caulk has been slobbered on some of the joints? There ARE materials to help seal these but likely were not used.
PVC, ABS, and metal are not good for long term use when combined. Each type of material swells and shrinks at different rates and amounts when hot water runs through. That means the joints gradually come apart and leak!

At this point, you've got a tough decision to make. Do you want to redo it and do it right to stop the leaking? That may require pulling the shower pan and replacing the particle board as it has a good chance of being too wet for too long and may continue to rot away. But pulling it out has the advantage of giving you a much easier way to redo the fittings on the shower pan as that part can be done before placing the pan. You can work it far easier when you can get to it well!

But that redo is not an easy thing and will require lots of work and planning. Sometimes not really worth it, but that is where your personal choices come in!
For short term use for a couple years? Maybe a temporary fix fits?
But if this is a longer term thing, maybe biting the bullet now and enjoy the old girl without worry about the plumbing and floor fits better?

 

[quillpen61]

I'm not a man, so half of what you said went over my head, and I am glad someone put that extra tub under the shower drain. Replacing the drainage pipes is not a problem.
This morning I tightened the drain, and there's no leaking. 2 showers later, no leaking.

 

[powercat_ras]

Winnebago often uses waterless self sealing traps, that the bottom of is a lot higher than a standard "P" trap, under showers so that the shower has more headroom above the shower pan. So, it could be that the original was a waterless self sealing trap with no hole cut in the floor. In the horizonatal section there is a soft plastic one way valve, that works a lot like the nipple on a baby bottle, but size and length of the slit scaled up.

A waterless self sealing trap is is what Winnebago used in my 2015 Vista 27N under the shower, and it is still odor tight 10 years after manufacture.

It could be that originally there was a self sealing trap under the shower pan that was not sealing odor tight anymore and a prior repair was to replace it with a "P" trap that required more clearance so part of the repair was cutting a hole in the floor. Could have been to avoid the cost of a replacement self sealing trap or just making the repair with inexpensive home center waste drain plumbing parts.

Here is a link to an example of them: https://www.amazon.com/Waterless-Sealing-Prevent-Sanitary-Replacement/dp/B0BCH3YSPP/ref=asc_df_B0BCH3YSPP?mcid=42826289fb61322488e7283bd4dddf7e&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693071814427&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10292842137965758919&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9023960&hvtargid=pla-1881581619252&th=1

 

[quillpen61]

Thanks, I get it, you explained so well. I found out this is the way its supposed to be with the old "P" trap, 1994. Its not some jerry rigged idea someone had, as someone else suggested.
On the diagram, no they dont show the extra pan under the shower pan - but they do show the "P" trap lower than the floor, for height reasons.

But definitely the newer style you showed me on Amazon would work.
Also I found out do not overfill my tank! The water will back up into the shower.

 

[quillpen61]

I got it on the different piping, ie: metal mixed with pvc. That is easy to change. Amazon has RV plumbing. The traditional "P" trap is what winniebago used in this design, you can see on the diagrams the "P" trap does go below the bathroom floor. Very glad the extra tub/pan was there to catch the water. They didnt have to show that in the diagram. I found the leak, just have to glue the drain. Just posting this incase others need to know.

 

[Bo Walker]

quillpen61, you did the right and best thing by tightening the fittings. I'm glad you fixed the problem. Morich called the flooring, particle board. It is not particle board. If it was, it would be crumbling already. It is oriental stress board. Some call it wafer board. I'm pretty sure Morich will agree. It's better than particle board. It is a lot stronger and doesn't swell as badly when it's wet.