Missed this when we bought the coach, should I worry about it? Never seen any sign of leaking from the drains, but I have a feeling the PO had a potable leak. So, a fiberglass mat seal, or should I be thinking about a trip to CBC?
Mike, you maybe intersted in this discussion " Topic: Bulkhead failure years and Torque Test " see what Brett Wolf wrote in there.
Hey Mike -
It appears that you might be able to repair the crack. However I would be concerned with what is under that panel - what you can't see. It might be worth drilling a 1" hole and visually inspect with a scope. You could drill through the bottom pan and reseal with some thin plastic sign material from the Depot and some 5200. If I saw Corrosion in that hole I would drill a couple more to get a better picture of what you have. Good luck. 😃
When MOT did our repair they covered that floor material with a rubber type sheet so water could no longer seep into or from the tank area. They also brought the rubber sheet material up the sides a bit and sealed all of the inside corners of the rubber material as well as around the trap door.
Looks like something was dropped in there-- did someone take the tank(s) out??? I see no signs of any water intrusion either around the cracking or screws/outer trim. Any sign of cracks in the underside-- that could change my recommendation?
Were it me, I would find an aluminum sheet larger than the cracked area, paint one side white (to face up), and bed it in a good white polysulfide. Probably put a brick on it or otherwise hold it down while it cures.
That's a good plan, I was concerned about the dreaded "bulkheads". Looking underneath, she looks fine. The PO (after Brett) made a comment that was odd when we did the walk-thru: "Never let water leak into this compartment." Duh! ::) I'm thinking the backflow device from the potable failed (did they even have one?) and flooded the bay, maybe even froze? If there was a a anti-syphon valve, where is it? Right now, I put a ton of towels below the water intake when we're traveling, they do get wet.
If you have a leak from the check valve (yes 100% of Fortravels have one), REPLACE IT. THEY ARE CHEAP. RV Water Inlet | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/bhp/rv-water-inlet)
No reason for that to leak. Yes, minerals can clog the check valve.
Do NOT let this drip water into the basement of any Foretravel.
I got fed up replacing check valves,it's a paininthe you know where. So I put in a shark bite check valve, shark bite fittings have never failed me. But this one did. My solution was/is a ball valve. I open it when I fill and shut it off when finished and if the sucker leaks it is externally mounted so easy to change out.
Roland
Swing Check valves are best installed in a rising flow vertical section of pipe to help prevent fouling and failure. Lots of different check valves types depending on your application. Beware check valves installed too close to a pump outlet may chatter itself to death Ball valves are extremely bullet proof, except for the plastic ones.
Mike, put the Beer down and get to work. Simple ,just seal the crack up with either fibre glass or aluminum sheet then use a good quality caulk arounf as much of the joining walls as you can and forget about it. Cannot do anything about what has happened but make sure that it can not seep anywhere in future.
JohnH
Thanks, all. I'd say the water intake leaked a lot and/or the backflow does not function. When we first got the coach, the intake leaked and it was a tiny "O" ring that was worn out.