Foretravel Owners' Forum For owners and Fans of Foretravel Motorcoaches September 12, 2025 ...

Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

April 29, 2019, 07:31:02 pm

99 U270 12 volt water pump cycles every 60 seconds with all the faucets shut off, naturally we have the pump shut off so there will not be any water damage. Using the manablock I have isolated the leak to the shower plumbing cold feed. 
No leaks at the manablock, the mixer valve or the piping down from the mixer in behind the cabinet, then I start to get lost, looks like the pipes are in the floor and taking out the small panel in the (wet bay?) I can see all the pipes heading across to the other side. There must be a 90degree elbow somewhere where under the bathroom area that has a slight drip??
Any areas of what I should remove next, I do not really want to use 50 gallons of water to find the leak.
Help would be appreciated 

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Re: Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

Reply #1 – April 29, 2019, 08:05:04 pm

David,

There shouldn't be any water line in the floor sandwich that pertains to the shower. On some coaches there is a water supply line from the water filter to the icemaker that runs through a floor tunnel. Now they did hide a lot of the piping in the chases that run through the back side of the cabinets. 

IIRC the shower feed should go down from the mixing valve and turn to the front of the coach. It should run under the shower pan and have a 90 that takes it through the floor and come out on top of the water tank.  Then from there it should go across the tank to the manifold.  With all this being said I have had a Forum members coach develop a leak right above where that pipe 90 came through the floor. We had to cut an access hole in from the bottom (over the water tank) with a Fenn oscillating cutter to expose the leak. From the top side it would have been under the shower pan. 

Mike

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Reply #2 – April 29, 2019, 08:13:15 pm

That Is the area I think the problem be be hiding, I will remove the bedroom wall panel tomorrow or Wednesday and enlarge the hole to take a better look in under the shower floor
Thanks

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Re: Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

Reply #3 – April 29, 2019, 08:35:59 pm

On my (96 - U320) the shower is on the passenger side of the bath. On the bedroom side of separating wall, in the corner, is a small panel that is easily removed. You can look and see the shower plumbing in the cavity. I hope this helps.

Tim
 

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Reply #4 – April 29, 2019, 09:42:39 pm

Yes I have removed those panels, will remove the bottom one again and open up the "hole" a bit more and see what I can see in under the shower. Will be a day or two until I get more time.

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Reply #5 – April 30, 2019, 12:15:16 am

Make sure that your fill valve Is closed all the way or that it is holding pressure when it is closed. It could be leaking internally or externally around the stem. To access the valve body, you have to remove the bottom of the vanity cabinet... not that easy, but doable.
Don

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Re: Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

Reply #6 – April 30, 2019, 12:38:40 am

Water pumps can run even if no water is being leaked out.  Pump has a pressure switch that could be failing causing pump to cycle. Don't be so sure you have a leak. You could turn manibloc valves off to isolate or turn them all off to see if pump still cycles.

BTW, having a manual shutoff added to input and output water pump hoses will serve you well over the years.

How do you know pump is cycling? Can you hear it?

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Reply #7 – April 30, 2019, 12:42:55 am

First post isolated the leak to the shower plumbing cold feed.

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Re: Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

Reply #8 – May 04, 2019, 07:41:30 pm

Found the culprit, considering it was when the shower cold feed was on at the manablock the pump cycled, turn it off at the manablock and the pump stopped cycling. Conclusion there must be a leak in the line.
Removed the panel at the manablock, in the bedroom cabinet behind panels, outside above the dump valves - nothing, all dry.
Got a 4' scope and repeated the same steps, nothing. Decided the piping may transverse under the vanity, started to take the base out and I noticed that there was a hissing if water flowing under the floor of the cabinet.
Panel our and all is dry, but the tank fill valve handle was slightly bent so that the closed position was in fact past closed and letting a tiny amount of water through and there was a minuscule leak at the city water fill check valve connection.
Two hours looking, 30 seconds tightening connection, 15 minutes buttoning up and its off tho  next project.
Thanks for all your helpful comments
David

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Re: Plumbing - where is the pipe? Where is the Leak

Reply #9 – May 04, 2019, 09:52:34 pm

So now you know the fill valve loop is on the cold water shower line. That was a head scratcher for sure. In my case, the fill valve was leaking around the stem. I cut the bottom shelf of the vanity into three pieces so it is easier to remove and replace now. It is good to know what is underneath the vanity, because that is where FOT brought up a lot of wiring, some plumbing, and furnace ducts.
Don

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