Just picked up our new 2015 Starcraft 18BH. Had our first weekend in it and all went well. Some learning to be done but overall no major issues.I sanitized and the fresh water system prior to leaving as per the manual and online guides (drain, bleach water, soak, drain, rinse..). During the fill cycles I find it pretty tough to fill using fresh water tank using the gravity fill. Although the manual says there is an options to fill via the pump I don't think it applies to my trailer as there is no water line that connects out of the pump back to the tank.So filling via the gravity feed appears to be my only option. Using a hose (drinking quality of course) holding it in the gravity feed hole about 50% of the water comes pouring back out. I bought one the fill adapter for the hose with the shut off, and soft plastic tip. Even with that water still pours back out. Getting just the right angle and flow rate I can keep most of the water going in. This is not a big deal if I am running off a city water hose, it was a real challenge to pour the bleach water in without spilling all over. The larger issue will be if I am trying to put in bottled water of some sort.Any thoughts or suggestions? I can post some pictures if required? I was wondering if I should cut in a by pass so I can fill using the city water tank? Any risks in doing so?Thoughts, answer, solutions all appreciated!I am new so be gentle ;-)thanks,Mike

Are you going by the monitor panel to show how full the fresh water is or can you see the tank to verify how full it is. The monitors aren't always accurate. You may be overfilling the tank, the tank will bulge and force the water back out the fill tube.Best method is to use the fill adapter and run the water at a slow rate while you do other things. Check on the progress every few minutes.You should hear sputtering from the filler tube as the tank nears full. Or If you can see the tank watch as the water fills and stop just shy of full.

Check routing of fresh water tank vent line..........if it sags, has bends, is kinked etc. air can not escape from tank as water goes in.Hard to fill a tank when it doesn't vent properly.Also check that fill hose routing.......it should be a straight shot to tank with no sags/dips either

I've had the same problem on 3 different RV's. The solution for all three (plus my buddy's rig) has been the same. The typical commercial, hose end attachment, like a Camco is too short. Either replace the clear hose with a longer piece or cut the nozzle off a 1/2" garden type hose. I use a cut-off washing machine hose. The idea is to get the fill hose further down the gravity feed. Try 3-4 feet and cut it back if too long. Norm

I will go with the be sure the hose is straight with no kinks or sags. I usually can just set the end of the hose at the opening and away we go.

bedpan wrote: The larger issue will be if I am trying to put in bottled water of some sort.Let's hope you never have to do that.

Hard to Fill Fresh Water with Gravity Fill | Good Sam Community

Community Alumni
Jun 12, 2015
Had the infamous filling problem over the years. If your water pressure filling the fresh tank thru the gravity till is too strong, you risk having water back up into the overflow tube. When this happens the air being displaced in the tank does not escape efficiently which can result in water coming out the gravity fill hole.

When I get this, I use my air compressor and blow out both the tank fill hole and the overflow tube. Then I restart the tank filling at a reduced pressure. This has worked every time for me.
bedpan
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
mbopp wrote:
Where does the clear hose on top of the tank go?

It's the overflow. It drops down through the floor. It I am sure acts as a vent if no water pools in the line.
mbopp
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
Where does the clear hose on top of the tank go?
bedpan
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
Climbed in tonight and opened up the bench.. A few issues..

The tank is a 20G (this is not a problem)

There is no vent hose. The gravity feed on the outside of the TT has a vent, inside it is not attached. The tank itself does not have a vent connection that I can see. Do the tanks have vent connections or is a hole usually drilled with a hose poked through? I suspect there is usually a vent connection on the tank and I have the low end model that does not have it.

Here is a pic

Hard to see in the pic but the spout on the water tank is almost a little higher then the gravity fill spout on the TT. Between this and the lack of vent it explains the hard time filling.

That said I was able to carefully twist and poke the camco gravity fill hose tip all the way into the tank from the gravity fill spout. Once inside I could fill the tank very quickly with no backflow. The problem here however is the tip is quite hard to get all the way in do to the corrugated tube they used from the fill spout to the tank. I think I will replace this corrugate tube with a smooth hose of some sort and all will be good.

Slightly off topic in poking around I wiggle some of the wiring and broke wire on the ground I believe of the tank sensor. Will need to re-attach the wire as the tank no longer reports levels.

So not terrible news... I can fill the tank quickly. Just need to swap out the hose. Also need to fix my broken wire..
bedpan
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
No time tonight to open it up but I should be able to tomorrow... I like the idea of permanent access so will leave it openable... May even drill the hole as suggested by jfkmk...

I have already wired in a couple extra 12v adapters for USB charging for everyone. Looking for Rhino hose storage now attached to bumper and to sort out water issues...

My todo list:

Filling Freshwater slowdown
Blackwater tote
led lighting
Portable BBQ
hooks in bathroom for towels
hooks near door for sweaters/coats

I am sure there are lots more but poking at them as I can.
All_I_could_aff
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
On mine, the vent line and fill line were barely horizontal, making for a difficult fill at anything faster than a trickle. Also, vent line would often accumulate water... Restricting air flow. I fixed that by propping it up about mid length
TInmania
Explorer
Jun 11, 2015
bedpan wrote:
Great find Mike... Good thing I bought a 2015, and not a 2016..

http://www.starcraftrv.com/light-weight/launch/archive/#model-selector

Tank Capacities
Fresh Water Capacity (gals) including water heater26
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals)15
Toilet/Black Waste Water Capacity (gals)9

The dry weight, GVWR, hitch weight, and CCC are exactly the same for both years. I'd bet the water tanks are identical for both years.

Either they misstated the fresh water capacity last year or this year on the web site. Hopefully it is this year, as a 14 gallon tank seems small indeed for an 18' TT.

Mike
jfkmk
Explorer
Jun 10, 2015
First of all, congrats on your new camper. We have a Starcraft 17rd and while it's not the fanciest camper, it has served us very well. Our fresh water tank is beneath the dinette bench. I removed the screws holding the plywood seat bottom down and drilled a 1" hole to make it easier to remove and winterized.

Our tank is very easy to fill. I can practically use full water pressure and nothing comes out of the tube until it's full. I would do what has been suggested, look at the vent. There may be something else obvious.

Oh, and the manual is wrong. There is no way to fill it using the pump, at least not from the city water connection.
bedpan
Explorer
Jun 10, 2015
Great find Mike... Good thing I bought a 2015, and not a 2016..

http://www.starcraftrv.com/light-weight/launch/archive/#model-selector

Tank Capacities
Fresh Water Capacity (gals) including water heater26
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals)15
Toilet/Black Waste Water Capacity (gals)9

TInmania wrote:
bedpan wrote:
It is a small tank, but even bone dry it will not accept water...

I am pretty sure the correct capacity is 20G in the tank and 6G hot water... Not much, but small light trailer is what I wanted for this trip

That is not what the manufacturer states on the website:
Tank Capacities

Fresh Water Capacity (gals) including water heater: 20
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals):15
Toilet/Black Waste Water Capacity (gals): 9

http://www.starcraftrv.com/light-weight/launch/floorplans/18bh/#floorplan-main

Mike
TInmania
Explorer
Jun 10, 2015
bedpan wrote:
It is a small tank, but even bone dry it will not accept water...

I am pretty sure the correct capacity is 20G in the tank and 6G hot water... Not much, but small light trailer is what I wanted for this trip

That is not what the manufacturer states on the website:
Tank Capacities

Fresh Water Capacity (gals) including water heater: 20
Gray Waste Water Capacity (gals):15
Toilet/Black Waste Water Capacity (gals): 9

http://www.starcraftrv.com/light-weight/launch/floorplans/18bh/#floorplan-main

Mike