I am stumped--Lost water from holding tank

[macofpei]

When I cleaned the screen between the freshwater tank and the suction to the pump, I found it totally blocked with very dark green almost black gunk. When I bought this unit, I have no idea how long the fw tank had water in it.When I opened the white drain cock, nothing came out. I didn't put any into it until a year or so after I bought it. I have my work cut out for me this spring, flushing out this tank and all my water lines. I do this because I love my Air Stream ( and my wife demands I get it done this year)

[nm1oqrz]

Hello All. On my 1988 25ft Excella, when you take off that metal plate on the bottom of the tanks, there is a drain nipple attached to the FW tank and then a piece of tubing connected that nipple to the plastic drain valve on the outside.
Just an idea but if there is a marginal connection of this small piece of tubing maybe the rough road was enough to make it leak but when on smooth travel or standing still it won't leak.
Anyway good luck on your trip.
Happy camping nm1oqrz

[macofpei]

Well, my mystery got solved. I filled the fresh water tank to get ready for the UA rally in Eaton Rapids Mi, a few weeks ago. The tank drained out in 5 days. I refilled before we left and was half empty the first night. I filled the tank again the night before the rally and I had a full tank of water when we got to the staging area-- Was I surprised. No leak. That lasted until we parked on the street and---- flood ! Water pouring out and emptied the full tank in only an hour or so. I was depressed because we were parked there for the weekend without any water. After a few drinks of Scotch, I crawled under and took the inspection door off to discover the clear rubber hose was split and when the unit flexed, the hose would part and out would come my water. I went to the hardware store and for $2.36, I got 6 " of hose and two clamps. I only needed 1 1/2" of the hose and --repair made.
The rally crew came to my rescue by hooking up a garden hose to a fire hydrant and filled my fresh water tank. No leak and we had water the rest of the trip. ( Thanks Guys) .
It only took me three years to finally get around to finding out what was wrong and repairing it.
So, a big Thank you to all who helped.

[KJRitchie]

You are lucky Airstream put an inspection door. My 2008 Classic has no door so I will have to cut through the Rotocast shell. Lovely.

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

You are lucky Airstream put an inspection door. My 2008 Classic has no door so I will have to cut through the Rotocast shell. Lovely.

I thought I understood this thread after reading through it 2 1/2 times.

However now I'm confused again. Where I understand this leak to have occurred is behind an inspection plate, a few inches from the freshwater drain valve. This inspection plate is located on the bottom of the sheet metal box that covers the freshwater and holding tanks. I have that inspection plate on my trailer. Where is the Rotocast shell you have to cut through?

Ken

[KJRitchie]

Sounds like the short tube that connects to the outside plastic drain valve had to be replaced by the OP. My water tank sits in a Rotacast shell. The shell protects the water tank from road debris. No access panel is in the shell to service that short hose. My grey and black water tanks are inside aluminum shells. No access panels to service the grey or black valves. Got to cut access holes if I ever have to service the panels. From a maintenance standpoint, a terrible design.

Kelvin

[Ag&Au]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

Sounds like the short tube that connects to the outside plastic drain valve had to be replaced by the OP. My water tank sits in a Rotacast shell. The shell protects the water tank from road debris. No access panel is in the shell to service that short hose. My grey and black water tanks are inside aluminum shells. No access panels to service the grey or black valves. Got to cut access holes if I ever have to service the panels. From a maintenance standpoint, a terrible design.

Kelvin

Thanks for the info. I have always assumed that all recent Airstreams had the same construction in that area. I also have no access to the holding tank dump valves.

Ken

[hmsteader]

Has anyone replaced the fresh water drain valve (petcock)? I have a tandem axle trailer and the drain valve is located behind the right front wheel. There are two screws holding it in place and the small piece of sheet metal as a splash plate. I haven't made any attempts yet to replace it, but how difficult is it? Is the job better left to the shop pros?

[dznf0g]

Get one of these:

RV Fresh Water Drain Valve Flange 3 8" or 1 2" Won'T Fail Ever Again | eBay

It's not hard to replace, just time consuming and frustrating. Not a lot of room to work.