First camping trip. Found a water leak.

[03Avifamily]

So we just pulled back in the yard from our first camping trip. It went great and we had a blast. However I did find a couple of issues that need to be addressed.

1.) The city water connector leaked outside the camper. But then we noticed the carpet in front of the couch was wet as well, but upon checking I cannot find a hole/crack/leak etc anywhere. Filled up the tank and disconnected the city connection. The floor dried up. I went outside and disconnected the fitting from the wall and pulled it out to let it drip away from the camper. Hooked it back up and it wet the floor again. I did not however, have a pressure regulator and didn't think about it until this morning. Are there any specific spots I should check for leaks? (I will be picking up a regulator today.)

2.) The gauge for the tank capacities either does not work right or the tanks won't drain. The gray and black water showed full, but hardly anything came out of the black tank and only about 1/3 of the gray tank. However, the bathroom stunk pretty bad over the weekend. I put one of the tablets in the tank and ran some water in it to deodorize it, but I don't think it helped. Anything else I can do? I have one of the back-flush ends on the drain that you can hook a hose into to force water into the tank, but how well do these work?


If we can get these couple of issues worked out I believe we have ourselves a really nice camper!

[Crabman]

1. There must be a leak near the city fill inlet if it dried up when using the tank. Keep observing that area when pressurized for a leak.

2. The tank level indicators on a new trailer are marginal at best, and often give false readings. Your unit is 8 yrs old so I would not expect much from them. If the bathroom is stinking you may have a bad toilet seal or a vent issue, allowing sewer odors to come into the bathroom.

[03Avifamily]

Where are the vents? I don't mind checking them. I just went back out to the trailer to grab some things with an empty tank and I could smell it inside. The toilet doesn't budge so I wouldn't "think" the seal itself is bad, but who knows?

[FPM III]

The vents for waste holding tanks protrude through the roof and should look something like this:



I took this picture a number of years ago (it's the black tank vent) because of all the flies that were accumulating around the vent. Once I emptied the black tank, the flies were gone.

Moral: No one can never tell me that my $#it doesn't stink! The picture is proof.

Now, about your leak. Is there a compartment door under your city water connection? If so, the water that you said was dripping outside from the water inlet connection could have dripped on and leaked through the compartment door or the caulking around the door. If you find wetness in the compartment, you might need to recaulk around the door and/or ensure that the door seals are water tight.

Don't even bother trying to make the waste tank capacity gauges properly. It's a losing battle unless you install something like a See Level system which will cost $$$. Checking the black tank's level is easy (but a little stinky). Turn the water off, open the toilet's blade and look down into the tank with a flashlight. About the only way you'll know the grey tank's full is when the water starts to back-up into the bathtub. In most cases, the grey water tank will fill before the black anyway. However, there are exceptions.

If you don't know your all your tank capacities, you might want to call Jayco's customer service and ask. I'm sure they can tell you.

[Crabman]

FPM, if his 29 is like my 28, same floorplan, there is no compartment under or near the inlet. Could the hose that attaches to the inlet be leaking or a loose clamp?

On the toilet there are two seals that could be suspect. One is under the toilet, a flange seal. The other is the seal in the toilet that allows it to retain water in the bowl. If you fill the bowl with water and it leaks out then this seal is bad, and sewer gases could leak up. FPM has the vent covered, it could be obstructed or the pipe inside the trailer cracked or loose fitting allowing sewer smell in.

[03Avifamily]

Thanks! I went out and checked the roof vents. Looks like I have two. I didn't see any obvious obstructions but the sealant is cracked around both. Not sure how to get the covers off. I did notice the water hard to drain from the tub but the gray tank was empty at the time. I assumed a semi clogged drain.


As for the leaky fitting it is leaking where you screw the outside hose in. Behind the cover was dry. Any chance that a regulator would stop the leak? Doesn't make sense to me but thought id throw it out there. Sorry but typing from the phone while I am out here looking.

Edit: Crabman you are correct. No compartment on mine except for at the front.

[Crabman]

You should use a regulator but the fitting is leaking so it seems to be compromised in some way so the leak must be fixed. Perhaps it is cracked and needs to be replaced, I would think it to be inexpensive. As for the tub drain, this is another possible source for the bad smell. Try keeping the plug in the drain and see if the smell ceases. Also try plunging it to possibly free up the clog.