Fresh water tank mystery solved!

[Bob Crocker]

We have a new 2015 3010DS and recently had our first shakedown cruise weekend. When we tried to fill the fresh water tank the filler hose immediately backed up and the tank wouldn't receive any water. I suspected a kinked or obstructed filler hose, so today we took a deep breath and made believe we were RV technicians.

The tank is below the bed. We stood the mattress up on end, lifted the hinged bed platform and bungeed it so no one would get beheaded working under it. I hoped to find exposed plumbing, but found a piece of 1/4 inch plywood screwed down instead. Removed that (not nearly as easy as you would think) and found the mother lode! The fill hose was secured to a piece of framing with a wire tie ABOVE the level of the fill opening on the outside of the coach. This is a gravity feed tank! Here on the East Coast, water doesn't run uphill. I freed the hose and pushed it lower, and abracadabra- we could fill the tank. I love physics!

Hopefully, future technical issues will be as easily corrected (but I'm Irish, and we're professional pessimists, so I doubt it).

[rsscully]

Look something like this?

[saltyman]

What ever happened to zero tolerance in Quality Workmanship. Even the Amish workers are affected!!!!!

[rsscully]

Ha! The structure next to the water tank is the outside storage. Half of the screws that hold the paneling on never even hit the wooden studs.

[Bob Crocker]

Close, but not exactly- there is much less exposed under the panel we took off. We would have to remove a shallow storage area to get this much access. Thank goodness we didn't have to go that far!

[AzIrby]

What a crying shame that Forest River designers and technicians screw up so badly with this filler hose to the fresh water tank. I had to spend many hours tweaking on the route of my Forester filler hose to get the water to flow into the FW tank. I used an adapter (the kind you buy at the RV supply store) on my drinking water hose that had a ball valve to turn on the water flow that just wash't long enough to reach into the filler hose to keep the water from flowing back out the filler fitting on the side of the motor home. Even after I got the slope of the filler hose to the FW tank as uniform as possible. Ended up making my on FW tank filler fitting from another drinking water hose with a long enough spout to fit in and turn the first curve.

Forest River designers and techs. need to simply put the filler connection on the outside of the motor home higher to have enough head to have the water flow to the FW tank even with slight dips in the filler hose. It is a no brainer.

Glad you could get your filler hose routed better than the install techs.

[jst3]

Wow, interesting timing on this thread.

We just got our 2700DS out of storage and finally figured out why the rear storage compartment often has water in it when we first arrive at a destination.

After filling the fresh water tank on the weekend, we noticed water dripping down from the compartment above. Our bed is in a slide over the fresh water tank so I don't know how difficult it's going to be to access below the bed.

Looks like another DIY RV technician adventure...

[bclemens]

If you take off the mattress, as I recall, the foot of the bed stays fixed (the wood platform) and just rests on the part that slides in and out...so if you lift that board from the end closest to the head of the bed, the whole thing lifts up.

Been a while though...my memory is not what is used to be.

[ATVer]

Originally Posted by AzIrby

What a crying shame that Forest River designers and technicians screw up so badly with this filler hose to the fresh water tank. I had to spend many hours tweaking on the route of my Forester filler hose to get the water to flow into the FW tank. I used an adapter (the kind you buy at the RV supply store) on my drinking water hose that had a ball valve to turn on the water flow that just wash't long enough to reach into the filler hose to keep the water from flowing back out the filler fitting on the side of the motor home. Even after I got the slope of the filler hose to the FW tank as uniform as possible. Ended up making my on FW tank filler fitting from another drinking water hose with a long enough spout to fit in and turn the first curve.

Forest River designers and techs. need to simply put the filler connection on the outside of the motor home higher to have enough head to have the water flow to the FW tank even with slight dips in the filler hose. It is a no brainer.

Glad you could get your filler hose routed better than the install techs.

Sometimes you can't just raise the filler connection because it would then be in a movable slide wall. I installed a fill line and valve between the tank drain line upstream of the drain valve and the main cold water header. I just connect the water supply to the city water connection then open the valve to fill the tank. No mess no fuss.

[WSY DD693]

Does Forest River Engineering get and/or read these post? Seems like it would be a good idea.

[bclemens]

You are assuming this was an engineering issue and not a production issue.

The prints ALL show the fill opening above the tank entry. We had this issue with another floor plan and I had them verify 100% of the floor plans about two years ago. I would say the issue here is a production guy going a little too fast and getting a little too sloppy.

So, no, the production guys don't read this forum. I however do take pictures like this and present to the production manger who passes that info onto the group leaders.

[KyDan]

We have a fill hose that's basically a washing machine hose with one end cut off. (New machines come with rubber hose and we wanted the steel braid ones so the rubber got re-purposed for RV and garden use.)
I can stuff that fill hose deep into the RV fill port and fill with full pressure
and no blow back.
Glad you fixed your problem but just wanted to add this little hose has
come in handy many times!

[WSY DD693]

bclemens,
I wasn't assuming or picking on anyone and should have included FR Production. My intent was to see if this type of information would be useful to forest river. good to know you monitor. personally I have a 2008 Surveyor 303 that I have modified the rear slide from a couch & bunk to a washer dryer and wardrobe cabinet that better fits our needs. I bought the Surveyor used three years ago and have had only one issue a broken weld on the main slide, which I had beefed up on both slides. Any other issue were self inflicted. I wanted a V-Lite with bed & bath in the front, but couldn't talk the bride into it. I am happy with the Surveyor and keep up the good work.

[jst3]

Originally Posted by bclemens

If you take off the mattress, as I recall, the foot of the bed stays fixed (the wood platform) and just rests on the part that slides in and out...so if you lift that board from the end closest to the head of the bed, the whole thing lifts up.

Been a while though...my memory is not what is used to be.

Good memory! And nice design. I thought it was going to be a lot more work to get at the tank.

Although the source of the leak was were the hose attached to the fill hole on the outside. I pushed the hose on a little tighter, replaced the rusty clamp, made sure it was good and tight. No more leak.

[Road trip]

If you open faucets when filling won't that allow the tank to breath?

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by Road trip

If you open faucets when filling won't that allow the tank to breath?

Tank should have an overflow tube that would vent, I am not sure the faucet would work, I think the air would need to go thru the water pump which may restrict or prevent good flow.

[Flybob]

Originally Posted by Road trip

If you open faucets when filling won't that allow the tank to breath?

The water pump design will keep this from working. Make sure your vent is not plugged or a home for mud daubers.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Road trip

If you open faucets when filling won't that allow the tank to breath?

In a word, NO. Opening a faucet is just circulating water and what you are wanting to do is get the air out of the tank which is at the top of the tank and water outlets (other than the fill) are in the bottom or close to it. A vent tube at or near the top is the only place for a vent.

[kdot]

It's a widespread problem. Not too long ago, we had a Forest River Palomino Gazelle. Whenever we turned the AC on, it blew wood and rigid foam sawdust all over the place, all conveniently left there by the clown who installed the AC assembly. After we finished sweeping the floor and upholstery, I tried to figure a way to get into the AC housing to vacuum out the mess. Never able to do it and get rid of the problem. Since then, one of the first things I do when I buy an RV is look all through it carefully, vacuuming up all the sawdust, pieces of wire, assorted junk ranging from candy wrappers to soda cans ("What the heck was that noise?") Then I move on to finish screwing in all of the screws that were only installed half-way. After that, I get under the thing to gather up all the wiring that has been left hanging down and secure it up against the frame. I learned that the hard way when a piece of semi-truck tire I was forced to straddle took out a bunch of my wiring on a trip home to Florida. I think it's just a matter of crappy quality control by Forest River.
Kent

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by kdot

It's a widespread problem. Not too long ago, we had a Forest River Palomino Gazelle. Whenever we turned the AC on, it blew wood and rigid foam sawdust all over the place, all conveniently left there by the clown who installed the AC assembly. After we finished sweeping the floor and upholstery, I tried to figure a way to get into the AC housing to vacuum out the mess. Never able to do it and get rid of the problem. Since then, one of the first things I do when I buy an RV is look all through it carefully, vacuuming up all the sawdust, pieces of wire, assorted junk ranging from candy wrappers to soda cans ("What the heck was that noise?") Then I move on to finish screwing in all of the screws that were only installed half-way. After that, I get under the thing to gather up all the wiring that has been left hanging down and secure it up against the frame. I learned that the hard way when a piece of semi-truck tire I was forced to straddle took out a bunch of my wiring on a trip home to Florida. I think it's just a matter of crappy quality control by Forest River.
Kent

?????