Water in front of bed and in storage compartment under bed; water pump stays on longer

stmur7

Hi all, I camped in Steamboat for 2 nights and it got just below freezing for 4-5 hours during the night. The first night I was not hooked up to city water but the 2nd night I was. Everyone I saw in campground was hooked up to city water, so figured I'd b ok. I then drove a bumpy road in Fruita and found water in front of bed and in storage under bed after parking. Looked in nautilus and Alde compartment under bed and saw very little water. Now, the water pump tends to stay on longer and may not shut off sometimes, and water continues to flow from faucet even though pump is off. I see no active leaking anywhere. I turned pump on and ran sink but still no active leaking from anywhere I can see. Seems to occur because I'm driving, and so, can't diagnose. I opened hot water tank safety valves for 10 seconds with no change. Anyone have any thought on where to start?

cmpd218

Water pressure valve on city water line?

Binghi

The slight freeze may or may not have anything to do with it. You should not have any water in either the Nautilus compartment or the Alde compartment. With the Alde compartment exposed I would run water through your faucets and shower in both city water and dry camp modes to see if you can find any leaks in either compartment. Also look for leaks in the compartments with the water outlets turned off and the water lines under pressure in both city water and dry camp modes.

stmur7

OK. Will do. I will check these things and get back. Thanks.

Sharon_is_SAM

I can’t account for the water on the floor or in the Nautilus and Alde areas, but, if you pressurize the plumbing lines, water will flow with the pump turned off - at least until the line pressure drops, then flow will stop.  

manyman297

Close all of your faucets and turn the pump on. If you’re trying to find a leak with a faucet running you probably won’t find it since the lines don’t have any static pressure in them. 

stmur7

Thank you. I found a very subtle leak where city water comes in. Right inside where you connect hose. It's very subtle...like very slow drops. Doesn't explain why i find a puddle of water in front of bed after driving. Otherwise, I have run both city and pump water through system and nothing major. A lot of air came through when starting to use city water? 

manyman297

Do you depressurize your lines before towing? If not the vibration when driving could be allowing that small leak to be a big leak. I try to (I forget sometimes) turn a faucet on and drain a bit of water out to take pressure off the plumbing when we tow.

Binghi

If your hose-to-city water connection has a drip, it can build up in the Nautilus compartment, then leak into the interior of the trailer. The drip can be slow and still cause problems. That happened to me when I used a cheap hose. Use a quality hose with a good end piece, or use a bunch of Teflon tape, or both. I eventually had to employ both solutions to stop the troublesome leak in our Nautilis compartment.

stmur7

I haven't depressurized prior to towing. if water continues to flow even after the pump is off, how do I remedy that?

stmur7

Also, now my water pump doesn't always turn off when I turn off faucet.

ScottG

The pump not turning off is usually traceable to one of these problems:

1) The pump has lost prime and is drawing air into the system.

2) There is air trapped in the system that makes it hard for the pump to build pressure.

3) There is a leak in the system that makes it hard for the pump to build pressure.

4) The automatic pump pressure switch is faulty.

The first two will usually also manifest as air sputtering from the faucet.

manyman297

stmur7 said:

I haven't depressurized prior to towing. if water continues to flow even after the pump is off, how do I remedy that?

I guess I’m trying to find out if that leak you found near the nautilus could be your culprit. Try depressurizing the water (open a faucet until it turns into a drizzle) before you tow and see if the leak persists. It could be that drip you found near the back of the nautilus that leaks more as the trailer bounces down the road.

stmur7

I depressurized before towing and no more puddle when I got home, but the slow tiny drip is there when connected to city waster with water on. It is coming from just inside where hose attachment is. I can't even say it's a drip but my finger gets wet when i touch the underside of it. Could that valve there have an issue from the cold night? Can't find another leak but it takes longer for pump to turn off now.

manyman297

So are you saying there's a drip coming from the backside of the Nautilus where a pex connection is attached? My black tank connection was loose from the factory and leaked so I went through and tightened (as best I could) all of those connections and I periodically check them. 

stmur7

Yes, the inside of where you would attach hose. There's a black connection right inside and that goes to a white connection. I tightened the white one but think it is coming from that black part before it. 

manyman297

Sounds like the actual fitting is leaking then. That’s out of my knowledge base. Wondering if anybody on here has had to replace those fittings. I would reach out to Nucamp as well. 

But I bet that’s where your leak is and when you drive it tends to increase the drip.

stmur7

Thank you. When I look at that fitting, it doesn't look simple, and the part looks very specific.