Add me to the "I have a leak" club.

[FlyerChief]

On vacation in Sedona, AZ. Returned to the coach this morning (BH 3070) and noticed water dripping under the hot water heater. Figured it was the hwh check valve so many have written about. Unloaded the basement (1" of standing water throughout), mopped out the water. Took down the basement wall. Turns out the leak is from the cast bronze/brass water inlet fitting....the one between the incoming hose and the pex connection in the basement....has a check valve in it.

Not looking forward to a week with no water. No parts available in Sedona. Drove over to Camelot RV Supply in Cottonwood. They didn't have the exact fitting, but they had one that works as a temporary fix, with a little help from Ace Hardware until I can get the correct fitting. Sounds like the rest of the vacation is saved.

Here I thought the plastic stuff was the problem, but this is a cast metal fitting with a hairline crack. As Bob often says, a rolling earthquake will eventually break anything.

Now we just have to dry everything out......


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Too bad about the leak but good to hear you found a temporary fix. Hard to figure why no parts available in Sedona. It's a pretty common part. Worse case scenario, fill the fresh tank and then disconnect and cap off the inner connection of the "Fresh inlet".

 

[ParkIt]

My son took a look at the PEX hook ups on ours and said they were set properly with no stress fractures though he wants to re-route a few things with better fittings. Not exactly sure what all he plans but I'm leaving it up to him, he's been a 'Mcgyver' kid which is how he got his journeyman's license in half the time it usually takes and remembers a few plumbing things I had to fix on the RV since he spent a lot of his younger years in it.

FlyerChief, it does seem weird they wouldn't have the parts there but at least you are in a warmer area, hope everything dries out quickly with no additional damage. I'm starting to wonder if I should just upgrade our water heater at this point.

 

[aatauses]

FlyerChief--sorry that has happened to you. As a precaution, if you had water in your basement, I would drop a section of the belly pan and make sure you do not have water that leaked into that area--
al
currently in Kenai, AK

 

[FlyerChief]

Thanks, Parkit. Stuff dries out pretty quickly when you're in a place where the humidity is only about 20%!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[FlyerChief]

Thanks, aatauses. Did that......all looks good.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[wdk450]

Flyer Chief:
I wonder if silicon stretchable "Rescue Tape" would have ridden you through the trip? Its supposed to be good enough for hydraulic lines.

 

[ParkIt]

Flyer Chief:
I wonder if silicon stretchable "Rescue Tape" would have ridden you through the trip? Its supposed to be good enough for hydraulic lines.

It probably could but not sure I'd take that chance personally, better to get it fixed asap.

FlyerChief: does this mean you got it fixed or everything is dried out? Hopefully both, it seems strange you can't find a $6 part around there.

 

[FlyerChief]

I was not able to find an exact replacement for the inlet water valve in the Big Horn. The locknut on the one in my coach fits into a molded inset in the UDC. I could not find one with a similar locknut or a similar length. So.....I got another, generic inlet valve (no locknut to fit in the housing) and lengthened it using a half inch pipe union and threaded nipple so it would reach the pex connection behind the UDC. The end result is that I was able to get back in business, although it is cobbled together and looks like it. We finished the week of vacation with no more problems from that fitting. Everything dried out just fine - very low humidity helps.

To continue the saga, when we packed up to come home this morning, I got water dripping again...this time when I used the black tank flush. I guess it never ends.

I'll be paying a visit to the dealer ASAP.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[wdk450]

FlyerChief:

Here is a link to the Anderson 4 way Valve system used by Heartland. Maybe Anderson can supply you with the needed part: http://www.andersonbrass.com/rv_4_function_fill_station.php

You may try the black tank flusher again at the dealer and it will be "O.K." It might still "leak" in the future.
The black tank flusher "leak" can be a NORMAL occurrence!!! Yes, I know that water pouring into your storage area should not be normal. The ugly truth is that the code-mandated B&B Black tank Atmospheric Breaker (check) valve has a water release port on its top, that can release the supplied water under the "right" conditions. On the B&B Molding documentation they warn RV designers to NOT to place this over electrical equipment. Evidently the Heartland designers didn't get this message for a few years, and many a power converter (including mine) got soaked and ruined by this placement. Heartland has since moved the placement of the valve and power converter.
Although this atmospheric breaker valve is mandated by code, unless it is mounted in a dedicated enclosure with a drain tube to the ground, it is an accident waiting to happen. I attribute mine failing due to high water pressure, but I am not sure of that. Add-on black tank flusher systems that you can buy at RV stores do NOT have this atmospheric breaker check valve, they just use a normal check valve. What I did was just take out the atmospheric check valve (with the water vent) and install a standard check valve, although I did leave all the PEX tubing in place, and the check valve is mounted high up inside a wall for black/fresh water isolation.
Here is a link to the B&B Molders documentation. Read closely item #7. http://www.bandbmolders.com/files/TankFlusherInstructions2.pdf

 

[FlyerChief]

Thanks, wdk450. The back flow preventer brass fitting for the water inlet is the one that leaked and caused the initial problem. That's the one I could not find in Sedona/Cottonwood.

Thanks for the info on the black flush vacuum breaker. As I understand it, that is now behind the shower and that's where the water was dipping from.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD