New Owners. Filling the Fresh Water Tank. Water everywhere!

[kontiki]

[font size="3"]Just picked up this awesome 2012 Camplite 13 foot RB. (We're seasoned RVers, but new to the Camplite).

So we went to fill the Fresh Water Tank with a hose, and I saw water running under the bathroom door and seeping across the floor. And a constant dripping sound. Outside, my First Mate was filling and said water was pouring out the bottom.

Are we complete idiots or do we have some kind of a technical problem here?

Any help appreciated, thank you.  


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[charliem]

[font size="3"]First question would be how are you filling the FW tank? The gravity feed tube or the city water connection? If the gravity feed there's not much way the water can go uphill and flow out on the bathroom floor. Was the pump turned on? I'm guessing you have a loose water line fitting somewhere.
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[kontiki]

[font size="3"]Wow hey there is someone out there, thank you so much for your reply charliem   

A: My First Mate says that he was attempting to fill it using the Gravity Feed Tube. When he did this, it simply all was spit right back out at him. So nothing actually went into the tank. The leak occurred when he connected directly to the City Water. He observed water dripping along the rear bumper and about that time, I noticed the leak inside as well as the dripping. At this point I was able to get water through the Kitchen tap. I don't think the pump was on at this time, however I am not sure I remember that part. 

I wouldn't doubt it about the loose fitting, because the manual says to go around and tighten up the plumbing joints before each trip. Which kind of makes me laugh because well...thats kind of a weird thing to have in a manual and....I have no idea how one would do that. Not being a plumber. At any rate the doubts were planted.

Any feedback appreciated on next steps. 

Is your camper similar? I would love to see a pic. Im not sure how to add one here of mine...

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[mitch]

The only way I can think that the water would not go into the fresh water tank is a blockage of the hose that goes from the fill opening to the FW tank. It's nothing but hose so it's got to be either blocked or kinked.

When you had the city water hooked up you said you could get water from the kitchen sink, could you get water to come out of the shower and/or the toilet? If the water would come out was it at what you would expect to be normal pressure?


 

[charliem]

[font size="3"]I'd guess you're looking for at least two separate problems. Inability to fill the fresh water tank from the gravity feed could either be the tank is already full (don't laugh, it's possible), or as Mitch says it's blocked. There is a check valve in the pump that can malfunction and allow city water to leak back into the FW tank. Check this by disconnecting the water supply hose and turning on the pump. If you can get a steady flow from any faucet the tank has water in it. If not, there is a blockage. The fill hose is short so it's just a process of physical inspection. If the tank is full it could be the pump check valve. Most times this is just some dirt caught in the valve and it will flush out by cycling the pump on and off with a faucet.

The leak under pressure from city water is a loose connection or a broken fitting. You'll just have to physically locate the leak and take appropriate action. One place to look is the toilet flush valve. This valve is located on the back of the toilet near the floor. This valve is vulnerable to freeze damage and is a known weakness. If the previous owner did not properly winterize the trailer the valve could be broken. I have some personal experience here   . The good news is the valve is easily replaced and the lesson is relatively cheap. The toilet manual, if you still have it, details the process. Otherwise you just have to locate the leak and fix the connection or fitting. Good luck and please report back on your progress.
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[tinkeringtechie]

Sorry to be the one to ask the obvious question, but is the fresh water tank already full?