$25 part wreaked havoc on our RV

[Learjet]

no more issues on my RV after a leak...I put a valve on the inlet. Hook up hose, turn water on, open valve...to remove, close valve, turn off water, disconnect hose.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by TXAggie00

Welp, we had a fun weekend...

We are full-timers and as I was going through the routine of emptying tanks, I noticed a slow drip under the door. After inspecting it further I then noticed a bulge in the underbelly cover. After pushing on it, I realized it was water, so I pulled the liner from the edge and the water came pouring out. The initial drip was coming from the storage under the front section of the 5th wheel and it ended up having lot of water in the storage area (we sacrificed about 28 rolls of toilet paper which probably helped soak up a lot of the water) and after pulling off the cover exposing the wiring and plumbing we discovered the issue. It turned out that the blank tank flush has a vacuum breaker check valve that was faulty and every time we flushed the black tank, water went everywhere in the closed off section of the storage area. There are some spots showing sign of mold starting, so this must have been going on a while while the issue only continued to get worse.

Long story short, we aired out the RV over two days and replaced the part (which delivered the next day), but realized we need to be more proactive in case something like this ever happened again. We ended up buying a $12 leak alarm. I feel like we got lucky that we didn't suffer any major damage, so this thread is more a cautionary tale with some helpful advise. I would recommend installing these alarms in areas that often go overlooked, but could end up causing a much bigger headache (especially in areas with water appliances that are hidden out-of-sight).

Here is the alarm we installed next to the valve that was faulty (this is the new one). The contacts have a 6' wire, so we mounted the alarm close to the top so we could hear it and also make sure it stays put while traveling. The contacts were mounted on the floor where most of the water was located and right next to the water heater and water pump.


Hopefully this helps someone in the future!
- Scott

Thanks for posting very good info. Later RJD

[TXAggie00]

Originally Posted by emm-dee

Guaranteed leak free valve.

Alright, I am not a plumber and haven't stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in a long time, so I am curious what the repercussions are for by-passing the vacuum check valve and replacing it with a plain old elbow like you did? This simplistic fix is certainly guaranteed to not have this issue again in the future, so I need to understand two things:

• I am guessing this valve is there due to an RV plumbing code. We know that the valve is installed correctly based on previous posts. It is at least 6" higher than the highest flood level rim of the fixture (the single toilet in my case). I am guessing the check valve prevents backflow into the water system, but wouldn't my toilet overflow in this case if the waste valve was closed or blocked and the flush was left on? Which begs the question, is it necessary? Pretty sure I would know there was a problem pretty quick.
• Is the vacuum portion of the valve necessary? I always use a one way check valve on my flush hose at the spigot which by design lets the hose drain when the the water is shut off.

Any expert plumbers out there that could accurately describe why this type of vacuum check valve is there and what potential issues are alleviated by having this? If it is overkill, then maybe a simple 90 degree elbow isn't a bad idea.


Thanks,
Scott

[TXAggie00]

Originally Posted by smittyboy

I wonder if you could wire in a light, that you could install in the control panel, where your ceiling light switches are. That would light up when the alarm goes off, on the off chance that you may not hear the alarm.

I like the way you think! Exactly the type of weekend projects I like doing. You know, the type of project that isn't REALLY necessary, but you tell the wife the importance of it, which allows you to be able to push the honey-do items you don't really want to do so you can do something fun instead...





Thanks,
Scott