Water Tank and Water Pipes Location

[gemini5362]

I have been reading this thread with a bit of interest. I have a bighorn and to the best of my knowledge have not had any leaks although some of the threads about problems with the way the freshwater tank is supported are kind of scary. I am not sure whether the original poster is saying the pump itself was actually leaking or the connections going to it. If the connections going to it are leaking I would assume that would happen whether you had the pump on or not. If you have the pump on and you hear it cycling off and on that would be a good indication of a leak I agree. but if you rarely use the pump you might not notice it cycling on and off. If it is a very small leak the pump might not cycle often enough to catch your attention. If I hook a hose to a water faucet and then to the water inlet on my fifth wheel I dont have to change the position of a valve in order to use the fresh water tank and pump. This would lead me to believe that unless there is a check valve between the pump and the fresh water lines if you are on camp water there will be pressure at all times on the fittings going into the pump. A leak there might not show up by listening to the pump cycle. Looking for water underneath the camper is a good idea. I am personally thinking of starting a rain maker buisness because every time I take my fifth wheel out it seems to rain. I am not sure I would know if I had a leak that way. It sounds like the original poster only uses his RV for a short period during the year. I for one would really like to see a Heartland Rep not necessarily address the posters problems ( I think legal issues might be a problem with that) But I would like to see someone from heartland post some information about whether or not we have check valves in the system how to look for leaks. I also noticed that there is some posts about the manual and making sure to follow it. If I was only here for a few weeks a year and I paid someone to look after my unit the rest of the time I would not even think about the manual.

 

[danemayer]

JC, given your findings so far, this may not help you, but might help someone.

Ironically, a few weeks ago, shortly after posting to this thread, I noticed our fresh tank indicators went from 1/2 full to full while I was on city water. I hadn't added any water to the fresh tank. I turned city water off and turned on the pump and ran the level down to get the last light to turn off. With city water back on, a short while later the tank was full again. I concluded that the check valve built into my pump had failed and city water was flowing through the pump and into the fresh tank.

Shurflo agreed that the internal check valve (or whatever they use that performs that function) had failed and that they would replace the pump. I added a standalone check valve to the water line between pump and tank to stop the backflow until the replacement pump arrives. Fortunately, there doesn't appear to have been any leaking into the underbelly, so I think the tank is ok.

But I thought it was pretty ironic that after suggesting JC's pump might have a check valve failure, that's what happened to mine.

 

[JohnDar]

Depending on the layout of the basement and the plumbing, putting a removable panel on the basement wall behind the UDC makes it easy to periodically inspect for most leaks. From mine, I can see and touch all of the UDC connections and water heater fittings, the water pump, and the lines to/from the tank flush anti-siphon valve. Being able to touch most of the connections and run your fingers along a line is helpful in finding a small fitting leak that might develop into a bigger one.

This is the view from my removable panel. The water pump is just out of sight in the lower left corner of the photo.

I'm thinking this is something Heartland should consider doing at the factory to provide a means for owner to easily check back there. Realizing not everyone has the basic skills or even the tools to modify the panels themselves. Having to remove the entire basement wall panel is not something one wants to do on a regular basis.

(Note: This photo is "Basement Jungle", not "Basement o' Doom.")

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