Help with water supply issue from fresh water tank

[ricatic]

I posted this on the Heartland Forum but thought i would also pick the brains of the members here:

Well...after 5 years and hundreds of nights spent in our 3055RL, my first real issue. I am working in Iowa and staying in a RV Park(loose definition at best) behind the Casino. No city water hookup but I run 200 feet of hose to a fresh water fill hydrant. I have been here for three months. The last two times my tank has ran dry while using the shower, I have refilled the fresh water tank and then experienced difficulties drawing water from the tank. I have bypassed the winterizing valve(whole other story that ends in "dumb owner mistake) so I can easily separate the suctuion line from the pump to the tank in an area where I can either put pressure into the tank or siphon water up to the pump.

Now, the first time this happened, I hooked up the city water hose to a Rube Goldberg connection that allowed me to back flush the line into the tank. Even after this attempt, flow only increased a small amount but was enought o operate the system at full water pump pressure...all was well... this time, using compressed air, I pressurized the suction line until it began bubbling out the air vent. Success I think..wrong again...I still can not siphon any real quantity of water to the pump...

So...I fill my 5 gallon water jug, run the suction line into the container, turn on the pump and voila...normal water volume and pressure at all faucets...

So...how is the suction line plumbed into the fresh water tank? Is there a weight or check valve at the end that might be mostly plugged? Should I be able siphon water up to the pump easily? Any suggestions on how to fix this before my head collapses from trying to siphon water up from the tank...

Regards

Rick

[ricatic]

Well...the coroplast is down and the verdict is in...nothing is broken but the support for the main gray water tank is sagged a bit on one side...the fact that the water line pinched is my fault. When I had to remove the winterizing valve this spring(another whole story of my making), I put some slack in the line which got pushed back toward the tank and slid under the waste tank...right where the tank sagged down and pinched it mostly closed.

I rerouted the water line, installed three 2" x2" angles under the waste tank and welded them in place...much stronger than the OEM setup used at the time my trailer as built and very similar to how the tanks are supported now...

Now all we need to do is remount the coroplast and it will be Miller Time...

Just another day in the rv ownership world...

Regards

[Jerry_B]

I had the same thing happen after I ran the tank dry. It was a piece of plastic tank material left over from drilling the tank. Plugged up the suction line and caused pump cavitation.

[C_Schomer]

Last fall I had the under belly open on mine while putting on discs and I fixed every inferior thing I saw. I think it's the frame mfgr that does all the tank install and plumbing below the floor and it also seems to be common practice for them to use plastic barbed fittings and hoses that aren't full sized. My tank vent, drain and suction were all 1/2NPT threadolet connectors, plastic welded to the tank but then they were choked down with plastic barb adaptors and the 90s were the square throat type. I redid it all with 1/2 NPT plastic fittings and used 1/2" cpvc pipe for the vent so it will never have water traps in it again. The most interesting thing I found was a tiny in-tank strainer at the suction connector. It wouldn't take much of anything to plug it and shut down the suction and I didn't want to tear into the bottom again, so I used a drill bit to hook on to that strainer and I pulled it out of the tank. Then I added a suction strainer on the pump where I can service it. Check out all that stuff, if they have the belly open long enough. Craig

[ricatic]

laknox wrote:

ricatic wrote:
well...problem is diagnosed...I noticed the underbelly coreplast was sagging a bit directly under the grey water tank...I used a bottle jack and some plywood to raise the sagged area back up to near level...went inside and turned on the kitchen faucett...normal pressure and flow rate at the kitchen sink...they will pump my tanks tomorrow morning so I will be removing coreplast and seeing what failed and allowed the tank to move...certified welders onsite and lots of steel tube and angle...should be able to fix it permanently over the next few days...

Thanks to all who contributed...

Regards

And no thanks to the jokers who designed and/or built the FW in such a way that 1) the tank could sag, 2) the water line runs =under= the tank. Glad you were able to diagnose it. FWIW, the 'plast on my FW is all held on my self-tapping screws, so have a couple batteries for your cordless drill charged up, and start unscrewing. 🙂

Lyle

While I agree the design could have been better, I suspect a cross member has came loose and allowed the tank to shift and sag...stuff happens when you are towing a rolling earthquake and this one has been towed a long ways and lived in a lot...This is the very first issue I have had with the unit so I guess I will wait until the repairs are done before casting a verdict on the quality of the unit...

two 18 volt Milwaukee's with 3 batteries...one is an impact driver...I think we have enough power...

Regards

[laknox]

ricatic wrote:
well...problem is diagnosed...I noticed the underbelly coreplast was sagging a bit directly under the grey water tank...I used a bottle jack and some plywood to raise the sagged area back up to near level...went inside and turned on the kitchen faucett...normal pressure and flow rate at the kitchen sink...they will pump my tanks tomorrow morning so I will be removing coreplast and seeing what failed and allowed the tank to move...certified welders onsite and lots of steel tube and angle...should be able to fix it permanently over the next few days...

Thanks to all who contributed...

Regards

And no thanks to the jokers who designed and/or built the FW in such a way that 1) the tank could sag, 2) the water line runs =under= the tank. Glad you were able to diagnose it. FWIW, the 'plast on my FW is all held on my self-tapping screws, so have a couple batteries for your cordless drill charged up, and start unscrewing. 🙂

Lyle

[ricatic]

well...problem is diagnosed...I noticed the underbelly coreplast was sagging a bit directly under the grey water tank...I used a bottle jack and some plywood to raise the sagged area back up to near level...went inside and turned on the kitchen faucett...normal pressure and flow rate at the kitchen sink...they will pump my tanks tomorrow morning so I will be removing coreplast and seeing what failed and allowed the tank to move...certified welders onsite and lots of steel tube and angle...should be able to fix it permanently over the next few days...

Thanks to all who contributed...

Regards

[ricatic]

Roy C wrote:

I am also curious if you are parked like you suggest where does all your BLACK an GRAY water go. Hopefully you are capturing all of this in portable tanks and toting off somewhere for legal disposal...

Roy Ken

...just to answer the question...I am parked behind the casino in their RV Park...paved sites, mowed grass but no servicew other than electric...I am managing a large construction project with Porta-Jons onsite...every week when they pump the Porta-Jons, they also pump my trailer waste tanks...good enough?????

Regards

[RoyB]

This is a typical water flow plan for the older trailers... The newer trailers are similar but may have alternate ways to fill the fresh water tank from the city water port. My 2008 trailer only has a manual fill port for the fresh water tank like this diagram shows.

I have one exception to the drawing and that is I have the ONE WAY VALVE built-in with the WATER PUMP. It will only suck water from the tank and will not allow water on the city water side back fill the fresh water tank when connected to city water. The other ONE WAY VALVE shown here does not allow water from the PUMP when running to back fill the city port port. I have had my ONE WAY VALVE get debris in it and when the water pump was turned it would shoot water out the city water fill port.



One suggestion on cutting through the underbelly membrane material - I would do it at a spot where I could install VELCRO or some type of sealing door so to to speak and not destroy the purpose of having the underbelly membrane.

I am also curious if you are parked like you suggest where does all your BLACK an GRAY water go. Hopefully you are capturing all of this in portable tanks and toting off somewhere for legal disposal...

Roy Ken

[ricatic]

aruba5er wrote:
I just cut the coreplast on three sides and found that the line was bend almost to the point where no water would flow. got it straightened and all was good. Made three holes and stiched the clorplast back up with zip ties. and if you have any, the tape used for tyvac is one that is so sticky it lasts for years. Put some on the cut.

Great idea...but I need to see what is making the coreplast sag...hopefully,after seeing how the coreplast is attached, it will not be too difficult...

Regards

[aruba5er]

I just cut the coreplast on three sides and found that the line was bend almost to the point where no water would flow. got it straightened and all was good. Made three holes and stiched the clorplast back up with zip ties. and if you have any, the tape used for tyvac is one that is so sticky it lasts for years. Put some on the cut.

[ricatic]

Thanks Jim...no water leaking from the underbelly...but further investigation reveals a slight downward bulge in the coreplast that may be a sagging tank...as I think back...the only time I have an issue is when the holding tanks are nearly full...I think I will find the line is being pinched when weight in the tank increases...there is no sewer hookups here so my tanks get pumped once a week when the Porta Jon guy services the job's facilities...that will happen tomorrow...I am going to wait until then just to see if my hypothesis is provable...then I will attack the apparent sag...

Regards

[jbeletti]

Hi Rick,

Are you seeing any water leaking from the underbelly? I think you're on the right track. Sounds like the pump cannot get primed from the fresh water tank. Wonder if there's a cut in the line where the pump is drawing air through and therefore can't pull the heavier water??

The water pickup should be a connection on one end of the tank about an inch from the bottom. You should be able to drop the underbelly, tape a new line onto the old and pull it up to behind the UDC.

Best of luck my friend.

[newman_fulltime]

im sure yhey hasve someone it might be after hours type deal.

[ricatic]

newman fulltimer wrote:
heres a rv center 641 752 7195

Thanks again...I actually know right where they are located...about 8 miles away...I guess I will stop by on Monday and see what they have for mobile service...too bi a hassle to move it to their dealership...

Regards