Massive Mystery Leak

[JohnWesely]

Yesterday, I purchased a 79 Tradewind that appears to be in excellent condition, all working appliances, interior in excellent shape, no dents, etc. However, After putting about 10 gallons in the the water tank for the first time, I experienced a massive hemorrhaging from the bumper to the rear axle on the curbside of the trailer. The water was pretty much gushing out of every seam in the belly pan in that area of the trailer. No leaks are visible anywhere above the sub floor, but there is definitely standing water now below the hot water heater and possibly the shower. There is no standing water beneath the subfloor in the space accessible from the bathroom sink cabinet. Any ideas as to what my next step should be? Could it be a problem with the valves, to my best knowledge the trailer was previously winterized.

Thank you so much!

[CBWELL]

Sounds much like a cracked water tank or the drain plug has been removed and is draining into the belly pan. Were you running the water pump when this leak occured?
If the pump was running I would suspect a broken line or fitting.

[JohnWesely]

I was running the pump. The fresh water tank was not near, and is lower than where the water was leaking from. Can I eliminate cracked water tank from my diagnoses?

[Monza]

Investigate every where you can see plumbing with a flashlight from inside the the trailer, looking for cracked pipes, open values, loose joints, etc. If that is unsuscssesful try from the outside. If you still can't see the problem I think you'll need to remove banana wraps maybe the belly pan in the area where the water is coming out.

Having the water leaking during this process might help? Good luck with it.

Looking inside the belly pan at the frame and seeing the condition under there may be a added bonus to this problem... thinking positive.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If Bob The Carless did the last winterize, there could have been water almost anywhere in the system. Low points are the place to start, but bends and angles are also possible.

Bob (The guy who saves money on antifreeze ...)

[ventport]

Is the water heater drain and pressure release valve closed? Access from the water heater door on the outside of the trailer.

[TG Twinkie]

Did you buy the one in Morrill, NE? Where in Wyoming do you live?

[John Woodrow]

It's likely that when last winterized a drian valve was left open.

[JohnWesely]

Got to the bottom of the issue. I removed the box hanging off the belly pan under the water heater that houses the trap for the kitchen sink drain. The box was filled with water, and after removing it, I was able to remove some wet insulation. After doing so, I filled the freshwater tank with no leaks. Afterwards, I bypassed the water heater and turned the pump back on, and found a massive leak in the cold water line underneath the shower. Currently, I have a plug in the bathroom cold water line, and have full functionality of the kitchen sink. I am currently in the process of removing the cold water manifold from the bathroom. After doing so, I will replace it with one made from PEX tubing. Thanks for the advice.

[NevadaGeo]

Originally Posted by JohnWesely

Got to the bottom of the issue. I removed the box hanging off the belly pan under the water heater that houses the trap for the kitchen sink drain. The box was filled with water, and after removing it, I was able to remove some wet insulation. After doing so, I filled the freshwater tank with no leaks. Afterwards, I bypassed the water heater and turned the pump back on, and found a massive leak in the cold water line underneath the shower. Currently, I have a plug in the bathroom cold water line, and have full functionality of the kitchen sink. I am currently in the process of removing the cold water manifold from the bathroom. After doing so, I will replace it with one made from PEX tubing. Thanks for the advice.

Wonderful! Who needs cold water in the bathroom anyway.
I had a leak that showed up only while filling the potable water tank for years that didn't makes sense, finally found that the tube between the nice shiny fill inlet outside the trailer was separated from the fill tube to the tank. Took a while to figure that out until it had separated enough that I could see it. Cut the male end off the garden hose, push it in the fill tube beyond the break and fills with no leaks, fixed until that gets to the top of the do list.