Water Leak

[TRizzuti]

I'm a newbie, so take that into account here. I seem to run out of fresh water too quickly and am wondering if water can be leaking into my belly pan because I can't see that it's leaking anywhere else, not inside, and not outside. I leave on a trip with 30 gals in the fresh water tank, and 6 in the water heater. We try very hard to minimize water usage, but by the end of the second day, the gray water tank guage is reading yellow/orange, and by the third day it's flashing red and then solid red. By the end of the third day the water pump stops pumping water.

My wife and I take only one very quick shower each during those three days, not two or three showers each. We flush the toilet maybe three times each per day. We wash our hands maybe four times per day each. And we brush our teeth twice a day each. Dish washing is done twice a day in a bowl that holds about a gallon, and rinsing is done in the bowl also after exchanging the sudsy water for fresh water. That's it. We drink and make coffee from bottled water.

More info: 1) we run the water heater in the morning for 20 mins, then shut it off. We run it again in the late afternoon for 15 mins, then shut it off. 2) I try to remember to shut off the water pump when not in use, but if I forget before going to bed, the water pump comes on in the middle of the night and doesn't shut off. This tells me there's a leak. When it comes on, it doesn't come on with the loud rumbling sound like when you turn on a faucet. It's a low humming sound. 3) when we dump at the dump station, it doesn't seem to me like anywhere near 36 gals is coming out but it's difficult to measure. 4) when I open the low point drain calves, fresh water tank valve, and hot water heater petcock, water comes out in all places, but not really that much.

My concern is that the belly pan is filling with water, and that over time, say for instance on a long trip, it'll overflow onto the floor. Is that a possibility?

[Minno]

We usually run out of water after 4 days dry camping, and we have a 48 gal. tank. In our trailer, there is always a little water left in the tank that the pump can't get, say about 5 gal. or so (I might be thinking too little). Showers take up lots of water if you leave the water on for the whole shower. We do Navy showers: turn the water on, get wet, turn the water off, soap up, rinse off, done. We seem to use more water doing dishes than showering.
Belly pans are not supposed to be tightly sealed, and AS doesn't make them that way. If water is getting into your belly pan, you would most likely see water coming out it. You could drill a couple small holes in your belly pan if you are really concerned about it, and see what happens.

Kay

[Gregsch]

If you do not use any water your water pump should never kick in after it builds initial pressure when you energize it. Some time when you are planning on spending a few quite hours in the trailer (like watching a movie or reading a book) try leaving the pump on and listen for it to kick in. If it does you are loosing pressure due to some form of a leak. It is paramount that you seek out the leak and get it corrected. In the mean time never leave the trailer unattended with the pump in the on position.

[TRizzuti]

Okay, thanks for the responses. Addressing the shower issue, we take Navy showers, and we only took one shower each over the entire three days, not one shower each each day. Today, when I went to drain what water was left in the system, I discovered a small drip at the fresh water drain valve, so I think that's obviously my leak, and I'm assuming that when the pump is on and the system is pressurized, then the small drip becomes a bigger drip, right?

[Gregsch]

The fresh water drain valve will never see pressure. It is just like the drain valve on the bottom of a cooler , the only pressure is the force of the water in the tank trying to escape through gravity. Try placing a container under the drip to measure how much is leaking out. If it is enough to explain your water shortage on a trip it should be an easy fix. If that is your problem the good news is you do not have water leaking onto your plywood floor.

[TRizzuti]

I found another slow small drip, this time in one of the low point drain valves. Are these under pressure?

[Al and Missy]

The low point drain valves in my trailer are in the pressurized line. But the line is pressurized all the time, even when the pump is off. IF they are leaking, the leak will cause the pressure to decline until the pump turns on. When the pressure gets to the cutoff point, the pump will shut off. You should observe the pump cycling on and off if there are leaks in the system. But unless these leaks are really large, they are probably not significant.

Our experience when hooked up to campsite water is, being careful as you are with Navy showers and dish washing, that the gray tanks fills in about 3-4 days. If we were using water from the tank, it would be empty then since the water tank and the gray tank are about the same size. My guess is you are just using more water than you think.

Al