Fresh water tank capacity problem

[jheitman]

I'm writing for help, especially from the factory if someone there reads this section.

I noticed that it didn't take very long to fill the fresh water tank. I timed the hose rate and then timed the fill. I only got about 17 gals in the tank before it would not take any more. Nothing seems kinked behind the UDC. I had previously run the tank down with the pump and then drained the remaining out with the fresh water drain under the coach.

I tried pushing a coat hanger up gently into the drain and nothing happened, apparently no major blockage there.

The driver side of the coach was about 1.5" low so I raised it up to perfect level and I still can only get 18 gals in the tank before water is forced back out at me, hard.

The fill light only comes on to 1/3 also. I ran the full tank into the kitchen sink and its tank showed 1/3 when finished.

I can only get about a third of the tank filled for some reason.

Help anyone, what is going wrong?


Jim & Marilynn Heitman - Owners Club # 1756
2010 Chevy Silverado, Ext Cab, 4x4, 6.0 L Vortec
2011 Greystone 32RE
Reese Select Plus 20k Slider Hitch

 

[danemayer]

Lots of info at this thread:
//heartlandowners.org/showthread.php/4753-Fresh-water-tank-fill

Discussion centers on vent problems and fill hose routing. My Rushmore had a problem like yours. I opened the basement and rerouted the fill hose so it didn't have a low spot holding water.

 

[hoefler]

Check your vent line. Make sure it does not have a low spot that holds water.

 

[jheitman]

Check your vent line. Make sure it does not have a low spot that holds water.

Thanks to "Danemayer" and "Hoefler" for the suggestions, which were right on.

I knew when I bought this coach that there was a lot to learn, stuff everyone else already learned the hard way, but I had to learn the hard way too. Thank heavens for this forum and you guys. Would be great if stuff like this was covered in an owners manual.

Well, I read all the threads on fresh water and most people had found that they had gotten water in the vent line, probably by overfilling the tank. I cut a 2 ft length of 5/8" OD and 1/2" ID plastic tubing, cut one end real flat, pushed it against the vent screen next to the fill port and blew into it. I heard a lot of gurgling on the first blow but none there after.

I tried filling the tank and low and behold, I got a full tank. Miracle of Miracles....

Here are the fill quanities that I measured, hot water tank was already previously filled.
Click to see full table.


After this fill, until water backs up, the vent seems to be blocked again with water. Each time I try blowing into it, it gurgles, but dowsn't clear. I imagine once I drain some out, I will be able to clear the vent. Would be nice if Heartland raised the vent line so that water couldn't fill some low spot someplace.

I bet the fresh water tank is the same as all the others, 40 gals. I think Heartland counts the hot water tank as fresh water storage, so that gives us about 50 gals. I can't imagine where they get 57 gals from, maybe its a typo.

Anyway, there's the resolution to that problem. I'm trying to post the problems I encounter with my Greystone so that other Greystone owners can learn a little easier.

jim

 

[cookie]

When I had my 2008 Bighorn I did the same as you. Used a hose and blew into the vent. I figured it was easier than trying to get at the vent line to fix it.

Peace
Dave

 

[jheitman]

Thanks to "Danemayer" and "Hoefler" for the suggestions, which were right on.

I knew when I bought this coach that there was a lot to learn, stuff everyone else already learned the hard way, but I had to learn the hard way too. Thank heavens for this forum and you guys. Would be great if stuff like this was covered in an owners manual.

Well, I read all the threads on fresh water and most people had found that they had gotten water in the vent line, probably by overfilling the tank. I cut a 2 ft length of 5/8" OD and 1/2" ID plastic tubing, cut one end real flat, pushed it against the vent screen next to the fill port and blew into it. I heard a lot of gurgling on the first blow but none there after.

I tried filling the tank and low and behold, I got a full tank. Miracle of Miracles....

Here are the fill quanities that I measured, hot water tank was already previously filled.
Click to see full table.

View attachment 10135
After this fill, until water backs up, the vent seems to be blocked again with water. Each time I try blowing into it, it gurgles, but dowsn't clear. I imagine once I drain some out, I will be able to clear the vent. Would be nice if Heartland raised the vent line so that water couldn't fill some low spot someplace.

I bet the fresh water tank is the same as all the others, 40 gals. I think Heartland counts the hot water tank as fresh water storage, so that gives us about 50 gals. I can't imagine where they get 57 gals from, maybe its a typo.

Anyway, there's the resolution to that problem. I'm trying to post the problems I encounter with my Greystone so that other Greystone owners can learn a little easier.

jim

Heartland has a new website. The specifications for the 32RE have changed. Now the fresh water capacity is 47 gals, what do you know.

jim

 

[jheitman]

My wife and I took the Heartland Greystone factory tour last week. We saw some Sundance and Greystone models in production. The Sundance 3200RE, which is structurally identical to the Greystone 32RE, has the freshwater tank just behind the rear axel. The fill, vent, and output hoses all run along the bottom of the under belly area. So, if you overfill the tank you are going to get water in the vent hose. There is nothing you can do but blow the water back into the tank. I thought I saw some high end models with the vent run along the top of the under belly, which might allow the vent to drain back into the tank. I don't know why they don't lace it that way on the Sundance/Greystone. The line to the pump is T'd to form the drain, foreward by the UDC.
The waste tanks are all forward of the axels, with the black water tank in front of the grey tanks.

 

[Geo]

That is great information jheitman , I have a 2010 3200RE & some time it will just spit out water befor it is full. i will need to ck the lines
Thanks, George

 

[jheitman]

That is great information jheitman , I have a 2010 3200RE & some time it will just spit out water befor it is full. i will need to ck the lines
Thanks, George

I'm sure if you blow back into your fresh water vent, located right next to the fill port in the UDC, you will be able to fully fill your tank. However, watch out, you better stop filling at the first sign of gurgling from the fill port, or you will overfill and fill the vent with water again.

Good luck jim

 

[jheitman]

I cleared the vent and added 10 gal to an empty tank. I took an 800 mile trip and then tried to drain the tank. Only a few drops came out. I cleared the vent by blowing into my tube and the water started pouring out. Apparently water gets into the vent anytime you are moving around with water in the fresh tank. Blowing into the vent is necessary before filling or draining.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

I've moved this thread out of the ATF into the Greystone general area. Thanks for your posts and updates.

 

[jheitman]

I've moved this thread out of the ATF into the Greystone general area. Thanks for your posts and updates.

Might as well move it with no participation by TF anyway.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Might as well move it with no participation by TF anyway.

Jim, generally, the factory responds to most posts. If they feel our forum members have covered the question pretty well, they may not respond at all. Your initial question "what's wrong" while understandable, is hard to determine. From your follow up posts, it seemed that you had the issue resolved so I thought it was safe to assume you no longer needed a factory reply.

 

[caissiel]

When I fill the tank I usualy let it run for a while and when I here girgling I press the hose on the inlet pipe and the air pressure in the tank pushes the water in the vent hose. While the hose is pressed in there is hardly any water pushing back in the filler neck.

Do not do that if the tank is full because the vent is not big enough to relieve the water pressure.

Our previous trailer had a belly in the fill and vent line that was always a problem to fill. This one works great and the tank fills everytime.