Leak that I can not find the source

[terryb1118]

I have a leak coming from between the outer wall and floor in the area behind the electrical/fuse panel. The leak is small, it will soak up a paper towel in about 12 hrs. It showed up right in front of the stairs to the bedroom about 3 weeks ago. I pulled the breaker box from the wall and I could see inside on the floor that it was wet. To get to the water I had to open up a small portion of the wall (see attached picture). I have been trying to find the source of this leak and for the life of me can not find it. It is definitley coming between the floor and the base of the outer wall. this is on the front side of the RV and the only water source close is the hot water heater but I see no leaks around it when I open up the area inside the storage compartment.
Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated. We bought our Big Horn 2016 3875 FB in June of last year. We have been very pleased with our rig but definitley need to get this leak source found and fixed!

I have attached 3 pictures of the opening I have made and you can see where it has stained the wood. Dont worry I made the hole so I could cover it with a nice wooden air return vent.

Terry

 

[Bob&Patty]

What is around that area that might have water under pressure? W/D, bathroom, etc,etc. Water can travel and that makes it hard to find leaks.

 

[boatto5er]

Is this near the bathroom? Could be the check valve for the black tank flush.


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[Garypowell]

The last picture makes it look like it is weeping out of the wall and then running in the corner. You did not say if it was constant or not. Water running out of the wall like that would mean to me you have water intrusion somewhere higher up and it is coming out where it is.

If it is not always flowing it could be from dew or rain coming in via a non-sealed bolt/screw/joint.

If it is continually flowing it is from a water line more than likely. I think your toilet is on that side.....check behind it to insure it is not a slight leak.

Good luck.

 

[MCTalley]

Based on that floor plan and location, there is no plumbing nearby. This is just inside the door to the right. Nearest plumbing would be in the half bath on the other side of the steps. Front bath plumbing generally runs between the front basement wall and the front storage compartment.

This does look like something maybe running down the inside of the exterior wall. I would be checking the caulk around the door frame and the exterior light over or near the door.

 

[GWRam]

Terry,
You didn't say, or I missed it. Does this slow leak happen all the time? Only after rain?
If it has been continuous for three weeks I would be looking up and forward. The nearest
plumbing fixture above the spot you see water is your master toilet and then the sink. I would look in that direction.
Water runs down hill, but not always straight down, a slow leak in the master bath may be
dripping on a piece of upper deck structure and then running rearward and showing itself on
the main floor. It could even be coming from the shower, but less likely.
Good Luck,
Dave

 

[Bones]

To help find the leak. Take some paper towels and roll them up and lay them across the floor in the affected area. One paper towel is facing the front and one is facing the sink area. If the leak is coming from one of those directions this may help you find out and help you narrow your search down. another alternative is to take a paper towel and run it along some of your fixtures to see where it shows up wet. that helps find weep-holes that you may not necessarily feel with your hands.

 

[terryb1118]

Malcolm,
You are correct with the floor plan and no plumbing nearby. I agree its down the inside of the exterior wall. We live in our RV and have it covered, no rain can get around the door frame or exterior lighting. Something I discovered last night was condensation on the ceiling in the bedroom. You could tell it was running along the A/C duct work up in the ceiling. Now I am wondering if it is condensation running off of the A/C ducts and down the exterior wall. We do not run the bedroom A/C but utilize the Living room A/C 100% for cooling. I am thinking about just running the fan on the bedroom unit on low and see if that will help?

 

[JohnD]

We had a small leak in the basement of our Prowler when we first got it.

It was intermittent . . . so it was hard to trace.

At first I thought it was the shower, but as it turned out the water inlet on the back of the toilet wasn't tight.

Each time it was flushed, water ran along the water pipe and down into the basement.

Probably not your issue . . . but just one idea of something else it could be.

 

[mlpeloquin]

All AC ducting, front and rear, are connected together. When the living room AC is on, you should feel air coming out of the bedroom ducts. Since the distance is far, the amount of air flow will not be much. You can use a peace of tissue paper to do the test. Check that all bedroom vents have some air coming out. If one does not, you may have a duct blockage and is causing the condensation. One heck of a lot of water can be produced depending on the humidity at the time.