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Old 06-20-2016, 05:45 PM   #1
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City Water leaking into underbelly

I brought home our "new to us" 2010 Flagstaff ML 23LB a few weeks ago. We love it.

Today I tried hooking up the city water, as it still had antifreeze in the tub and there were some carpenter ants coming from the drain. Wanted to flush it before treating them.

When I initially hooked up the water (using the pressure regulator) it sprayed ALL OVER THE PLACE on the outside. Then I secured the connection (diffeernt than last trailer) and it leaked under the trailer, POURING out under the seams through the underbelly on both sides of the trailer.

I had noticed "puffiness" of the underbelly after I got home. Looked like previous damage, no soft floors though, that I could tell. But this was a lot of water, pouring through the edges of the trailer and through the bolts. OMG

I immediately called the dealer, who has no idea why the city water is leaking under the trailer somewhere. Bringing it back in two days for a look by them. I think a line froze and blew maybe. There is no water in the storage area though, its underneath.

Questions:
1. WHAT could be happening?
2. How much pull do I have as they sold it as is nut said (and wrote) there were NO LEAKS?


They ran the pump from the fresh water tank when I bought it. no leaks. Its from the city water connection to be sure. I'm pretty upset. We camp in two weeks with the grandkids. Am I out 10K? Help.
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Old 06-20-2016, 06:01 PM   #2
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Shouldn't be a big deal....probably the line on inside has come loose or has a split....if your unit has false backs in cupboards in that area, pull 'em out and take a look........might save some money
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Old 06-20-2016, 06:01 PM   #3
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Do you have a black tank flush? If so are you sure you connected the supply hose to the city water inlet and not the black tank flush? The black tank flush looks very much like the city water fill.
Also:
There is a water line that runs from the city water fitting to cold water line near the pump. There is a check valve on the city water line to prevent water from being pumped out when operating the pump ( using FW tank). Many times this short piece of plumbing is overlooked when winterizing an RV. This would leave water that could freeze and cause a leak.
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Old 06-20-2016, 06:05 PM   #4
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As Bob said, the water leak fix should be easy. Your bigger issue is potential water damage. You do need to get the underbelly opened and everything dried out as quick as possible.
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Old 06-20-2016, 06:09 PM   #5
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I've been in to this underbelly, and there's nothing there that should be affected....there not sealed at all...no insulation either

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Old 06-20-2016, 07:16 PM   #6
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I think I have a theory...

THANKS!
I crawled under the trailer and examined the damage. Few things.

Our driveway is slightly sloped toward the side where the water poured out...so it sought the lowest point. Its still got some pooling in there on the lower side.
There is NO water inside the trailer, in the wall at the city water fitting (no black tank flush) or from the hoses or connections underneath. The black underbelly damage is limited to the front half, basically along the seams. It seems all flush and well sealed around the fresh water tank and the hose inlets.

BUT the trim seam at the base of the trailer looks poorly sealed. I wonder if my water explosion ran enough into the seal that it traveled around the edge and across to the other side. It has a path already formed. If the trim seam is leaking, then rain would get in there too, as I noticed it was wet in the same spot on the opposite side after the last time it rained.

I am going to clean and reseal the trim, and then still take it in to be assessed for damage. Hopefully this will be an easy fix. Should I just seal the heck out of the lower trim piece?
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Old 06-20-2016, 07:32 PM   #7
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Mine isn't sealed anywhere....when some techs do exploratory surgery, they cut a 3 sided trap door, with the hinge facing front of trailer, then use black gorilla tape to cover the box knife cuts

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Old 06-20-2016, 07:34 PM   #8
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Wouldn't seal anything till after it's looked at.....might have to get in there, and you'll have wasted you effort

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Old 06-20-2016, 07:36 PM   #9
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Ok. That's a plan.
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Old 06-23-2016, 12:03 PM   #10
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The dealer figures it was water getting behind the L shaped trim molding, just as I figured. We are sealing the sucker up - the tiny gaps behind the trim and the screw holes beneath the edge of the trailer, holding the Darco "tarp" on. He also said though that the Darco wrap is meant to let water escape if indeed water gets in under the trailer (its a weave, he said, and they actually make some small holes for water to release if a leak occurs). Seems kinda crazy.
But we checked thoroughly for any other leaks, soft spots or actual damage to the underside of the trailer and found none. He said let it dry out and seal it up well. I think it is going to be difficult to keep it well sealed underneath though, due to road debris and water spray while driving, and rain dripping down. So, its a poor design that I will watch out for next time we purchase.
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