Leak! Help!

[BOBSMITH]

My wife and I went on a five-day trip to the Black Mountains of NC. We keep our extra clothes in a duffel bag which we put under the bed. After we got to the campground we pulled the duffel bag out to get some clothes and discovered that it was wet! Upon investigation, I found that the floor was very wet under the bed! We hadn't spilled anything and there was no leakage from the windows the door or the overhead fan or a/c unit. I crawled under and opened up the hatches to examine the various pipes and water heater etc. It was dry as a bone in there! But the carpet directly under the bed closest to the pump/heater/etc. was very wet.

One thing that we noticed was that the pump would periodically "grunt". A leak somewhere in the system?

How would this one spot be wet? (About twelve inches wide by three feet long.)

We did fill the fresh water tank before we left for the trip, so it was full. It was still full when we got to the campground, so no leaks from there. Anyway, the water would have had to leak "up" to get to the floor if that was the source. And the weather had been bone-dry for quite some time. This was very recent water. We did not notice it before we left to head for the Black Mountains.

Any suggestions?

(I haven't had time to do a thorough search since returning. We don't keep the trailer stored here at the house. It will be Wednesday before I can get back to our Casita.)

[Bill K]

Sounds like a small leak in the pressure side of the pump between the pump and the faucet. With the pump turned on,with your hand circle the water line at the pump and follow the line to the faucet. You should feel your hand get wet somewhere along the way.

Bill K

One thing that we noticed was that the pump would periodically "grunt". A leak somewhere in the system?

How would this one spot be wet? (About twelve inches wide by three feet long.)

We did fill the fresh water tank before we left for the trip, so it was full. It was still full when we got to the campground, Any suggestions?

(I haven't had time to do a thorough search since returning. We don't keep the trailer stored here at the house. It will be Wednesday before I can get back to our Casita.)

[Joe Z]

Bob...
After you try bill's suggestion above I know you said it was not raining but double check that the cup underneath the trailer where you put your table leg in is not leaking (lack of caulk) because while you are driving you may have ran thru a thunderstorm or something and that would explain it just being in the center.
Joe

[Frederick L. Simson]

I recently replaced my water pump with a new one after similar circumstances. My water "puddle" was confined to underneath the bench, soaked into the carpet, and I found the wetness only after investigating the increasing frequency of the "grunting". My pump was original, 30 years old, and I always assumed it's poor performance was normal until I installed the new one. I added an accumulation tank which eliminated the "grunting", and long loops of flexible hose (not plastic plumbing, which is not very flexible) which silenced the operation.


Original Pump


New Pump, Acumulator Tank, and Hoses.

[BOBSMITH]

Thanks, everyone!!

I'll check all of this stuff. The whole situation just seemed very weird. The leak was very limited to that one spot.

I'll post here once I've looked at it more closely on Wednesday.

[Ben Chappell]

Thanks, everyone!!

I'll check all of this stuff. The whole situation just seemed very weird. The leak was very limited to that one spot.

I'll post here once I've looked at it more closely on Wednesday.

I have 1 1988 16 ft. scamp and just returned from a 7,500 mile trip. What a great little unit. However, i had a very similar wet spot.The location was in the back of the trailer centered under the bed/table. After going over every thing that sucks or pumps and finding nothing. I discovered that the fresh water fill hose was leaking. Read this, it only leaked while i was filling..soooooooooooooo after pulling the seat frame and 9 gal fresh water tank, i was able to clamp the hose neck and stop the little bugger from leaking.... I think have repaired or replaced every thing on this unit.........
but i still love it..... Chappy

[BOBSMITH]

Okay, here's the deal:

I went to my trailer yesterday (I store it my mother-in-law's place out in the country). I filled the fresh water tank and turned on the pump. After the hot water heater was filled (I'd drained it at the campground when I left there), I waited to see what would happen. Soon after filling the heater and the pipes, the pump began to "grunt" when it would work to equalize the pressure of the water that was being lost.

I opened up all of the hatches and began to search for a leak. Nothing near the fresh water tank and nothing anywhere along most of the pipes leading out from there.

Finally, I found a growing wet area--it's located either at, or very near where the fresh water flows into the hot water heater. It's a pretty bad leak, unfortunately.

So, now I'm going to have to take up the seat on that side of the trailer to locate the leak. I'd hoped that it would be in an area much easier to repair. But there you go.

Thanks to everyone who made suggestions!

[Coach George Jessup]

hot water tank could be leaking.

I had one bust from freezing before.