Lacrosse 336BHT new owner needs HELP!

[BobSagetIsGod]

I've been wanting to join an rv forum for some time now, and figure now is the correct time. I purchased a lacrosse 336bht last year and made 2 successful trips last year. I winterize the unit via filling antifreeze in the fresh water inlet and pumping through out. We have been getting ready for our first trip next month, and it's finally warm enough I felt comfortable starting to de-winterize. I drained the anti freeze, hooked up the water to the city water inlet with a regulator, and water immediately started to drain into the underbelly and even started flooding the area behind the toilet, and on the other side of the wall, coming up from under the wall, where it meets the floor. I peered through the frame where the drain valve handles are and it appears to be leaking from above one of the big tanks, but I am not familiar enough to determine what tank it is. With my first trip being in less than a month, and having purchased this unit not locally, I really feel overwhelmed and SOL at this point.

Burst city water line? Burst toilet supply line? I thought I winterized properly. Access to ANYTHING doesn't come easy on these units. Where do I start?

Thank you.


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[Evereddie]

A few details needed. You said Fresh Water inlet and you pumped it through your system. So that was the fresh water tank you put anti freeze in and used the built in pump. Did you drain the water heater tank first and then turn the bypass valves on your water heater?

Did you use the low point drains to drain all the water out of the system before pumping the anti freeze?

[BobSagetIsGod]

Originally Posted by Evereddie

A few details needed. You said Fresh Water inlet and you pumped it through your system. So that was the fresh water tank you put anti freeze in and used the built in pump. Did you drain the water heater tank first and then turn the bypass valves on your water heater?

I drained everything, holding tanks, and all low point drains, bypassed the water heater, poured rv antifreeze down this inlet via a funnel until it registered on the indicating lights:



Then opened the faucets and turned the built in pump on, ran everything till pink came out, including the toilet.

[BobSagetIsGod]

I should add, being new to ALL of this, I don't doubt I did something incorrectly, I just hope for a by on this one and that it's a simple fix.


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[Evereddie]

Sounds like you did it right. The city water connection may have held some water. Did you do the inside shower? Do you have an outside shower? Do you have a built in water filter? Do you have an icemaker? Sorry so many questions but if we discover something that was missed that will lead us to a fix.

[BobSagetIsGod]

Yes to the inside shower, I didn't pay any mind to the outside shower, I believe you are talking about the "faucet" below the inlets in the picture correct? I do not remember hitting that. Built in water filter, I'm not sure, I haven't seen one. No ice maker. The point of the leak is odd to me. It comes from above where the black water drain connects, but is has a grease pen marking on it from the factory either FH or FW. But the fact that it seeps where the wall meets the floor, makes me this it may be wise for me to try to gain access from up top through a wall, vs. trying to drop the underbelly.

I'm not sure of the plumbing, as it seems that ALL useful information is left out of the owner manuals, (I'm not a fan of the umbrella, generalized literature they give you), but I'm wondering it water stayed in the city water line, below my bathroom, and above the mystery tank, and froze. How do you winterize the city water supply line even?


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[davidjb]

Sounds like the way you did it diluted the antifreeze, it should not be mixed with any water at all. There should be an open ended hose on your water pump to introduce the anti freeze into the system. The water system uses platic bends, they are the first to crack. The toilet has a plastic valve at the base in back that will crack also

[davidjb]

The best way to get water out of city supply line is with an air compressor .

[BobSagetIsGod]

Any suggestions on gaining access to the source of my problem?


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[youroo]

Bobgod,Disconect the City water,Now use Low pressure Air to find All your Leaks, Locate and Repair your Leaks by Sound,unlike using WATER! Youroo!!

[BobSagetIsGod]

Would it be easier to gain access through a wall versus dropping the belly?


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[5picker]

Originally Posted by BobSagetIsGod

Yes to the inside shower, I didn't pay any mind to the outside shower, I believe you are talking about the "faucet" below the inlets in the picture correct? I do not remember hitting that. Built in water filter, I'm not sure, I haven't seen one. No ice maker. The point of the leak is odd to me. It comes from above where the black water drain connects, but is has a grease pen marking on it from the factory either FH or FW. But the fact that it seeps where the wall meets the floor, makes me this it may be wise for me to try to gain access from up top through a wall, vs. trying to drop the underbelly.

I'm not sure of the plumbing, as it seems that ALL useful information is left out of the owner manuals, (I'm not a fan of the umbrella, generalized literature they give you), but I'm wondering it water stayed in the city water line, below my bathroom, and above the mystery tank, and froze. How do you winterize the city water supply line even?

Unfortunately, it appears something, somewhere didn't get flushed with antifreeze and resulted in a freeze and break.

Also just because the leak seems to be coming from near one of the tanks, don't hold your breath that is the problem. The factory runs water lines around and on top of the tanks to get from one end of the unit to the other so it could be a line or fitting that just happens to be in that area.

As was suggested, filling the fresh water tank with antifreeze (to pump throughout the system) is not the best method to winterize. Many units have a built in antifreeze port where antifreeze can be drawn in via the pump (bypassing the fresh water tank) and for those units without that port, there are kits available that connect at the water pump that serve the same purpose.

Since you've added antifreeze to the fresh tank, you are going to need to flush the tank MULTIPLE times to get all the antifreeze out. The reason being, many of the tanks are plumbed so that not all the liquid evacuates out of the tank, leaving as much as several gallons in the tank. I suspect yours still had water in the tank when you added antifreeze so it diluted the antifreeze to the point it may not have been effective enough.

To answer your question about how you winterize the city water port... the
city water port has a check valve directly inside the connection where you attach the hose. Its function is to keep water from coming out the city water port when using the on board pump. When winterizing, you have to use a tool like a small screwdriver to depress the check valve long enough to evacuate the remaining water until antifreeze flows. Just be sure to stand off to the side when doing so or you'll wind up wearing the pink stuff.

Unfortunately, it doesn't sound like yours is going to be an easy fix.
Best of luck finding and fixing the problem(s).

[Papa-t]

Originally Posted by youroo

Bobgod,Disconect the City water,Now use Low pressure Air to find All your Leaks, Locate and Repair your Leaks by Sound,unlike using WATER! Youroo!!

X2

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by youroo

Bobgod,Disconect the City water,Now use Low pressure Air to find All your Leaks, Locate and Repair your Leaks by Sound,unlike using WATER! Youroo!!

X2.... use an air compressor and a blow out plug. 30 psi should do it. Once you find the leak, we can help you access it.
Drain the tanks before you apply air so you do not blow more water into your unit.

[Evereddie]

X3 on using compressed air to find leak. Drain your system again, bypass water heater, and put air in your city water hookup.

[davidjb]

This is probaly what you need for toilet leak, not hard to replace. Dometic sealant toilet water valve kit 310

[BobSagetIsGod]

I've traced what I think are the paths of the water lines. The city inlet is the blue pex tubing and I can trace that to the water heater, it doesn't appear to go over any tanks. The tank it looks to be leaking ABOVE, not from, I believe would be the gray tank. The fitting I can see on the gray tank isn't my source, it's weeping from above the gray tank, somehow flooding the inside as well. I can trace the toilet supply line from the back of the toilet to where it enters the wall, and where it exits into the underbelly. There are no water lines that are obvious in going over any of the tanks. I'd love to think its this toilet supply line. I'll try to borrow a compressor and pump in some air, while I'll likely hear it, I still don't know how to gain access.


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[BobSagetIsGod]

I'll also add it appears the water enters up through the floor from where a pvc vent pipe come up and run out the roof. I'm trying to figure out any correlation between the city water and ANY holding tank. I don't think there is, so it makes me believe it's a supply line. Is there any documentation as
Far as specs or schematics for prime time units?


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[BobSagetIsGod]

Found the problem fellas! I traced the toilet supply line, was able to pull from underneath after I un hooked it from the toilet, had enough slack pull enough to fine the hole while still leaving about 6 inches hanging out of the interior wall so I didn't lose it.

Dang field mouse got hungry!



I did my best at keeping them out over the winter, but 1 or 2 still got in. Any ways, I cut the bad spot out obviously, and sleeved it. All is good it seems!

Thanks for all the advice.


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[Evereddie]

Wow! Never saw that coming. Good job on being persistent and finding that.