Water filter leak...really weird!

Will Parish · 03-22-2015, 10:12 AM

Took our 2015 335 to a nearby campground, Stagecoach RV, Branson, MO. to summerize and check everything out before our upcoming trip to Kerrville, TX. I installed a new filter in the whole house filter, put water in the tank and connected to city water. No leaks...yeah!! An hour or so later I heard a loud bang outside, and just assumed in was from somewhere in the park. In a bit, I turned on the faucet and had no water, so I went outside to check it. The bang I heard was the water filter blowing off. Water was gushing everywhere. The canister threads on and I had tightened with the filter wrench. So, I put it back on, this time leaving the filter out. Turned the water on slowly so I could watch it fill, and after it filled, before my eyes, it starts to unscrew until it finally pops off. Did this three or four times, and thinking it was pressure related , I switched to the pump. While this helped it eventually still twisted loose enough to leak badly, but not to the point of coming off. As a temp fix, I left the handle on and used a strap to hold it in place. I have decided to just remove the filter altogether. One less thing to worry about.

**Flybob** · 03-22-2015, 10:17 AM

Did you have a pressure regulator in the line from the public water system?

Will Parish · 03-22-2015, 10:25 AM

Yes

Ford Idaho · 03-22-2015, 10:29 AM

Do not waste another second on that thing.

Pull it out and bypass the connection with a 1/2 inch PVC connector.

While at Lowes or home depot buy this.

Shop Whirlpool Valve-In-Head Clear with Sediment Filter at Lowes.com=

Or one like it.

And this or something like it or you can make your own.

Exterior Canister Water Filter Stand - RVWholesalers.com RV Parts and Accessories

SYE · 03-22-2015, 10:34 AM

I am guessing that it is the Forest River FR1 canister with a KW1 filter. This has been a common occurrence with many Columbus owners and the locking tabs get broke off of the canister for 1 of 2 reasons. The wrong type of filter was used and allowed you to overtighten the cannister, or when you winterized, you removed the filter and tightened it rp to tight. These are the 2 things that I have seen on many. the FR1 canister only fits 1 filter, the KW-1 and it is around 30 bucks to buy, some have tried to use a Culligan filter in it and broke the canister. I hope this helps

dndnva · 03-22-2015, 10:36 AM

Is the gasket still in the canister? Mine did this once and it was due to the rubber gasket. I hadn't realized it must have fallen out when I was putting the new filter in.

itat · 03-22-2015, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Do not waste another second on that thing.

Pull it out and bypass the connection with a 1/2 inch PVC connector.

Is this the same thing? It's all could find on the Lowes Canada website. Home Depot Canada's website only shows 3/4" and 1" sizes that look exactly like your picture.

AMERICAN VALVE P240 Sch 40 IPS PVC Union | Lowe's Canada

Ford Idaho · 03-22-2015, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itat

Is this the same thing? It's all could find on the Lowes Canada website. Home Depot Canada's website only shows 3/4" and 1" sizes that look exactly like your picture.

AMERICAN VALVE P240 Sch 40 IPS PVC Union | Lowe's Canada

Way more money for that and they are heavy, I would go to the store and look, even some Hardware stores carry what I posted as they are a common item.

itat · 03-22-2015, 11:53 AM

Everything is way more money up here!!

It's entirely possible that they have one like your picture in 1/2". Websites for Canadian subsidiaries tend to be far less complete but lots of times we just can't get products available in the U.S. (like the 5" post covers you guys use for sewer hose storage). I just wanted to see if it's the right material and the right pipe thread.

gashog · 03-22-2015, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SYE

I am guessing that it is the Forest River FR1 canister with a KW1 filter. This has been a common occurrence with many Columbus owners and the locking tabs get broke off of the canister for 1 of 2 reasons. The wrong type of filter was used and allowed you to overtighten the cannister, or when you winterized, you removed the filter and tightened it rp to tight. These are the 2 things that I have seen on many. the FR1 canister only fits 1 filter, the KW-1 and it is around 30 bucks to buy, some have tried to use a Culligan filter in it and broke the canister. I hope this helps

I hear lots of people complaining that these Forest River FR1 canisters with a KW1 filter unscrew due to the tabs being broken off. When I winterized, I removed the KW-1 filter. So it's possible that I might be confronted with the same problem. Question: How tight is too tight and hows does one know that it's not too loose or not too tight?

Trempert · 03-22-2015, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Will Parish

Took our 2015 335 to a nearby campground, Stagecoach RV, Branson, MO. to summerize and check everything out before our upcoming trip to Kerrville, TX. I installed a new filter in the whole house filter, put water in the tank and connected to city water. No leaks...yeah!! An hour or so later I heard a loud bang outside, and just assumed in was from somewhere in the park. In a bit, I turned on the faucet and had no water, so I went outside to check it. The bang I heard was the water filter blowing off. Water was gushing everywhere. The canister threads on and I had tightened with the filter wrench. So, I put it back on, this time leaving the filter out. Turned the water on slowly so I could watch it fill, and after it filled, before my eyes, it starts to unscrew until it finally pops off. Did this three or four times, and thinking it was pressure related , I switched to the pump. While this helped it eventually still twisted loose enough to leak badly, but not to the point of coming off. As a temp fix, I left the handle on and used a strap to hold it in place. I have decided to just remove the filter altogether. One less thing to worry about.

More than likely there was water in the threads that froze over the winter. If you look closely you will probably see a hairline fracture vertically across the threads that opens up when it's under pressure.

Why do I think this? Hmmmm....experience!

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

bob caldwell · 03-22-2015, 12:33 PM

Pipe thread is pipe thread. I'd be more concerned about the hitch-hiker you picked up along the way wanting a drink.

Will Parish · 03-22-2015, 02:33 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I am going to totally bypass the water filter loop. Doubt that it provided much filtration anyway.

itat · 03-22-2015, 03:46 PM

They definitely provide filtration. The stock WaterPur filter provides filtration down to a level that's a lot finer than just dirt particles. However, if you only go to familiar campgrounds where you trust the water source you'll likely be fine without the filter. For years we only stayed at Provincial Parks and we trust their water because they are government run parks. We now stay at some private parks so I'm less trusting if their water source is a private well.

Others choose to remove the stock filter setup from inside the trailer and have a filter setup outside so if it breaks it doesn't dump water in the trailer.

If you are interested in an outside filter setup, try this website that a lot of people here buy from.
https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

You can also look into "whole house" filter systems from Home Depot, etc. but do some research before you buy to see what the filters do and to decide what level of filtering you want, if any.

bojack · 05-22-2015, 06:31 PM

what is the size and micron for a water filter in a georgetown 350 (2012)

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