2006 Safari Plumbing leaking under floor?

[jacarape]

Hi Folks,

I think I shook my plumbing loose on wash board roads. I noticed dripping from a hole for the gas line last year, at the time I thought it was from rain. Now after continuing full time living here, it is really dripping.

I've started to use the bathroom sink.

Ok, I tightened all of the PVC drain pipes that had very slight leaks, but I still get the leak.

I can't see behind and under the sink area, any advice?

Is this something I can fix or would I be better off having it repaired (being full time, an in-and-out repair would be nice.

Thank you for any replies-michael

[Silvertwinkie]

If it is under the floor coming out of the belly pan, then unfort, you will have to drop some of the belly pan to see. You might have a cracked tank, cracked PVC fitting, etc under there. Not that it can't happen but PVC is typically sealed together with chemicals that fuse the two parts together outside of the "P" traps. If there are no leaks visible and you've taken a peek behind the sink shelves (Safaris tend to have open back ends from the inside shelving), then I really think your next step is the belly pan if that is where you area seeing water dripping out. Also the Safari line has small doors that don't have handles. For example, the Six Sleeper (Safari model C) under the pantry and curbside closet have small trap doors where you can poke your head in and see down into the belly pan slightly.

[ddog2008]

I have a 2005 international with a plumbing leak. I've been told that the Skin on the bottom is called the belly pan. I've also been told you don't want to remove it! How do you remove and then replace the belly pan if you have to?

[2dabeach]

jacarape....You should be able to collect some of the water in a cup and smell it to determine if it is fresh water, gray water, or black water. If its gray or black you have to check all of the ABS piping and the tanks. If it’s fresh water you then have to determine if it’s from the storage tank or the pressurized part of the system. I would then shut down the campground water supply to the trailer and put your electric pump on to pressurize the system. If the pump shuts down when it reaches pressure and then restarts when you are not calling for water, it will indicate that you probably have a leak in the pressurized piping and you will have to crawl around and find it. If the pump does not run when the system is not in use, your pressurized part of the system after the water pump should be good. If you determine that the pressurized system is good you should switch back from pump supply to campground supply and see if the leak reappears. If it does leak, it should be in the water supply piping from the city water fill to its connection into the trailer pressurized system. There should also be a water pressure regulator in that area that should be checked for leaks. We had water coming from our belly pan whenever we used the No Fuss Flush system that sprays water into the black water tank, and found that we had a problem with the check valve mounted just behind the hose inlet fitting that was leaking water into the belly pan. Good luck.

[ddog2008]

I am 99% sure it is fresh water and is related to the city water hook up. It only seems to happen when I have city water hooked up. So, how does one go about finding the leak? I've been told the belly rap shouldn't be removed. So how does one get to the plumbing?

[2dabeach]

Originally Posted by ddog2008

I am 99% sure it is fresh water and is related to the city water hook up. It only seems to happen when I have city water hooked up. So, how does one go about finding the leak? I've been told the belly rap shouldn't be removed. So how does one get to the plumbing?

ddog2008....I have a 25' FB and there is an access panel in the back of my wardrobe closet that is removable and I can get access to the area the city water fill fitting goes through the side of the trailer. All of the city water fill connections into the pressurized system piping on the pressurized side of the water pump on my trailer are above the floor level of the trailer. I can get access to that area via the panel that gives me access to my water pump under the refrigerator and the panel under the wardrobe. It’s a tight fit and you will need a good flashlight and a mirror to check around the fittings. There are holes in the floor in that area that allow piping to run under the trailer to serve the sinks on the other side of the trailer and they allow the water leaking from the fittings in that area to flow into the belly pan.

[Johnco]

I recently repalced the city water inlet hook-up as I discovered it was leaking inside the wall. I had access to the inlet from the inside under my bathroom sink and I could feel the insulation around the inlet was soaked. I'm told that these fail quite often. It's a fairly straight forward swap out.
The other area where I was having a problem (that went undetected and rotted my floor out) was a leak from the fresh water tank inlet hose. The water would slosh out the connector to the tank, down the side against the wall and seep below the flooring undetected. After traveling or filling up your fresh water feel around the inlet hose at the tank fitting for moisture.
Best of luck in solving your seeping!

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by ddog2008

I have a 2005 international with a plumbing leak...

hi ddog'

the info EARLY in this thread to drop the belly pan is confusing and may be misleading for most water issues.

since MOST of the actual pipes/plumbing/joints are ABOVE the flooring along the wall/floor edge...

so leaks in the pex pipes or fittings or check valves or fixtures or water pump or tank/vent tube connections or traps/sink drains...

will START above the floor even though the water is seen OUTSIDE/under the unit.

there are a FEW places where leaks may originate below the floor like dump pipe fittings\valves and tank cracks, but NOT many.

for ALL the above floor leaks one needs an understanding of the plumbing layout and the 'usual suspects' for leaks.

most of the plumbing can be accessed by removing specific interior trim or doors.

for the FEW things that really do start UNDER the subfloor, sections of belly wrap OR tank covers will need removal.

MOST of the under side joints can be accessed from the tank covers/shields without pulling belly skin.

BUT the tank covers actually SUPPORT the holding tanks so it takes care/skill to drop the tank covers.
____________

unless you can clearly isolate the exact source of the leaking water and have experience with this process,

the BEST option might be to take her to an experienced a/s service site (like out of doors mart)

and do this before MUCH of the subfloor wood is repeatedly exposed to water.

cheers
2air'

[knunut]

Found water under rear sink area. And out into storeage area.Would hear water pump cycle @ night.
Found the hand rinse hose in sink loose. Loose at handle,water would run down hose. Tightened but still works itself loose frequently!
Hope to re-do with higher quality fixtures.
Maybe worth a check.