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Old 05-09-2016, 01:35 PM   #1
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2016 28' Flying Cloud
San Antonio , Florida
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Mysterious Water Leak on 2016 FC 28'

Has this happened to you? Here is the situation: Brand new 2016 FC 28' Rear Queen with dual A/C ducted units; our first weekend camping with her. We were hooked up to city water at the campground and both A/C zones were set to Automatic 68* (heat pump as it was chilly in the morning). We have a small throw rug in front of the kitchen sink galley, and each morning when we awoke the rug was very noticeably wet. The first morning, we just assumed that either the kids spilled a bottle of water, or it got wet from doing the nights dishes. So I let the rug dry out all day and placed it back in the same spot the second night. I checked the rug before I went to sleep that second night and it was definitely dry. The next morning it was wet again in the same exact spot. I check under the sink, under the counters, from the above A/C and everywhere I could think of and could not see where water originated from. It smelled like fresh water - no odor! It's still a mystery to me.
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Old 05-09-2016, 01:44 PM   #2
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Did it rain over the evenings?

Was the rug wet from the center out to the edges or equally wet?

Was the rug away from the edges of the kitchen cabinet or pushed up against the cabinet?

What is immediately above the rug on the ceiling. Is there an AC vent?

If you turn off city water and depressurize then turn on the water pump to pressurize until it stops. Wait and does the pump come on intermittently for a second or two to build back pressure without any faucets being opened?

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Old 05-09-2016, 02:25 PM   #3
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Pull the panel off underneath of the refrigerator. It is held on with two door latches, no hinges if it is like my '13 28 International. Behind the panel is the water pump and strainer. It is an easy spot to check for loose fittings.
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Old 05-09-2016, 02:27 PM   #4
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Also, are you on city water or using the water pump? If you are leaving the pump on at night, are you hearing it cycle? This would indicate a leak in the fresh water system.
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Old 05-09-2016, 02:46 PM   #5
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Are you running the water heater? There are threads about "random" leaks that have to do with the bubble in the water heater dissipating over time. We experienced leaks in various places until we added an accumulator tank, problem fixed. FWIW the most common leak area was the lines go the galley sink.

http://www.amazon.com/SHURflo-182-20.../dp/B000N9VF6Q

Add it anywhere on a cold water line, it will handle pressure changes in the system that can cause random leaks. Search the forums here if you want more details.
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Old 05-09-2016, 02:54 PM   #6
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The common sources of water leaks inside is rain outside coming in through an unwanted hole, a leak in the plumbing system, or condensation when it's cool outside and warm, moist air inside condensing on windows and/or skylights and dripping down.

Try to decide which one is most likely. Was it raining. Was there enough open vents and windows to ventilate the number of people/pets breathing, showering, cooking, doing dishes. Was the water heater left on the nights that it leaked. I think its wise to turn the water heater off overnight.

The water heater will heat the water very hot, cause thermal expansion of the water in the lines, and possibly leak through any poor or loose connections. This thermal expansion is supposed to be absorbed by a bubble of air in the top of the water heater, but sometimes the bubble is lost of inadequate. The temperature/pressure relief valve on the water tank is supposed to bleed off excess pressure, but if there is a weak connection in the plumbing it may not. See it that valve is leaking any water, it should not and if it is the air bubble is probably gone and needs to be restored.

I think Kevin touched this, but a good way to see if the water system is tight is to disconnect from external water, turn on the water pump until it pressurizes the system, then turn the water pump off. (You will need some water in the fish water tank and on one using the plumbing at all.) Go back hours later and turn the water pump on again, if it runs and pressurizes again, you have a plumbing leak or faulty valve in the water pump that caused it to lose pressure.

These are some simple checks to start.
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Old 05-09-2016, 03:19 PM   #7
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I read on this forum that the heat pump sweats on the roof & water drips off but not down the wheel well tube like the AC but just off the roof. I got the feeling yours is somehow dripping into the ducted ceiling vent. Look up, is there a vent above that carpet.
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Old 05-10-2016, 10:50 AM   #8
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Water leak

I have a 2015 FC 28. I had leak in same place. Check connection fittings on galley sink trap underneath. Both of mine were loose, almost falling off. You cannot access water pump on my unit as it is along outside wall behind refrig. Only way to access to check for a leak is to remove refrig or remove entire electrical panel as it is directly under refrig. You might also check water connections to outside shower. One of mine was loose and leaking.
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Old 05-10-2016, 11:26 AM   #9
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Sorry for your leak--frustrating!

In addition to what the others have suggested, if none leads to a discovery, you can try this--it worked for us (2009 28' International.)

Remove everything under the sink. Remove kitch cabinet drawers. Remove panel under reefer (just snaps off and in with cabinet latches.) also look with flashlight last cabinet (legs) under oven. If you see water there, you'll need to remove the panel in the back of the shallow cabinet under the oven (just a few screws) unless someone has very skinny arms.

First, look for any plastic "nuts" and manually tighten them with your fingers. On our coach, they are white against the black plumbing. On our second trip, we found a pair of these loose and that solved our galley leak very quickly!

Next, visually inspect for any water on the floor, then follow up to plumbing above.

Finally, use your fingertips to trace the floor and each plumbing like to feel for moisture, particularly at and juncture.

Most likely place is the galley sink, BUT we recently found a leak source as the fastening but at the back of the intake valve fir the black tank flush (behind the cabinet drawers at floor level.)

Good luck, and lease let us know what you find!

And of your coach is new, let the dealer find it under warranty if you're near one!
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Old 05-10-2016, 11:49 AM   #10
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FC23FB - we have what sounds to be a similar leak, only ours is not predictable. Three events so far. Water on floor in front and to right of sink. Water on shelf below and to right of sink. Tech suggested water filter fittings as the jumper is supposed to be less reliable and we never installed the filter. They checked yesterday and found no leaks. We think it may be a high pressure event. Bumped the fresh water pump the night before. Hard to believe the pump is higher pressure than city water, which has been in operation when we see the leak. Quantity is small, maybe a cup. We are still looking. Pat

We had a similar leak in the bathroom. Believed it to be condensation. After a plumbing damage event, a broken fitting was found and repaired. No more bathroom events. We think these fittings may crack and only leak at a specific pressure. We also believe in magic, moon phases, and Airstreams. Nancy

Liquid is clear and does not smell, so we are in the clear. But if we get to finally go on the Spring trip in Glimmer, we'll take the blame. The Girls

Good luck on finding your leak. Bimmer and Glimmer
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Old 05-10-2016, 11:55 AM   #11
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Last year I bought a new 25' FC, FB and plumbing under the sink leaked. Took three visits to CanAm to get it fixed.
Later, I traded it in on a 30' FC and during PDI, found leakage under the sink.
Since I put into Winter storage there, I should find out in two weeks if they fixed it or not, when I pick it up.
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Old 05-10-2016, 12:01 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MelGoddard View Post
Last year I bought a new 25' FC, FB and plumbing under the sink leaked. Took three visits to CanAm to get it fixed.
Later, I traded it in on a 30' FC and during PDI, found leakage under the sink.
Since I put into Winter storage there, I should find out in two weeks if they fixed it or not, when I pick it up.
Mel, what did CanAm do to fix it? Is or was it a fitting problem? Pat
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Old 05-10-2016, 12:22 PM   #13
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This would not be my problem. 2016 under warranty-goes back to dealer to figure out the problem.
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Old 05-10-2016, 12:32 PM   #14
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mine leaked in the same spot and it was the connections to the water filter under the sink
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Old 05-10-2016, 02:09 PM   #15
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FC23FB - 2015 Good news - our leak was related to a fitting on the vacuum break unit that is mounted on the outside wall under the sink. We have not seen a report of this being a potential leak area. However, we thought it might be related because that component does not see water all the time.

Hope you find your leak. Good Luck! Travel Safe. Pat
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Old 05-10-2016, 02:18 PM   #16
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I also had a leak in that spot on my 27' fb and it was the in line water filter, I had it replaced twice and all the pex fittings changed under warranty and it still leaked. I took the filter out and put the hard line that came with the unit back in and switched to an external filter. Problem solved. Hope you find your issue!

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Old 05-10-2016, 02:38 PM   #17
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If it happens again pull the filters out of the AC and see if they have wet spots. I had a similar problem and my AC was condensing on the inside of the housing which would drip down through the filters onto the floor.


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Old 05-10-2016, 08:04 PM   #18
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We just spent a couple of days at Jackson Center to fix a problem that seemed to start a couple of years after we purchased our 2011 FC. That is, heat pump condensation leaking into the coach. It seemed to happen only during certain conditions. Airstream was aware of the issue and the repairs (so far) seem to be doing the trick.

By the way, we found the our first factory service stop to be a great experience.
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Old 05-10-2016, 08:37 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jack46 View Post
We just spent a couple of days at Jackson Center to fix a problem that seemed to start a couple of years after we purchased our 2011 FC. That is, heat pump condensation leaking into the coach. It seemed to happen only during certain conditions. Airstream was aware of the issue and the repairs (so far) seem to be doing the

We had the same issue with our 2014. That's why I suggested they check their filters.


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Old 05-11-2016, 12:29 AM   #20
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We had a similar problem that showed up under our dinette, which is in the same location in our 30' FC as your galley. For us the issue was a faulty city water assembly. This is behind our bathroom sink, and when the system was pressurized by city water or the pump, water dripped down the interior wall onto the wheel well, and then to the floor. The first dealer (LA Airstream) who looked at it simply tried to tighten the connections, and told me it was fixed. I made the mistake of believing them and didn't keep an eye on it. Anyway, Airstream NW in Portland replaced the assembly and repaired the minor floor damage.

Good luck!
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