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Chuck · 04-19-2009, 04:53 PM

I have a leak somewhere between the city water inlet and the pressure regulator...which is in an absolutely inaccessible area. I'd have to completely remove the bathroom to get at it...which I don't have time to do before the next outing.
So I'm looking for temporary measures to get through until I can do just that. (standard-issue rear floor rot should be properly fixed; bathroom fixtures should be re-finished, etc...just no time for that, now).

It might be possible for me to get a hand on the leak. (no way to get 2 on it...let alone any tools). If that turns out to be the case, is it possible, or even likely, that wrapping it with epoxy putty might fix it? Or should I not even attempt?

the only other option is to cut and splice pipes, where I can reach them...which would by-pass the city inlet area, and I'd be able to use on-board water only. which is do-able.

Royce · 04-19-2009, 05:11 PM

Chuck,

I have used a product called "Copper Bond" to make repairs in tight spots and can attest to its quality. It was designed to replace solder in copper plumbing. If you can make a sleeve out of copper, coat the cleaned pipe and bond the sleeve over the problem it likely would be permanent. I have not used the epoxy putty you refer to but it should work also, I would make sure to scuff sand the copper clean in the repair area regardless of the method you pick.

Lumatic · 04-19-2009, 05:12 PM

I don't know for sure if you can or not, but can you get at it from the belly pan? Either by cutting a window in the belly pan or rolling back a section.

Chuck · 04-19-2009, 05:35 PM

nope. its above the floor...so, not accessible from underneath.

this is the bathroom, located in the very back of the trailer. the city inlet comes in under that shower seat. no way to reach the leak area, except by reaching through the lav cabinet. imagine kneeling on the floor, facing the shower pan/seat...might be able to get your left hand under there. (but probably not.

). a really stupid arrangement, imo, but that's what I got.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 06:45 AM

after sleeping on it, now I'm wondering if I ought to just take it all apart, and just fix it right. depends on just how difficult that is...anyone ever removed/reinstalled this particular bathroom?

aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 07:13 AM

Chuck,
In the next couple of weeks I'll be making the same repairs to our 73 safari. I recently followed the path of other forum members and bought a gray tank so I have to redo my plumbing. What I'm saying is I'll be taking my bath apart along with refinishing and all the good stuff that goes along with a bath rebuild . Maybe we can help each other out.
Aaron

HowieE · 04-20-2009, 07:14 AM

Can you reach either side of the leak along the pipe in question? If you can reach each end through different access points consider cutting out the pipe and replacing it with plactic pipe and Sea Tech fittings. Even if you have to remove the city connection as a means of feeding a preassembled section in and making the final connection under the sink.

DanB · 04-20-2009, 07:22 AM

This is exactly how I would approach it.

Get yourself a small pipe cutter, and feed though a piece of Pex or PVC (I prefer Pex).

$20 at Lowes and an hour, and your done.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 07:55 AM

yeah, I was thinking of that...but I don't think I can. can't reach in there, and there is so much stuff tee'd in where I can reach, the whole kit-n-k'boodle would have to be re-worked if I cut it out there. Here's a pic that I posted in another thread, looking into the vanity cabinet. The leak is somewhere to the east of the pressure regulator.
the only way I can even see what is there, and how its linked, is to stick a camera in there, blind, and take a bunch of shots, and look at the pictures.

what you can't see in the pic is that along the right-hand border, just out of the pic, is a wooden "leg" that supports the shower seat. so the right-edge of the regulator is out of reach.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaumpine

Chuck,
In the next couple of weeks I'll be making the same repairs to our 73 safari. I recently followed the path of other forum members and bought a gray tank so I have to redo my plumbing. What I'm saying is I'll be taking my bath apart along with refinishing and all the good stuff that goes along with a bath rebuild . Maybe we can help each other out.
Aaron

sure thing! I'd love to collaborate. what did you get for a tank?
although I may not be able to do much beyond cheer-leading for you. I've been wanting to do a gray tank for years...just never had the time. Now I've got the time, but my funding has been cut off.

go figure.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 08:02 AM

oh, yeah, one other thing: I was chatting with a home-depot guy, and he didn't recommend shark-bites for the soft copper tubing, as it often isn't perfectly round...may not seat right. suggested compression fittings, instead.
thoughts...comments?

aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 09:37 AM

I thought about building the tank myself but in the end I took the advice from others and bought a thirty gallon from ppl. The part # is H664. As of yet I don't have it installed. I'm trying to make a trip to Arkansas in June whether I'm done completely or not so I'm trying to wrap the front up in case I run out of time. I still need to do change my axles and tires before we go.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 10:03 AM

I was thinking of that one, too. It should fit just behind the axles...then you can run the drain line down the street-side, up against the belly pan...90 it over to the existing dump fitting, which can probably be extended down in some fashion. It'll hang a little low, but not nearly as much as how they make new trailers.

aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 12:21 PM

All my info came from Marcus. Utee94. He has pics too. Thanks again Marcus.
I'll try to be better at the pictures when I start my second phase. I plan on having both lines terminating together from the side like on more modern units.

Chuck · 04-20-2009, 01:12 PM

got a link? don't see a user photo gallery for him...

aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 01:43 PM

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aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 01:44 PM

It won't. Let me try something else.

aaumpine · 04-20-2009, 01:45 PM

Try this out.

Austin Aluminitus

Chuck · 04-22-2009, 07:20 AM

Ok, back to the pipes: it was a split in the copper...the length of pipe that comes straight up from outside. It was connected w/ a flare fitting. I hate flare fittings. notoriously difficult to remove. Last time I tried to get one out one-handed and blind, I just twisted the soft copper pipe up into a twisted mess, thinking it was unthreading.

.
I gave this one a shot, and got lucky. Then I removed the drop-ear elbow that forms the city inlet on the outside, and pulled it all straight down and out. (of course, I had to cut the screws that were holding the elbow in place with a dremel, as they were so rusted and rounded off.

. ).
next, I tried to un-thread the regulator. It was connected to the copper via a sweated 1/2" to 1/2"fip fitting. That joint wouldn't budge, but the torquing actually broke the next sweat joint down the line. that must've been a barely passable joint. didn't leak before, but it must not have been very strong. anyway, with that solder joint gone, I was able to wiggle the whole thing out. The only problem is that the stub that remains is too short (and also slightly bent) to get a push-fitting on, so I'm going to attempt to un-solder it and replace with a longer piece of copper. If that works, the rest should be cake. If not, I'll have to re-work the sink/shower faucet connections.
will post pics later.

Chuck · 04-22-2009, 06:13 PM

sharkbites ROCK!

Ok, the attempt at de-soldering that bent stub was somewhat successful...however, instead of just the stub coming off...the other end of the fitting came loose, too. just no way to heat only one joint on a tee, without heating them all, I guess. So I took the whole thing off. there appeared to be just enough of a stub left sticking out of the next tee over to the left, so I cleaned up the pipe ends as best I could, and tried to replace with a sharkbite tee. It seemed to hold...so I assembled the pex to threaded connectors with the check valve, and worked it into place. I thought maybe I wouldn't need an elbow, but these big fittings do take up alot of linear real-esate. by the time they're all linked, the corner to bend was too sharp. no problem...I picked up a 90, just in case.

outside, I had to drill a new hole to mount the drop-ear...that was a pain. But once I got it all put together, the only leak was in the threaded fittings with the check valve. (very slight "weep"). no problem to give them another half a turn, as the push-connector side can still spin free...and I can reach everything now. and even if I couldn't, it'll all pop out of there very easily.

the reason the original vertical section of pipe had a split:
well, the check valve that was in place in there, burried and inaccessible, hasn't worked since I've owned the trailer. As a temporary measure, I bought a replacement, and instead of installing it where its supposed to go, I just threaded it onto the drop-ear elbow at the inlet. that worked...but the flaw is that it holds water in that riser, and that water won't drain, until the check valve is removed. I did this as part of my winterizing routine for the last couple of seasons, but this past fall, I got sidetracked, and we had a very early cold-spell. mid-winter temps before thanksgiving. so...live and learn.