Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: oldguy on February 25, 2020, 11:51:36 pm

Title: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: oldguy on February 25, 2020, 11:51:36 pm
There was water everywhere this morning. Went to put some water in the tank to find out what's leaking. I am not getting any
water to the fill valve. Tomorrow I will bypass and try and put the water in by where the fill valve was. I thought that was the problem
and I put a ball valve in place of the fill valve. Something is blocking the water from the fill hose to the fill valve. Any ideas.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Pamela & Mike on February 26, 2020, 05:33:57 am
Check to see if your back flow preventer (water check valve) has failed. Depending on the coach and if you have a hose reel or not will determine where the factory hid it. Ours is in the fitting where the water hose connects to the coach as we don't have a hose reel. Some coaches with the hose reel have this check valve located where the hose comes off the reel and enters the coach.  I have seen a few that are hid in the piping behind the vanity cover in your utility bay. 

Mike
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: John S on February 26, 2020, 07:13:57 am
Your year should have a 12 volt  electric fill valve it us behind the blue accumulation tank. On my 99 270 it was a manual valve under the sink in the bathroom.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: jor on February 26, 2020, 09:23:07 am
Quote
Your year should have a 12 volt  electric fill valve it us behind the blue accumulation tank.

Here it is on a 99 320. The blue thing to the right is the accumulator tank.
jor
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on February 26, 2020, 10:30:28 am
The OP knows where his fill valve is located.  He replaced the electric fill valve with a ball valve.  See original post.

He thinks he has a blockage of some kind between the hose connection and the fill valve.

I'm betting Mike has hit it on the head.  Reply #1

Photo below shows the backflow preventer location on our coach:

Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Old Toolmaker on February 26, 2020, 10:36:41 am
I'm +1* on the back flow preventor valve being stuck.

*Me Too!
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on February 26, 2020, 10:51:53 am
In most cases, the fresh water fill backflow preventer valve will be similar to the one in video below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeDflQ1IHM0
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: oldguy on February 26, 2020, 12:45:29 pm
I'm sure you are right it's the backflow preventer. I have bypassed the whole thing and now can fill the tank. The leak is a blown
plastic line. Not sure which one is blown but I have to fix a pvc fitting I broke first.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: oldguy on February 26, 2020, 07:00:59 pm
The leak is a blown cold water line for the kitchen sink. I have isolated it and we can live without it on this trip. I will pull a new
one in when I get home. I will change the backflow preventer  also when I get home. What I have done to fill the tank I would
probably leave it if it was on the left side of the coach.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: oldguy on February 26, 2020, 07:13:24 pm
I still not sure where my backflow preventer is. My line isn't up like yours Chuck its down low and I haven't aquatically seen the
backflow preventer I hope it's not as Mike said hidden in the wall. Oh I have a reel. I had to seal off my fill hose and I thought
why isn't there a check valve, so now I know I just have to find it.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Chuck & Jeannie on February 26, 2020, 07:26:37 pm
The backflow preventer on our coach never worked.  Water was always dribbling out of the hose when we were going down the road.  For a while I kept a big towel in the bay to soak up the water.  Then somebody told me where to find the valve.  I removed it, cleaned a bunch of trash out of it, put it back in place.  Still didn't stop the water dribble.  So I removed it again, ripped the guts out, and put the "carcass" back in place.  Installed a 1/4 turn plastic push-connect valve in the water line between the hose reel and the old preventer valve.  Open the valve to fill - close the valve.  Never leaked again.

PROBLEM SOLVED.  :thumbsup:

You can see the valve in the photo I posted up above (Reply #4).  White valve right above the hose reel.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Michelle on February 26, 2020, 07:28:47 pm
Check to see if your back flow preventer (water check valve) has failed. Depending on the coach and if you have a hose reel or not will determine where the factory hid it. Ours is in the fitting where the water hose connects to the coach as we don't have a hose reel. Some coaches with the hose reel have this check valve located where the hose comes off the reel and enters the coach.  I have seen a few that are hid in the piping behind the vanity cover in your utility bay. 

Ours was the latter (in a 2003), which required opening up the utility bay back wall.  I believe Jeff and Carol's was in the water pump bay down low behind the manabloc cover (in a 2002).

It's a fairly inconspicuous little bugger.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: oldguy on February 26, 2020, 08:25:23 pm
I put a ball valve on the end of the hose too, that why I never worried about it, now I have too.
Title: Re: Can't fill the water tank
Post by: Jack Lewis on February 26, 2020, 09:02:27 pm
On my 1997 U295 40', it has an inspection port on the side of the wet bay, that allowed me to get at the back flow preventer to replace..  It was attached to the water inlet, mounted on the wet bay wall.

Camco 23303 1/2" Back-Flow Preventer - Lead Free Amazon.com: Camco 23303 1/2" Back-Flow Preventer - Lead Free: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EDUTN6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_srYvEb2WDG2N3)

Valterra A010172LFV 2.75" Metal... Amazon.com: Valterra A010172LFV 2.75" Metal Water Inlet: Automotive (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009QWV9H6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share)

Camco RV Brass Inline Water Pressure Regulator- Helps Protect RV Plumbing and Hoses from High-Pressure City Water, Lead Free (40055) Amazon.com: Camco RV Brass Inline Water Pressure Regulator- Helps Protect RV... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003BZD08U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_HUYvEbBHTA4N1)