Uh oh! Sprung a leak!

[zonearc]

Had our 87 Leprechaun in the driveway last night connected to the hose (with a regulator on it). All was finefor 8 hours, but iI woke up to find a puddle and water dripping out from around the rear left corner of the RV. I turned off the water but couldn't inspect more because I had to go to work.

Any suggestions on what this could be?

[zonearc]

I ran a commercial grade dehumidifier for 24 hours within the RV. I've also been running the heater within the RV for 2 days straight now and its still on. When I get home tonight I'll put a fan in there to get the airflow moving as well. I have an RV mechanic coming out tomorrow to take a look at the whole thing. Hopefully I can put it to bed at that time.

[ron_dittmer]

If you could utilize a dehumidifier in your regular house, I would buy a nice sized one with a continuous-drain feature to temporarily benefit the motor home. Or maybe get a little unit exclusively for the motor home. It really is most effective in drawing out humidity behind walls an such.

My brother owns a short 22 foot Starflyte and keeps a continuous-drain humidifier in his outside stored rig because it prevents respiratory issues for his wife's asthma.

This is why I advise to dry out a motor home with a dehumidifier. It truly dries up the rig, inside and within the walls, avoiding any such respiratory concern.

[maillemaker]

You really need to determine if you have a water plumbing system leak. The easiest way to do that is to find out how to turn on your water pump. Put some water in your fresh water tank and turn on the water pump. The switch to turn on the pump is probably located near your level indicators that tell you how much fresh water, propane, and waste water you have in your tanks.

Make sure your faucets are all closed, then turn on your water pump. You might want to open the faucets until all the air is blown out of the lines. Then turn off the faucets.

If you have a leak, the pump will either run continuously or will turn on and off intermittently has the pressure leaks out.

The city water hooks into the same water system.

It's important that you find where the water is and open up all access hatches and get it dry in a hurry or you are going to have a mold/mildew problem.

Dehumidifiers are fine but you will have to empty the water holding tank for it periodically. I think fans will do you fine but you need to get them blowing into the compartments that got damp.

Steve

[zonearc]

I've got the heater and fans going again. Got a repair guy coming to look at where the water leak is coming from and the generator I have an issue with. Also, since the water issue happened, my wife tells me the lights in the back do not work so maybe its as simple as a breaker that needs reset, or its as bad as fused wiring. Joy.

[ksg5000]

If you Google leaking RV toilet you will find several helpful Youtube videos on the subject (same goes for many RV issues). If it's simply a toilet issue then repair kits are readily available and not expensive.

We had some cold weather in Oregon this year and if the prior owner didn't winterize the rig then it's possible you had freeze issues .. sometimes those are limited to plastic parts in the toilet .. sometimes a burst pipe or connection.

I live 5 minutes south of downtown Portland .. I have a 91 Class C and if you want to visit I will give you walk through of RV basics .. PM me.

[CA_Traveler]

For our leak we rented a carpet cleaner for a day and used it as a wet vacuum cleaner for the carpet. Then 3 days of fans.

[zonearc]

The prior owners knew nothing about the rig and just used it as a guest bedroom. I've decided to see if I can find a mobile RV mechanic to come out and help us through the first set of issues. I don't mind having an expert take a run through the rig and find anything else anyway.
If anyone knows a good resource in the Portland, Oregon area, let me know 😃

-Mike

[ksg5000]

I might take a while to dry out the RV ... I wouldn't spend the money on the humidifier ... electric heater and box fan should suffice.

Your rig should have a switch in the bathroom as well as the kitchen area which controls the water pump. RV water pumps are pressure sensitive and when there is a leak or you turn on the faucet they will start up ... if you have a big leak it will run constantly .. if you have a small leak it will occasionally turn on/off.

If you know anybody who has an RV ask them for help .. experienced RVer should locate the problem quickly. Might ask the prior owner.

[zonearc]

maillemaker wrote:
Also, are you *sure* you have a leak and not a drain valve that was not fully closed?

If you have a leak and you turn on your water pump it will not shut down, or it will keep coming on intermittently as the pressure in the system drops. Obviously you will have to disconnect from city water to find this out.


Steve

I haven't learned yet how to turn on the water pump. I'm not even sure if the water tank has water in it. The only thing I did was hookup a hose from my house, put a 40PSI water regulator on it, and connect it to the exterior connector on my RV that reads "City Water".

I'm still learning so much its overwhelming. I know I have water tanks on the thing and I assume you fill it through the "fresh water" connection, and that the pump should automatically work from that if it has water in it, but that's where I'm at.

[zonearc]

Ok, so here's what I did and what I found:

I left work for two hours.

Got home and checked the floor. It was only wet in the bathroom. The carpet was soaked in a couple areas.

I turned on the hose to the RV again and immedietly water came down outside in the back left corner. It comes down in two spots .. near the bathroom and at the very back by the bumper. The RV is at an incline in our driveway so I assume that makes sense since it would ride the frame back.

I went inside and felt the back of the toilet where the metal pipe goes down through the floorboard, and it was wet and had slight drops, but NOTHING to the point where it would create the steady stream of water going outside. So, although I have something I need to tighten down/seal there, the cause doesn't seem to be at that pipe.

I opened up the small panel on the outside of the RV by the toilet where the electrical hookup is, and noticed the floor was wet where the cords and hoses rest. However, the ceiling above it was dry. It goes back to the left (towards the front of the vehicle) so I assume that since its on an angle the water must be coming farther from the left and going down the incline. In that same compartment is the water hookup on the outside.

I stopped troubleshooting from there, turned off the water, and ran to Home Depot. I rented a dehumidifier for $40 for the next 24 hours and set it up in the bathroom in the RV. I then turned on the heater in the RV as well and closed all the doors to the outside. Then I drove back to work.

When I get home tonight, I hope it'll be dry.

My next step will be to troubleshoot, but I don't know RVs so I don't know what all I should look at.

My thoughts at the moment are:

- Check where the hose connects to the RV, and make sure the fittings on the opposite side are tight.
- Aim a flashlight in the electrical compartment on the outside and if I turn on the hose, see if water is gushing out from somewhere.

The thing is, I would think the issue would be from above (toilet) and not below because if it was below the wood and the carpet in the bathroom shouldn't be wet. Right?

Anything else I should look for in the toilet? Do the toilets have any water hookups inside the plastic, not just at the pipe in the back?

Thanks!

[maillemaker]

Also, are you *sure* you have a leak and not a drain valve that was not fully closed?

If you have a leak and you turn on your water pump it will not shut down, or it will keep coming on intermittently as the pressure in the system drops. Obviously you will have to disconnect from city water to find this out.


Steve

[maillemaker]

I think you would be just as well off putting a box fan blowing at the affected area and leaving the doors and windows open.

The question is, can you *feel* where it's wet, or did the water all go in places you can't blow air into?

Steve

[zonearc]

If I rent a dehumidifier from Home Depot, any clue how long it would take to dry out the water? They have one for rent for $40 a day.

[Bordercollie]

Sounds like a water line connection came apart and flooded the interior. Better get to it ASAP and dry everything out thoroughly before ply etc., starts delaminating.