Head Scratcher: Bathtub filled with water during tow

[TX_AG_10]

TL;DR Got home from quick drive and my camper bathtub was half full of water. Not sure how it got there.

Ok, so this might get lengthy as I'm going try and not miss anything and do my best explanation.

We went on our first trip in our 2012 GreyWolf 28BH. Didn't go far from home because I volunteer/work at our church and we needed to be there Sunday morning. We left early Sunday morning (6:30 or so) and before we left I showered as usual, turned off the bath faucet and saw the water drain out of the tub, got dressed and locked up the camper till we got back later that afternoon. I ended up turning off the main water supply outside at the faucet because I was going to be gone for a few hours.

When we got back around 1 everything seemed normal. I turned the water back on to the RV from the main connection out side. We had to pack up and head home right when we returned so I changed out of my church clothes and used the restroom before I headed out. Didn't notice the tub full of water or any water running out of the tub faucet when I was in there. I head out side and start my pack up procedures. Drain the black water, then the gray. Turn off the hot water heater and then disconnect the city water hose. Pack everything else up and then start our short drive home.. maybe 15 miles..

Get home and put the slide out, I notice a little bit of water where the slide was but thought it was from the condensation from the A/C. Then I notice more water towards the bathroom. I open the door and the dang bathtub is almost half filled with water and had been sloshing around the entire trip home! It didn't smell and didn't appear to be gray water. There was no water running from the faucet and the fresh water pump was off. I don't have a clue how that water got in there! But, I took the drain out and all of the water drained just fine so it wasn't a back up issue.

Here's the issue. I assume that the bathtub was empty before we left because I had no reason to think it was full (I was the last one to use the shower and i shut off and drained tub that morning). The fresh water tank still had water in it so I don't think it was that.

Anyone have any suggestions/experience with that? Like I said earlier, it's really been messing with my brain. My guess is that I had left the hot side of the faucet on slightly and when I disconnected from the main water supply before we left, the hot water heater emptied into the bathtub which is why it didn't overflow. Does the hot water heater have an emergency drain that goes to the tub?? If it came from my freshwater tank I think it would've still been running when we got to the house.

Who knows.. Fortunately it wasn't that bad. The biggest lesson I learned was take the tub drain out while traveling and make sure the tub isn't filled with water before you leave. Again, sorry for the long post just thought I'd share here and I can answer more questions if I wasn't clear to anyone.

[jgourlie]

Did you have your water pump turned on?? That is the only thing I can think of that would get water there.

My initial thought was that your grey tank was full and sloshed out, but you said you drained it.

That is a good mystery for sure

[TX_AG_10]

The pump was off. If it was still on the water would've been running when we went inside the camper. To double check my self I turned the pump on and turned the sink on and I still had water in my fresh water tank. I would assume that if the pump was on and my tub faucet was open it would've depleted the tank entirely. But I could still see some water in the tank when I went outside to inspect. Pretty crazy.

Which is why it makes me think it has something to do with the hot water. It appears that all the contents of the water heater emptied in the bathtub and once it depleted it stopped.

[5picker]

If the drain plug was in the bottom of tub on the trip home, the only logical place water could have got in and filled the tub was from the faucet/spigots. (unless you have a skylight over the tub and it is broken/cracked, I simply can't imagine any other way)

So, that leaves how the faucets allowed water into the tub.
Were either of the tub spigots inadvertently left open? (maybe after turning off pump to relieve pressure for the trip home?)

Does your tub have a shower feature?
I've see long shower head hoses hanging loose enough that could whip around and possibly open a spigot.

Either way, one of the spigots would have had to open somehow.

I realize you said you tried the pump and used the faucet at the sink to see if you still had fresh water but did you actually look to see if the tub faucets were on? (or leaking?)

Also, when did the drain plug get put in bottom of the the tub?
Right after you showered?

[TX_AG_10]

My replies are in red.

Originally Posted by 5picker

If the drain plug was in the bottom of tub on the trip home, the only logical place water could have got in and filled the tub was from the faucet/spigots. (unless you have a skylight over the tub and it is broken/cracked, I simply can't imagine any other way) I agree with this.

So, that leaves how the faucets allowed water into the tub.
Were either of the tub spigots inadvertently left open? (maybe after turning off pump to relieve pressure for the trip home?) This is where things get weird. I don't think so. I was in the bathroom 30-40 minutes before we left and didn't see any water in the tub nor did I notice any faucets leaking and my wife was inside the whole time and didn't notice.

Does your tub have a shower feature?
I've see long shower head hoses hanging loose enough that could whip around and possibly open a spigot. Yes I have a shower and that could be possibility but it seems unlikely.

Either way, one of the spigots would have had to open somehow.

I realize you said you tried the pump and used the faucet at the sink to see if you still had fresh water but did you actually look to see if the tub faucets were on? (or leaking?) I'm pretty sure they were off. When I first got in the camper and discovered the water in the tub, there was no water coming out of the tub faucet. I tried turning the hot and cold faucet to see if they were off, but I soon realized I didn't know which way was on or off because the water was turned off. What I should've done was turn the pump on immediately to check. I assume the water pump is needed to distribute water from water heater correct? Or is that only water from the fresh water tank.

Also, when did the drain plug get put in bottom of the the tub?
Right after you showered? Yes, I only pulled up on the plug enough for the water to drain. So I didn't completely remove it after I showered, but I did confirm that all the water drained after that shower.

I'm really starting to think the tub had to fill up before we left. I didn't turn the pump on at all while we were camping because we were hooked up to city water. The biggest mystery to me is why didn't the water overflow? It's crazy to me that there was only some water in the tub. You figure if a faucet is left on for 30 min or longer it would flood the whole camper.

[5picker]

I really think 'somehow' a faucet got turned on.
It didn't flood the tub because the pump was not on.
It did however, siphon enough water from the system to put water in the tub.

Depending on the height of the hot water tank, sink faucets, etc., there could have been enough gravity flow (and with the sloshing going down the road) to allow water into the tub.

That's the best wild @$$ guess I can fathom.

[TX_AG_10]

Yeah, I think that's the only logical conclusion.. Moral to the story; check the tub before you leave and don't don't leave the drain plug in!

[Kaadk]

There is one other possibility:

When you drained the tub after your shower, did you pull up the plug and walk away, or did you make sure it all went down? I've seen it with ours where the act of water rushing into the grey tank causes suction on the plug and it closes again. So while you think it drained, it really hadn't.

It is possible there was water in there when you went back, but because you weren't looking for it, you just didn't notice it.




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[TX_AG_10]

It drained completely. I know because I stayed in the shower stall for awhile to dry off.

[Kaadk]

Ok, just checking. I know ours tends to keep closing while draining.




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