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macofpei · 09-15-2011, 12:41 PM

I have a 2003 Classic and last weekend, I filled my holding tank because we were going to "dry" camp for the weekend. I made a wrong turn down a narrow lane and ended up backing up out of this "lane" I discovered that water was pouring out of the bottom of my airstream. When I got to the correct location, the tank was so empty that the pump would not even pick up water.
It didn't make for a happy weekend.
When i got back home, I filled the holding tank and---- no leak. The pump took several trys to pick up water but now working great.
my question---- what happened to my water ? How did it leak out and why isn't it leaking now????
help !

BigAl · 09-15-2011, 01:07 PM

That's mysterious! Seems to me that the only possibility is that the drain valve opened. But how did it close again? Any other failure in the system should still leak.
The other possibility is that a faucet wasn't turned off properly and the pump pumped the water into a holding tank. But then how did it open by itself?
You got me.
Al

Silver Goose · 09-15-2011, 03:04 PM

You didn't say and may not have noticed if your grey or blank tanks were full when you arrived at your destination. Do you have the single lever faucets in the galley or bath? If the FW drain valve isn't leaking, it would seem that the pump had to to suck the tank dry. If you have the single lever faucet, it might be possible for something to have moved while traveling to bump the handle, or even a good jolt from the road might have been enough. If the pump was switched on, then it could have filled the GW tank.

You said you noticed water running out underneath... Could you say if it was coming from the area of the FW drain or your dump valves? I wonder if you have a leaking GW dump valve. Try filling the GW tank, then the BW tank with the drain hose disconnected to rule out that possibility. If you had overflowed the GW tank, the water would have likely backed up in the shower but you didn't indicate anything was wet inside.

My theory for now is that your GW dump valve wasn't fully closed or it leaks and your pump was switched on allowing it to pump the FW tank dry when something opened a faucet.

macofpei · 09-16-2011, 04:54 AM

I did not have the pump switched on,and the drain valves from the FW tank were and are shut. The water was coming out where the patch is for replacing the plastic drain valve (if it breaks). My grey and black tanks are ok. I am at a complete loss as to why I lost all the water. I was on a steep grade and slowly backing up when the water was first noticed. That was Friday night. I did not refill the tank until Sunday.
Today, Friday Sept 16th the tank is still full.
I hear the "do-do-dodo-do-do-doooo" music

noreen&sal · 09-16-2011, 05:02 AM

If you were on a grade, possibly the tank inlet is leaking, but you cant see it while stationary. Sal.

Wayne&Sam · 09-16-2011, 07:37 AM

Now the do-do tank is leaking too?

Silver Goose · 09-16-2011, 07:38 AM

Wow, so much for my theory. You've ruled out the pump, it was off. The fill hose on mine clamps to a nipple on the top of the tank adjacent to where the pump's dip tube enters the tank. If the tank was brim full and one of these connections wasn't secure, I could envision how some water could spill if the trailer was on a steep grade but this would be a small fraction of the total, certainly it wouldn't leave you bone dry. I'll join the ranks of the stumped.

crazylev · 09-16-2011, 09:26 AM

Just throwing out ideas. Was hot water heater on, and if it was, was water coming out through pressure relief valve?

Your trailer may have as many as four valves throughout unit that are used to winterize. Are those completely shut?

Was the compartment were the FW tank is located dry? Is the city water inlet on the side of the trailer plugged securely?

What else. It is odd that the tank COMPLETELY emptied, and in such short amount of time.

Even if the pump somehow shorted and was in the ON position, the gray tank would have filled with water, assuming a faucet was open somewhere.

Is there any water/moister inside the trailer at all?

Just guessing.

J

ROBERT CROSS · 09-16-2011, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeeDoodle

Wow, so much for my theory. You've ruled out the pump, it was off. The fill hose on mine clamps to a nipple on the top of the tank adjacent to where the pump's dip tube enters the tank. If the tank was brim full and one of these connections wasn't secure, I could envision how some water could spill if the trailer was on a steep grade but this would be a small fraction of the total, certainly it wouldn't leave you bone dry. I'll join the ranks of the stumped.

Mac,

The overflow tube leaks at the tank on ours, and is impossible to get to without extensive interior disassembly. The water exits exactly where you described, but only til the level reaches the top of the tank. I can see where more could leak out on a steep incline but as YD notes not enough to empty the tank.

Consider us stumped also....

Bob

desertair27 · 09-19-2011, 08:38 AM

On my first boondocking trip in an old class C RV,we had a sticky toilet flush lever completely pump all the fresh water into our black water tank.We had only been at the campsite for 3 hours and now were waterless. So we had to pack up and drive 20 miles back into town to dump and refill.
Did your water just disappear?Are you sure your FW tank was full?Could your water have been pumped into the other tanks somehow or where they empty as well?Just throwing some ideas out there.I like it when RVs fix themselves.
Good luck

nickmeloy · 09-19-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macofpei

I have a 2003 Classic and last weekend, I filled my holding tank because we were going to "dry" camp for the weekend. I made a wrong turn down a narrow lane and ended up backing up out of this "lane" I discovered that water was pouring out of the bottom of my airstream. When I got to the correct location, the tank was so empty that the pump would not even pick up water.
It didn't make for a happy weekend.
When i got back home, I filled the holding tank and---- no leak. The pump took several trys to pick up water but now working great.
my question---- what happened to my water ? How did it leak out and why isn't it leaking now????
help !

If the FW tank will now hold water when completely full, and there are no leaks, then consider the following possibility. During your recent excursion, was the trailer ever in such a position that a siphon could have been established?

Can you duplicate the road conditions that you believe led to the draining of the tank to see if the same thing happens?

macofpei · 09-22-2011, 11:44 AM

I never want to duplicate that experiance again :-)
The tank is still full, two weeks after this happened. I will be draining the tank Sunday and flushing the complete system getting ready for a rally we are attending so-- I will let you know if this happens again.
I hate mysteries like this because you never know when it will happen again.
Someone else asked about water on the floors--- she is/was dry inside.

macofpei · 02-15-2013, 06:36 PM

This has never happened again after that first time. I did find that the reason that the pump was so slow picking up the water from the FW holding tank, the tank had a lot of algie in it.I guess hauling it along country (read rough) roads shook up the tank enough to make the stuff float. I had to drain and pump the tank empty several times to get clean water. Now, come this spring, I need to totally flush out ALL my water lines and the fresh water tank.

Phoenix · 02-16-2013, 03:34 AM

Add a little chlorine bleach to the fresh water tank to kill the algae and disinfect your water tank and lines. I'm sure the recommended dosage is somewhere on this site. Otherwise, I think the bleach container label says how much to use.

You may need to "super-chlorinate" the tank, similar to how you would shock a swimming pool, by using a stronger dose than is normally required. And, you might even want to leave this solution in the tank for a few hours or overnight to make sure all of the algae is dead. Then, flush out the tank with fresh water once or twice to remove all of the dead algae and chlorine solution. When the water smells fresh (no chlorine smell) and looks clean, you should be good to go.

dznf0g · 02-16-2013, 10:18 AM

What Phoenix said...plus....if your Classic is like mine, and I think it is, you will find a small square of galvanized screwed to the bottom of you fresh pan, right below and on the bottom by the white drain valve. I f you remove that panel, you will see a large bung plug in the bottom of the tank. Removal of this bung plug allows for some serious flushing with a hose and nozzle of the tank. Put on your swim suit......you will get very wet.

macofpei · 02-17-2013, 06:18 AM

Thanks for the replies. I do have that square on the bottom of my belly pan . Is this a metal or plastic plug? I do not have a way of getting the trailer high enough to easily access this bung and keep the tank level enough to fully drain. I can't wait until spring to give this a go.
When I had to use the pump, if city water wasn't available, I did have green water when I flushed the toilet, and there would be a taste in the water for a little while after I got back on city water.
Knowing about this extra drain will greatly help this clean .
Thank you to everyone on this form

ROBERT CROSS · 02-17-2013, 07:19 AM

.....ours was right under thru above this here panel.

Bob

macofpei · 02-17-2013, 07:41 AM

when I had the water leaking out (my first post )this is exactly where it was coming from. Thank you.

dznf0g · 02-17-2013, 09:04 AM

The plug is the same plastic material as the tank, is about 2.5" - 3.0" in diameter and is threaded. They used some putty sealer for the threads at the factory. IIRC, I cleaned it up and used a liberal amount of teflon tape on mine.

CanoeStream · 02-17-2013, 09:59 AM

Mac -- algae? Did you see any green? I'd think algae would need sunlight to form and suspect your 2003 tank wouldn't receive any light. My translucent Argosy tank under the front gaucho certainly received enough light that I could have had my own frog colony in there.

Fresh water systems like your tank & plumbing always can have quite the slime buildup on the interior surfaces. Periodic bleach rinses will help hold that down. Don't pour full strength bleach directly through the water inlet -- it'll eat anything metallic, including stainless steel. Your manual will have similar instructions to these I found online at Airstream.com.

Quote:

Originally Posted by airstream.com

Potable water systems require periodic maintenance to deliver a consistent flow of fresh water. Depending on use and the environment the system is subject to, sanitizing is recommended prior to storing and before using the water system after a period of storage. Systems with new components, or ones that have been subjected to contamination, should also be disinfected as follows:

1. Use one of the following methods to determine the amount of common household bleach needed to sanitize the tank.

A) Multiply “gallons of tank capacity” by 0.13; the result is the ounces of bleach needed to sanitize the tank.
B) Multiply “Liters of tank capacity” by 1.0; the result is the milliliters of bleach needed to sanitize the tank.

2. Mix into solution the proper amount of bleach within a container of water.
3. Pour the solution (water/bleach) into the tank and fill the tank with potable water.
4. Open all faucets (Hot & Cold) allowing the water to run until the distinct odor of chlorine is detected.
5. The standard solution must have four (4) hours of contact time to disinfect completely. Doubling the solution concentration will allow for contact time of one (1) hour.
6. When the contact time is completed, drain the tank. Refill with potable water and purge the plumbing of all sanitizing solution.
7. Remove, rinse and flush the galley in-line filter completely after sanitizing.
NOTE: The sanitizing procedure outlined above is in conformance with the approved procedures of RVIA ANSI A 119.2 and the U.S. Public Health Service.

Chlorine taste afterward? Heck, it couldn't be worse than the chlorine taste I get at some campground hookups. But you can use the old backpacker's trick to lessen the taste from your tank in the aftermath. Only after the recommended contact time is complete, toss several vitamin C tablets in your fill tube next time you fill up with fresh water. That will scavenge some of the taste.