Possible water leak

[fclewis]

While staying at a self described "high water pressure" RV park in Denver I noticed water seeping from under the BR counter, not from under or in the sink area. I immediately turned the water off at the source and it stopped. I then turned it on 1/2 power and no leak for the duration of our stay. On my trip back to FL I used the internal water tank and pump just to be safe. When I got home I put the water system on at full power and still no leak. This is a 2016 25' Flying Cloud with the BR directly adjacent to the fresh water hookup. This is the case with most. Do I have a problem? Any input would be helpful.

Thanks!

[truxpin]

Certainly any water leak can be a problem. Your "newer" Airstream should have all pex plumbing lines, the lines & crimp connections should be able to handle most all water pressure you'd come across. Likely, the culprit is a compression fitting with a rubber seat. There are a handful of these type of fittings in the trailer that many times have finger holds on them and are put on "hand tight". They are fine, but after a while & miles of travel can become "loose". Water pump pressures are low & even most typical residential pressures rarely rise above 60psi. I'm currently in a park in N.Arizona & my gauge is measuring 90 psi..... Without our adjustable water pressure regulator things that normally don't leak, will.
Preventative measures I'd recommend would be spending a Saturday searching your water fittings & double checking any manual tightening fittings. Maybe invest in an in line water pressure gauge.... something that keeps water pressure to the trailer below 50-60 psi.....

[sgschwend]

I use a second pressure regulator at the park's connection which protects my water line and the trailer. Yes my trailer has a regulator too.


I can't comment on what your plumbing can withstand, it does sound like you exceed it at least briefly. Once a leak starts it will keep going until the pressure is removed. There is a thing called water hammer of the water delivered city/RV park water. It can vary the peak water pressure quite a bit. This high pressure spike could have started your leak. Throttling your supply valve would not help very much.

[Kamiak]

Any connection is a candidate for a leak; however, I would look first at the built-in pressure regulator attached to the back of your city water connection. They tend to fail from time to time, and the resultant leak can be intermittent. Presumably due to fluctuations in water pressure in the park during the day. The bad news is that they can't be repaired; but the good news is they are relatively inexpensive and can be easily replaced. Access can be an issue, though once you have access, it's a 5-minute fix.

In my Airstream, the city water is Shurflo Part Number 183-029-18 (white). The product is also available in “chrome”, actually chromed plastic.

Shurflo part number 183-029-14

Output Pressure: 65 psi
Input Max Pressure: 125 psi

This part (or its current replacement) is widely available, including Amazon.

Incidentally, partially closing down the park's hose bib part will NOT reduce the pressure in a closed system in your coach. It will reduce the volume, and thus the pressure inside the coach when a tap is on. When all taps are closed, the pressure inside the coach will rise to whatever it is at the park's hose bib. Adding multiple pressure reducers can produce unsatisfactory results, like very low water pressure inside the coach...especially at the shower. In my experience, when these things start leaking, they are most likely to leak at night, when the park water pressure is likely at it's peak.

I hope this helps.