Sprung a LEAK!!!

[Buttercup]

Walked out to the trailer to get something. It is parked at the bottom of the driveway about 150 feet away from the house. It has been there since we got home from our first rally and is waiting for me to dump & flush and to winterize.

I was only looking to see if I had left a tool onside that I needed. When I got inside I heard a strange soft purrrr noise. I thought "this is strange... she isn't even plugged in. I immediately turned the pump off.

Then reality set in. The water pump is running and has been for god only knows how long. Somehow I left it on! Immediately shut it off and went looking around the inside of the trailer to see which valve or faucet was left open. The pump was warm but not hot. It had been running unloaded so it probably was not drawing a lot of current.

Kitchen sink is O.K., Toilet valve is seated, Bathroom faucet is closed. I open each valve and there was some pressure on both hot and cold.

So now it is looking really weird. Waster pressure but pump running... Better check up front again. The panel showed that batter volts was still 3/4 or a little better. water tank empty, main holding, empty(mostly), Aux holding empty. this means a leak.

I walked outside the trailer and at the back end, sure enough, the ground is saturated. The water heater relief was seated so it wasn't that but there is evidence of water under the belly pan. Opened the back compartment and there in front of me is a slightly sputtering fitting.

Seems that one of my fittings must have slipped from vibration and started leaking. It was dark and cold so I figured that there was nothing more I could do. Water is off so I will have to look at it in a better light. But one thing I do know is that I was a little worried about these fittings a little. Now I am REALLY concerned.

[C Johnson]

Say it isn't so ! Having a water leak IS disconcerting isn't it. I had one on my maiden voyage, made me crazy . But I fixed it, what else is there to do ?

My pump ran for a long time with out water too, didn't seem to hurt it. It still works.

Here's hoping it's an easy fix *raising a beer* .

Chris

[Buttercup]

Thanks Chris

In retrospect I think we have ahs a problem for a little longer than I know. This has been leaking for a little while. I am hoping that it is just an issue of me not tightening it properly.

During our last trip I noticed 2 things. One was that the pump kicked on once (and only once that I know of) when we weren’t using water and there was a drip under the trailer that I attributed to the p-trap on the tub leaking.

At the time I couldn’t figure out why the p-trap would be leaking because we didn’t have enough water in the grey water tank and we hadn’t run any water through the trap. My only thought was that the tank somehow hust have been full and leaking out the trap somehow. Now I think that the tank had nothing to do with the drip and that the fitting was getting ready to go.

That type of pump is capable of withstanding an extended dry run with no damage so I am not worried about it being burnt up. If it is I will replace it with a fancy new VSD type, rebuild the old one and convert it to a hot water circ pump.

[Janets Husband]

A tip for finding water leaks.
Get an adapter made up to pressurize your water system with compressed air.
City water to tire valve, can be done from parts available at Ace Hardware.
Pressurize your system to 40psi and then go listening for leaks, you will be able to hear even hidden leaks in your system.

[Stefrobrts]

The waterpump is your best friend when it comes to realizing there are leaks. Hopefully you'll just find the fitting is loose. I won't even use city water yet for fear of the mess it would make if I pressurized the system and had a leak, but no water pump to whirr and warn me about it.

[Buttercup]

Oh, there was no question as to where the leak was! As soon as I opened the back compartment I saw the moisture. And as soon as I wiggled the piping and water started squirting out I knew exactly what the problem was.