Strange Water Leak

jjmoore · 03-01-2009, 11:30 AM

We have been down in the Rio Grande Valley for over two months and all has been fine except for a strange wet spot appearing in the bedroom carpeting about a month ago. Couldn't find where it might have come from but didn't worry too much because it dried up and disappeared. Well 10 days later the wet spot was back. Now I'm more curious. What could cause a wet spot every ten days or so. I drain the black tank on about that schedule and I have a factory installed sprayer built in to help clean the tank. Next time I drained the tank I didn't use the sprayer and lo and behold no more wet spot. It appears that somewhere in the bowels of the tank area I have a problem:
a. the hose has a leak
b. hose connection to black tank is loose and leaking.
c. the black tank has a crack on top somewhere.
Took some of the belly cover off but unable to see where the leak might be.
At this point I am waiting until I get home in April to drop the belly cover and look for the leak. In the meantime I am using my flushking instead of the built in tank sprayer and haven't had a reocurrence of the wet spot.

If anyone has any thoughts on this problem I would appreciate hearing from you.

NWJeeper · 03-01-2009, 02:05 PM

Do you own a dog?

Just kidding, I think you are on the right track, Test your theory by using your tank flush system and see if the spot appears, have your wife watch the area while you do it.

dimurrrw · 03-01-2009, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Do you own a dog?

Just kidding, I think you are on the right track, Test your theory by using your tank flush system and see if the spot appears, have your wife watch the area while you do it.

Better yet, have the dealer watch the area if you are still in warranty.

**Bama Rambler** · 03-02-2009, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjmoore

Next time I drained the tank I didn't use the sprayer and lo and behold no more wet spot. It appears that somewhere in the bowels of the tank area I have a problem:....

...In the meantime I am using my flushking instead of the built in tank sprayer and haven't had a reocurrence of the wet spot.

That almost rules out the black tank as the problem. My guess is that it's either the hose clamp(s) on the flush system is/are loose, the hose on the flush system has a crack or the anti-syphon valve on the back flush is leaking and spraying water out.

jjmoore · 03-03-2009, 08:28 PM

The "wet spot" was dry for two weeks. Haven't used the factory installed black tank sprayer. Well the "wet spot" showed up the day before yesterday. Was damp for about 12 hours and now has dried up again. I now have no clue. The spot is right along the seam between the vinyl floor in the kitchen and hallway and the carpet in the bedroom. It is located between the shower and the vanity sink. I have put dry paper towels around and under all the pipes in the vanity and no sign of any drips or leaks. Their is six inches of vinyl between the shower basin and the carpet. This area has no signs of any dampness after use. I am totally flabbergasted. May have to wait until I get home in April and do some deasembly of walls to see where the moisture is coming from. There has been no precipitation so I have ruled out a roof leak.

powerboatr · 03-03-2009, 08:36 PM

can you possibly post a picture and maybe a floorplan layout.
I am confused BIG time
are your tanks directly under the wet spot area?
when my grey(shower) tank gets over fulllllll it will drip on the other side of the rv .
this is a curious item you have here

jjmoore · 03-04-2009, 10:16 PM

Here is a picture of the wetspot. It is clearly visible because the moisture has caused the plywood below to lightly stain the carpet. We will clean it when the leak is discovered and fixed. Currently it is dry. The shower is to the right. The lavatory sink is to the left and the wall to the left is the enclosure around the commode. If the leak were from the shower I would expect to see moisture on the floor between the carpeting and the shower enclosure but it is always dry. I would appreciate any thoughts you might have. The spot is actually right above where the grey tank sits. The black tank sits in front of it (above in the picture).

rockwood06 · 03-05-2009, 05:17 AM

Remove the floor vent and look down in side if you need to use an inspection mirror to make sure the duct work is intact. Strange things have happen, there could be a cold spot in that area of the floor and when the heat comes on it my be condensation on the bottom of the of the plywood. If so then more insulation will need to be added.....Just a thought, good luck.

dimurrrw · 03-05-2009, 06:48 AM

What make this, to me, even crazier is that the vinyl extends under the carpeting. So for the moisture to be coming from underneath it would have to penetrate the vinyl first. FWIW, I had a similar problem once in the same location, relative to my floor plan. The culprit was the connections of the water lines to the outside shower not being screwed on tightly at the faucet end. Water would intermittently drip down the pipes inside the wall and out onto the floor, then flow across the floor. One other thought- I once had a factory idiot put a trim screw through a water line, causing it to leak. I'm looking at the screws in your vent cover as I say that.

TravelSoftballDad · 03-05-2009, 12:19 PM

"Wet spots" are not always a bad thing...

...OK, I'm sorry...

08flagvlite · 03-05-2009, 11:02 PM

I had a similar issue with my camper- turned out to be the shower door! There is a channel at the bottom of the door that diverts the water to either side of the door, and whenever someone opens the door, the water runs out like a gutter to the farthest outward area. That may be how your carpet gets wet there. Just a thought!!! Randy

rockwood06 · 03-06-2009, 08:23 AM

Let me ask this, dose the wetness show up after a shower or just any time. Like I said strange things have happen, if water was not seen on the surface of the floor then where else can it be coming from other then the cat, and as far leaving the door open after taking a show I don't think that much water is going to drip off of the door and cause a stain, most people close it was soon as they get out. As far as condensate, I would not rule it out It looks like it is inline with the duct work, you can pull the carpet back and inspect, see what's under the carpet Who knows. Just an Idea.

cfsoistman · 03-06-2009, 08:40 AM

Doubt if it's condensate since there's no other evidence near any other supply registers and water doesn't flow up hill. If it was condensate you'll have a bigger problem within the floor itself since the amount of water on top would be a small percentage of the overall amount of water. I'd lift the carpet and see if there's a tear in the linoleum under the carpet in that area that's allowing water to enter through. But that doesn't solve where the water is originating from. Can you see under the shower? Is it possible there's a leak there and it runs under the linoleum? It won't show up on the bathroom floor since it is most likely caulked at the floor. Just another idea. Good luck, I'd really be interested in the findings once located.

rockwood06 · 03-06-2009, 10:21 AM

I agree, water dose not flow up hill, but if there is an openning in the top of the duct work and the bottom of the pylwood is expossed the plywood will absorb the moisture and until the plywood can't hold any more it will drip down into the ductwork and lay at it's lowerst point until it evaporates. If the heat ducts were in the ceiling, then the condensate will drip out of the supply vents by the force of the supply air. Condensate devlops on the warm side of material not the cold side. With A/C in your camper, if the ceiling gets wet around the return on the ceiling there is a lack of insulation around the duct work, the warm air is coming in contact with the supply duct which is cold and condensate begins. I had this problem when I first bought my camper and knew what was going on and had them fix it. I am NOT saying this is the problem, but I would still have a look, it's easy and takes very little time to do.

Bduece · 03-09-2009, 08:27 AM

My shower door holds water at the bottom of the door. I notice when I open the door a good amount of water flows towards the outer edge of the door and drips onto the floor. Could this be happening after someone uses the shower, they leave the door open and the water drips in that area?

arjie · 06-14-2010, 03:21 PM

Not trying to be a wise guy but is that the cat's litter box with carpet in front to help keep down the litter travel? Hmmmm How often is the litter changed? Just a thought

grhodes50 · 06-14-2010, 03:37 PM

Do you have a roof vent above that spot? If so, could it have been open and raining on the days that you noticed the wet spot?
Even though I have MAX Air II vent covers, if I leave the vents open too far and the wind is blowing as it rains it will leave a small amount of water in the floor and a damp spot on our bed directly below the vents.

You may also like: