Issues with my Big Country

kiwinraz

Member
We bought our new 3650 last Sept ,used it for aweekend to find any bugs; there were so many that we took it back to the dealer and told them to keep it for the winter and fix them.First (E)tires not (G) as advertised ,Windows would not close and lock,still waiting for one to be replaced, carpet on fireplace slide all fraded and coming off. They used three small pieces of carpet-NOT ONE-,in the little hallway from the bedroom to steps the seams had 1/4 inch gaps because the carpet was coming apart,toilet replaced,two furnace hoses were not attached.Well its May, and we got it back ready to use.Been camping for four days bathroom tap started to leak (fixed)now kicthen faucet starting to leak,and now the onepiece mega shower is showing hair line cracks( have fun fixing that one).This is our fourth rv and thought it would be our last , the one we would retire in .Now all I'm hoping is to get it fixed and trade it off.
 

SJH

Past Washington Chapter Leaders
Re: BIG Country-BIG MISTAKE

I am certainly sorry to hear of your situation. Not that it is of any consequence for you but I do believe it to be the exception and not the rule. Our Big Country has had some issues but we have overall been very pleased with the product. If you haven't done so already, I would encourage you to contact Heartland Customer Service directly to see if they can offer some help and/or advice.

Best Wishes and I hope the issues can be remedied to your satisfaction.
 

ChangingPlaces

Well-known member
Re: BIG Country-BIG MISTAKE

Hello
As the last post I am sorry to hear of your situation. Our rig has had some issues as well. Being in NZ it was'nt like we could take it back to Heartland. Our dealer in NZ certainly looked after us for the major issues, but most of the problems I was able to fix myself. I certainly learned a lot. I feel for you. Hang in there, I'm sure your'll get everything sorted. We are very happy with our rig and living in it full time now.
All the best Paul
 

cpl0199

Member
I just read your thread. I also have a 2012 3650. I too have way too many problems with my unit. I must say it has been my worst night mare trying to get the dealer to fix the problems. Heartland has been ok, but not great. I left my rv with my dealer last year in October and finally got it back I beleive sometime in March of this year. I constantly have to repair the shower door. I now have to tape it shut. The handle on the outside has broken many times (two many to count), the little plastic pieces where the door closes have broken, the refegerator doesn't keep food cold, I have had a leak in the underbelly since owning it. I finally found the problem and temporarily have it I beleive fixed. The outside shower was the culprit. The underbelly has been drenched in water, so I will be asking them to tear up the board and replace with a new as I don't ant mold. I would keep going but I am tired of typing. I believe you get the idea. Too Many problems for the money we pay for these. I will never buy another Heartland. I had a montana as my last and wish I had it back.

Good Luck.
Keith Warner
 
Just read this thread. I have a 2011 Big Country 3450, second owner.I have been in it fulltime for 3 weeks but am dealing with the underbelly leaks. Keith, how did you deal with the outside shower leak cuz that appears to be one!! of my problems? My other problem is water is leaking from under/around the "winterizing system" valve. Because my mobile RV repairman can't get to me til Nov. 5, he suggested that I disconnect from city water and run on demand from the fresh water holding tank. This is a stop gap to minimize the leaking and it is minimizing but there is a continual seeping from the UDC area keeping several inches along that wall wet. Yes, I,m keeping it open and a fan on as much as weather permits to keep as dry as possible. Who knows what the floor under looks like and I now see evidence of after factory caulking in the UDC probably by previous owner. Hopefully, my repair guy who is great can address everything. Maybe going back to Dealer on some of this. Bought in California end of June.

Has any one else had problems with this "winterizing system" valve thing? Or other UDC leaks into the basement that you want to stay dry?

Thanks for any help!!

Appleannie
 
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danemayer

Well-known member
Hi AppleAnnie,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. Sorry you're having problems.

You might want to take some paper towels and run them along the water lines in the basement to see which one is wet. If you can locate the leak, a lot of this stuff can be fixed by taking a trip to Home Depot.

You might also want to take a look at the hot water outlet from the water heater. There will be two pex lines connecting to the water heater; cold comes in at the bottom, hot goes out at the top. The plastic check valve in the top may be cracked. If that's the problem, there'll be water leaking on that pex line and perhaps down the surface of the water heater.

Finally, make sure you have a pressure regulator on the city water. Some campgrounds have pressure higher than the plumbing is rated for, which can cause leaks.
 

dbbls59

Well-known member
I have seem a LOT of comments with the words "plumbing leak" and "Heartland" in the same sentence. I too have a Big Country and I also have had my share of plumbing leaks. Numerous leaks in the plumbing behind the UDC leaving me with 1/2" of water in the storage area. My dealer re-crimp every connection there and replaced many rubber washers in other connections. Talking to other Heartland owners, many have replaced the plastic elbows in the pex pipe with copper. It seems that this is a very weak point in the system.
 

Speedy

Well-known member
First thing one has to do when a leak is appearent is to turn the water off. Dry things out and then look for the leak. I've had plumbing fixtures and fittings fail under warranty and I have been to repair all of them in less than an hour and with little out of pocket expense. Why hand your rig over to someone that really has no interest in getting you back to using it? After things are stable I hit the forum to see what others have found and done to fix things.
 

rick_debbie_gallant

Well-known member
First thing one has to do when a leak is appearent is to turn the water off. Dry things out and then look for the leak. I've had plumbing fixtures and fittings fail under warranty and I have been to repair all of them in less than an hour and with little out of pocket expense. Why hand your rig over to someone that really has no interest in getting you back to using it? After things are stable I hit the forum to see what others have found and done to fix things.

Speedy, I agree it is easier to simply fix problems that crop up oneself. However when a person buys a brand new unit for "tens of thousands of dollars" there are certain expectations to be realized.

If I bought a used unit I would expect to make repairs and fixes to it, but not a new one. Just saying.

How about this idea, if you order a unit from the factory you have the option to follow your rig during production and act as QC. During the night or off time the new owner can go through the unit and fine tune stuff, making sure things are "just right"
 

wdk450

Well-known member
I think one of the factors to be considered BEFORE buying an RV is the dealer's service reputation. Ask on this forum, or check RVSERVICEREVIEWS.com .

Find a good INDEPENDENT RV servicer in your area if your dealer fails you. These small businessmen rely on GETTING THE JOB DONE to get paid (they don't "come along for the ride" with sales commissions), and depend on a good reputation (i.e. doing good and timely work) for repeat business.
You can use any of these servicers you choose for warranty work with a prior phone authorization from Heartland service. Heartland service even keeps a list of independents they have sucessfully worked with in your area.
 
Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions and input on my leak(s?) from the UDC area into the underbelly. Am checking things out and will post here as issue resolves. My cat Aussie and I love our Big Country! It came thru the Nevada County "tornado watch" (yes, I said Tornado Watch!!) like a champ. Lots of rain, hail and NO internal leaks.

Staying warm and cozy.
Annie
 

JayG

Member
We also have a Big Country 3250. I call it a Leak Country, the hot water heater, cheap pex tubing and so on have leaked too numerous times to count. TV/ surround system hooked up wrong,Toilet would't hold water, and other "quality control " issues that should have been caught at the factory.Now to top it all off, the slide floors have rotted on the ends.This camper is only 3.5 years old. I'll bet the the money the dealer and the owners of Heartland took from me didn't have issues. Has anyone contacted the owners of Heartland with their issues?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
We also have a Big Country 3250. Has anyone contacted the owners of Heartland with their issues?

Hi Jayg,

I see youve posted about leaks several times. Have you called Heartland yet? 877-262-8032.



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GOTTOYS

Well-known member
First thing one has to do when a leak is appearent is to turn the water off. Dry things out and then look for the leak. I've had plumbing fixtures and fittings fail under warranty and I have been to repair all of them in less than an hour and with little out of pocket expense. Why hand your rig over to someone that really has no interest in getting you back to using it? After things are stable I hit the forum to see what others have found and done to fix things.
...X2.... Exactly the way I deal with it!..There isn't a trip I've ever been on where something didn't need repair. That's true of any RV I've owned. If you aren't a little bit handy and able to repair things yourself..owning an RV may not be as much fun as it could be. My one and only dealer experience was so poor I never want to go back there. Almost every repair I have made has been relatively minor....Don
 

wdk450

Well-known member
We also have a Big Country 3250. I call it a Leak Country,. . . . .Now to top it all off, the slide floors have rotted on the ends.

I would read this thread and talk to Heartland Service about fixing this. Supposedly the manufacturer of the slide flooring guaranteed it was waterproof, when it proved to be not that. Here's the link:
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...de-floor-de-lamination?highlight=slide+floors
 

Toy1Ton

Toy 1 Ton
it is not only the big country I have a spot 18" by 18" soft spot almost in the middel of my kicthen floor of my 2009 Bighorn
 

Philip

Member
I purchased a new 2012 BC 3450TS in October 2012. A few days ago I drained the underbelly. I have located and stopped a leak behind the UDC for the outdoor shower, but it appears at this point there are a few other slow leaks that need to be addressed. How does one remove the crimp hose clamping used by the manufacturer while inflicting minimal damage on the plastic pipe? Where a leak is noticed, would it not make more sense to use a regular hose clamp requiring the use of a slotted screwdriver, i. e. the kind of hose clamp we have been using on automobiles for decades? I am 2000 miles from my dealer and there is little in the way of RV technicians in the immediate area, so it makes sense to tackle this problem myself and not wait. Thanks. Philip
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I purchased a new 2012 BC 3450TS in October 2012. A few days ago I drained the underbelly. I have located and stopped a leak behind the UDC for the outdoor shower, but it appears at this point there are a few other slow leaks that need to be addressed. How does one remove the crimp hose clamping used by the manufacturer while inflicting minimal damage on the plastic pipe? Where a leak is noticed, would it not make more sense to use a regular hose clamp requiring the use of a slotted screwdriver, i. e. the kind of hose clamp we have been using on automobiles for decades? I am 2000 miles from my dealer and there is little in the way of RV technicians in the immediate area, so it makes sense to tackle this problem myself and not wait. Thanks. Philip

It takes special tools - a bit pricey, but readily available. I doubt hose clamps would work on pex lines.

Are you using a pressure regulator? If so and you still have leaks at multiple crimps, maybe it's time to get all of the crimps redone. Call Heartland at 877-262-8032 to discuss.


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GOTTOYS

Well-known member
Standard hose clamps won't work with Pex. You can purchase or probably rent a Pex crimper and just recrip the rings that are on there. Aplumber should have the tool also..Don
 

Philip

Member
Many thanks Gottoys and danemayer for your prompt replies. I am using a 40 PSI regulator. I called Heartland earlier in the week and I found out I was quite a distance from their nearest dealer; however the company indicated they would work with a suitable RV technician. I think recrimping all is the solution. I will contact Heartland again re a technician or plumber. Philip
 
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