Stubborn water leak help (2020 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2612WS)

hecate98

New Member
Joined
Dec 22, 2024
Messages
3
Location
Greenville SC
I have a stubborn water leak in my 2020 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2612WS that I have had a mobile rv repair person out three times out to fix now to no avail. I'm pretty new to RV living and doing my best to troubleshoot this, having some trouble though. I have a water leak that I think is coming from under my kitchen sink, but I first noticed it coming out from the bottom of my bathroom door hinge. It is damp under the kitchen sink cabinet as well, and the repair person tried tightening things up and replacing some hose clamps. I am currently stationary and on city water, and based on the water damage on my cabinets I think this leak has been going on for longer than I realized (I at first thought water was dripping off my kitchen counter from making a mess while washing dishes, but the puddle it leaks has only gotten bigger and more frequent over time).

The only thing that has gotten the water to stop has been draining my low point drains as if I was going to winterize. I thought I had maybe relieved some pressure in the lines and fixed it, however this relief only lasted for a week before it began again. I'm at a loss here and taking it into a dealership will be a hassle since the vehicle I have right now won't be able to tow this thing. Would this simply be a pinhole leak in my PEX that the repair person missed? Or is there something weird with the low point of my plumbing going on? I'm wondering if it could be a water pressure issue too, I have a cheap 45-50 psi regulator but thinking of ordering an adjustable one and putting it a little lower like on 40 to see what that does. Thanks in advance for help.

Also for context, since it is cold right now (I live in SC though so the temps aren't too bad, lowest 25 some nights right now), I do have my hose and outdoor connection I'm hooked up to wrapped in heat tape and fiberglass. I don't think this is a cold weather issue weirdly enough, but I could be wrong.
 
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I thought I had maybe relieved some pressure in the lines and fixed it, however this relief only lasted for a week before it began again.
In my previous rig, we found that when we turned on the water heater (tank), this would increase the line pressure and leak in different places. We normally do not have the water heated so we were able to make a correlation after a few occurrences.

And running the hot water for just a few seconds relieved the problem. I guess running cold would relieve pressure just the same.

Maybe this helps you find and recognize enough clues to locate your leaks.

Good luck!
 
Randall may very well be on the right track.
With the OP living in the rig, they may have depleted the air pocket in the water heater.

And since it's now colder outside, that incoming water is colder and once heated, can raise water pressures to well over 100 PSI. I did a study on this a few years ago and found after about 3 weeks of daily use, I would deplete the air pocket in the water heater, that cold slug of water would expand in the water heater and pressures would rise in the system to sometimes 150 PSI. Enough for the pop-off valve on the water heater to drip.

Suburban has a YouTube video on how to reinstate the air pocket. One can also install an accumulator in the the system and is often recommended for full time R/V living.
 
Until you find the leak and cause more damage I would put water in the fresh water tank and only turn on the pump when using water. I live in mine full time and that is how I operate a lot.
Give everything a chance to dry out and then use the pump to try and find the leak.
Bathroom and sink back up to one another. Water line in the wall between them?
 
I would definitely try a good pressure regulator. Some of the inexpensive ones reduce pressure by restricting the flow. Without flow that can allow the pressure to build.
 
Have you had the leaks in warmer weather, too? There's been some recent discussion on the Rockwood factory's use about the (innapropriate) use of Pex connectors to connect Pex to white flex tubing (this is commonly seen in the bypass plumbing by the hot water heater: the white flex bends much more readily than the Pex, and doesn't require a bend bracket, so the factory uses white flex to make the tight tun to connect the HWH valves.... here you will see blue Pex to the inlet valve, white flex to the outlet valve, and red Pex out to the rest of the trailer). The Pex side works as specced, but the white flex tubing requires a barbed connector. As a result, that particular joint can leak slightly (especially in colder climates). Some owners have found leaks and successfully REMOVED the white flex line, while others have replaced the factory crimp clamps entirely.
 
the tank and city water... BOTH use the same plumbing
if you got a leak you need to track it down as it may fail completely one day

plus you don't want to get water damage/rot forming

the ONLY part of the pump system .... not pressurized
will be the hose going from the TANK to the PUMP
if the leak only happens when you turn on the pump ... LOOK at that section of hose pay attention to connections /clamps and if there is a filter inline before the pump
plastic FILTERS housing are known to fail

Use the PUMP to help determine if your plumbing has a pressure leak...
the pump will cycle on/off which indicates a leak

should NOT be hard to track down
disconnect city water for testing
get everything DRY as possible

use a gallon jug pour it down sinks... using hand to feel if any of the P traps or waste pipes are leaking
strong flashlight helps too... but in cramped spots feeling for leaks is easier

once you certain drains are OK start looking at the pressurized part of the plumbing
turning on the city supply... feel and look for the leak

Last ... turn on the pump same tests ... feel/look for the leak

SINCE you got a dividing wall between kitchen bathroom
have someone inspect roof for a BREATHER VENT ... it may need re-sealing on the roof
 
Thank all you so much for the suggestions! I think I'm definitely going switch to my freshwater tank for the time being while troubleshooting this.

Suburban has a YouTube video on how to reinstate the air pocket. One can also install an accumulator in the the system and is often recommended for full time R/V living.
Thanks for the resource, I'm definitely going to take a look into this. I did not know an accumulator was recommended, so that's good to know!

Bathroom and sink back up to one another. Water line in the wall between them?
That's what I was thinking at first? However the mobile repair guy said that there aren't water lines in that wall. Not sure if he's correct on that, and I can't find anything in the owner's manual if there are any there or not.

Have you had the leaks in warmer weather, too? There's been some recent discussion on the Rockwood factory's use about the (innapropriate) use of Pex connectors to connect Pex to white flex tubing
I do think I've had it in warmer weather, but it's gotten worse in the colder weather and made me realize that I do in fact have a leak. I did not know this about Rockwood and will definitely be looking at my Pex to see if I can find any of this flex tubing.
 
Looking at the floorplan of your rig, you have a bathroom on the other side of that sink wall.
Check the drain lines under the shower. (There's usually an access panel on the front near the floor.) Sometimes the drains come apart and have a slow leak.

Also check for a leak at the back of the toilet and the seal at the bottom. They use cheap plastic seals instead of 'wax rings' and they frequently fail.

In rvs, it's difficult to find leaks. You really have to do some detective work to find a leak.
You might also want to check the roof to see if the seals on that side of the rig are tight and if the skylight seals are tight. Sometimes window seals are the cause.
 
I’m with Rhumblefish on this one and will simply add that you need to look at EVERY white poly flex clamped point you find. When the air and water temps drop, those incorrectly made joints (PEX cinch ring on flex white poly nylon reinforced hose) will have slow drip leaks. If you don’t see them, dry up whatever water you find and lay either printer paper or a paper towel under each union and go to bed….. in the morning after a chilly night you will easily discover which joints are leaking. Unless you remove the unions and install proper ones (PEX-PEX on one side, BARBED-Nylon Flex on other) you can just remove the pex clinched rings from the poly hose and install those screw type hose clamps nice and tight until you have warmer weather and/or a chance to do a more permanent fix
 
I removed the plastic pex elbows, and installed brass, my leaks stop. I had a new Moen Faucet with a tiny pin hole in the solder, it was very difficult to find. The white nylon reinforced hoses may need an additional clamp next to the oem one. I am not sure why draining the "low point drains" stopped the leak for awhile, I would suspect that as a problem.
 
My understanding would be low point drain took pressure off the leaking fittings. These nylon hose on pex connector leaks are very small (eyedropper like) leaks that might not be seen immediately but over the course of a night or day do add up to quite a bit of water sadly. If those drains were opened and pressure was taken off the system, the small drip leak most likely stopped 😊
 
I have a stubborn water leak in my 2020 Rockwood Ultra Lite 2612WS that I have had a mobile rv repair person out three times out to fix now to no avail. I'm pretty new to RV living and doing my best to troubleshoot this, having some trouble though. I have a water leak that I think is coming from under my kitchen sink, but I first noticed it coming out from the bottom of my bathroom door hinge. It is damp under the kitchen sink cabinet as well, and the repair person tried tightening things up and replacing some hose clamps. I am currently stationary and on city water, and based on the water damage on my cabinets I think this leak has been going on for longer than I realized (I at first thought water was dripping off my kitchen counter from making a mess while washing dishes, but the puddle it leaks has only gotten bigger and more frequent over time).

The only thing that has gotten the water to stop has been draining my low point drains as if I was going to winterize. I thought I had maybe relieved some pressure in the lines and fixed it, however this relief only lasted for a week before it began again. I'm at a loss here and taking it into a dealership will be a hassle since the vehicle I have right now won't be able to tow this thing. Would this simply be a pinhole leak in my PEX that the repair person missed? Or is there something weird with the low point of my plumbing going on? I'm wondering if it could be a water pressure issue too, I have a cheap 45-50 psi regulator but thinking of ordering an adjustable one and putting it a little lower like on 40 to see what that does. Thanks in advance for help.

Also for context, since it is cold right now (I live in SC though so the temps aren't too bad, lowest 25 some nights right now), I do have my hose and outdoor connection I'm hooked up to wrapped in heat tape and fiberglass. I don't think this is a cold weather issue weirdly enough, but I could be wrong.
I also have a 2612WS that was built the very end of 2020 after Rockwood had discontinued this model. We have had annoying leaks under both the kitchen and bathroom sinks mainly when we were stationary down south for the winter. And we’ve also had rv repair people in to fix them only to have them reappear shortly thereafter. I laid paper towels down on the floor under the water supply lines and also the drains. I found the leak was coming from the hot water supply line up where is attaches to the faucet near the sink. I can only assume they loosen themselves from the constant change in temperature and/or traveling. If you remove the little sponge tray above the cabinet door the fittings are much easier to access. Be careful not to over tighten it. Because this has happened more than once I check both sets of water lines weekly to make sure they are not loosening and the floors are dry. I also hand tighten the fittings on the drains every now and then as they loosen up as well. Good luck. I know how frustrating this is.
 
The only thing that has gotten the water to stop has been draining my low point drains
I take it this means you are not using any water while you did this?
Maybe the leak is on the drain side if you can not see anything on the pressure side.
 
I laid paper towels down on the floor under the water supply lines and also the drains.
also get a real good flashlight
LED..... bright white.... small floodlight , makes it easy for old tired eyes.

just remember that water can flow along a pipe quite a distance before it finally drips off
if you see a drip on a hose... follow it UPwards .
 
Aussie guy is absolutely right. Make sure you trace any line you feel water on up to its highest point to be sure that’s where the leak originates.
 
This may be totally irrevelant. I have a different unit. I had a leak once under my sink that I could not find. I started feeling around under the sink and found water following the copper propane line from the water heater and dripping nnder the kitchen sink. I took the water heater outside cover off and resealed the heck out of everything in there with black silicone. No more leak.
 
WHELP!!!……. Found ANOTHER ONE on our rig this weekend. Under and behind the corner shower so impossible to reach from camera vantage point. I can see a shower wall and pan removal is on my “to do list” before our next camping run :-(.

Yes I placed a small collapsible bowl underneath to catch the drips…. I can’t pull it out full because of all the pipes in the way so I snake a towel in to soak up all I catch and am currently just turning water on when we need it because the drip is constant

I will create a new thread and photo doc the journey here once done in case anyone else finds the need to chase the same issues
 

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WHELP!!!……. Found ANOTHER ONE on our rig this weekend. Under and behind the corner shower so impossible to reach from camera vantage point. I can see a shower wall and pan removal is on my “to do list” before our next camping run :-(.

Yes I placed a small collapsible bowl underneath to catch the drips…. I can’t pull it out full because of all the pipes in the way so I snake a towel in to soak up all I catch and am currently just turning water on when we need it because the drip is constant

I will create a new thread and photo doc the journey here once done in case anyone else finds the need to chase the same issues
Another example of improper plumbing of flexible hose to PEX fittings. This is the first thing to look for when you have a plumbing leak. Most likely cause. :(
 

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