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02-07-2016, 07:52 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Sagging Underbelly
Awhile back, I posted about a bad smell and took the advice to correct it. It is definitely from the grey tank, because stoppering the sinks and bathtub keeps the smell out of the cabin. Yes, the valve is open to let it drain, but that doesn't help the smell, and it doesn't fully drain. Then, I defrosted the refrigerator. That caused the smell of rottenness to increase dramatically! Also, the underbelly now sags. The sag starts near the kitchen sink and continues back to the back of the camper where the bathroom is. I have a 2016 Coachmen Freedom Express, 257BHS. I do not have a truck that can pull it to the dealership.
When I try to take a picture of the underbelly, all my phone shows is an even black blob, so I don't have a picture of it. It looks like the surface of a giant black balloon with dimples 1" to 3" deep where the screws are. Under the advice of a repairman, (who didn't want to make the trip out here), I poked a hole in a deep part of the plasticized cardboard, but nothing came out. He didn't come out to look at it, but felt compelled to chew me out for negligence and told me it would cost $20,000 to fix, because it was not covered by any warranty. He claimed that one of the tanks had cracked from becoming too full.
I am a woman alone who lost her husband a few years ago. I sold my farm and spent the proceeds on my children's education and this camper. I don't know what to do. I certainly don't have another $20,000 to fix this one, or for that matter buy another one, because that's about what this thing cost in the first place!
Am I being scammed? Will the trailer fall apart from water damage? What can I do to prevent further damage? Can I just cut off the water and let it air dry? The climate here is mild and the humidity low. Forty years ago, roughing it was sleeping under the stars and catching my own food, so I think I can drain the tanks and walk down to the ladies room if I have to.
Thanks.
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02-07-2016, 08:09 PM
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#2
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Left Coast
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: vancouver,washington
Posts: 15,649
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I'll say scam....try leaving the drain valve open and use warm to hot water to flush tank....I plug the kitchen sinks, fill with hot water, then pull the stoppers....maybe a very little black tank additive...if there's a leak under there, the hole you made should show water....I've had to cut fairly large holes in this one to access the heating duct hoses....gorilla tape works really good afterward..
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02-07-2016, 08:28 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Part Timing It Now
Posts: 3,452
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dojomom
Awhile back, I posted about a bad smell and took the advice to correct it. It is definitely from the grey tank, because stoppering the sinks and bathtub keeps the smell out of the cabin. Yes, the valve is open to let it drain, but that doesn't help the smell, and it doesn't fully drain. Then, I defrosted the refrigerator. That caused the smell of rottenness to increase dramatically! Also, the underbelly now sags. The sag starts near the kitchen sink and continues back to the back of the camper where the bathroom is. I have a 2016 Coachmen Freedom Express, 257BHS. I do not have a truck that can pull it to the dealership.
When I try to take a picture of the underbelly, all my phone shows is an even black blob, so I don't have a picture of it. It looks like the surface of a giant black balloon with dimples 1" to 3" deep where the screws are. Under the advice of a repairman, (who didn't want to make the trip out here), I poked a hole in a deep part of the plasticized cardboard, but nothing came out. He didn't come out to look at it, but felt compelled to chew me out for negligence and told me it would cost $20,000 to fix, because it was not covered by any warranty. He claimed that one of the tanks had cracked from becoming too full.
I am a woman alone who lost her husband a few years ago. I sold my farm and spent the proceeds on my children's education and this camper. I don't know what to do. I certainly don't have another $20,000 to fix this one, or for that matter buy another one, because that's about what this thing cost in the first place!
Am I being scammed? Will the trailer fall apart from water damage? What can I do to prevent further damage? Can I just cut off the water and let it air dry? The climate here is mild and the humidity low. Forty years ago, roughing it was sleeping under the stars and catching my own food, so I think I can drain the tanks and walk down to the ladies room if I have to.
Thanks.
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First off, don't call that so called "repairman" again. Now can you tell us this;
1 - Do you ever see water dripping or leaking from under the trailer? If not, then you probably don't have anything leaking into the underbelly and it's just sagging under its' own weight. Especially if you drilled a hole and nothing came out. If one of the tanks cracked, you would always see water under the trailer.
2 - Do you use the sinks & shower? If you do then, just like a house, the water that stays in the drain traps should keep odors from coming up through the drains.
3 - Do you use holding tank chemicals? They do help keep odors at bay. You should never leave the black tank open & always use chemicals as they help break down the waste. Then empty it when almost full with plenty of water through the flusher or through the toilet to "rinse" it out as best as possible.
Do this for the grey water tanks also periodically to de-odorize them.
4 - Strong odor when defrosting the fridge has me stumped because it is totally unrelated and in no way connected to the holding tanks. However, there is a drain line from the drip tray inside the fridge to the outside which you should see sticking out of the ventilation panel. Make sure this is free of debris and not plugged. If it is, stagnant water in the hose could be causing that odor.
Keep us informed.
__________________
"PT Crew Members Since 9/2010"
2011 RAM 2500 HD 6.7L CTD Crew
2014 Prime Time Sanibel 3250
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02-07-2016, 08:34 PM
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#4
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Left Coast
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: vancouver,washington
Posts: 15,649
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open box of bak'n soda in fridge
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02-07-2016, 08:40 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Part Timing It Now
Posts: 3,452
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And by the way.......if it's a 2016 & under 1 year old, why wouldn't it be covered under warranty.......especially if there is a plumbing problem?
__________________
"PT Crew Members Since 9/2010"
2011 RAM 2500 HD 6.7L CTD Crew
2014 Prime Time Sanibel 3250
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02-07-2016, 08:52 PM
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#6
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Left Coast
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: vancouver,washington
Posts: 15,649
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No truck to move it with, and sounds like rv repair guy is a jerk
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02-07-2016, 08:52 PM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rracer5
And by the way.......if it's a 2016 & under 1 year old, why wouldn't it be covered under warranty.......especially if there is a plumbing problem?
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The repairman told me that I must have done something stupid to break it, because it was too new to break on its own! Yeah, right. I've seen enough posts on the forum to know that is a lie.
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02-07-2016, 11:54 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pfafftown NC
Posts: 2,353
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Dojomom, keep us informed here and with the advice you get you will be able to solve this and if you have to get professional help you will know how to communicate with them and what to expect. As rraser5 said, you can start by telling us how you deal your tanks. Do you put in chemicals or any kind of treatment? Hopefully you do keep your black tank closed and only empty it when 3/4 full or almost all the way full. How about the gray tank? Exactly how did you defrost your refrigerator? Did a lot of water go into the drip pan under the cooing fins? Did you see it run out on the ground outside?
If the gray tank really is the cause of the smell you should close it up, fill it with water and dump a couple of cups of bleach in it. Let it sit for half a day and empty it. Maybe because you leave it open and it is not draining all the way you are gettiing a 'pile up' of bad water that gets worse at it sits.
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02-08-2016, 08:52 AM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evereddie
Dojomom, keep us informed here and with the advice you get you will be able to solve this and if you have to get professional help you will know how to communicate with them and what to expect. As rraser5 said, you can start by telling us how you deal your tanks. Do you put in chemicals or any kind of treatment? Hopefully you do keep your black tank closed and only empty it when 3/4 full or almost all the way full. How about the gray tank? Exactly how did you defrost your refrigerator? Did a lot of water go into the drip pan under the cooing fins? Did you see it run out on the ground outside?
If the gray tank really is the cause of the smell you should close it up, fill it with water and dump a couple of cups of bleach in it. Let it sit for half a day and empty it. Maybe because you leave it open and it is not draining all the way you are gettiing a 'pile up' of bad water that gets worse at it sits.
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At first (Sept), I used 'natural' chemicals in the black tank. The instructions said that I could put them in the grey tank, so I did. After a month or so, I had trouble dumping the black tank, so people told me to use Flush King, a wand, and finally Calgon and Dawn instead instead of chemical. Flush King removed old TP, which I no longer put in the toilet. The wand also worked well at removing undesirables, and the soaps keep things moving. When it was empty, I added a lot of water and a cup of Clorox, and it has been good for the last month or so. I dump it at least once a week, but check levels daily. I even sniffed the toilet, and determined that the nasty smell was not coming from there.
That's when I started stoppering the sinks and bathtub. I did try using Clorox in the sinks, but didn't let it stay as long as you suggest.
When I defrosted the refrigerator, I did not see a lot of water run out of the tube. Outside temps were above 70F, (hooray for Texas), so I defrosted it by turning the temperature controls to "OFF" and waiting for the ice to melt. The tube had only a few drips. I manually dumped the inside drip pan and used towels to soak up any liquid that dripped inside the fridge. there was easily a cup or two soaked into the towels, but if internal parts were iced, I couldn't see where the water went. I have a 7.8 cubic foot refrigerator/freezer.
Last night, I sent an email to the salesman who sold me this camper, and he promised to come look at the sagging bottom today. I know, a salesman, but he impressed me as a good guy, and he lives close to me and won't charge me for a service call.
__________________
Dojomom
Before I got old, I thought having an actual tent instead of just a tarp was luxury camping. I'm enjoying 25' travel trailer.
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02-08-2016, 09:11 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pfafftown NC
Posts: 2,353
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Great you have the salesman coming. Someone, anyone, coming to look at it is what should have happened in the first place. It is under warranty but you inability to bring it in is a bit of a problem.
Here is what bothers me, in your original post you said "and it doesn't fully drain." What do you mean by that? In what way can you tell it doesn't drain? Maybe a clog in your drain system. It has happened. Since the under belly is sagging and you say it doesn't drain, maybe, and I'm taking a shot in the dark, the gray tank has come loose a little. It's pushing on the underbelly and some of the pipes have separated and leaking the smell out when the smell would have been contained. Hopefully the salesman visit will start the ball rolling.
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02-08-2016, 09:34 AM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evereddie
"and it doesn't fully drain." What do you mean by that?
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The indicator light says that when water stops flowing, the tank is still a quarter full.
__________________
Dojomom
Before I got old, I thought having an actual tent instead of just a tarp was luxury camping. I'm enjoying 25' travel trailer.
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02-08-2016, 09:36 AM
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#12
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Left Coast
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: vancouver,washington
Posts: 15,649
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Don't trust the lights..
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02-08-2016, 12:46 PM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Thanks to all!
The salesman brought a tech guy with him, who did look underneath and peaked under the plasticized cardboard. When he replaced the screws, he pounded the bottom and said that that was the sound of dryness. There is nothing wrong with my tanks. They simply expand a bit when full and give the appearance of sagging. The salesman admonished me to always call him first, because I am still under warranty, and the first guy I talked to was wrong about almost everything. There should have been no cost for the on-site visit since I was within 5 miles of the dealership.
The black tank smells a bit outside when full, but that is solved by dumping it. It's the vent, not a leak. He agreed that shutting the grey tank and adding Clorox was a good thing, because sometime grey water finds a place to sit and stagnate.
Thanks to everyone who offered advice, and I'll be using much of it in the future. It all lined up with what the salesman and the tech guy told me today. I gave them the name of the first guy who gave me such a hard time. They were a little upset with him.
__________________
Dojomom
Before I got old, I thought having an actual tent instead of just a tarp was luxury camping. I'm enjoying 25' travel trailer.
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02-08-2016, 03:17 PM
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#14
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Southwest Alabama
Posts: 9,850
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Kudos for that salesman (and tech). We hear all the time about the bad ones, it's very refreshing to hear that there are good ones out there as well that actually takes care of their customers.
You should send a card to him at the dealership thanking him for helping you.
__________________
Salem 29RKSS Pushing a GMC Sierra 2500HD!
Gotta go campin!
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02-08-2016, 03:37 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Waynesville
Posts: 14,428
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x2 Youroo!!
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02-08-2016, 03:48 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Pfafftown NC
Posts: 2,353
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Glad this worked out and there is no damage. And it didn't cost you $20,000.!
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02-09-2016, 11:29 AM
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#17
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Texas
Posts: 29
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Special thanks to Evereddie and rracer for the great advice, and for helping me to not panic more than I did!
__________________
Dojomom
Before I got old, I thought having an actual tent instead of just a tarp was luxury camping. I'm enjoying 25' travel trailer.
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