leaking on a T@B 320s

spfrancis65

Hi there.  I have a new water leak on my 2019 T@B 320s.  It seems to be coming from the front part of the camper.  I couldn't put a vid on the site, so I put it in imgur.  I couldn't find a best practice for how to attach a video.  Any help would be appreciated.

https://imgur.com/a/KAK4pMT

I was in the process of winterizing the camper, and I am worried that there is a leak.  We have definitely had a real cold blast where I kept my camper for the winter, so I'm wondering if that is what is causing the problem.  I had the city port turned on, and I'm seeing this water leak.  When I turn off the outside water source, then the leak stops.  I looked for any leaking anywhere else, but I don't see any other leaking.  

Mickerly

What year '320 and do you have the Nautilus water system?

MuttonChops

The "video" shows the  leak in the rig front area . . . kitchen, bath . . .
Can you trace the 'leak source' - - that is, the water is coming from a wire bundle loom which is routing the water from it's source to the dripping location . . . can you find how the water is entering the loom . . .

Have you completed a detailed inspection of trailer interior . . .
-- Under sink
-- Looked down/around the wetbath access door (water pump area)

Simple issues could be the fresh water tank filter bowl cracked (near water pump) if pump is being used

More difficult could be a pipe or joint low point failure in the bath/kitchen area

Bayliss

@spfrancis65, read through all the info in the below discussion thread, in particular the comments by @BrianZ.  I'm thinking that the connection/fitting for the water inlet valve is loose and needs to be tightened.  If you look at the photos near the bottom of the first page (and later) of the discussion, the black screw-on fitting on the interior side of the fresh water inlet valve is depicted.  It is not easy to get to, but you will have to reach your arm/hand down inside the compartment behind the toilet to get to that fitting.  Try to tighten it a bit as is described in the discussion.  Hopefully, that will stop the water leak.  You can use a small mirror and flashlight to help see into that area, but a flexible endoscope camera is the best way to view that area.  Fortunately, the discussion includes photos of the plumbing in that area, so that will help.  Good luck!

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8617/fresh-water-leak-fixed-again/p1

See also this discussion:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8254/leaky-compartment-screenshot/p1

IMPORTANT NOTE:  You may already be using one, but if not, be sure to always use a water pressure reducer/regulator (set around 45 PSI) before connecting a water hose to the fresh water inlet.

spfrancis65

hey thanks for the feedback.  I am using a regulator.

spfrancis65

mickerly,
My tab is 2019.  I'm not 100% sure if it is the Nautilus system.  Is that the system behind the toilet area?

spfrancis65

MuttonChops....I will try to walk through and see where this leak source is coming from.  So I don't think it is the fresh water tank, since I'm using the city water, which I believe will bypass that tank.

SLJ

There most likely is a plastic "check valve" attached to the shower connection in the bathroom. These are known to crack easily. I'd start there. Typically a black plastic fitting about two inches long in line with the hot water feed.

pthomas745

It will be hard to find the actual leak until you remove/lower the coroplast cover that hides the space under the trailer.  Water can easily run to the "lowest point" and then drip in places far from the actual leak. In Bayliss's comment, he links to the issue of the leaking/loose city water connection point directly behind the inlet port.  The photo below shows the various pipes that hide behind the walls of the trailer, in spaces you cannot see.  The "city water connection" is on the far right, lower blue pipe of this photo, and you can see the various other plumbing pipes, etc.  

Water could easily flow to the floor of the trailer and then find a way to leak through.  

rfuss928

spfrancis65
Does the leak occur with the city supply off and the pump on?
If not, this narrows down the possible leak points to the area that Bayliss mentioned or nearby fittings.
If yes, as pthomas745 describes, there is a huge number of possibilities with some items being known more common problems.

spfrancis65

Sorry for the delay in posting.  I had to pull the trailer back from the storage area, and I know have on my driveway.  So in rfuss928 comment above...I am leaving the city water turned off..and pour water manually into the fresh water tank..and then run the pump?  Wanted to make sure I got the right steps.

spfrancis65

that picture is worth a 1000 words...is removing the coroplastic a huge PIA to do.  That seems like the best place to start...to determine the root cause?

rfuss928

spfrancis65 said:

So in rfuss928 comment above...I am leaving the city water turned off..and pour water manually into the fresh water tank..and then run the pump?  Wanted to make sure I got the right steps.

Yes, pressurizing the system with the pump will subject the entire system to pressure but not the "power fill" plumbing.  Put the Nautilus in "dry camp" mode.

Bayliss

spfrancis65 said:

that picture is worth a 1000 words...is removing the coroplastic a huge PIA to do.  That seems like the best place to start...to determine the root cause?

I have removed my coroplast cover twice.  Not really a PIA, and pretty straightforward, but takes some time removing all the screws.  They are faster to remove/replace with a power tool.  When replacing the cover, be sure to align the coroplast holes with the corresponding frame screw holes.

There are several aluminum "termination strips" of various lengths secured with the screws along the edges of the black coroplast cover.  As I recall, there were a couple locations near the axle/wheel that were a little harder to access, but I think I just had to approach the screw heads at a slight angle.

Since I had to remove all of the termination strips, I took the time to label the location of each on the backside with a black Sharpie.  That made it much easier (and quicker) to return the correct strip to its respective location.  That really paid off when I had to remove/replace the coroplast on the second occasion.  I also painted the strips black with some Rust-Oleum paint.

I replaced all my screws with a stainless steel version, because the head on a few screws had broken off, which has been reported by more than one T@B owner over time.  The heads most likely broke off due to over-torquing at the factory, corrosion, or metal fatigue. 

The screws are #10 x 3/4" self-tapping (use stainless steel) with a 5/16" head:



This is a sample of a section of the termination strip (photo by @Tabaz):