Lesson Learned!!

[rhagfo]

Well not long ago there was a post on here about turning off the water when leaving the trailer for any period of time more than hour or so. I responded that we don't as treat much like our Sticks & Bricks. Well that that all changed this last Sunday! We were out of the 5er in town doing some work on our daughters town house, we had left the dogs in the trailer, and at some point one got up on the counter and caught the kitchen sink faucet and turned on the water! Well tank filled, sink filled and then spilled on to carpet and so on!
We are a bit lucky it was clean water, and currently it is hot and dry! Rug Doctor to get 99% of water out of rugs, dehumidifier running full time inside sucking moisture of of the air, underbelly opened up the coreplast I had installed and have a carpet blower running 24/7 into that space (carpet blower is blocked up upside down so the nozzle is directly in line with the opening in the corplast to dry out the under floor insulation.

Lesson Learned will be turning off the water any time we leave the trailer!!!!!

Damage so far noted; The edge to the particleboard counter top has expanded and will need to be replaced, the boards that form the frame for the plywood panels on the backside of the sink peninsula are shot and will need to be replaced. That seems to be worse than particleboard, more like sawdust board wrapped in a wood grain paper, some nice fall projects!

[BobsYourUncle]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I have an ugly habit of driving away and forgetting to turn stuff off....
Few years ago, emptied tanks, filled fresh, hooked up and drove a couple hundred miles. Stopped for fuel and hmmmm why is my pump running steady?
I go in for a peek and a bottle of shampoo fell off the shower corner shelf thing and scored a bullseye on the hot water tap and turned it on.
Luckily the grey tank was about the same size as the fresh. Emptied the fresh, filled the grey with a little sloshing in the tub.
No harm done but sure got my attention!
I try to remember to turn the thing off but frequently forget, even after the close call. And I try to remember to secure things that will fall too but always seem to miss something, like a pound of butter a few years back.... (I wonder if any of you still remember that story!)
Guess I need to join the note on the steering wheel club!

I remember the butter story Butter Bob. It fell into the heat duct.

LOL! I'll never forget that one! I figured somebody would remember it. 🙂

Oh I remember it........
Every time I make buttered popcorn I think of you running your furnace :B:B

And every time I wind up the furnace I get this strange urge for some popcorn!
:B :B

[Old-Biscuit]

BobsYourUncle wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I have an ugly habit of driving away and forgetting to turn stuff off....
Few years ago, emptied tanks, filled fresh, hooked up and drove a couple hundred miles. Stopped for fuel and hmmmm why is my pump running steady?
I go in for a peek and a bottle of shampoo fell off the shower corner shelf thing and scored a bullseye on the hot water tap and turned it on.
Luckily the grey tank was about the same size as the fresh. Emptied the fresh, filled the grey with a little sloshing in the tub.
No harm done but sure got my attention!
I try to remember to turn the thing off but frequently forget, even after the close call. And I try to remember to secure things that will fall too but always seem to miss something, like a pound of butter a few years back.... (I wonder if any of you still remember that story!)
Guess I need to join the note on the steering wheel club!

I remember the butter story Butter Bob. It fell into the heat duct.

LOL! I'll never forget that one! I figured somebody would remember it. 🙂

Oh I remember it........
Every time I make buttered popcorn I think of you running your furnace :B:B

[jnharley]

We are also pump and fresh water tank users. We turn off the water pump and the water heater every time we leave our campsite. And we have about 15 leak detectors in strategic places where leaks can occur. No, we never had an incident except a minor leak under the bathroom sink and the leak detector let us know. We cannot sleep through that noise. We have seen too many RVs with water gushing out to risk that for our RV.

[BobsYourUncle]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I have an ugly habit of driving away and forgetting to turn stuff off....
Few years ago, emptied tanks, filled fresh, hooked up and drove a couple hundred miles. Stopped for fuel and hmmmm why is my pump running steady?
I go in for a peek and a bottle of shampoo fell off the shower corner shelf thing and scored a bullseye on the hot water tap and turned it on.
Luckily the grey tank was about the same size as the fresh. Emptied the fresh, filled the grey with a little sloshing in the tub.
No harm done but sure got my attention!
I try to remember to turn the thing off but frequently forget, even after the close call. And I try to remember to secure things that will fall too but always seem to miss something, like a pound of butter a few years back.... (I wonder if any of you still remember that story!)
Guess I need to join the note on the steering wheel club!

I remember the butter story Butter Bob. It fell into the heat duct.

LOL! I'll never forget that one! I figured somebody would remember it. 🙂

[CavemanCharlie]

2oldman wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I guess we do different types of camping. Fifty Five gallons of water would last me for over 2 weekends

We do. 5 gallons would barely last me a day, what with coffee, dishwashing and showers. I guess I'm not really camping, I'm just living in my RV.

My TT has a 35 gallon tank that will usually last me a weekend. But, that is just me and no one else. I usually only take one quick Navy Shower in a weekend. (If I take any at all, it depends on the weather and what I have been doing). If I need more I use the shower at the park. For dishes I use a lot of paper plates and burn them in the camp fire. For other dishes I haul them back home with me and run them through my home dishwasher. I don't drink coffee.

I'm not really camping either. I just have trailer with a bed in it and a few other luxuries. More of a rolling cabin then a house.

[CavemanCharlie]

BobsYourUncle wrote:
I have an ugly habit of driving away and forgetting to turn stuff off....
Few years ago, emptied tanks, filled fresh, hooked up and drove a couple hundred miles. Stopped for fuel and hmmmm why is my pump running steady?
I go in for a peek and a bottle of shampoo fell off the shower corner shelf thing and scored a bullseye on the hot water tap and turned it on.
Luckily the grey tank was about the same size as the fresh. Emptied the fresh, filled the grey with a little sloshing in the tub.
No harm done but sure got my attention!
I try to remember to turn the thing off but frequently forget, even after the close call. And I try to remember to secure things that will fall too but always seem to miss something, like a pound of butter a few years back.... (I wonder if any of you still remember that story!)
Guess I need to join the note on the steering wheel club!

I remember the butter story Butter Bob. It fell into the heat duct.

[rhagfo]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:

ScottG wrote:
I know there are all kinds of one in a million things that can happen.
Still wont stop me form leaving the water and power on. Can't live life worried about those kinds of odds.

Yeah, I'll have to admit I feel the same way.

Yeah.same here for 30+ years of camping until I woke up to a swimming pool........in MY HOME. (10 months into our FT gig)

Never thought about it, worried about it or loss sleep over it.

I'm stubborn but do learn.
Water pump puts out 55 psi...constant, no regulator needed and On/Off switch is right there.

Still don't worry about it, loose sleep over it...........just flip the switch. Just a routine that takes 5 seconds and off we go....carefree and NO SURPRISES when we get back



And as to the comment about cheap rv plumbing.
Guess what.....same PEX, Crimps, size being used in millions of new housing construction for YEARS....SAME (why do you think Home Depot, Lowes, Plumbing Supply houses etc carry it ...for RVs ???)

Well Old Biscuit we are just at two months into our full time life.
I will say it was NOT a fun thing to walk into!!!

[2oldman]

CavemanCharlie wrote:
I guess we do different types of camping. Fifty Five gallons of water would last me for over 2 weekends

We do. 5 gallons would barely last me a day, what with coffee, dishwashing and showers. I guess I'm not really camping, I'm just living in my RV.

[CavemanCharlie]

2oldman wrote:

CavemanCharlie wrote:
if it going to be a long weekend I bring a extra 5 gallons in the back of my pickup.

I bring an extra 55 gallons.

:B I guess we do different types of camping. Fifty Five gallons of water would last me for over 2 weekends or 4-5 days of camping easy. And, that is what you bring extra. lol

To each their own.

[2gypsies1]

Once our next door neighbor left for a day of siteseeing. Late in the day we noticed water running underneath their RV. We went over & turned off their outside water. When they retuned home after dark we met them in the driveway and explained the water issue. They went inside and found the floors saturated but couldn't see a source immediately. They asked us to turn the water back on outside. When we did they found the kitchen faucet running. They had two cats and suspected that they were the culprits of turning the faucet on. The grey water tank had filled and backed up into the shower overflowing to the floor.

[nickdarr]

We use city water, but off ever time we leave. We have water alarms under the sinks that go off if at all wet. These work. We had a leak in our sink drain and set it off with the tiniest bit of water. Definately enough to wake me up at night. We were in a campground and a new fiver was flowing like a river. I shut off the water and DW went to tell campground staff. Poor sightseeing campers showed up about dark to find the mess. Even more vigilant now. Both kids even ask if the water is off after seeing that.

[rhagfo]

Well so far real damage seems to be only to the Kitchen sink peninsula counter top and back side frame for the plywood panels. The panels seem fine, but the sawdust frame work boards are shot. Looks like DW will get a small kitchen remodel!
I will replace the frame work with real wood likely some nice oak. Counter top underlayment I will use 3/4" plywood and DW will get the flip up counter extension on the side of the sink. One other thing DW had asked for and will be included will be some type of glass or plexiglass back-splash to block the dogs access to the counter.

I am looking at better insulating the pump mounting so it will run quieter, I do like using the pump as in many locations we have better water pressure with the pump.

[Old-Biscuit]

fj12ryder wrote:

ScottG wrote:
I know there are all kinds of one in a million things that can happen.
Still wont stop me form leaving the water and power on. Can't live life worried about those kinds of odds.

Yeah, I'll have to admit I feel the same way.

Yeah.same here for 30+ years of camping until I woke up to a swimming pool........in MY HOME. (10 months into our FT gig)

Never thought about it, worried about it or loss sleep over it.

I'm stubborn but do learn.
Water pump puts out 55 psi...constant, no regulator needed and On/Off switch is right there.

Still don't worry about it, loose sleep over it...........just flip the switch. Just a routine that takes 5 seconds and off we go....carefree and NO SURPRISES when we get back



And as to the comment about cheap rv plumbing.
Guess what.....same PEX, Crimps, size being used in millions of new housing construction for YEARS....SAME (why do you think Home Depot, Lowes, Plumbing Supply houses etc carry it ...for RVs ???)

[rhagfo]

Pauljdav wrote:
Someone at a rv oark in Mcminville about 2 eeeks ago looked like they did that. Olde stone rv park i think it was.

We have stayed there several times, may be our go to park for months we take off from hosting. Right in the center of the Willamette Valley wine country! :B