Water dumping??

[Registereduser77]

Hi all,
This is the first time my wife and I have actually OWNED a TT. I just got back from getting groceries tonight and heard running water outside. I crawled under the trailer to see where it was coming from and it was a tube on the door side of the fresh water tank. I had filled the fresh water tank last week when we had a slight freeze overnight because I disconnected my water line at night, but I thought I had used most of the water in the tank intentionally to drain it. This really concerned me so I turned off the incoming water line. the running water coming from that tube seemed to stop about that time. Is this some kind of bypass safety valve drain or something?

I hope to tap into the massive knowledge and experience here so I can resolve whether this is an issue to be concerned about or not. Kind of scares me because this is my primary home while I look for a home to at least rent here in North Carolina. (Just got a job here)

[WinnieView]

That sounds like the fresh water tank overflow. Maybe your incoming water line was filling the tank based on valve positions?

[norty1]

Did the location of the water have a valve on it? It also sounds like the fresh water drain. Still a valve would have to mis set for this to happen.

Can you post a pic of the location water is coming from?

[Registereduser77]

I wondered if it had something to do with a divert or overflow valve, but I can't see how a valve could have moved on it's own. One thing I do know, it's not my fresh water drain valve. It's on the other side of the trailer.

[RogerR]

As there is no shutoff and it is not coming out of the bottom of the tank it is almost certainly an overflow pipe. Somewhere on the bottom of the tank there should be a drain pipe with a shutoff.

You could always test this by filling the tank until full and letting it overflow. Some people have had the overflow continue by way of siphoning for a good part of the tank. Worth checking since you can see the tank level through the tank.

[Registereduser77]

Originally Posted by RogerR

As there is no shutoff and it is not coming out of the bottom of the tank it is almost certainly an overflow pipe. Somewhere on the bottom of the tank there should be a drain pipe with a shutoff.

You could always test this by filling the tank until full and letting it overflow. Some people have had the overflow continue by way of siphoning for a good part of the tank. Worth checking since you can see the tank level through the tank.

Interesting. It's pretty apparent that it's some kind of overflow valve, but I'd like to know what's over-flowing. In the last few hours, I've started so suspect that there is some kind of relief/overflow valve from the system that goes back into the fresh water tank because I KNOW the tank wasn't this full a week ago. I see a valve under the seat in the dining area, but I may want to hold off on turning it off if it's some kind of safety overflow valve.

After talking with another more experienced RV'r in my campground who owns a camper made by the same manufacturer, I feel confident that something's not malfunctioning to the degree that I'll have destruction. I just wish I knew EXACTLY what was/is happening. I'll be turning my city water off every time I walk away from the trailer until I know.

[bill777x]

Most likely it's the check valve in your water pump allowing water to back feed from the city water side of your system. Sometimes just cycling the water pump will reseat the check valve.

[norty1]

As I read up this thread, my thought was also the check valve.

Someone already posted it so I'll just go watch Clemson and Duke!

[Registereduser77]

Originally Posted by bill777x

Most likely it's the check valve in your water pump allowing water to back feed from the city water side of your system. Sometimes just cycling the water pump will reseat the check valve.

Bill, that's exactly what I was suspecting. But what would this kind of valve be for? If a person wanted to keep his fresh water tank empty and just use city water, this kind of valve would defeat the purpose. I'll be doing some reading and talking. If I come up with anything I'll let you all know.

[bill777x]

Your city connection and your water pump share the same water lines. The check valve just blocks city pressure from back feeding to the tank. It's built into the pump so it works automatically without any input from you as you use the system. If it fails or doesn't seat correctly you will have the problem you're experiencing. It's the same concept as the one way valve at your city water inlet. That works to keep pressure in if you run off the pump and tank.
On my last two Jaycos there has been an additional manual valve at the pump to block out the tank as well as one with a clear hose for winterizeing. I had the same issue as you but my tank drain was open so it just leaked there instead of out the overflow as yours did. All I had to do to stop the leak was turn off the valve from the tank. Find your water pump and see if you have the same setup. Jayco is getting cheap with fittings and valves so yours may be new enough that it doesn't have any "extras".

If you're still in warranty just have your dealer replace the pump. If you're out of warranty you can buy a rebuild kit for less than $20 and easily fix it yourself.

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by bill777x

Y
If you're still in warranty just have your dealer replace the pump. If you're out of warranty you can buy a rebuild kit for less than $20 and easily fix it yourself.

OR you can try to get the check valve to seat itself! Sometimes a speck of crud gets in the way of the valve sealing, so here's how to try to clear it: Turn off the city water supply, and turn on the water pump. Let it build pressure until it cuts off. With all faucets off and no water running, wait a few minutes to see if it starts to run again. If it starts to run again, this indicates the check valve is still leaking. You may need to repeat a few times if it is still seeping. If it does not run again, say after 15 minutes with the lines pressurized, your valve has re-seated itself and you're good to go.
Good Camping Jim

[mohok1]

Low Point Drain Valve maybe???