Vibe fresh water tank too small???

[Wingdreamer]

My Vibe (and all of the Vibe models) are advertised as having a 44 gallon fresh water tank. I fill it with the blue reliance water jugs (6 U.S. gallons). I first opened the fresh water drain and emptied the tank, close the valve and started filling from the 6 gallon jugs.

4 1/2 jugs later (26 gallons) and water is pouring out of the overflow hoses!
There is NO way I can get more than 26 gallons of fresh water into this 44 gallon tank. I have repeated this process many times over the summer with identical results. The inside gauge also reflects that its full after putting in 26 gallons from empty, as well as showing empty after draining the tank from the drain valve between the two wheels.
I have been in touch with Vibe and they are saying that the 44 gallon capacity that is posted EVERYWHERE in all literature is a printing error, and that its really a 30 gallon tank! I would have never bought this trailer with a 30 gallon freshwater tank. I am having to fill the tank every day while my wife and I camp....
Have any other Vibe owners noticed this problem?

[kandl]

The manufacturer caveats on specs really suck in these instances.

[TURBS]

They also consider the wh tank as fw capacity

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "27 nights"

[Dave Lyon]

Notwithstanding the printing error, it surprises me that FR would put such a small tank in a large trailer? My 23SS has a 36 gallon fresh water tank.

[Wingdreamer]

Originally Posted by Dave Lyon

Notwithstanding the printing error, it surprises me that FR would put such a small tank in a large trailer? My 23SS has a 36 gallon fresh water tank.

Absolutely! My 12 foot pop up tent trailer had a 20 gallon tank, and it held exactly 20 gallons. This trailer is 3 times the size with a 30 gallon? Shower, toilet, 2 sinks, outside kitchen.... doesnt make any sense... I am holding firm on this one.... They need to find a solution.... Otherwise, I love the trailer!

[Wingdreamer]

Originally Posted by TURBS

They also consider the wh tank as fw capacity

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "27 nights"

I've been told that.... Problem is, you need water in the fresh water tank to "access" the water in the hot water tank. (freshwater tank goes empty... you cant access the 6 gallons in the wh tank).... marketing scheme?

[TURBS]

Lol something like that!

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "27 nights"

[muddyrode]

wow they really are like Harley Davidson on the several of the 2000 models they advertise
that there gas tanks hold x amount but wont they dont tell you is that that there is 3/4 of a gallon that you can not use because of the tank design to fit the frame there is a internal hump in the middle so the side without the petcock there is 3/4 of a gallon that can not get to the petcock so on a 2006 sportster a 4 gallon tank you get 3.25 gallon

[Mewcasa]

Yep... I'm hauling those same blue H2O jugs around too...! Good luck getting anything from Vibe. I can't get Sh*! but empty promises and bad info! Not my dealers fault, they have tried too! I do love my 268RKS though!

[Wingdreamer]

Are you having the same issue with only getting 26 or so gallons of water into your fresh water tank?

[northstar1960]

Originally Posted by Wingdreamer

My Vibe (and all of the Vibe models) are advertised as having a 44 gallon fresh water tank. I fill it with the blue reliance water jugs (6 U.S. gallons). I first opened the fresh water drain and emptied the tank, close the valve and started filling from the 6 gallon jugs.

4 1/2 jugs later (26 gallons) and water is pouring out of the overflow hoses!
There is NO way I can get more than 26 gallons of fresh water into this 44 gallon tank. I have repeated this process many times over the summer with identical results. The inside gauge also reflects that its full after putting in 26 gallons from empty, as well as showing empty after draining the tank from the drain valve between the two wheels.
I have been in touch with Vibe and they are saying that the 44 gallon capacity that is posted EVERYWHERE in all literature is a printing error, and that its really a 30 gallon tank! I would have never bought this trailer with a 30 gallon freshwater tank. I am having to fill the tank every day while my wife and I camp....
Have any other Vibe owners noticed this problem?

Misrepresentation pure and simple . FR or any other manufacture can
not sale items with one spec and not deliver and use an excuse like the printing was wrong . if they new that then it should have been changed immediately . not months or yrs later . I know of NO organization that does not find mis prints in there proof reading before things are sent to the printer . or are all the fr of other manufactures morons
Also they can not sale something and then refer to there little print that says they can change specs anytime they want . that only works before a sale based on specs delivered to the customers . Not after a sale based on certain specs .
don't let them get away with the bs !

[rockfordroo]

Have you checked the vent hose routing? It's probably attached to the side of the tank, meaning the bottom of the connection is probably a couple of inches below the top of the tank. If the hose doesn't rise up above the top of the tank, you'll never get it full.

And once you fix that problem (if that's it), you don't want the end of the vent hose to drop down below the top of the tank, or it will siphon water out of the tank as you're driving down the road.

[moondog2000]

My FR X-Lite advertised 34 gal fresh. 1 1/2 days into the camping trip I was out of water. Turns out my tank is 27 gal and they are adding 6 gal for the water heater and I gal for the plumbing. Using the shower hose and a gallon jug I found out I had 21 gal of usable water. Took my over flow hose and looped it 360 high above the tank and fill it very slowly. the overflow nipple on the tank is more than an inch below the top of the tank. I can go 2 days now but my wife and I fill it every day when dry camping. I am going to have a 40 gal tank installed with pump nipple coming out the bottom and the over flow coming out the top.

[Mewcasa]

Originally Posted by Wingdreamer

Are you having the same issue with only getting 26 or so gallons of water into your fresh water tank?

Pretty much the same issue...

The "Blue Reliance water jugs I bought at Wal Mart are 7 gallons. I'm able to service my fresh water tank with about 3 1/2 jugs before I bleed the air from the water system using the TT water pump. This is enough to last 2 of us for about 2 days without re-servicing. So I purchased another 2 jugs (14 gal) to last me 3 days. We know to conserve water, take navy showers and eat off of paper plates. That's just about the maximum time I boon-dock without going into town anyway. I'll plan on refilling the jugs then. Other than that, Im staying at a park which has power/water anyway so the size of the water tank doesn't matter at that point.

Am I disappointed with the size of the tank?... Yes and no. It's a pain in the ass to re-service, but I'm not hauling a large volume of water limiting my useful load.

IMO, there isn't, or I haven't seen the perfect RV yet. We absolutely love our 268RKS, and grateful it didn't come with issues and the nightmares like I read about on the forum. I didn't have the hardware installed (and still haven't been able to get) to secure my outside kitchen table/drawer, some inside trim problems that I took care of myself, The POS plastic door hold open latch (last one lasted less than 24 hours) and I finally found out the Vibe doesn't supply the manual crank for the stabilizers and slide out (I'll have to buy one). The air conditioner is loud and you have to turn up the TV, but I understand that's par for the course. I'd like to have more storage in the bedroom, and I'm working on a solution for that. Not having struts to hold the bed up is a pain in the ass too, but I'm sure I can purchase a kit for that too. I see adding another air conditioner for the bedroom sometime before next summer... I'd sure like to find a quite one! Had the wire bundle support snap on me. I tie wrapped it up and out of the way from the wheels... My dealer fixed it... no problem!

Maybe I've been lucky, but all these things/issues are little to me and since there isn't the perfect RV out of the box for us, I'll make my Vibe perfect and live with what faults it has.

Murphy's Law... When I do make "Mewcasa" just right... I'll probably trade it in on a fiver so I can start the whole process over again!

I wish you the best of luck with your water tank issue. Please keep us informed on the results. Don't lose sleep over it!

[aceinspp]

As there brochure states changes can be made in materials, equipment and specifications. and assumes no responsibility for any errors in there brochures. Buyer beware, Later RJD

[Wingdreamer]

Originally Posted by Mewcasa

Pretty much the same issue...

The "Blue Reliance water jugs I bought at Wal Mart are 7 gallons. I'm able to service my fresh water tank with about 3 1/2 jugs before I bleed the air from the water system using the TT water pump. This is enough to last 2 of us for about 2 days without re-servicing. So I purchased another 2 jugs (14 gal) to last me 3 days. We know to conserve water, take navy showers and eat off of paper plates. That's just about the maximum time I boon-dock without going into town anyway. I'll plan on refilling the jugs then. Other than that, Im staying at a park which has power/water anyway so the size of the water tank doesn't matter at that point.

Am I disappointed with the size of the tank?... Yes and no. It's a pain in the ass to re-service, but I'm not hauling a large volume of water limiting my useful load.

IMO, there isn't, or I haven't seen the perfect RV yet. We absolutely love our 268RKS, and grateful it didn't come with issues and the nightmares like I read about on the forum. I didn't have the hardware installed (and still haven't been able to get) to secure my outside kitchen table/drawer, some inside trim problems that I took care of myself, The POS plastic door hold open latch (last one lasted less than 24 hours) and I finally found out the Vibe doesn't supply the manual crank for the stabilizers and slide out (I'll have to buy one). The air conditioner is loud and you have to turn up the TV, but I understand that's par for the course. I'd like to have more storage in the bedroom, and I'm working on a solution for that. Not having struts to hold the bed up is a pain in the ass too, but I'm sure I can purchase a kit for that too. I see adding another air conditioner for the bedroom sometime before next summer... I'd sure like to find a quite one! Had the wire bundle support snap on me. I tie wrapped it up and out of the way from the wheels... My dealer fixed it... no problem!

Maybe I've been lucky, but all these things/issues are little to me and since there isn't the perfect RV out of the box for us, I'll make my Vibe perfect and live with what faults it has.

Murphy's Law... When I do make "Mewcasa" just right... I'll probably trade it in on a fiver so I can start the whole process over again!

I wish you the best of luck with your water tank issue. Please keep us informed on the results. Don't lose sleep over it!

When you said you had "the wire bundle snap" is that the one under the slide that holds the wiring harness? Black plastic strip with a big long spring? Just had mine break yesterday. Re-screwed it back in (right where it broke) with the 2 screws to get me home . Going to contact vibe for a replacement part....
Am still working with Vibe for a solution to the water tank issue. May not get it resolved till the spring but will repost when I determine the results.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Wingdreamer

My Vibe (and all of the Vibe models) are advertised as having a 44 gallon fresh water tank. I fill it with the blue reliance water jugs (6 U.S. gallons). I first opened the fresh water drain and emptied the tank, close the valve and started filling from the 6 gallon jugs.

4 1/2 jugs later (26 gallons) and water is pouring out of the overflow hoses!
There is NO way I can get more than 26 gallons of fresh water into this 44 gallon tank. I have repeated this process many times over the summer with identical results. The inside gauge also reflects that its full after putting in 26 gallons from empty, as well as showing empty after draining the tank from the drain valve between the two wheels.
I have been in touch with Vibe and they are saying that the 44 gallon capacity that is posted EVERYWHERE in all literature is a printing error, and that its really a 30 gallon tank! I would have never bought this trailer with a 30 gallon freshwater tank. I am having to fill the tank every day while my wife and I camp....
Have any other Vibe owners noticed this problem?

So you add the 6 gals for hw and now you got 30 as FR says. My wife and I dry camp occasionally and supposedly have a 42 gal tank We have gone four days without running out of water and yet take shower every day. Use paper plates and have very few dishes to wash maybe every other day. Take bottled water for coffee. There are ways to conserve and still make do with what you have.

BTW if your dry camping what are you doing with all the excess gray water? Later RJD

[Wingdreamer]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

So you add the 6 gals for hw and now you got 30 as FR says. My wife and I dry camp occasionally and supposedly have a 42 gal tank We have gone four days without running out of water and yet take shower every day. Use paper plates and have very few dishes to wash maybe every other day. Take bottled water for coffee. There are ways to conserve and still make do with what you have.

BTW if your dry camping what are you doing with all the excess gray water? Later RJD

The 268RKS has a rear kitchen and 2 separate gray water tanks (one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom/shower), each one holding 30 gallons. I can go days without emptying them. I've used my black for 9 days and still not full.

[Mewcasa]

Originally Posted by Wingdreamer

When you said you had "the wire bundle snap" is that the one under the slide that holds the wiring harness? Black plastic strip with a big long spring? Just had mine break yesterday. Re-screwed it back in (right where it broke) with the 2 screws to get me home . Going to contact vibe for a replacement part....
Am still working with Vibe for a solution to the water tank issue. May not get it resolved till the spring but will repost when I determine the results.

Yep... That's the one! I found mine laying on top of the tires when I was doing my "last chance final walk-around" before leaving my camp spot. I opened the slide part way and ty-wraped it out of the way.

My dealer fixed it... "no problem" except I had to wait 2 WEEKS for a spot before they could even look at it. At least I was able to talk the shop manager and explain what happened so he ordered a "track" and had it on hand when I arrived for my appointment.

The shop mechanic was pretty cool and I was able to "hang with him" when he was repairing this issue. Apparently these "TRACKS" are pretty common among other brands of RV's and not exclusive to Vibe. They are an "off the shelf" part/item and come in different lengths. What was surprising to the both of us was the way it was routed. He did relocate the hinge end of the track some so it wouldn't put such a bend on it, but it is now even closer to the tires, so he made a cutout on the track so it wouldn't rub on them. It's better, but still not best. I don't know what he could have done more to prevent future problems without redesigning and/or rerouting the whole wire bundle assy. He also told me that he's seen worse on other brands of RV's and don't be surprised if it happens again. The only good thing (if there is a good thing)... the wiring is only for the outside marker lights... but after spending that kind of $, you don't want to worry about something stupid like this!

My vibe is still under warranty until April and it's getting used pretty regular. We went on a 2000 mile 2 week trip after the track repair and didn't have an issue at all with the RV besides a leaky tire from a metal valve stem I had installed for a TPMS and the POS plastic door hold open arm (again). I was able to tighten the valve stem body and everything has been ok... but I'm watching everything like a hawk!

I did buy a metal door holder arm assy, but Im having second thought about installing that. If it does any damage to the door or frame due to it being stronger, I might not be able to have it fixed while it's still under warranty since I changed it's configuration. Maybe the POS plastic is supposed to break before any other damage is caused to the door.

FYI... still waiting on news for my outside kitchen hardware. Was promised a call on Monday... which never happened!

Never the less... we still love our Vibe...

Please keep me up to date on what's up with yours (Vibe that is). It's pretty cool to compare notes!