2020 Tab400 Water dripping next to driver side wheel

anba

We have water dripping on the driver side wheel on our 2020 Tab400. It’s not a lot but we suspect some sort of small leak. We didn’t have this problem when dry camping and using the water pump. Now we’re hooked up to city water. When I press on the underside I can increase the watering. It seem to accumulate there. I checked everything I could think of and had access to from the inside. Under the fridge, under the bathroom sink and under the bathroom pan. Also checked the Alde compartment. All these places are dry. It could be the outdoor shower (which we haven’t used), but we‘re camping right now and I can’t easily check that. 

Not sure what else is running there. 

Any ideas are appreciated. 

Thanks

qhumberd

We have a 2019 T@B 400 and had recurrent problems with the outdoor shower leaking behind the wall on the driver side. I found the pulling motion on the sprayer hose created a twist at the box connection, and a leak ensued. It may not be your issue, but its near the same area we had a leak. 

When we were camping, and did not know where the leak was, we isolated it to the outdoor shower by turning the PEX shut off valves found near the wall behind the water pump. In ours it is below the closet. We shut those off and found the leak was gone by the next day.

I pulled the box and found the wet spot, and tried some plumbers tape, but the problem came back on a subsequent trip. I have some pictures of the area in this thread, where I changed to a different attachment that did not move on the box



https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16114/quick-disconnect-for-the-outdoor-shower-a-success#latest

Hope this helps or at least help you rule something out

Binghi

Are you running the air conditioner? If so, it might be condensate escaping from the pan under the AC unit and running down the edge of the trailer to the exit point that you photographed. If it seems air conditioner related, check your evaporator pan drain to make sure it’s clear. And make sure your trailer is level so the pan is level and the condensate runs to the drain.

anba

Thanks guys. 

We did not use the AC at all, so I think we can rule that out.
I will try the shut-off valves and see what it does. 

What I found is that the spot under the TAB dries up over night but it gets wet after we used the faucet in the bathroom and kitchen. So it doesn’t seem to “just“ leak. Maybe it’s the drain from the bathroom sink into the gray tank? I‘m not sure where the exact location of the tank is but will try to do some testing in that direction as well. 

qhumberd

So the drain from the bathroom sink shouldn’t be leaking if you just turn on the kitchen faucet, unless it’s a grey tank connection.

If it is a drain rather than supply line leak it’s more involved to get to that plumbing.

Here are pictures from behind the bathroom sink, showing corrugated black drain to PVC,

then pulling the outdoor shower box you can see where that goes into a trap and then into grey tank.

I would be more inclined to pull the coroplast cover and look from below at where the grey tank receives its water to see if it’s leaking before the other.

anba

Closing the shower valves didn’t solve the problem. We still have the puddle. I probably will have to look under the cover as @qhumberd said to figure out where the water comes from. Never did that before. Any tips on how to do that? Can I see the gray tank connection from there?
 I did check behind the bathroom sink and didn’t find anything suspicious. 

BridgerSunset

A couple wildcard considerations....

Are you using a pressure reducing valve on the city water line?  We've been in a few campgrounds with quite high water pressure.  May be aggravating things, if not.

Do you have drawers below the closet that can be removed for access to the wheelwell area?  Seems to me there were a few connections in plumbing down there to possibly check.

pthomas745

It is also possible that water is trapped above the coroplast cover under the trailer.  If you have driven through rain, or a big puddle, etc.  Water can wind up above the coroplast, and will simply drain wherever the lowest point is. This can make you think the leak is directly above where you see the dripping.  Press up on the plastic "coroplast" cover and see if you can feel any water slopping around above it.  If it isn't water from the rain, etc, the leak may be somewhere else entirely.

cschaepe

My Brand new Tab360 I had to repair the sink and put caulking on the drain as it was not water tight.  It appeared ok just that the rubber seal wasn't sealing right.  I filled the sink with water and felt underneath and sure enough it was dripping

anba

I use a pressure regulator, it’s at 31PSI, way below the max. 

I‘m also thinking along the lines of @pthomas745. 

We’re camping at the OR coast which means a lot of fog and moisture. Maybe that’s the cause. I will have to do some testing once we’re back in Central Oregon where there is no humidity. 

It really seems the water accumulates there because it is the lowest point. 

Water under the trailer always makes me nervous, even after having the TAB for 6 years now 

Thanks for your thoughts.  

qhumberd

Good luck with your search. Small leaks can be frustrating. The worry about water damage is a real concern though so be systematic in your investigation. That is what is took for me to discover the outdoor shower leak on my 400. One thought I had was there are 2 pin moisture meters (I use one for firewood) that can reach into areas and test inside flooring to see if the dampness is actually inside the camper around flooring or cabinets.

anba

We did more testing and surprisingly it seems to be the kitchen sink that is causing the problem because in our new campground water was dripping on that side which is however on the other side of where I first saw the water. 

Water pipe plumbing under sink is ok. Looks like the drainage pipe into the gray tank. Can I access that connection when I disassemble the under the sink cabinet? Where exactly is the gray tank anyway? And has the bathroom sink a separate connection into the tank or are the kitchen and bathroom drains connected and then go into the tank? Would be nice to have a schematic pipe diagram. 

qhumberd

Glad you found something and the grey tank is in front of the wheels near the center of the trailer, a large rectangular plastic tank. I have never seen a plumbing diagram but others might be able to help. 

I found this thread for a 400 and It seems to describe your issue and has good pictures. The PVC is threaded into the grey tank right under the sink cabinet. He also refers to a similar repair for the shower, which has its own attachment apparently on the other side of trailer.

Hope this helps but does not look like an on the road type repair.

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/16272/seriously-another-broken-grey-tank-drain