Fresh Tank filling by itself

LsuMom

Member
I just bought my very first RV & its a Bighorn 3575EL. We just set it up for the very 1st time a few days ago & we are having a problem with the fresh water tank filling up on its own. I called the dealer yesterday where I bought it from & the service guy told my husband that it would need to go in to be fixed. We bought this RV for work & my husbands job starts tomorrow so I can't bring it in everytime something doesn't work if it's something that we can repair ourselves. The service guy told my husband that it's either the check valve or the 4-way valve. My husband thinks the problem is the 4-way valve. Any suggestions to get this fixed would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi LsuMom,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

The dealer is correct that it's either the 4-way valve or the check valve in the water pump. Fortunately, either one of these is pretty easy to fix.

You'll have to take down the rear wall of the pass through basement storage (near the UDC) to gain access to the water pump and to the back of the 4-way valve.

You should be able to test the 4-way valve while connected to city water by temporarily disconnecting the water line to the fresh tank from the back of the 4-way valve. Use the picture below as a guide. If water comes out of the valve fitting while on CITY, the cartridge in the valve probably has a damaged O-ring. It's a pretty simple replacement and we have some documents and a video that show how. Here's a link. If this is what's wrong, you can either call Anderson at 800-476-9876, or you can call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready.

If no water leaks out of the valve, the problem is in the water pump. You can resolve the problem by either replacing the pump, which is also very easy, or by adding a check-valve on the suction side of the pump. The easiest way to install a check valve is to get a $16 Sharkbite Press-On 1/2" check valve. Here's a link to one on Amazon. You can also find them locally in many hardware stores or a plumbing supply store.

While waiting for parts, turn off the campground water and use your water pump. When you run out of water, switch the 4-way valve to TANK to refill the fresh tank. Then switch back to CITY and turn the faucet off again.
 

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RoadJunkie

Well-known member
Other RV owners are finding out that you should not re position the Anderson valve while there is pressure on the hose line. For example, turn the city water off and release the pressure on the hose before re positioning the valve. Failure to follow this process has led others to "blow" a seal on the Anderson valve. Anyone know if this problem has been fixed on the newer Heartland units? If so, when was it fixed?
 

LBR

Well-known member
Other RV owners are finding out that you should not re position the Anderson valve while there is pressure on the hose line. For example, turn the city water off and release the pressure on the hose before re positioning the valve. Failure to follow this process has led others to "blow" a seal on the Anderson valve. Anyone know if this problem has been fixed on the newer Heartland units? If so, when was it fixed?
This makes perfect sense to release the incoming pressure completely before turning valve to eliminate extra pressure on the more fragile moving parts...AKA the rubber O-ring that can make or break proper operation.
 

LsuMom

Member
Hi LsuMom,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

The dealer is correct that it's either the 4-way valve or the check valve in the water pump. Fortunately, either one of these is pretty easy to fix.

You'll have to take down the rear wall of the pass through basement storage (near the UDC) to gain access to the water pump and to the back of the 4-way valve.

You should be able to test the 4-way valve while connected to city water by temporarily disconnecting the water line to the fresh tank from the back of the 4-way valve. Use the picture below as a guide. If water comes out of the valve fitting while on CITY, the cartridge in the valve probably has a damaged O-ring. It's a pretty simple replacement and we have some documents and a video that show how. Here's a link. If this is what's wrong, you can either call Anderson at 800-476-9876, or you can call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready.

If no water leaks out of the valve, the problem is in the water pump. You can resolve the problem by either replacing the pump, which is also very easy, or by adding a check-valve on the suction side of the pump. The easiest way to install a check valve is to get a $16 Sharkbite Press-On 1/2" check valve. Here's a link to one on Amazon. You can also find them locally in many hardware stores or a plumbing supply store.

While waiting for parts, turn off the campground water and use your water pump. When you run out of water, switch the 4-way valve to TANK to refill the fresh tank. Then switch back to CITY and turn the faucet off again.
Thank you so very much for your detailed response & for accepting me into the forum. My husband has read your response & is checking into it now.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Thank you so very much for your detailed response & for accepting me into the forum. My husband has read your response & is checking into it now.
I've just posted a new User Guide on this subject, which you can find in this folder. It has a little more information and a few more pictures.
 
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