Hope I didnt screw up

[lnewsome27]

Hope I didn’t screw up. So, I am a new owner to a fifth wheel this year (not new to RV’s had a TT) and just went on my first dry camping trip at a NASCAR race. So filling up the h20 tank. My TT had just an open hole to slide a hose in and when it overflowed out top it was full. This has a screw in type hookup (’14 42’ Sierra 365saqb) So it holds like 60 gallons. I screwed hose in and walked away to a bit to do a few things and came back and it was coming out overflow, I shut off hose thinking all is good. It did continue to come out overflow for a couple minute’s.
So a day into our trip I felt the carpet in my bedroom wet, right over top (close to) where I fill the tank. After reading, could I have ruptured the tank? Would the tank not be able to hold city water pressure? The lines do…. I normally run a pressure relief valve when hooked in a hard hookup. This is the first time I filled the holding tank and there were no indications other than the overflow to let you know its full, nothing telling me to shut off when that happened etc.
So, is there a way to test the tank without pulling it off? Couldn’t I put some kind of fitting in the hookup and pressurize the system and see if it holds? Maybe just one of the fittings couldn’t hold the pressure and popped off and it’s not the tank. Any ideas?

[TURBS]

You have to run water in very sloooow.
As you can put more water in then air can escape.

I trickle mine in "takes about 20-25 minutes" with a 35 gallon tank.

With hose on full you can in fact rupture and over expand tank.


Turbs

[youroo]

The Quick answer is your F/W tank is a (Holding Tank),NOT a (Pressure Tank). You should check the hose fitting (Fill to tank and Vent to tank) it is probable that they are/were leaking,also check the bottom/side supply hose fitting to your F/W pump. But there is a chance the F/W tank has ruptured also? Youroo!!

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by lnewsome27

Hope I didn’t screw up. So, I am a new owner to a fifth wheel this year (not new to RV’s had a TT) and just went on my first dry camping trip at a NASCAR race. So filling up the h20 tank. My TT had just an open hole to slide a hose in and when it overflowed out top it was full. This has a screw in type hookup (’14 42’ Sierra 365saqb) So it holds like 60 gallons. I screwed hose in and walked away to a bit to do a few things and came back and it was coming out overflow, I shut off hose thinking all is good. It did continue to come out overflow for a couple minute’s.
So a day into our trip I felt the carpet in my bedroom wet, right over top (close to) where I fill the tank. After reading, could I have ruptured the tank? Would the tank not be able to hold city water pressure? The lines do…. I normally run a pressure relief valve when hooked in a hard hookup. This is the first time I filled the holding tank and there were no indications other than the overflow to let you know its full, nothing telling me to shut off when that happened etc.
So, is there a way to test the tank without pulling it off? Couldn’t I put some kind of fitting in the hookup and pressurize the system and see if it holds? Maybe just one of the fittings couldn’t hold the pressure and popped off and it’s not the tank. Any ideas?

How wet is "wet", soaked or damp? If there was a leak in the water fill, I would think you would have seen water coming out from under the bottom covering. Would take a lot of water to soak through the flooring from underneath. Take the panel off beside your command station and check for leaks there.(2 screws). Also check under your bathroom sink and W/D hookups for leaks. How many times have you used this camper?

[John McClain]

Refill you h2o tank but do it very slowly this time you'll find the leak, my guess is you blew the hose off going to the pump. I would be more concern with what you did to the brackets holding the tank in place . If the tank swelled up it probably expanded the tank straps.

[lnewsome27]

It wasn't what I would call soaked, and it dried up in 4 days without doing anything. But, it is above where the tank would be correct? Where my hookup is the wet floor inside would be about 1 1/2 foot above, top side of tank I'm guessing.
Also, it wasn't leaking from the belly of the trailer, just the overflow.
I have used the trailer three different times, but for a month total. One trip was 16 days. No issues. This was the first with dry camping and using tank
Certainly a lesson learned for future, just hope not much damage and trying to find where it came form. I didn't realize I could get control panel off with two screws and all the fittings pop off??

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by lnewsome27

It wasn't what I would call soaked, and it dried up in 4 days without doing anything. But, it is above where the tank would be correct? Where my hookup is the wet floor inside would be about 1 1/2 foot above, top side of tank I'm guessing.
Also, it wasn't leaking from the belly of the trailer, just the overflow.
I have used the trailer three different times, but for a month total. One trip was 16 days. No issues. This was the first with dry camping and using tank
Certainly a lesson learned for future, just hope not much damage and trying to find where it came form. I didn't realize I could get control panel off with two screws and all the fittings pop off??

Go to the left of the control panel and take off the carpeted side panel that's inside the basement. From here you can see everything behind the control panel. My guess would be that it's leaking on the back side of the control panel at the waterfill and spraying up under the bed slide or the bathroom sink, getting the carpet wet. Since it dried up over the 4 days while you were using the pump, it's not on the pressure side of the pump. It won't be on the suction side. Won't be at the tank, because it's under 2 floors from where the bed is. I'm almost certain that it's leaking at the fill connection on the back side of panel. Maybe just need to tighten the clamp.

[lnewsome27]

So I opened that side compartment, that helped a lot just knowing how to see the stuff. So I felt and looked and saw no indication of any wet on wood or flooring. By looking at the arrangement, I think it was coming form the bathroom shower head or spigots based on where it was wet. It was wet on the carpet side of the wall where the shower heads and stuff is on the shower. I don't see how I could access those. Do you know that? I am thinking about just winterizing it, we are done for year. I don't think wherever the leak was will affect me winterizing it and just starting next year, filling the tank and looking again. I honestly think it was leaking while there was pressure and once it was relieved those fittings stopped leaking, hence it dried. Does thi make sense? I don't know if I should worry about them while hooked into a hard water hookup.......

[AquaMan]

Originally Posted by lnewsome27

So I opened that side compartment, that helped a lot just knowing how to see the stuff. So I felt and looked and saw no indication of any wet on wood or flooring. By looking at the arrangement, I think it was coming form the bathroom shower head or spigots based on where it was wet. It was wet on the carpet side of the wall where the shower heads and stuff is on the shower. I don't see how I could access those. Do you know that? I am thinking about just winterizing it, we are done for year. I don't think wherever the leak was will affect me winterizing it and just starting next year, filling the tank and looking again. I honestly think it was leaking while there was pressure and once it was relieved those fittings stopped leaking, hence it dried. Does thi make sense? I don't know if I should worry about them while hooked into a hard water hookup.......

If you had camped several times with full hookups and you never noticed the leak, I would say that it isn't on pressure side of your water system, whether on pump or city water. UNLESS, a leak developed in the interim. But if you had your system pressurized for 4 days and the carpet dried up, I would say that it isn't in the pressure side. Especially since this has only happened when you filled your FW tank. Hook a hose up to the FW fill and see if you have a leak.

[SKnight]

Be very careful filling these things. Look what I did to mine recently.



Luckily the tank doesn't seem to be hurt, but it flat destroyed the framework. I've got it mostly straightened out with my floor jack, drained out that water you can see in the photo. I'm going to reenforce the frame, might reposition a couple of things and work on a 1/4" restrictor for the inlet. That way I won't have to worry, the 1/2" vent should outflow the 1/4" restrictor.

[davel1971]

assuming your bedroom is in the front like most 5th wheels, that is no where near the tank. The tanks are down low from just in front of axles to just behind. Keeps the weight right in the center and not add much hitch weight