Cautionary Tale of the Black Tank Flush

[mark.g]

Thought I would let others know that they may want to have their blank tank flush connections checked at the black tank. Found out mine had been leaking due to a loose connection and saturated the underbelly insulation near the black tank with water.

Now I am doing damage control/repair. Yes, I am under warranty, but it is not financially conducive to take it to a dealer to get fixed in my situation. I am just glad I caught it before it got any worse.

I know this is probably a rare occurrence, but given that the underbelly is enclosed, it could be a long time before it is discovered. Either they do not test the tank flushes for leaks before shipping them out, or mine was one that got skipped. Either way, a pretty serious situation as I am now forced to redo the connection and replace bad insulation.

[Homebrew]

Any pictures would be helpful of the connection to the tank and insulation.




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[F350TH]

I know they don't test them. Not only was the check valve installed backwards in mine, it also leaked...

[mark.g]

Originally Posted by Homebrew

Any pictures would be helpful of the connection to the tank and insulation.

The connection is just a little plastic 90* into the tank flush connected to the water supply via a black hose with and secured with a metal ear clamp. Like all the other water connections. I will try to remember to snap a few photos when I button it all back up.

[hbillsmith]

When I disconnect the outdoor shower hose that's in the valve control closet then some water always sprays out and most just drains out the open hole that's used for feeding hoses etc. to the outside. I have noticed that some always seems to run under the aluminum wall mount and drip below the trailer. It's usually a small amount and seems to dry quickly. Wonder if I need to caulk that supply area so the water can only go down the hole.

[rvfriendly]

Originally Posted by mark.g

Thought I would let others know that they may want to have their blank tank flush connections checked at the black tank. Found out mine had been leaking due to a loose connection and saturated the underbelly insulation near the black tank with water.

Now I am doing damage control/repair. Yes, I am under warranty, but it is not financially conducive to take it to a dealer to get fixed in my situation. I am just glad I caught it before it got any worse.

I know this is probably a rare occurrence, but given that the underbelly is enclosed, it could be a long time before it is discovered. Either they do not test the tank flushes for leaks before shipping them out, or mine was one that got skipped. Either way, a pretty serious situation as I am now forced to redo the connection and replace bad insulation.

I have 2008 Cardinal and the same thing happened to me. The leaky connection is inaccessible to repair. I have been unable to use this convienence since it happened, shortly after the warranty expired. Very poor quality control, which is typical for Forrest River products.

[MOODMAN]

Originally Posted by rvfriendly

I have 2008 Cardinal and the same thing happened to me. The leaky connection is inaccessible to repair. I have been unable to use this convienence since it happened, shortly after the warranty expired. Very poor quality control, which is typical for Forrest River products.

Triple this for me. I get a fresh water leak from somewhere behind the water control panel when I use the black tank flush port. I will have to remove the panel and figure out where it is coming from. But I am down for the season and have winterized, so this will have to wait for warm weather.

[GreenImp]

You can add mine to the list of untested units...leaked at the check valve from first use due to not having been tightened properly. I think everyday is Friday afternoon at the Forest River Plant.