Wolf Creek 850 Water Leak!!!! Help

[anutami]

Well found my first issue since picking up my camper 2 weeks ago. I wanted to re-check the wiring under the bed step and noticed the bottom wood was discolored and looked saturated. I put my hand under fresh water tank and the insulation was saturated with water! I have yet to hook up to fresh water and only used the camper with the water pump. I have had the water pump on all day and it has not been cycling on and off. I looked at the top of the fresh water fill and there was moisture around the stainless band and tank. It appears the band is loose and while driving around the water sloshed out. I have only filled the tank 1 time and filled to the point of water overfilling the fill. Could the negative pressure have caused the problem on a stainless steel band?

My question is how do I get the moisture out of the basement of my camper?

My basement


Moisture under the fresh water tank


Water around the fill inlet


Removed and reinstalled fill


Thanks in advance
Nolan

[joeshmoe]

LoL...No. Haven't quite lost that lovin' feelin'. Not yet.

This is recent. Last month. It was tricky to figure out exactly where it was coming from because I couldn't see it to get to it. It wasn't outright dripping and only intermittent. Not every time I filled up, did it leak. Water would apparently stream down the hose to where it passed by the floor, then spread out from there.

The first time it flooded, I was clueless. Figured it was the sink drain because the slip joints were all but tight.

The second time, I traced it back, but couldn't see it. I was able to reach back and get a 1/4 turn on the hose clamp. Woo hoo!
That was it, I thought. Ran water through it. No leaks. Great. Or so I thought. This particular time was so bad, we had to postpone our trip til I got it completely dried out. It was a mess.

Third time was when I went to flush the tank. Thinking I fixed it by tightening the hose clamp previously, I just let the water run this time. After not even a couple minutes of flushing, there was a lake under the cabinet, AGAIN! Now I'm pi$$ed. I immediately yanked that fill box off.

The hose clamp wasn't even slid onto the hub and the hose was all bunched and pinched as you can see in the pic.

I have an idea to eliminate filling from the outside entirely by removing the existing hose from the tank and using an 1-1/4" rubber drain coupling and stubbing up a piece of PVC with a threaded cap to fill from inside the camper, under the step. That way, I can also pour in my 7 gal. reserve water jugs from inside as well. I don't know. Probably a dumb idea. But after three floods,
I hate that fill hose with a passion.

[anutami]

Aaron,

Did you just pull that out or last year when you got the camper? Is that where your leak was coming from?

I saw that Northwood is hiring again so hopefully they got rid of the guy or gal who installed your hose also looks like the love for your WC is gone again eh? Gonna go check mine.

[hedge]

wow that's rough. Now I want to go check mine.

[joeshmoe]

MORSNOW wrote:

I don't think any manufacturer is properly connecting the corrugated water fill hose.

Mmm... a nice slathering of pipe dope. No wonder there's a funny taste.



Pinched hose due to improper use of, well, everything. Wrong clamp, sloppy cut, wrong fitment.



Keep in mind, this is from the factory, from the day we picked it up. Not something that has developed over the past year.

Also, while I'm at it, note the close proximity of the unprotected wire bundle to the metal edge. And it is an edge. Just careless and unacceptable IMO. But who am I that I should question the greatness of "Absolute NW quality"?

[joeshmoe]

covered wagon wrote:
If you search 'wire reinforced corrugated hose' The correct connection is to use 3M 5200 inside the hose before it's slipped on and clamped. That is because the corrugated surface makes uneven pressure around the connection form the uneven surface. My Northern Lite, brand new, also did not do this correctly and I had a big leak from that.

I don't think any manufacturer is properly connecting the corrugated water fill hose.

Mine flooded out several times under the sink, back to the oven and down into the basement. Couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from. Turned out to be this improperly installed hose and a wrong, oversized hose clamp. Any PVC hose would be better than this garbage.

Also, I'm pretty sure Ray Charles worked on my camper.

[MORSNOW]

covered wagon wrote:
If you search 'wire reinforced corrugated hose' The correct connection is to use 3M 5200 inside the hose before it's slipped on and clamped. That is because the corrugated surface makes uneven pressure around the connection form the uneven surface. My Northern Lite, brand new, also did not do this correctly and I had a big leak from that.

I don't think any manufacturer is properly connecting the corrugated water fill hose.

Good to know, thanks. I'll be checking/repairing my connections this spring when I bring my camper out of winter hibernation just for preventative reasons.

[covered_wagon]

If you search 'wire reinforced corrugated hose' The correct connection is to use 3M 5200 inside the hose before it's slipped on and clamped. That is because the corrugated surface makes uneven pressure around the connection form the uneven surface. My Northern Lite, brand new, also did not do this correctly and I had a big leak from that.

I don't think any manufacturer is properly connecting the corrugated water fill hose.

[Don880]

I recently had a leak in my 2011 Wolf Creek with the same symptoms as the OP. It turned out to be a small plastic strainer on the water line from fresh water tank to the pump, right before the pump. About the size of a small paper cup this strainer body had cracked at a glue joint and water had run down the pick up line to top of tank, then flowed out from there. It took five years for this part to fail and I caught it quickly, so no damage and a quick dry out.

Incidentally, I've owned four truck campers and I love my Wolf Creek 850. If I ever bought another it would be same model/brand.

[MORSNOW]

I agree Jfet, the construction materials are a little different, but it's the same workers on the same line putting everything together. I'll be going through a few things this spring when I bring mine out of storage.

[Jfet]

billyray50 wrote:
Yes thats true but if you read up on them the wolf creek models are built different and lower price point.

I wonder about that. What do they do, tell the guy on the line "Hey, that is a WC model, not a AF, you only put caulk on half the seams"

Seriously, how does one have drastically different quality control using the same management, workers, and line?

[billyray50]

Yes thats true but if you read up on them the wolf creek models are built different and lower price point.

[n7bsn]

billyray50 wrote:
Due to many complaints I have read I would not consider Wolf creek 850. I would however consider Arctic Fox TCs. ....

Interesting statement, since they are made by exactly the same people, in the same plant and on the same line.

[anutami]

Damionsnwbrdr wrote:
Well it was best case scenario, it was only a loose fitting, go figure.

But while down there, I added an electric tank heater. Draws 10 amps (with on/off switch), or plugs in to 120 volt.

Time to head to the slopes!

Nice!!! Let me know if anything else comes up.

Nolan

[Damionsnwbrdr]

Well it was best case scenario, it was only a loose fitting, go figure.

But while down there, I added an electric tank heater. Draws 10 amps (with on/off switch), or plugs in to 120 volt.

Time to head to the slopes!