Newbie

[jshughes]

And btw .....we camping people w/ o water or electric and I'm a woman that can survive in both being surrounded by a husband and two boys.....lol .... Do out trailer even though w/o h2o , it has ac and doesn't leak during the rain do good enough......laughs all the way.....

[mimiandrews]

We had the same problems with the fresh water plumbing in our Safari, and we elected to replace the copper plumbing with PEX in its entirety.

First, peer into all the nooks and crannies in the trailer and figure out where the old plumbing goes and what each line does. Good news is that it's all above the floor.

Get some paper and make a map of the system--cold, hot, tank, pump, all of it.

After you have your map fully worked out, take out the copper a piece at a time, as you can reach and cut it.

Recycle the copper. Be prepared to prove you didn't steal it. Helps pay for the new plumbing.

Rebuild the system using PEX.

I used crimp connectors and a tool that required room to actuate. That meant I had to build the system up in sections, lay those in place, and make the last connection where there was room for the tool to operate. The new tools that work in close quarters with vice-grips sound better to me.

There were places, particularly near the pump, where the PEX fittings required a lot more room than the original copper elbows. Re-engineering the system was simple. I just remembered what each section was supposed to do and built something that did the same.

PEX is the most simple and forgiving plumbing material I've ever used. The new system in the trailer is four years old now, and hasn't given us a bit of trouble.

Good luck.

[jshughes]

Thank you ..... This is what we did for temporary ....... Not ideal but gonna see if we can actually get running water, which we haven't be able to do .......crossing fingers:-)

1. Before
2. During
3. After.....

[jshughes]

Woooo hoooo just fixed a fused for ceiling lights and rear bath light !!!!!!!

[jshughes]

Didn't we could get excited about light working.....lol

[jshughes]

Well the fix didn't work , still no water ..... Water leaking out belly pan where toilet,sink .....in the rear..... IDK .....suggestions ..... No water to sink in galley no where, not even w/ water pump on and not w/ hose connected.....

[DKB_SATX]

That garden-hose fix may last a while. If your trailer's built-in pressure regulator isn't present or doesn't work, you might want an external one because that interface between copper and garden hose will be a leak risk with too much pressure, since the copper isn't flanged. It'll let you put off the PEX for a while.

EDIT: d'oh! You were posting while I was. So, your temporary garden-hose fix let you get farther into the system to find more leaks. This is why it's worth the effort to just go all-PEX.

Water coming out the belly pan under the bathroom that you don't see above the floor suggests leaks behind the plastic walls.

[jshughes]

DKB ..... Put a regulator on outside , but we still have no water anywhere....

[jshughes]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr ........frustrated is to say the least!!!!

[jshughes]

Lol DKB ..... Yes ......out of belly pan,and yes on reply .....it's being a PITA......

[DKB_SATX]

Wait, you get zero flow through faucets when you apply water pressure? Not even bubbly low-pressure stuff? And you say water leaks out the belly pan at the rear when you hook up "city water"?

Does it also leak in the same place when you run the pump to pull water from the freshwater tank?

Have you traced all the pipes to look for "low-point drain" valves? I'm guessing you don't have them, I don't in either Argosy, but someone might have added them after they had a freeze.

The original setup has a pressure-relief valve just inboard of the pressure regulator, if that's stuck open it would just dump city-water on the ground. I don't know what it would do with pump water, it would depend on how it's set up and where the checkvalve is located.

[jshughes]

Not to mention we are fighting rain every step of the way......lol

[jshughes]

Yes zero flow w/ pump and city hook up......we do have valves on curb of galley ..... Think they are stuck?

[jshughes]

These are valves underneath by galley curbside....



This is under fridge



And this under water heater street side

[jshughes]

Last pic is curbside under sink galley

[DKB_SATX]

Those are propane shutoff valves, there should be one for each gas appliance (range, furnace, water heater, refrigerator.)

See if you can get to a place where you can see the internal pressure regulator and pressure blow-off valves in the bathroom. If they're where they were originally installed, they should be at the streetside corner. In my 24' trailer, they're somewhat hidden, on the street side of the bathroom cabinet and aft of the closet. They may be in a similar location in your 26' trailer.

[jshughes]

Good to know DKB ..... We have quit for the evening.....

[jshughes]

But question is why don't we still have running water anywhere..... We must just be plain ignorant is all I can say......

[Argonaut20]

You have closed the two red top valves? They are drain valves for hot and cold water lines. I take it the water pump is actually pumping water, not air locked. Take the PEX pipe loose that goes to the pump and see if there is water coming from the pump. The motor might run and the pump not work. Or take the garden hose connector loose at the pump and check there. What's a little water on the floor? The flood at the rear does sound like the pressure relief valve is wide open. If the pump actually works, start replacing the plumbing going front to back. Start at the pump and work back. You will find the problem. Some PEX fittings will fit onto copper which will let you keep copper that doesn't leak. Find the check valve that is near the hose connection/pressure relief/pressure regulator area and replace it or take that assembly apart and put a valve there to cut off the outside supply lines. These are usually fittings that you can unscrew to break the line so the pressure relief, pressure regulator, etc can be replaced without soldering. If all else fails, cut the line that leads in from the outside and block the line off until all you have is the water pump to supply water. You are going to replace the line anyhow so this is no big deal. You need to simplify this problem: one source for water - the pump; replace lines until you find the problem area.

[Splitrock]

I had to remove everything from the city hose inlet to the regulator, including the back-flow preventer, the pop off valve, and the regulator. There was a sizable debris clog at the back flow preventer. No water at all got past that clog. That doesn't really explain why you don't get 12 volt pump water. Maybe your trailer is like mine in that almost nothing worked when we got it. I spent a lot of time fixing stuff that I eventually ripped out and replaced. When I first got the trailer I was in denial of the size and scope of the project I had just bought. I eventually met up with reality and replaced almost everything.