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Basement compartment side wall composition??

May 20, 2021, 05:04:51 pm

Greetings Foretravelors from Alberta    we are enjoying    having the floor of a basement compartment in our 1995 GrndVil240 ... washed...flooded ...    unplanned .... (winterized by previous owner) first time hooking the "Ark" city water (with pressure reducer in place)... leakage is in one compartment beside where city water connects and no water evidence on basement wall (only on floor)  but seems to be coming from bottom of the back..  of the adjacent compartment to hook up for city water... iyiyiiy a lot of words .. sorry... hope it makes sense.  So events sequence ... turned city water on ... discovered floor of adjacent compartment to hook up, has 1/4+ inch water on it, turned city water off.. squeegeed carpeted floor to get water out, a short time later almost same amount of water flooded again  (no city water on) ... this led to thought water contained in compartment wall divider cavity??? where I would expect to find split water line.. I cannot find any construction specs as to wall composition .. the walls are carpeted,  Any thoughts or experience as to opening a basement wall divider would be appreciated.  Thank you much  Will n Pam   

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #1 – May 20, 2021, 06:22:21 pm

Greetings Wiil n Pam,

Welcome to the wonderful world of finding and fixing minor and major problems.  It's called "Owning a Motorhome".

Water leaks are trouble, so you need to find the source ASAP.  First step is stop the leak.  Once that is done, you want to dry out the compartments as quickly and thoroughly as possible.  Mop out the water, paper towels, perhaps a fan blowing through the compartment...  Whatever it takes.

As to your question about the compartment wall construction.  To my knowledge, they are are pretty much the same in all years and models of Foretravel.  There is a steel frame sandwiched between two layers of some sort of sheet material.  It looks like white plastic and is very tough.  The voids between the sheets and around the frame members are filled with blue foam insulation.  Foretravel does not typically hide water pipes inside the walls.  The pipes may pass through the walls at a 90 degree angle, but otherwise they usually are run on the surface of the compartment wall or ceiling.

So, if you had water standing on the floor of the compartment, it would be possible that it could have gotten into the walls at the junction of wall and floor, but it would not normally travel UP into the walls because the foam insulation does not readily absorb water.  It can, however, migrate DOWN into the insulated areas in the floors, where it can cause rusting of the metal frame if not promptly dried out.

I'll add a photo of a bay wall in our coach where I cut a inspection port.  You can see the white plastic skin on both sides and blue foam insulation.

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #2 – May 20, 2021, 06:28:17 pm

Turn off all water IMMEDIATELY.

Dry  out the basement floor IMMEDIATELY-- even if you have to use brand new towels.

Water in the wet bays leads to rust of the BULKHEADS.

As Chuck said, opening the vertical bulkheads exposes a lot of structure. But very unlikely to be related to a water leak.

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #3 – May 20, 2021, 11:06:29 pm

Hi Chuck n Jeannie n Brett,
 Pam and I appreciate very much your quick replies and info!!!! You have saved much needless effort to no good end...  me thinks :-)  we are new to pretty much full time Ark time  and had not filled tanks or used hook up water... before the other day.  stay well and wise and safe :-)  Will n Pam in Red Deer Ab

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #4 – May 20, 2021, 11:35:20 pm

Not to say this is the cause of your leak, but the RV industry was still using polybutylene tubing in those years. Many Foretravels much older than yours still on the road without issues thus far, but the material can deteriorate from the inside out and water that has a lot of chlorine in it may accelerate the process. There was a giant law suit way back because many homebuilders used this material and homeowners were drawing the short straw. Other sources of leaks can be bad swivel seals that have shrunk or at crimps. Sometimes the leaks don't show up unless the water pressure is exceptionally high. Another possibility is the fresh tank overflow. maybe a cracked hose or loose clamp at the top of the fresh tank where it comes out. It will likely be necessary to remove carpeted panels to expose the plumbing hookups. Like chuck said, Foretravel doesn't typically run plumbing inside walls.
Don

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #5 – May 21, 2021, 09:05:11 am

Don mentioned several possible "leak" locations (above).  To his list I would add:
1.  The water pump and hose connections going in and out of pump.
2.  The blue water (bladder) pressure tank (if you have one) and the connection to tank.
3.  The water heater and hose connections going in and out of heater.
4.  The fresh water tank drain pipe and valve.
5.  If you have a retractable water hose reel, the water pipe connections at the reel.
6.  A crack in the fresh water tank.  Although this is not common, it has happened to several owners over the years.

See thread linked below for more ideas:

Water Leak

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #6 – May 21, 2021, 09:37:12 am

With this coach being a U-240 the water tank should be upfront between the seats. It has to be one of the last of the 240 run being a '95 but i don 't think they moved there water tank like they did on the 280/300s. if this is his tanks location then the tank & overflow will be out of the picture.

Mike

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Re: Basement compartment side wall composition??

Reply #7 – May 21, 2021, 09:38:55 am

Yup, 1995 U240 potable water tank between front seats, pump under sofa.

In the wet bay are potable water inlet with check valve (that CAN LEAK) as well as gray and black tanks.

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Reply #8 – May 21, 2021, 09:42:05 am

We need photos of the OP's wet bay (both ends) and fresh water tank compartment to help with our trouble shooting suggestions.

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