Water leak

[tex_wardfan]

I bought a new 2016 Sonic by venture 190vrb on feb the 29th. I have yet to take it out for its first voyage. I went over this morning where I have it stored and found water on the floor in front of the kitchen sink and also water in the drawers right below the sink. I felt up at the water connections to the faucet and the hot side connector was also wet which is apparently where the water came from. Why did this not leak when they had pressure hooked up to the system during the make ready and did not show any signs of a leak until today. Also why are the faucets working if the battery is not hooked up. Thanks if you have any idea what is going on here.

[dewey02]

tex wardfan wrote:
I got the leak fixed. It did not require any tools. I realized that the tube coming to the hot water side came in from the side and then 90 degree turn up to the faucet. What was happening was when I was tightening it before it was preloading the pipe to want to untighten the fitting. So what I did was loosened the fitting pushed the pipe a little against the direction that you tighten the fitting then tightened the fitting now when you let go of the pipe it is trying to tighten the fitting instead of loosen it. Its kind of hard to explain it but hopefully you can picture what I'm talking about. Any way the leak is fixed. We just got back from our second trip and it would usually start leaking after 12 hours this time it never leaked.

Glad you got the problem solved. And thanks for sharing that info. I wouldn't have thought about the other pipe exerting counterforce on the fitting and loosening it over time. Hopefully this info will help others. And please don't get too upset about some of the responses. I think most of the folks responding to you really were trying to help, it is just very hard to "hear" the intent or attitude when all we have is the written word. This really is a very helpful forum and I hope you will find it that way in the future.

Happy camping!

[tex_wardfan]

I got the leak fixed. It did not require any tools. I realized that the tube coming to the hot water side came in from the side and then 90 degree turn up to the faucet. What was happening was when I was tightening it before it was preloading the pipe to want to untighten the fitting. So what I did was loosened the fitting pushed the pipe a little against the direction that you tighten the fitting then tightened the fitting now when you let go of the pipe it is trying to tighten the fitting instead of loosen it. Its kind of hard to explain it but hopefully you can picture what I'm talking about. Any way the leak is fixed. We just got back from our second trip and it would usually start leaking after 12 hours this time it never leaked.

[shadows4]

tex wardfan wrote:
And I did exactly what my dealers service manager told me to do, hand tighten it. Sorry I shared my concerns on this site. It wont happen again.

So try some of the other suggestions you were given. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Those fittings are cheap. Don't be afraid to take a wrench to it to tighten it a little more than hand tight. If you screw it up, remove it and go buy a replacement.
And lighten up a little, lifes to short to sweat the small stuff. Happy camping, John

[Lynnmor]

tex wardfan wrote:
I don't know why you guys are trying to get me to quit rving before I even get started. I'm confident that I can handle it. I guess I just wont ask for anymore suggestions on how to fix anything here. I thought that was what this forum was all about.

I do feel bad that I made some sharp remarks. It was intended to get you to quickly realize that a new trailer and a warranty is no guarantee that you will not need to fix most small things yourself.

In the future, search for information here, and elsewhere, and if you cannot find what you need, please ask. Yes, you will get some wrong answers, smartazz answers and some good answers.

These RVs are thrown together by low payed help working too fast. The materials are cheap, lightweight and often defective. You need to look at that trailer as a heap of raw materials with further assembly required.

[tex_wardfan]

westend wrote:

tex wardfan wrote:
I don't know why you guys are trying to get me to quit rving before I even get started. I'm confident that I can handle it. I guess I just wont ask for anymore suggestions on how to fix anything here. I thought that was what this forum was all about.

You were advised on how to deal with it but you didn't do it that way. The leak reappeared and now you want to blame someone else.

If you have a mechanical background, why don't you do this: Disassemble the connection and inspect it. I think what you'll find is a high-impact plastic nut pressuring a sealing washer. The washer seals against the surface of the valve's threaded supply extrusions.

Here's an old plumber's trick for stubborn/leaking fittings: Coat the sealing surfaces with pipe dope compound. Rector Seal is a good product. I wouldn't be afraid to use a tool on the fitting. You don't have to get King Kong about it. Pretend you are tightening a valve cover fastener. The correct tightening torque will compress the washer so the nut is held in position.

Good luck.

I don't know where you get this blame stuff. And I did exactly what my dealers service manager told me to do, hand tighten it. Sorry I shared my concerns on this site. It wont happen again.

[westend]

tex wardfan wrote:
I don't know why you guys are trying to get me to quit rving before I even get started. I'm confident that I can handle it. I guess I just wont ask for anymore suggestions on how to fix anything here. I thought that was what this forum was all about.

You were advised on how to deal with it but you didn't do it that way. The leak reappeared and now you want to blame someone else.

If you have a mechanical background, why don't you do this: Disassemble the connection and inspect it. I think what you'll find is a high-impact plastic nut pressuring a sealing washer. The washer seals against the surface of the valve's threaded supply extrusions.

Here's an old plumber's trick for stubborn/leaking fittings: Coat the sealing surfaces with pipe dope compound. Rector Seal is a good product. I wouldn't be afraid to use a tool on the fitting. You don't have to get King Kong about it. Pretend you are tightening a valve cover fastener. The correct tightening torque will compress the washer so the nut is held in position.

Good luck.

[4x4van]

We're not trying to get you to quit. We're just trying to get you to relax, and in fact you DID get a number of suggestions on how to fix the leak. But you seem a bit upset over a relatively minor leak; a loose fitting. I love RVing, but I also realize that I am taking a 120VAC electrical system, a 12VDC electrical system, multiple lights, an LPG system, a refridgerator, a stove, an oven, a water heater, a furnace, a microwave, a TV, an A/C, a pressurized water system, an electrical inverter, an electrical converter, a gas generator, a toilet, a shower, 2 sinks, dual septic systems, beds, chairs, table, cabinets, closet...oh, did I mention the retractable outdoor awing, bicycle rack, and BBQ? And I am taking all of that and shaking and vibrating it down the highways, byways, city streets, and dirt roads for mile after mile... Small repairs are the name of the game. Embrace it and enjoy it!

[tex_wardfan]

I don't know why you guys are trying to get me to quit rving before I even get started. I'm confident that I can handle it. I guess I just wont ask for anymore suggestions on how to fix anything here. I thought that was what this forum was all about.

[4x4van]

I occasionally get a small leak at one of the PEX fittings, typically at a faucet. Vibration during driving can do that, and a couple times a year, I hear the telltale burp of the pump in the middle of the night. Although the PEX fittings should never be tightened more than hand tight, I "have" used a pair of pliers on one to give it just a bit of "extra" on one particularly troublesome fitting.

As for the pressure on the system without battery; did you release all the pressure when you shut everything down in February? If not, then the system may very well still be pressurized (although a leak would eventually release most of the pressure). Open a faucet and let it run to see if it stops.

And as Lynnmor says, if a simple plumbing fix is too much, an RV may be more than you can chew. At the very least, you must adopt a new way of thinking, completely different from your S&B house or a regular automobile. Imagine trying to take your house down the road. An RV has many many complex systems, all self contained, that must not only withstand camping in various locations/climes, but also must withstand constant tweaking, twisting, vibrations and bangs/bumps while traveling for miles and miles down often substandard roads. And most trailers have springs but no shocks, making that road abuse that much more intense on the unit. That translates into nearly constant maintenance and often repairs, much more often than a S&B house, and much more often than an automobile. Get used to it. Very seldom will you make a trip that NOTHING goes wrong.

[tex_wardfan]

Lynnmor wrote:
Hate to tell you this, but if you can't deal with a simple plumbing repair, an RV is something that you don't want.

Towing it back to a dealer, so that some 18 year old kid can mess with it, for each little issue will be a full time job.

I'm sure I will find a solution. I just don't want to make it worse. Its not a simple plumbing issue when its doing what its doing and you are dealing with very fragile parts. I worked on new cars in a dealership service department for 42 years so I know how to repair things. I have installed many faucets in my house but they are much easier to access and you can tighten them without worrying that they will break or even keep leaking. I've been waiting till I could retire so I could RV so this is definitely something I want to do.

[Flattop]

I think that's one reason I got out of RVing. I could fix the small leaks, stuff like that, but when the furnace would stop working, or the front jack didn't go down, or the water pump quit (twice), there was always something. We had a lot of fun at times, but there were a lot of times I would be to upset on vacation trying to figure out how to fix something.

P.S. Correct, I don't know how to change my signature line. I still have the 2000 F-250 with 96K on it now. No RV...sold that 7 years ago. Oh, the dogs dead too.

[Lynnmor]

Hate to tell you this, but if you can't deal with a simple plumbing repair, an RV is something that you don't want.

Towing it back to a dealer, so that some 18 year old kid can mess with it, for each little issue will be a full time job.

[tex_wardfan]

mgirardo wrote:
Remove the nut, put some thread tape (aka Teflon tape) on the threads and then put the nut back on. That should hold the nut in place.

-Michael

Thanks , Michael. That's a great tip.

[mgirardo]

Remove the nut, put some thread tape (aka Teflon tape) on the threads and then put the nut back on. That should hold the nut in place.

-Michael