Leaking water tank

[Scupper]

Just headed off to a 12 month adventure and now experiencing a leaking water tank. Worked great for a couple of weeks filled the tank two days later it's empty with no real signs of any leaks. Today filled the tank and it is leaking significantly from above what I can see. Leveled the trailer and water coming from both sides. Any suggestions.

[Scupper]

AS is a 2010 25FB

[wave man]

Flex tape? Be a good band aid anyway if you could open it up and examine the tank in question... probably not easy but it’s beyond my knowledge level sorry to say...

Maybe someone here will have an idea how hard it is to get eyeballs on the tank(s)

Which tank is it?

[Scupper]

It's the water tank and it looks like I will have to drop the tank to find the leaks.

Thanks!

[wave man]

Sorry been forcing myself to think with labels like “grey..black.. fresh “ since I’m a newb basically [emoji6]

[SSquared]

Can you tell if it is leaking completely empty, or just partially?

The tank could have a crack someplace. Or, there could be a leak at a fitting that was installed at the factory.

You have a fitting on the top for filling the tank. This fitting should not be your problem, because water does not leak uphill.

I believe your vintage of trailer has a water-level detection system that depends on a handful of sensors placed through the side of the tank. If one of these fittings leaks, you tank would drain to that level, then quit leaking. I don't know how to get at these fittings to inspect them.

You also have a drain valve for the tank, and a fitting where the pump pulls the water out. On my 2013 25FB, these fittings are on the side of the tank at the very bottom. Usually when people have to repair these fittings, they cut a hole through the metal pan from the outside, and rivet on a patch when they are done.

On my trailer, I can inspect this area from the inside, as follows:
1) Open the compartment below the fridge, remove two screws from the panel at the back, and remove the panel (I have to get in here annually for winterizing).
2) reach back into this area with a cell phone, and take a picture (working blind)

The picture shows the drain on the left and the line to the pump on the right. The green blob is some trash the factory left behind.

If you are good/lucky, you might be able to reach a stick with paper towel on the end down in here, and by touching just the fittings (not the bottom of the pan), determine if the leak is coming from either one.

[delrossa]

I had the same issue. Luckily I was at the mothership. They dropped the tank to discover one of the welded fittings had broken from the tank. There was no rhyme or reason why it broke. Didn’t have a problem til I filled the tank.
Good luck.

[donabston]

Boy, you sure landed in my wheelhouse. I have a 2012 International 25FB.
I am working on my 3rd big freshwater leak over the last 4 years. Please be aware that I do not "off road" camp with rough roads.

#1...light to medium fresh water flowing out of belly pan. In warranty they
replaced the fresh water tank. The fill line had broken where it meets the
tank.

#2...two years ago. Had a medium flow from the belly tank. Could feel water flowing by putting hand into previously cut hole in the pan. Worse..Sometimes it would leak and sometime not. Local dealer dropped the pan and spent hours looking for the leak without luck. I arrive and happen to notice that there was a
small cut in the flex hose from the fresh water tank to its drain valve on the belly tank. Only $1200. for that 87 cent part.

#3...currently...on the road recently and noticed a huge flow of water from the pan. Traced it to a broken drain elbow at the tank. Used plumber's epoxy putty to seal remaing elbow. Now gonna try to replace the elbow w/o dropping the tank.

Good luck with your leak search; maybe you have one of the above problems.

Don

[Scupper]

Well the problem is solved I was unable to dig too far into the problem so I went to the Austin, TX area AS dealer who let me know there was a two month wait to get a service appointment. One of his employees gave me the name of a local Mobile service tech that was very familiar with AS. Caravan Services in New Braunfels looked at it immediately, determined that the tank was cracked at the drain fitting on the bottom and filling up the tank pan. He was able to drill out the crack and installed a significantly drain, He also replaced the tank sensor that was shorted out and made an exceptional cover for the access he had to cut in the tank pan.
Todd worked over the weekend to get me back on the road and was very reasonable and I would highly recommend him.

Thanks to everyone who got me headed in the right direction.

[SSquared]

Interesting. So you are saying the tank leaked into the pan, and the pan held water well enough that the tank pan filled up?

[Scupper]

Yes the pan filled with water and significantly bowed the pan, the reason we had difficulty finding the leak because water was coming out of the pan on both sides. We drilled a small hole in the pan and water leaked out for quite a while and the pan retracted over an inch.