Casita loosing water?!

[3gyspytravelers]

So we are new to our little 16' casita, been on a 8 day camping trip and it seems that when we fill up the tank of water by the time we make it to our sites it's gone?! What is happening to 30 gallons of water. Any tips?!

[Dudley]

Couple of things to check,
1 the connector for city water should have a plug and should not be leaking,
2 is your toilet running on and filling up the black tank?
3 Is you floor wet near the back of the trailer.The tank is probably only 17 gallons but if its empty then you should be swimming in it.
4 If not then check for leaks under the trailer such as the tank drain.
5 If its just down about 1/4 tank or so then it may just be that your hot water tank was empty and when you turned on the pump, it filled the hot water tank with 6 gallons

If the floor is wet, then you probably have a leak in the pex fittings or the pump ( if you're in a cold area, was it winterized last year.)

[3gyspytravelers]

We aren't sure about the winterize from last year we just got it. And yes we have had moisture in back we have had the bed set up this trip the whole time so we need to check that asap tomorrow. We just noticed the water going out the bottom in the "overflow" part. Cause we have been driving a lot Up in Canada. Thanks for the help I will let you know tomorrow what we find.

[Borrego Dave]

I always fill my SD 17s tank before I leave. Because of the level difference is so short from the top of the tank and the outside overflow it always leaks water for a while on the road. Never had and empty tank though, just maybe a gallon gone. As offered in another post, empty water heater, Pex line or drain leaking might be it. Has it happened before? As you found wetness on the floor around the tanks location it's probably a lose/cracked water line. Pull the bench out and have a look. That's easy, a few screws and will give you a great view of what's going on.

[J Ron]

If you are calling the valve under the trailer the overflow that is the drain.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by 3gyspytravelers

We aren't sure about the winterize from last year we just got it. And yes we have had moisture in back we have had the bed set up this trip the whole time so we need to check that asap tomorrow. We just noticed the water going out the bottom in the "overflow" part. Cause we have been driving a lot Up in Canada. Thanks for the help I will let you know tomorrow what we find.

The overflow is at the fill up spot. There's a large opening for the fill up and a little hole with a screen hopefully and that is the overflow. The tube out the bottom of the trailer is the drain. If that is dripping then you need to either tighten or replace the cap. It's possible the tank is cracked at the drain area. If you are wet inside then it could be a loose connection on a line but in any case the drain is the water loss problem most likely. Put water in the tank and watch to see if the drain is leaking. Turn on the pump making sure the hot water tank is properly filled and all faucets are off and see if the pump cycles. If the pump cycles then you have a line leak. It may take 15-30 minutes for the pump to cycle if the leak is very small. This is how we found we had leaks in the past. Then you have to start looking every where to find the leak.

[thrifty bill]

Open side compartment door, is carpet wet? Water does not disappear, it leaks. Losing water without the water pump turned on eliminates a lot of your plumbing. Tank itself, tank drain and line to pump are all pretty easy to check. Check now, as this could be serious! Depending on year plumbing may not be PEX and tank, pump and valves all can freeze.

Since the floor is wet under the bed you have a leak somewhere. I had a 17 foot Casita.

Carpet really holds the water. Getting it all dry is important. Casita improved floor design over the years, but even now, the OSB floor is not encased in fiberglass. The OSB is set on top of the fiberglass shell and then coated with resin. Earlier years were not top coated with resin. OSB does not handle getting wet.

[Stubbs]

Make sure your drain valve on the tank is closed tight, I made that mistake with my Scamp on my first trip with it.

[Harvey]

In many Casitas there is a 'filter' between the fresh water tank & the pump. The pump doesn't have to be on for a damaged/faulty filter to leak copiously, Just the weight of water in the fresh water tank will allow a bad filter to leak out onto the floor of the trailer. I bought my 17SD in January (in Ft Worth, TX). It had been winterized but the filter still contained a small amount of water. The plastic portion of the filter froze & burst during a late spring freeze (the filter is/was located under the 'angled' wood piece at the very back of the trailer, between the dinette seats. When I filled the water tank before our first trip that year, & went into the trailer there was a half inch of water all in the floor of the trailer. I quickly shut off the water fill, drained/squeegied most of the water out, located the bad filter, found a relacement, & installed it, & spent the next 2 days with fans & heaters drying out the carpet in the trailer. Same type thing can happen if one of the 'pex' fittings goes bad, or if the pump has a tiny amount of water left in it & no anti-freeze (in the pump), & your trailer is left unheated in sub-freezing temperatures... If you don't use potable anti-freeze in your water system, make sure there is no water left in low spots of your system, especially in places that contain plastic or plexiglass items such as a wter filter or your water pump.