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07-06-2017, 01:03 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Winterizing problem
Does anyone know if improper winterizing would cause the sink faucet, toilet pipe and showerhead nozzle to leak? While dewinterizing and filling with water, we noticed the leak on the faucet. There were rags around the sink from the RV place that we had do the winterizing so they knew the sink was leaking and didn't even tell us. They fixed the toilet leak, which we find out about on our first trip out, we replaced the faucet because we were already leaving for the trip. Just noticed the shower. Very irritated. Also we didn't get it winterized until November but everything was empty and dry and really no freezing weather yet. I'm wondering if when they blew the pipes out something wasn't open. The kitchen faucet is fine. Thanks for any information anyone has!
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07-06-2017, 01:58 PM
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#2
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,674
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Hi
If you have water in a fixture or pipe *and* it happens to freeze hard .... sure, whatever it is may crack. PEX tubing is unlikely to crack. Fittings and faucets do indeed crack on occasion.
Even a quick dip to freezing temps *can* hit a pipe. In general you need to have it get cold for many hours to freeze internal pipes.
Bob
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07-06-2017, 02:20 PM
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#3
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle_bob
Hi
If you have water in a fixture or pipe *and* it happens to freeze hard .... sure, whatever it is may crack. PEX tubing is unlikely to crack. Fittings and faucets do indeed crack on occasion.
Even a quick dip to freezing temps *can* hit a pipe. In general you need to have it get cold for many hours to freeze internal pipes.
Bob
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Thank you! I'm just trying to figure out if it froze before we got it winterized and if so why the RV dealer didn't tell us the sink was leaking. I'm thinking they blew it out improperly which caused the fittings to break.
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07-06-2017, 02:28 PM
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#4
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
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Your thought is possible but it would take a lot of overpressure for those fixtures to spring a leak. AS uses household stuff and that can easily handle more than 60 psi; I would have expected other leaks if that were the case. Exactly where are/were the leaks? Are there cracks in the fixtures? The frozen pipe idea sounds better. The weak spot in the toilet is the water flush valve on the side. It is sort of V shaped and traps water, then breaks when frozen. RV service guys replace a lot of these. If that was your toilet leak then freezing was probably the cause.
Larry
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07-06-2017, 02:33 PM
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#5
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,674
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Hi
It is not at all uncommon to find residential plumbing sitting at 120 pounds of pressure. Yes, that's way over what it should be. Based on my experiences with PEX, I'd bet it would separate sooner that you would see a random leak. A compressor used for blowing out lines is unlikely to deliver more than 40 pounds or so.
Bob
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07-06-2017, 02:39 PM
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#6
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3 Rivet Member
2016 28' International
2015 28' International
2013 28' International
Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 234
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Sorry to hear that you had to experience this! When these babies freeze, the toilet valve has a burst protection feature that will usually absorb all of the pressure and not rupture, but will not work thereafter. The Moen kitchen Faucet and shower valve will both crack the internal valve assembly making it seem that you can't turn the water off when pressurized, the shower will drip endlessly and may fill up your grey waste tank. Here is the repair kit for both kitchen faucet and shower:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00084R948...a-277855166132
Also the head of the water pump may leak after a hard freeze, so check that as well.
All this can happen even at 32 degrees, it doesn't take long either.
Good Luck!
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07-06-2017, 03:28 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2012 25' FB International
Trent Woods
, North Carolina
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 3,120
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Don't forget the housing for the inlet filter on the water pump; it cracks, too. Ask me how I know.
Larry
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07-06-2017, 03:31 PM
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#8
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3 Rivet Member
2016 28' International
2015 28' International
2013 28' International
Las Vegas
, Nevada
Join Date: Nov 2016
Posts: 234
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsbrodsky
Don't forget the housing for the inlet filter on the water pump; it cracks, too. Ask me how I know.
Larry
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Thanks! I forgot that one, and "How do you know!!"
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07-06-2017, 05:57 PM
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#9
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lsbrodsky
Your thought is possible but it would take a lot of overpressure for those fixtures to spring a leak. AS uses household stuff and that can easily handle more than 60 psi; I would have expected other leaks if that were the case. Exactly where are/were the leaks? Are there cracks in the fixtures? The frozen pipe idea sounds better. The weak spot in the toilet is the water flush valve on the side. It is sort of V shaped and traps water, then breaks when frozen. RV service guys replace a lot of these. If that was your toilet leak then freezing was probably the cause.
Larry
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Thanks for the reply! The bathroom faucet, the toilet and the shower head were leaking. Hopefully that's it. The water pump is working fine (as far as we know)x The dealer fixed the toilet leak, we put a new bathroom faucet in and I just found out about the shower head. That will be the next repair! I just wish the RV place that winterized it would've let us know about the bathroom faucet leak. There were rags around it so they new if had a leak before winterizing.
So I guess it must have froze...
Thanks!
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07-06-2017, 06:03 PM
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#10
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle_bob
Hi
It is not at all uncommon to find residential plumbing sitting at 120 pounds of pressure. Yes, that's way over what it should be. Based on my experiences with PEX, I'd bet it would separate sooner that you would see a random leak. A compressor used for blowing out lines is unlikely to deliver more than 40 pounds or so.
Bob
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Thanks! It must have froze then.. hopefully we don't find anymore leaks..
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07-06-2017, 06:07 PM
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#11
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vintagemotor
Sorry to hear that you had to experience this! When these babies freeze, the toilet valve has a burst protection feature that will usually absorb all of the pressure and not rupture, but will not work thereafter. The Moen kitchen Faucet and shower valve will both crack the internal valve assembly making it seem that you can't turn the water off when pressurized, the shower will drip endlessly and may fill up your grey waste tank. Here is the repair kit for both kitchen faucet and shower:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00084R948...a-277855166132
Also the head of the water pump may leak after a hard freeze, so check that as well.
All this can happen even at 32 degrees, it doesn't take long either.
Good Luck!
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Thank you so much! I was afraid we'd have to get a whole new showerhead! Luckily the kitchen faucet is okay. Do you know if there is a repair kit for the bathroom faucet? We already replaced it but I like the original faucet much better. It's a Grohe but internal Moen.
Thanks again!
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07-06-2017, 06:12 PM
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#12
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Half a Rivet Short
2017 30' Classic
2022 Interstate 24X
Carlisle
, Pennsylvania
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 15,674
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Hi
A few things to check if there was a freeze:
Back flow valve on the water pump ( = fresh water tank fills when on city water).
Fresh water input line and city water input line. (They leak ... don't ask how I know about this one ....)
Bob
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07-06-2017, 07:08 PM
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#13
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2 Rivet Member
2013 27' FB International
Casper
, Wyoming
Join Date: Jun 2014
Posts: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uncle_bob
Hi
A few things to check if there was a freeze:
Back flow valve on the water pump ( = fresh water tank fills when on city water).
Fresh water input line and city water input line. (They leak ... don't ask how I know about this one ....)
Bob
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Thank you! We'll be sure to check!
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