Water leak in Casita SD

[Debbie in Florida]

Hi all, looks like my post on this did not go through. Apologies if this is a duplicate.

Just found water under rear seat cabinet floor. Seems clean, like it is coming from water going to toilet but I am not sure. I also seem to have a small leak under sink. Casita SD is only 2 yo.

I will probably call someone but have tools and need to learn to make simple repairs. If you have advice on anything I should look for it is most welcome.

If you cannot tell I am a complete novice, trying to learn! Many thanks.

[oldsteve]

Originally Posted by Debbie in Florida

Hi all, looks like my post on this did not go through. Apologies if this is a duplicate.

Just found water under rear seat cabinet floor. Seems clean, like it is coming from water going to toilet but I am not sure. I also seem to have a small leak under sink. Casita SD is only 2 yo.

I will probably call someone but have tools and need to learn to make simple repairs. If you have advice on anything I should look for it is most welcome.

If you cannot tell I am a complete novice, trying to learn! Many thanks.

You might find the most difficult thing being able to undo the faucets from the sink because if you are old like me it is a reach and a half to get to it. I had to replace the sink faucets in mine SD after 2 years also. With shark bite fittings that have a cutoff valve built in it is very easy to replace. I replaced the sink faucet with a long neck, new braided hoses, with the shark bite and cut off valves . Lowes/Home Depot has them. Toilet probably isn't leaking under the seat at the pex fitting. If it is cut it use another shark bite fitting to repair and include another cuttoff valve. Giving the option of turning the toilet water off.... Think about that. The back of my thetford toilet was the leaking devil. Amazon has replacement water modules $26.00 that take a bit of dexterity to pull and then to put but really not that difficult. Hope this helps. Do it yourself you will feel like an astronaut genius.

[Adirondack Anthony]

Casita sinks often leak in the drain line, just reach in and find the round fitting that draws and seals drain together (just below sink). Can tighten by hand. Its common and fitting sometimes shakes loose. Try that first.
Can't help with the other side as I don't have a SD but just start looking.

As an aside, I've gotten into the habit of not using the campground , or home hose through the fitting on the side, at least not for long. It's always under pressure and damage/flooding could happen if you're not around to monitor. I feel better using water from the tank where I have to turn on the pump for it to flow, just means filling the tank more often. Maybe I'm paranoid.

[mary and bob]

When I replaced the kitchen faucet in our SD Casita I took the sink out because the water lines had no slack and I couldn't get them attached. First thing is to locate the leak. I found our sink trap a little loose and leaking. If the leak is at the waterline to faucet fitting you might be able to tighten it with a basin wrench.

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

as others have said check trap under sink. on the other water leak . when you say rear seat witch seat to you mean? if its the one that adjoins the bath. I would look at the exterior shower fittings

[Flydog]

"Under the rear seat". If I'm understanding you correctly, I had a leak here that was from the fresh water fill pipe not being secure to the water inlet. Had to reach inside (under the seat) and tighten the hose clamp.

[Casita Greg]

Sometimes something as simple as "overfilling" the fresh water tank, can result in vent line overflow that could be visible as a puddle or wet spot on the floor. There are many potential places for leaks to originate. Don't forget that water can flow, (migrate,) from one place to a totally unrelated area of the trailer where it will settle and you can actually find it pooling up. For instance, it is not uncommon to have water on the floor caused by rain water or washing the trailer dripping in through the upper outside fridge vent due to the inverted angle of the grille, (not actually installed on the vertical.) If there was freeze damage, you could have a broken pipe or fitting near the water pump. As was also mentioned, sometimes the drain fittings can work loose and need to be retightened.

As an aside, an alternate easy way to access the fittings on the back of the galley sink water pipe connections would be to unscrew the stove top and lift it vertically several inches to be able to reach in under the back of the sink to tighten the PEX fittings if they are leaking. There's enough slack in the copper gas line to the stove to allow lifting it enough to get your arm in to reach the back of the sink.

[dmad1]

Our '15 17' LD, developed a leak under the bathroom sink at the "P-trap". The flange that holds the trap to the sink split enough to let it leak. Also had the top vent leak around the gasket. It was running down the rear wall and onto the floor as well as straight down to the floor under the vent. I had one more that was hard to find but turned out that when it rained hard on the passenger side, it was coming in around the gasket on the small storage door and run back under the water storage tank.

[Debbie in Florida]

Thank you all. I realize how ignorant I am! I have an RV repair guy coming tomorrow and with these ideas, I hope he can fix yhe problem and I get a basic lesson in Casita plumbing.

Reading in the A-z owners guide, she suggested that a water leak on the rear interior floor is due to the water line hose filter located inside the Casita...at least for that leak.

Any other ideas are welcome. I will let you know what the RV guys suggests and will share your ideas with him. Thanks again.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Adirondack Anthony

Casita sinks often leak in the drain line, just reach in and find the round fitting that draws and seals drain together (just below sink). Can tighten by hand. Its common and fitting sometimes shakes loose. Try that first.
Can't help with the other side as I don't have a SD but just start looking.

As an aside, I've gotten into the habit of not using the campground , or home hose through the fitting on the side, at least not for long. It's always under pressure and damage/flooding could happen if you're not around to monitor. I feel better using water from the tank where I have to turn on the pump for it to flow, just means filling the tank more often. Maybe I'm paranoid.

When hooked to city water always use a pressure regulator at the faucet. City water is almost always to high of pressure to not use one. Anytime you leave the trailer to go places turn off the faucet in case of a line break.

[Debbie in Florida]

I was just about to write a happy note about how the RV repairman fixed my leaks and figured I had better check agsin ffg irst. The rear floor cabinet which is next to the bathroom, is wet again as is the space in front of the bathroom door. He tightened some fitting behind the toilet and thought that was the problem...apparently not. It did seem to address a small puddle that formed in front of the toilet but not the main reason I called him.

The leak under the sink was fixed. The fitting for the drain was threadbare and apparently when it was installed at the factory no plumbers putty was used. The entire drain had to be replaced. ( I went to Ace to buy the part.)

One problem solved.

Unfortunately he did not seem to interested in learning what other owners thought. The bill was $225.00. It seems the service call is $100.00 here in Florida. (I have had to call before.) And labor or extra time is extra. Is this the norm?

Some RV friends recommended someone else so if this man wants to charge me again, I will just call someone else. Thoughts and experiences?

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Debbie in Florida

,,,. The bill was $225.00. It seems the service call is $100.00 here in Florida. (I have had to call before.) And labor or extra time is extra. ...
Some RV friends recommended someone else so if this man wants to charge me again, I will just call someone else. Thoughts and experiences?

I recommend yourself... The more you can learn to DIY the better off you will be. That is my 63 years of experience.

[Debbie in Florida]

I agree Gordon. I am working from scratch to say the least, however you advice is well taken. (Tent camping was much easier but as I aged, I "outgrew" it. Now I need new skills.)

[Debbie in Florida]

Hi. Had a different repairman come today. He was great, reasonable, knowledgeable, fixed the leak (needed a new shark bite? Fitting on the red plastic pipes under the rear cabinet), checked a lot of things for me and explained a lot. I will have him back to help with two new things at a later date and to learn more from him. He owns and rents out RVs that he keeps in tip top shape. I am much relieved.

Jann, thanks for the tip on the water pressure regulator. Any brand you would recommend?

Thanks again.

[Civilguy]

Congratulations. It sounds like you did yourself a favor by trying another repair person.

When I am hiring someone, my objective is generally to find someone who is honest, who communicates well, and is reasonably competent - in that order.

While we generally get focused on looking for competence, everyone makes mistakes. That's where the honesty and communication come in.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Debbie in Florida

Hi. Had a different repairman come today. He was great, reasonable, knowledgeable, fixed the leak (needed a new shark bite? Fitting on the red plastic pipes under the rear cabinet), checked a lot of things for me and explained a lot. I will have him back to help with two new things at a later date and to learn more from him. He owns and rents out RVs that he keeps in tip top shape. I am much relieved.

Jann, thanks for the tip on the water pressure regulator. Any brand you would recommend?

Thanks again.

There are a variety of pressure regulators. Some are very simple in-line that don't have a readout and some have a dial with a readout. We just use a simple no readout one but I think the ones that have a readout would be a little better so you can actually see what the pressure is. They all are preset to about 45 pounds of pressure. Any RV supply store and some Walmarts carry them. You don't have to spend a fortune for one. While you are at it if you don't have a volt meter in your trailer for watching what the voltage is at all times get one of those also. Get a digital one. They make one that isn't digital that is white with an arrow on it that is useless. Out of 5 of them only one read right. I ordered the digital one on-line. It gives you peace of mind when hooked to shore power if you run an A/C or fridge. Happy you got your leak fixed.

[thrifty bill]

[QUOTE=Debbie in Florida;803903
Unfortunately he did not seem to interested in learning what other owners thought. The bill was $225.00. It seems the service call is $100.00 here in Florida. (I have had to call before.) And labor or extra time is extra. Is this the norm?

Some RV friends recommended someone else so if this man wants to charge me again, I will just call someone else. Thoughts and experiences?[/QUOTE]

Its not unusual to see rates in the $75 to $100 per hour range, with a minimum charge too. Its somewhat location specific. When in doubt, ask others for recommendations and be sure to comparison shop.

The bigger issue I would have is the person didn't fix it all. Glad you got someone else who appears to have done a better job!

On pressure water regulators, that is a MUST. Amazon is full of them, $10 or less. Heck, even Walmart sells them. Campgrounds are notorious for over pressure water supply that will damage your trailer. Also, if you are not at your trailer, disconnect the city water supply. I left for a couple of hours, left the city water connected. The check valve in the pump failed, and I returned with water spraying out the tank overflow. The overflow vent on my water tank is small. I got lucky the tank did not burst and fill the trailer with water.

[Debbie in Florida]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Just ordered my water pressure regulator from Amazon and learned a lot from all of you and the reading I have done. This is plumbing and water week. I think next week I will focus on power and electricity.

[Robert Reighter]

Debbie, like you I’ve learned a lot troubleshooting ‘the leak’. And like you I’ve pulled the galley sink apart, checked the outside shower fittings and checked the toilet fittings. I searched and searched without success! Finally I found my leak in an unlikely place. The outside vent cover for the stove had pulled away slightly allowing rain to seep in. I caulked around the vent cover. Problem solved!

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by Debbie in Florida

Hi. Had a different repairman come today. He was great, reasonable, knowledgeable, fixed the leak (needed a new shark bite? Fitting on the red plastic pipes under the rear cabinet)...

Sharkbite is the brand name for a plumbing supply manufacturer that specializes in fittings that go on quickly, many by pushing on so that internal "teeth" bite onto the pipe. Some work well.. but many result in complaints of leaks. Your red pipe is likely PEX and personally I would much prefer a crimp ring or even cinch ring on a matched fitting to a Sharkbite fitting on PEX pipes, esp. with all the shaking that a trailer experiences. Perhaps it was such a tight space that the plumber decided the easiest way to fix it was with a Sharkbite push on. Bottom line is I would keep an eye on it.

If you post a photo perhaps more opinions on the use of the fitting might result.