Filling fresh water tank- overflow normal?

[John]

I've noticed that when I fill my fresh water tank to the brim, that the over flow water drains out from under the belly of the tank. Is this normal? Note: It does stop draining after a few minutes(may be a gallon or so)
John

[John]

There are two pvc pipes that come out of the bottom of the fresh water holding tank. What are these for? Are they for overfill/overflow relief? I've never seen any water come out of them.
Thanks, John

[Inland RV Center, In]

John.
There are no overflow connections for your water tank.
If it leaks when full, I would suspect that it has a crack at the top of the tank, or the fill hose is loose.

Andy
inlandrv.com
airstreamparts.com
airstreamcandy.com

[John]

Andy,

Any ideas what the two PVC pipes (about 1/2 od) that come out next to the fresh water tank are?
John

[john hd]

john

those are the "low point" drains, on for hot one for cold. the valves for them are noted in your manual.

the location of the valves can vary, but they should be near the center of the trailer under kitchen cabinets (maybe).

but check check yer manual to be sure.

when you find those valves you most likely will be able to see if there is a problem with your filler tube, as andy suggested. because they are all located near each other.

john

[John]

Andy,

Another member has the same year A/S that I do and he too has a small amount of water that comes out if he fills it to the brim.

So I'm thinking that A/S may have added an overfill relief on the mid-1990's model.

I know that my filler and vent hose are connected tight and what's the chances that both of us have a cracked tank at the top?

John

[j54mark]

I have an '86, and it does the same thing. Maybe your friend just ASSUMED there is an overflow relief. I know I did at first because the leak occurs only as I added the last gallon or so, and quickly stops. Somewhere on these forums is a thread reporting several leaking fresh water tanks, all at the top.

I can find no relief valve, and I have looked. I did find a suspect filler hose, which I replaced. I also replace the vent tube at the same time for no particularly good reason. I have not had an oportunity to check to see if that took care of it.

Here's hoping your friend is right.

Mark

[John]

Mark,

I'm going to email A/S Monday and see what they say!

They have been very responsive to my questions, ie trailer brakes locking up, LPG update kit ect. ect.

So I'll post their response.

John

[john hd]

john

can you see your filler tube from the inside?

under a cabinet in the kitchen?

john

[John]

John,

Under my CS closest, there's a small draw and when you remove it, you can see the filler hose, water pump & drain valves.

It's tight reaching down in there, but the filler hose feels tight and dry!

John

[wb13798]

well i had that problem with my excella and i took the tank off and it had a crack at the top of the tank. and as "andy says" there is no overflow . i didnt see one . i used the tank for a year and some one in the club had a new tank and i bought it and replaced the cracked one. i had the old tank plastic welded and it was leaking again in in a couple of months. the crack just moved down the seam. if i remember the tank was over $ 100. the only reason i replaced was it was avail at a discount , i would not have replaced it for this problem if i had to order one from air stream. as long as it will hole 3/4 capacity that will work . i did caulk the front and sides of the pan to keep water and dust from blowing in the pan. the filler tube has a over flow that water will come out if you put too much water in the tank. lol
al

[John]

WB,

You said that:

the filler tube has a over flow that water will come out if you put too much water in the tank. lol

Could you explain this more clearly??

I just find to amazing that 2 model yrs both only have water come out the bottom near the access panel(under the FWT) when their filled to the brim. By filled to the brim, I mean that the water comes back out of the filler neck opening on the exterior of the trailer.

It drains for maybe 3-5 minutes(about a gallon or so) and my panel reads that the FWT is full.

Also I've never noticed any water under the trailer while traveling and I would think that if I had a cracked tank, that at least some amount of water would escape.

John

[RoadKingMoe]

John, mine has a vent in the top of the tank with a hose that comes up to a screened opening next to the filler. The incoming water sort of bows the tank sides out a bit, and when I quit filling, some comes back out of both the filler and the vent. Actually, I know the tank is full when water starts coming out of the vent. I suppose if the hose for the vent came off the tank, I might get some water under the trailer.

[john hd]

john

most likely not the kind of stuff you want to hear just before you take off on your execllent adventure.

i'm with moe on this one. if you can get a hand on the filler, can you find the smaller vent hose? perhaps it is loose.

the good news is that the water is going outside of the trailer!

if it is leaking because of a crack or the vent hose, it won't wreck anything! until it is better diagnosed and repaired if needed.

when it is light out tomorrow i'll see if i can wedge my camera in there and snap a pic.

john

[John]

John/Maurice,

I just reached inside and felt both the filler hose and the vent hose and their both secure. They're not loose, every firm.

So now, what are the chances that we both have a crack on top of our tanks?

Tomorrow morning, I'll refill my FWT and with my hand, I feel to see if any water is coming out. I'll still email A/S and see what they say.

If it ends up that I have a cracked tank, I'll live with it because I only lose about a gallon and my panel reads full!!

John

[john hd]

john

good idea! that sounds like you should be able to figure out what is going on down there.

also when you refill it see if there is any air/water coming out of the vent next to the filler. that should indicate weather the vent hose is working.

john

[John]

Will Do!!!!!!!

[davidz71]

John,
Can you get a small mirror like those on the end of a telescoping handle positioned to look down there? A flashlight shined down there and a mirror might spot something you can't feel.

[68 Overlander]

My 1994 leaks from the bottom of the pan after filling it all the way until it runs over like mentioned by John. After a few minutes, it stops. The overflow vent next to the fill port backflows also (that's what it's there for). The extra water has to go somewhere and I don't think we all have cracked tanks. My indicator says full when it's done dripping from the bottom and I see no reason to be alarmed unless there is some flaw with the design of the tank that we don't know about. Sounds like John will find out.
Randy

[john hd]

john

here is a pic of my filler area, perhaps it will aid the discussion.

john