Rockwood Roo 24ws water leak from shower or toilet plumbing?

ttevogt · 10-05-2020, 08:33 PM

I have a 2019 Rockwood Roo 24ws that we bought about a year ago new. We were camping this past weekend and the temps got down to the lower 30's over night. I do not believe that anything froze, but we had a small puddle on the floor between the shower stall and the toilet. We did not use the toilet, and the shower was used appx 24 hours before the water was found. The problem is I cannot determine an easy way to get to the plumbing. The back of the camper is a shallow 1ft or so deep storage the runs from side to side. I can see the water 'pipes' going through the wall behind the shower, but that is far as I can see them. There is a panel on the front of the shower base that I removed, but that is not open to the plumbing in the back.

How is the best way to get to the plumbing to check for leaks? I attached a picture, and hope it comes through.

hobienick · 10-05-2020, 10:22 PM

Are you sure the toilet fill line is not leaking at the fitting? The crimp band used to connect the hose to the elbow was the source of my leak. I replaced it with a traditional hose clamp and the issue resolved itself.

ttevogt · 10-05-2020, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hobienick

Are you sure the toilet fill line is not leaking at the fitting? The crimp band used to connect the hose to the elbow was the source of my leak. I replaced it with a traditional hose clamp and the issue resolved itself.

Where was the elbow that you refer to?

I am assuming that the water goes to a fitting behind the shower and then splits the cold to the shower and the toilet? I do not believe that the toilet line is leaking at the toilet end. The hose for the toilet water goes under the linen cabinet and then I assumed over to the corner of the shower to connect to the water. I am not exactly since the lines are hidden by the linen cabinet and the wall between the bathroom and the back storage.

hobienick · 10-06-2020, 06:13 AM

It's on the back of the toilet. Very easy to check and rule out.

I have not had to do it but I believe you can remove the shower controls to check for leaks at those connections.

spaz · 10-06-2020, 03:39 PM

I recently purchased an endoscope from Amazon that lets me see into tight places. I bought it for exactly the problem you are having. It will let me see into areas without tearing anything apart. I can stay proactive and check for leaks under the shower or any other area that could be a potential problem. There are many to choose from and not that expensive. You can see how they are used on UTube. Good luck.

jimmoore13 · 10-06-2020, 04:34 PM

Since this was overnight, the chances that it's a drain issue are reduced (not eliminated).

Supply plumbing can leak from anywhere...a bad plastic elbow or tee, a poor crimp job, a pinhole, rodent damage, and so on.

I like the endoscope idea, but my goal here is to point out that there should be access panels to allow you to get to the back side of the shower, bathroom sink, and toilet. In a vanity, there will be a "false back" inside the cabinet to hide the plumbing and keep it out of harm's way. In the case of the shower, you may have to go in through a pantry cabinet ... down in the back ... or similar. If you're lucky, given your floorplan and shower layout, there is a removable panel inside the shower (with a gasket to keep things dry). That "access panel" may well be the entire shower-head side of the shower liner. Forest River may help you with this. Find the access points by imagining assembling this mess. Someone needed access to install the shower. That's where you go in to fix a leak.

However you explore, REPAIRS will require this access, so you can also investigate through these access panels. Good access will enable thorough testing of all joints and lines to find the problem.

When testing, have a partner to turn off the city water or water pump AND relieve the pressure at the outside shower or the kitchen sink. No need to have water spurting out of a pinhole leak until the pressure in the lines bleeds off.

Note that SOME PEX repairs can be done with Shark Bites: https://www.homedepot.com/p/SharkBit...62A6/303364525 These things are absolutely awesome!

A note on drain plumbing. Most of the drain plumbing in an RV is light-duty household stuff...complete with threaded couplers, etc. These can vibrate loose going down the road, and your drain traps can leak. For your sake, I hope the leak is NOT between the shower pan and the grey tank. That could be a more difficult fix, but I'm sure it's do-able. Back to the "light duty" part. I had a 1 1/2" drain line CRACK at a hard (glued in) tee in one of my lines. Road vibration broke it. So be on the lookout for a cracked drain line while you are looking.

Lastly...on drains...cracked pipes and connectors (tees, elbows, etc.) can be replaced with Fernco fittings: https://www.homedepot.com/s/fernco%2...F2%2522?NCNI-5

Both Shark Bites and Fernco fittings actually meet code in buildings.

Good luck.

markb422 · 10-06-2020, 05:42 PM

Had a similar issue and fixed it. Does the shower have sliding door? If yes, check the bottom track that the bottom of the door rides in. The shower walls overlap the shower pan on all sides except the front. Obviously the shower pan does not have a lip extending up under the side wall at the front. Also it seems where the bottom track meets the side wall. I pulled the paneling off the back of the shower wall thinking that it was a plumbing leak. I found the problem at the bottom because the wall framing was damp like it had been leaking for some time. It just takes time for the water seep out from under the paneling. I took a tube of silicone and filled the ends of the track so the water that runs down the shower door while you shower can only go back into the pan.

**Flybob** · 10-06-2020, 05:52 PM

Also check the shower drain/shower floor connection. RV shower floors are fairly flexible and it is easy to loosen connections as things move around. Reach into the area under the shower floor and dump some water in the drain. Sometimes, the trap joints also come loose.

ttevogt · 10-06-2020, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markb422

Had a similar issue and fixed it. Does the shower have sliding door? If yes, check the bottom track that the bottom of the door rides in. The shower walls overlap the shower pan on all sides except the front. Obviously the shower pan does not have a lip extending up under the side wall at the front. Also it seems where the bottom track meets the side wall. I pulled the paneling off the back of the shower wall thinking that it was a plumbing leak. I found the problem at the bottom because the wall framing was damp like it had been leaking for some time. It just takes time for the water seep out from under the paneling. I took a tube of silicone and filled the ends of the track so the water that runs down the shower door while you shower can only go back into the pan.

I will check that out and see if that could be the source. I was able to partially remove a panel behind the shower from the back storage area and was able to get a look and feel the hoses. Nothing was wet, so the shower could be the source.

ttevogt · 10-06-2020, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Also check the shower drain/shower floor connection. RV shower floors are fairly flexible and it is easy to loosen connections as things move around. Reach into the area under the shower floor and dump some water in the drain. Sometimes, the trap joints also come loose.

I will check that also.... thanks for the tip!

ttevogt · 10-07-2020, 09:55 PM

I found a slow leak in a tough spot to repair. I purchased an endoscope and ran it back along the white tube on the floor that feeds water to the toilet. It goes straight back into a mouse hole in the linen cabinet behind the toilet to an elbow. The elbow connects to the blue PEX water line that comes from where the water leads to the shower. The linen does not appear to have any panels that can be removed from the front. I am working on removing the wall that is inside the back storage compartment. The compartment goes from side to side, and has a thin wall held on by staples. The issue is the top is not able to be pulled out. There is a small square piece of wood that runs most of the length of the back storage with some screws in it. I removed the screws but the wood piece does not come out, and I think there are staples behind it holding in the wall piece. Any advice on fully removing the wall pieces? I have attached a couple pictures, but they are sideways and I didnt see a way to rotate them.

ttevogt · 10-07-2020, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ttevogt

I found a slow leak in a tough spot to repair. I purchased an endoscope and ran it back along the white tube on the floor that feeds water to the toilet. It goes straight back into a mouse hole in the linen cabinet behind the toilet to an elbow. The elbow connects to the blue PEX water line that comes from where the water leads to the shower. The linen does not appear to have any panels that can be removed from the front. I am working on removing the wall that is inside the back storage compartment. The compartment goes from side to side, and has a thin wall held on by staples. The issue is the top is not able to be pulled out. There is a small square piece of wood that runs most of the length of the back storage with some screws in it. I removed the screws but the wood piece does not come out, and I think there are staples behind it holding in the wall piece. Any advice on fully removing the wall pieces? I have attached a couple pictures, but they are sideways and I didnt see a way to rotate them.

I forgot the most important image.... this shows where the elbow is located.

Miweber929 · 10-08-2020, 05:48 AM

I would pull the bottom shelf out of the linen closet out and attack it from the top instead of the back. You should be able to see it from there, I think.

ttevogt · 10-08-2020, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miweber929

I would pull the bottom shelf out of the linen closet out and attack it from the top instead of the back. You should be able to see it from there, I think.

It does not look like the shelves come out. All I see is silicone (?) around the edge of it, and assume it is attached from underneath the shelf. Has someone been able to remove that bottom shelf?

hobienick · 10-08-2020, 10:01 AM

Ditto on removing the bottom shelf. It is the same thin plywood used all over the camper. You can drill a hole in the plywood to get hold of it to remove it. The panel may get destroyed but you can easily make a new one. We use this space for storage bathroom items we rarely use but want to leave in the TT. I did not fasten the replacement panel in place.

ttevogt · 10-11-2020, 07:18 PM

Got the leak fixed. I did end up taking out the bottom shelf in the linen cabinet to access the leak. The issue is that they used a PEX clamp to connect the rubber tubing to the PEX elbow fitting. I removed the clamp, cut off the end of the rubber tube and put on a clamp designed for the tubing. There is the same clamp on the other end that is not leaking. I left it for now, and expect to have to replace it in the future.

azfansinnc · 10-12-2020, 10:42 AM

Wow. Glad you got it figured out. I did not know there was a connection buried under there.

I now know how the plumbing routes and connects in that area so thank you for sharing.

ebemis · 11-20-2020, 06:40 PM

This is the EMERGENCY tweek while camping... will replace ALL of it with PEX and Shark Bites once I get back home.....

Had water puddling underneath the back side of the toilet... the PEX connection to that flex hose SUCKS!

THANKS to this thread, ALSO popped into the cabinet floor (I had to drill a hole and used a screwdriver to pry the first corner of the floor up (its only stapled in place) and then worked my way around..YUP THAT one was leaking TOO!!!

What a HORRIBLE place to have a CRAPPY connection.. Sorry Forest River but you dropped the ball on this one!!

My vote, it SHOULD have been PEX with a soft 90 bend clamp to get PEX all way to toilet... I won't be able to do that because of the cuts in the PEX to transition to this flex hose, but the flex hose connection using PEX fittings I do NOT think was a smart move!! :-(

I will have more PEX Shark Bite fittings than what I would generally want behind a wall, but when done I will put those pictures up as well.

exploreco · 11-20-2020, 07:48 PM

We had the same leak on the back of the toilet on our 2nd trip out. After a 4 hrs drive I guess it came loose. Trip to Home Depot and got it fixed up. Yes, crappy design.

ttevogt · 11-21-2020, 12:15 AM

I had emailed the service department at the dealer where we purchased the camper. I had asked them about the repair when I was searching for the leak, so then I had emailed him after I repaired the leak. He replied that "Forest River recommends the crimp style clamp vs the screw type" and said they could replace it for me. I dont think I will go back to a bad design and take a chance of it leaking again. Although I would have to check but I am pretty sure all end points in the plumbing are probably the same. They run the PEX close and use the rubber hose to get to the sink, toilet, etc.

I am glad that this post did help out someone else with their issue.

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