Gray water tank leaking from the top

[jayco264BHW]

Hello, everyone,

I have a new Jayco 264BHW and three weeks after setting it up, (only moved it ten miles from the dealership) developed a leak from the gray water tank. A technician ran a snake camera down the generous hole that Jayco cut into the floor under the ref/power supply space,
(what shoddy construction ... why wouldn't they seal this gap is beyond me) and determined the leak is from the top of the tank. From what I've been told, either there is a crack in the drain pipe, or in the top of the tank.
The problem is the tank must be dropped to get a picture of the actual problem (Jayco uses no common sense when it comes to proving that there is a problem for warranty, and requires a picture) and the only way to drop the tank is to saw it off, thereby destroying the tank. We are full timers and can not just, 'drop off the unit' for a undetermined amount of time at the dealer.
That and the fact that a month ago, Jayco does not have the gray water tank in stock.
When they do get them back in stock, I will buy one, call a mobile tech and have the work done wherever we are. This will be out of pocket, but the only way to 'prove' to Jayco that they did a crap job on construction and needs to honor their warranty.

I'm asking if any Jayco owners have had this problem and what did you end up doing to rectify the situation.

Thanks,

Bobby & Kitty

[spoon059]

The dealer is responsible for communication with jayco. I would encourage the service manager to do their job better. When I had issues I took it to the dealer and we walked through the issues. They took pictures, submitted to jayco, ordered parts and scheduled a time for me to bring it back for repairs. It was very easy.

Jayco is unlikely to be sympathetic to you as "full timers" in a lightweight trailer that specifically states it is not meant to be full timed.

Good luck.

[Onyrlef]

Originally Posted by jayco264BHW

Hello, everyone,

I have a new Jayco 264BHW and three weeks after setting it up, (only moved it ten miles from the dealership) developed a leak from the gray water tank. A technician ran a snake camera down the generous hole that Jayco cut into the floor under the ref/power supply space,
(what shoddy construction ... why wouldn't they seal this gap is beyond me) and determined the leak is from the top of the tank. From what I've been told, either there is a crack in the drain pipe, or in the top of the tank.
The problem is the tank must be dropped to get a picture of the actual problem (Jayco uses no common sense when it comes to proving that there is a problem for warranty, and requires a picture) and the only way to drop the tank is to saw it off, thereby destroying the tank. We are full timers and can not just, 'drop off the unit' for a undetermined amount of time at the dealer.
That and the fact that a month ago, Jayco does not have the gray water tank in stock.
When they do get them back in stock, I will buy one, call a mobile tech and have the work done wherever we are. This will be out of pocket, but the only way to 'prove' to Jayco that they did a crap job on construction and needs to honor their warranty.

I'm asking if any Jayco owners have had this problem and what did you end up doing to rectify the situation.

Thanks,

Bobby & Kitty

The most likely source of the leak is the drain, if it was a crack in the top of the tank it would only leak when full. If there's not access to the top of the tank not sure how they're going to install a new tank and make the connection. If there is access, it can be repaired, w/o dropping the tank . As for workmanship,
your unit was on a set of rails during contruction, each station has a certain amount of time to perform whatever that station requires, when that horn blows signalling the line is moving , it moves, regardless. If you're consistent in not finishing in time you're not going to be there long. Your job performance is a measure of how fast you work, not how well you do the job. Quality control only slows the line. So do that math.

[jayco264BHW]

Originally Posted by spoon059

The dealer is responsible for communication with jayco. I would encourage the service manager to do their job better. When I had issues I took it to the dealer and we walked through the issues. They took pictures, submitted to jayco, ordered parts and scheduled a time for me to bring it back for repairs. It was very easy.

Jayco is unlikely to be sympathetic to you as "full timers" in a lightweight trailer that specifically states it is not meant to be full timed.

Good luck.

Could you direct me to where it states "specifically states it is not meant to be full timed."?

Also, 'full time' is a rather vague term. Sounds like Jayco is just looking for an excuse to not back up their warranty.
To reference my original post, I had only been in the unit for a few weeks.
I did get an appointment to bring it in to Camping World, where I purchased the unit and was supposed to drop it off for the day for further diagnosis, and was to pick it back up at the end of the day, as we were moving to a new park. Because of high winds and having never pulled up the canyon to the new park, I cancelled.
I'm very glad I canceled because, as afore mentioned, Jayco did not have the gray water tank in stock. The end result (because of Jayco's cheap construction techniques) would have been that because they would have had to saw the old tank off (thereby destroying it) to 'take a picture' for Jayco's warranty department, I would have returned to find that I had no gray water tank on my unit. Just crappy 'service' from Camping World.

As far as 'full time' goes, I expected to be able to use my trailer in the interim between moving out of a home and renting a new one. For the price, I fully expect to be able to use my unit for a few months while we scout out a new home.
As an aside, the construction of the unit is embarrassingly crappy. They didn't even wipe the putty off of the staple holes in the paneling. In some cases, the staples that did not go all the way in were just smeared with putty, creating a little mound. I won't go into the other things I have found, like cracked wood stringers in the bunk house, aluminum shavings under the vinyl floor, or screws that should have been installed in the divider around the water heater. They were just thrown back in the corner, for God's sakes. I have never in my life seen such crappy 'construction'. Thank you for you reply, but for the price I paid, I feel like I got ripped off and wish I had never bought a Jayco from Camping World. I fault Camping World for not fixing things before delivery and am taking it up with them, as well.

[jayco264BHW]

Originally Posted by Onyrlef

The most likely source of the leak is the drain, if it was a crack in the top of the tank it would only leak when full. If there's not access to the top of the tank not sure how they're going to install a new tank and make the connection. If there is access, it can be repaired, w/o dropping the tank . As for workmanship,
your unit was on a set of rails during contruction, each station has a certain amount of time to perform whatever that station requires, when that horn blows signalling the line is moving , it moves, regardless. If you're consistent in not finishing in time you're not going to be there long. Your job performance is a measure of how fast you work, not how well you do the job. Quality control only slows the line. So do that math.

Yes, I get the fact that they will ship an improperly built unit just so they can make an extra dollar. The unit appears to have been built in a great hurry without regard for the price that they ask.
If one had purchase a new automobile for $33K, it would not be as if drunks built it.
Why should a trailer be any different?

As far as the diagnosis, the gray water was never full and the leak is not readily accessible. The way Jayco builds this model (and probably others) is the gray water tank is right up against the frame with just a few inches between it and the floor. The tech that diagnosed that it was a leak took his camera (almost pitch black in the small space between the floor and the tank) had me run the water and one could see a ripple of water running across the tank. This leads us to believe that the problem is a cracked joint in the gray water pipe before it connects to the tank. It's pretty much common sense that if there is no water in the unit, and the tank has never been full, that the crack is at the solid connection from the pipe to the tank. The problem is, to have Jayco appeased, they need a picture, which as afore mentioned, involves destroying the tank. If Jayco had made the unit with a slip joint to where the tank could be dropped and inspected, it would be easy. In fact, if they had used a slip joint, there would not be a place where vibration could crack the joint between the pipe and tank. Because of the disregard for quality construction, they may not have even cemented the joint.
So to get the picture for them, it has to be sawed off and destroyed. Just cheap construction in my opinion. Thank you for your reply!

[Onyrlef]

Originally Posted by jayco264BHW

Yes, I get the fact that they will ship an improperly built unit just so they can make an extra dollar. The unit appears to have been built in a great hurry without regard for the price that they ask.
If one had purchase a new automobile for $33K, it would not be as if drunks built it.
Why should a trailer be any different?

As far as the diagnosis, the gray water was never full and the leak is not readily accessible. The way Jayco builds this model (and probably others) is the gray water tank is right up against the frame with just a few inches between it and the floor. The tech that diagnosed that it was a leak took his camera (almost pitch black in the small space between the floor and the tank) had me run the water and one could see a ripple of water running across the tank. This leads us to believe that the problem is a cracked joint in the gray water pipe before it connects to the tank. It's pretty much common sense that if there is no water in the unit, and the tank has never been full, that the crack is at the solid connection from the pipe to the tank. The problem is, to have Jayco appeased, they need a picture, which as afore mentioned, involves destroying the tank. If Jayco had made the unit with a slip joint to where the tank could be dropped and inspected, it would be easy. In fact, if they had used a slip joint, there would not be a place where vibration could crack the joint between the pipe and tank. Because of the disregard for quality construction, they may not have even cemented the joint.
So to get the picture for them, it has to be sawed off and destroyed. Just cheap construction in my opinion. Thank you for your reply!

I empathize, but just keep in mind the RV industry is only first cousin to the Manufactured Homes industry. Their operating principles are fundamentally the same. Having worked in the industry at both the dealer and factory levels since the 60's, the horror stories I could tell. Meantime don't despair, there may possibly be a way to access the top of the tank from inside and repair the damaged pipe. Not sure how they're going to install a new tank,sorcery notwithstanding, without access to the inlet once it's in place and if they have access then there you have it.

[jayco264BHW]

Thanks for your reply,

I may be able to cut the floor out under the electrical supply and be able to actually see the problem and hopefully fix it. At this point, I may very well wait until a week before the warranty runs out and dump it back on them to fix everything. I'm disgusted with Jayco and Camping World. They should be reported to the federal government for their crimes. I may look to see if Colorado has a Lemon Law and if they do, I will file a complaint with them, as well.
Thanks again!

[jayco264BHW]

Why don't they just dump all the raw materials on a flatbed truck and sell it that way?
That's how much sense speed over quality makes ... lol
Bunch of shysters, to put it nicely.