Catastrophic Failure in our brand new Heartland, check yours to be safe

[aquiring signal]

I am reporting this to hopefully save someone from the heartache we are suffering.

We ordered a new 2011 Bighorn 3585RL in January. It was built in February. We took delivery March 1st. On the morning of April 7th I got up like I do every morning & entered the bathroom. I heard water running, but it wasn't the sink. I checked the shower and then the kitchen sink. It wasn't either of them. We went outdoors and discovered a huge puddle beneath the rig and extending across the RV park. Water was streaming from the bottom of our rig. We turned off the water and called our dealer.

We later learned that the water line had come off the water heater sometime during the night and countless gallons of water soaked our trailer.

If you have a Heartland trailer built around this time, it might be a good idea to open up your basement, remove the partition wall & check everything well as a precaution.

 

[campers2]

Bummer, that is not good news. Sure hope you can get some assistance getting it put back in order. Good idea to check that stuff but on a new rig, someone should have checked it before you had a problem.

 

[TandT]

Aquiring, Sorry to hear it. I hope there is no lasting damage. Hopefully everything can be resolved. Thanks for the heads up. Somebody made a bad crimp or forgot to tighten a screw. Trace

 

[aquiring signal]

Both these pieces of hose came off the damaged trailer. One measures about 5/8" and the other about 1/2". I think they intend to only use one size. Perhaps they got a roll of the wrong size or maybe it was defective or stretched.

As for testing, this trailer must have passed inspection before leaving the factory and it also passed the dealer's thorough PDI. On top of that, it held together for a month of use for us. What I'll never know is if mine developed drips or leaks before the hose popped off the fitting.

 

[TandT]

Interesting. Are there any size markings anywhere on the defective hose(s)? Did the dealer say where it came apart?
Also, that looks like a soft material to be used on a hot water fitting. JMHO

 

[aquiring signal]

Interesting. Are there any size markings anywhere on the defective hose(s)? Did the dealer say where it came apart?
Also, that looks like a soft material to be used on a hot water fitting. JMHO

As I understand it, the hose came off a brass fitting on the water heater for the original failure.

I did not check all the markings on all the hoses. Mostly because I did not suspect a variation in hose diameter until days later. The piece I have has a black number that includes a "05" (zero five) on it making me think it is supposed to be half inch. The trailer is at the dealer and we are in a hotel, otherwise I could check the numbers on all the hoses.

I discovered this diameter disparity after the dealer replaced several other fittings after more leaks were discovered in the days following the original failure. And after most of the fittings were replaced, another water line popped off a different fitting overnight (one of the ones not replaced). Like I said, catastrophic.

 

[cookie]

Just curious, are you using a good pressure regulator?

Peace
Dave

 

[aquiring signal]

Just curious, are you using a good pressure regulator?

Peace
Dave

I'm using the same brass regulator we used on our previous Bighorn, parked at the same RV park & at the same site. Also, the second line popped off at the dealer on well water pressure.

 

[rebootsemi]

On our 2011 Sundance I just re-plumbed alot of the crap done by the factory, especially the water pump. I used the 5/8 ID hose and I can guarantee that if they are crimped correctly there is no way they will leak or pop off. I did find some of the factory connection done on the Pex tube that you could turn even though they were fully crimped. The hose is rated @ 150 psi at 72 degrees, pex has to be good to 100 psi @ 180 degrees.
Did you check you regulator to make sure it does not creep. A lot of regulators leak through when dead headed, even if it has a 50 psi set pressure if it leaks through you will end up with what ever the supply pressure is, I've seen one park with 85 psi water pressure and I've also chucked a couple of crap regulators.

 

[Dave49]

I also have a 2011 3670 Bighorn. I have found a couple minor leaks myself. Either I am going to have to get one of them crimp tools or just use hose clamps. Not sure which is suppose to be better. I have found a few others that are suspect also, especially around the convienience center. Not sure why this is a problem but it is for some of us.

Dave

 

[hoefler]

Do not try to use hose clamps on PEX, you are asking for a failure if you do!! There are 3 different styles of crimp rings for PEX; the style you will find on our rigs with a loop on that the crimp tool pinches to set, one style is a large PEX ring that you slide over the PEX tubing you are using, insert an expansion tool to expand the end, then install the fitting and let it contract, and another style is a copper ring with no loop on it that requires a special tool for each diameter of PEX tubing, it reduces the 100% of the diameter when crimped. I have been using the copper ring style for 6 years, it uses a go/no go tool to ensure you have a proper crimp. I have never experienced a leak or failure using this style. I have replaced numerous loop style rings with failures, and a couple on my rig.

 

[rebootsemi]

Grainger sell a hi-end fitting that has the collar built in, but the crimp tool for 1/2" is around $130 duckets.
WHAT EVER YOU DO, DO NOT USE SCREW TYPE HOSE CLAMPS.
Another trick I learned is to warm up the end of pex tubing with a heat gun, with that they really crimp tight, slows down the process but you will not have leaks.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Lee, can a regular pex tool be used to clamp that fitting? Good idea to warm up the pex prior to clamping. I hadn't heard that mentioned before.

 

[hoefler]

There also is some push in type fittings that work well too, but they are pricey. On brand I am familiar with is Shark Bites fittings.

 

[jnbhobe]

The Shark-bite fittings work real good,but as hoefler says they are pricey. I broke down and bought the ratcheting chinch tool. I did go thru and check all of my pex connections, now all I have to do is hope I did it right.

 

[caokgafamily]

Aquiring Signal,

How was this a Catastrophic Failure? Yes somebody obviously messed up in the production line and this shouldn't happen on a new Bighorn. Did the camper get flooded on the inside?

Steve

 

[rebootsemi]

Lee, can a regular pex tool be used to clamp that fitting? Good idea to warm up the pex prior to clamping. I hadn't heard that mentioned before.

I believe the regular ring crimper will do this fitting just fine.

 

[aquiring signal]

Aquiring Signal,

How was this a Catastrophic Failure? Yes somebody obviously messed up in the production line and this shouldn't happen on a new Bighorn. Did the camper get flooded on the inside?

Steve

The water ran for hours before we discovered it and the wooden floor was soaked. Moisture readings of the wood beneath the kitchen floor showed 100% saturation & replacement was recommended. We are full timers. We had to move all of our belongings into storage & we are currently in a hotel. For us, this is a catastrophe. A horrible event I wouldn't wish on anyone.

 

[rebootsemi]

All this trouble because some bozo at the plant did not take the time or have any pride in their workmanship to do their little job the correct way.. I would just love to buy a brand new unit and go to the factory to pick it up and then call all of the bosses from the from office down to inspect the unit after I have taken all of the panels off so you can see the crap they call workmanship. As long as it looks good on the outside it passes. In our industrial gas installations we had to pressure test the systems to 11/2 times the working pressure and hold it for 24 hours. You pay all this money for one of these and end up in a motel, just great.

 

[aquiring signal]

All this trouble because some bozo at the plant did not take the time or have any pride in their workmanship to do their little job the correct way.. I would just love to buy a brand new unit and go to the factory to pick it up and then call all of the bosses from the from office down to inspect the unit after I have taken all of the panels off so you can see the crap they call workmanship. As long as it looks good on the outside it passes. In our industrial gas installations we had to pressure test the systems to 11/2 times the working pressure and hold it for 24 hours. You pay all this money for one of these and end up in a motel, just great.

To be fair, it may or may not be a workmanship issue alone. Perhaps it was caused by defective or wrong (size) parts. Take a look at the picture I posted earlier in this tread. Maybe it was a substandard roll of hose made from materials not up to spec causing it to be too soft or to stretch. Or the wrong size hose or misidentified. I think the PEX system works if everything is right and done correctly.