rvSeniorMoments

Nov 28

2 Comments

RV Water Leak Postscript

There were two frequent comments on my previous Anatomy of an RV Leak post . . .

Did You or Why Didn’t You Use an Endoscope?

I did use one. It didn’t help much because my scope wasn’t sensitive enough to clearly show water.

Did You or Why Didn’t You Seal the Outside Patch?

I did seal it with ProFlex RV.

Nov 27

8 Comments

Anatomy of an RV Water Leak

Postscript to Anatomy of an RV Leak

My wife said that I’m “fearless” when I do RV repairs. On the other hand, I’d describe my attitude as something between the OZ’s Cowardly Lion and a bull in a China shop.

Anyway . . .

On our last (actually our first) Sea View RV outing, I noticed water leaking into one of our motorhome’s basement compartments. At first I brushed it off, hoping it would just solve itself and go away, but the water just kept a coming.

So when we returned home after our outing, I decided to try tracking down the cause of the water leak.

Here’s the story . . .

DISCOVERY

I first noticed water on the lid of the SEWER hose bin

Water was dripping from this opening above the SEWER bin

THE FIRST CUT IS THE DEEPEST

The leaking water lines ran underneath our shower tub and were pretty much inaccessible.

At first I thought the leak was coming from one or both of the basement 90-degree water line connections. But I wasn’t sure, and even if these connections were the cause, I couldn’t access them.

So . . .

First, a small hole saw opening, then a 2″ x 6″ cut in the Sea View’s driver side wall

Now I was able to confirm that the leak was *not* coming from either of the water line’s 90-degree fittings

THE SECOND CUT WAS A LOT EASIER

Now I knew that the leak originated under the shower tub . . . somewhere.

I decided to make another inspection hole so that I could see under the tub near the shower faucet . . .

The cut in the wall is near the water lines from the shower. (The cut in the floor was to check for possible obstructions.)

When I looked through this second hole, I found the water leak.

FOUND THE LEAK!

To pin down the exact thing that was leaking, I figured the leak had to originate in the shower controls.

First, I unscrewed the shower controls so that I could see behind it

Then I turned on the water pump. After a few minutes the hot water line (Red) started getting wet – the Leak!

The Culprit – the 90-degree fitting on the top of the hot water line.

Anatomy of Our RV Water Leak (click on drawing to enlarge)

THE FIX

Originally, I did not want to attempt to fix the leak. We are leaving on another RV trip this Wednesday, and I didn’t want to do anything that would put our Sea View out of action.

But what the hell . . .

So, I needed to remove the leaking fitting and replace it with another. Easier said than done.

First, remove the shower head controls. No problem.

Next, remove the leaking fitting (a 1/2″ PEX elbow). Dicey. I used my Dremel tool with a rotary cutting head.

Finally, enlarge the shower head control opening so that attaching a new fitting wouldn’t be a problem.

Enlarged the shower control opening by 1/2″ in order to get a new 90-degree elbow on the hot water line (Red)

Shower controls lowered by about 1/2″. Hunky dory.

CLEAN UP

Patching those holes . . .

Before & After – Inside Hole turned into a Vent

Nov 25

4 Comments

First Camping Trip in the Sea View

November 16 thru 23 – Bakersfield, Barstow, and Lake Havasu

Before we left, the two RV chairs we ordered arrived, making things much more comfortable . . . and they both fit in a small space . . .

Bakersfield River Run RV Park

Our first stop was in Bakersfield about 180 miles from Mariposa.

This was one of the LOUDEST RV parks we’ve ever stayed in. Between the morning power washing, lawn mowing, and leaf blowing, it was too much.

Barstow / Calico KOA

We’ve stopped here several times. It’s dependable with a nice view . . .

This KOA had several old, weathered wood wagons laying around

Crazy Horse Campground (Lake Havasu, Arizona)

Our previous “home”. This time we camped on North Beach. Great view & really windy on our last day . . .

We’re the Blue/White RV on the right. Flirt is loving the water.

Lake Havasu

Flirt Fetching Rocks in the Island Channel

Last day’s wind (20 to 30 mph with 50 mph gusts)

Nov 7

2 Comments

Flirt On A Roll

Every day during one of our daily walks around Idlewheels, Flirt takes a roll – always on the same lawn . . .

Nov 6

1 Comment

Fan-Tastic!

No, not the Big Bang song.

We’re talking about two Fan-Tastic Fans which we recently installed on our RV roof. Explanatory pictures follow . . .

The First Fan Install

The Old Fan Over the Bathroom. It had two speeds – on & off and had to be hand cranked.

First step in removal – scrape the caulk off.

Unscrew the bolts holding the fan to the roof

Liberal doses of Dicor around all the edges

We added a cover over the fan so we could use it when it’s raining

Second Fan Install

We ordered the same model fan for the 2nd install, but Camping World sent the wrong fan, but we used it anyway. We’re going camping soon and there’s no time to return it and get another fan.

Anyway, 2nd install looks remarkably like the first fan . . .