This is just day 3 of a 24-day vacation and I have a leak. It appears to be related to the shower some way. The basement floor is sopping wet on the port side for the first 10 inches from the door. Water is dripping underneath along the I-beam and from unknown parts just inside (same port side). Clue is; just used the shower. The shower drain is tight. The shower faucets were just replaced and they are tight. Everything seems dry from on top. It must be coming from the drain to the holding tank some way. I pulled the release valves on all three tanks and that solved the problem for now. Maybe I should make a habit of always opening those valves first when hooked up. I haven't torn into it at all and don't want to have to until I get back. Help me out, guys. Where should I look? What should I do? Mine is a 2012 Big Country 32' fifth wheel. I may be out of wifi area in about two more days. Thanks.
Water on Floor of Basement and Dripping Underneath
justafordguy
Well-known member
On our first trip out we had a bad leak after anyone showered. It turned out to be the seam between the tub and the shower wall hadn't been caulked. I ran a bean of clear silicon around the seam and it's been dry ever since.
Bob&Patty
Founders of SoCal Chapter
Could be a loose "P" trap under the shower. Might be the fittings at the back of the shower knobs are not tight. If you take the basement wall down on the rear left side you should be able to get to the "P" trap area. Run some water in the shower to see if it is leaking from the "P" trap. You might take the shower handle assembly off the shower wall and check the fittings for tight. I would leave the basement doors open to let that area dry out and maybe put a small fan in there to help with the drying. Best I can tell you from here.
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Power-Stroke
Active Member
I had a similar issue. In order to troubleshoot, I had to fill my tub with a couple of gallons of water, then had my wife pull the plug while I observed the plumbing in the basement. Ended up being a hairline crack in the drain down spout from the tub drain.
Good luck.
Good luck.
busted2341
Well-known member
I love Heartland and this one is our 4th Heartland product, however we too had a water leak on the 2nd day we brought home our LM. Water leaks should NEVER be missed if the QA is done properly at the factory before ever leaving...
Power-Stroke
Active Member
Busted2341- I agree with you.
This is our second Heartland and both had early nagging issues that "should" have been caught at the factory. I suppose this is the unfortunate downside of mass produced RVs... not that it's ok. I would be shocked if every RV is quality inspected as it rolls off the line... probably 1 of every 10 or 20. To be fair, both Heartland and my dealer have been great at responding to all of my issues. Choosing a dealer is as important of a choice as which brand you select, in my opinion.
At the end of the day, I did not purchase an RV.... I purchased the opportunity to have great experiences with my family and friends. These experiences get impacted when "stuff" works or doesn't work the way it's supposed to. I think that would be an interesting metric for brands to measure.
Happy travels,
Jay
This is our second Heartland and both had early nagging issues that "should" have been caught at the factory. I suppose this is the unfortunate downside of mass produced RVs... not that it's ok. I would be shocked if every RV is quality inspected as it rolls off the line... probably 1 of every 10 or 20. To be fair, both Heartland and my dealer have been great at responding to all of my issues. Choosing a dealer is as important of a choice as which brand you select, in my opinion.
At the end of the day, I did not purchase an RV.... I purchased the opportunity to have great experiences with my family and friends. These experiences get impacted when "stuff" works or doesn't work the way it's supposed to. I think that would be an interesting metric for brands to measure.
Happy travels,
Jay
AAdams
Well-known member
A few places to look.
1. If your shower is not a one piece fiberglass and is the type with the base and separate walls the push type holders that hold the wall in place may need to be sealed ( we had to do this in our '15 RW390 )
2. the trap may be tight, but not threaded correctly ( found this on the RW also )
3. The rubber around the drain may not be tight enough and the nut on the drain may need to be tightened.
4. The shower door/glass panel track is screwed in to the base, so if the caulk is leaking on the inside of the shower to under the door frame it may follow the screws to the sub-floor to the basement. So caulk the inside of the shower.
5. I have also seen, on SOB, but they all use basically the same faucet, the plastic was cracked in the faucet. So when the faucet was on and sealed to the wall the water would chase to behind the wall through the threads and in to the basement. The leak only appeared with the water on. Found this by putting the faucet in pause and turning the water on. No water to the shower, but water in the basement.
6. If your walls are on the outside of the RV wall on the top, caulk there too, as water get deflected to the wall above the shower wall like when washing hair, it will run down between.
7. If the shower is 2 piece, be sure it is caulked between the floor and wall. Most shower manufactures say it isn't required, believe me, it can leak there.
I know these are general ideas, I have never seen a unit like yours and do not know the exact shower you have.
Hope these suggestions help
1. If your shower is not a one piece fiberglass and is the type with the base and separate walls the push type holders that hold the wall in place may need to be sealed ( we had to do this in our '15 RW390 )
2. the trap may be tight, but not threaded correctly ( found this on the RW also )
3. The rubber around the drain may not be tight enough and the nut on the drain may need to be tightened.
4. The shower door/glass panel track is screwed in to the base, so if the caulk is leaking on the inside of the shower to under the door frame it may follow the screws to the sub-floor to the basement. So caulk the inside of the shower.
5. I have also seen, on SOB, but they all use basically the same faucet, the plastic was cracked in the faucet. So when the faucet was on and sealed to the wall the water would chase to behind the wall through the threads and in to the basement. The leak only appeared with the water on. Found this by putting the faucet in pause and turning the water on. No water to the shower, but water in the basement.
6. If your walls are on the outside of the RV wall on the top, caulk there too, as water get deflected to the wall above the shower wall like when washing hair, it will run down between.
7. If the shower is 2 piece, be sure it is caulked between the floor and wall. Most shower manufactures say it isn't required, believe me, it can leak there.
I know these are general ideas, I have never seen a unit like yours and do not know the exact shower you have.
Hope these suggestions help
Power-Stroke
Active Member
Martha-
I missed that. Thanks.
Jay
I missed that. Thanks.
Jay
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
We've only had our 2015 Heartland Prowler for three weeks to the day, so we have not taken it out on the road yet (one more week - can't wait!).
I have taken two showers in it just to try it out while parked in the yard using the fresh water tank and the water pump, and have yet to hook the city water up to it (will be doing that in an hour or so).
By the by . . . last week I replaced the stock bathroom sink faucet with a better one . . . checked it out completely and no leaks from that!
After the last shower (but not the first shower), I found a small puddle of water in the basement, and after finding it, I ran the shower, bathroom sink and flushed the toilet and didn't find a leak from any of those.
We've had an extremely rainy spring here in Colorado, and I suspect that perhaps the roof vent for the black water tank might be the cause, but I am going to hook the trailer up to city water and try taking a shower again this afternoon to see if I find the leak again!
I'll let y'all know my findings . . .
I have taken two showers in it just to try it out while parked in the yard using the fresh water tank and the water pump, and have yet to hook the city water up to it (will be doing that in an hour or so).
By the by . . . last week I replaced the stock bathroom sink faucet with a better one . . . checked it out completely and no leaks from that!
After the last shower (but not the first shower), I found a small puddle of water in the basement, and after finding it, I ran the shower, bathroom sink and flushed the toilet and didn't find a leak from any of those.
We've had an extremely rainy spring here in Colorado, and I suspect that perhaps the roof vent for the black water tank might be the cause, but I am going to hook the trailer up to city water and try taking a shower again this afternoon to see if I find the leak again!
I'll let y'all know my findings . . .
No prob. Easy to do
Problem solved. Thanks everyone. Turns out it was one of those ID ten T problems. My traveling companion is a novice RV-er and I trusted him to hook up without supervision. Mistake! (Ladies take heed - just because he's a man doesn't mean he knows what he's doing.) He hooked up the water without a restrictor valve. Since the intake hoses are not visible without a bit of work, it apparently was blowing water through a fitting somewhere for the entire duration. It's a wonder we didn't blow a hose completely. No problem ever since. Thanks again.
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
Interestingly . . . I hooked up to city water and and took yet another shower in the trailer the other day . . . and no leak in the basement!
Hhmmmmm!!!!!
I'm starting to think it might be the water pump . . . gotta find where it is . . . haven't located it yet, but I do believe it is somewhere above the vacinity of that leak.
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