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Utility Bay Water Leak

When I opened the utility bay today, I noticed water dripping from the water hose. It was pooling on the floor and had run towards the sewer door and also pooled there. Additionally, the adjacent  front corner area of the big bay (just to the left when facing the utility bay) felt damp and showed some amount of rust in the area.
 
There was quite a bit of caulking at that side of the utility bay, but the water apparently still migrated over there. The edges of the sewer door cutout and the small door itself showed evidence of water damage; torn and rusty metal and swollen wood at the side of the opening.
 
I found a plastic plug on the floor and screwed that into the end of the hose, but it continued to drip. I added a second washer to the end of the hose and replace the plug. The leaking stopped. I then mopped up the moisture and left both bay doors open in the afternoon to aid in drying it out. I was afraid to leave them open overnight because of the heavy dew (parked on grass).
 
The first question I have is why was the hose dripping? It is on a hose reel and only had water hooked to it when I filled the water tank right after my purchase, six weeks ago. I had not noticed water there before, although the evidence of previous moisture was evident. Putting the plug on the hose seems to have stopped the leak for the moment, but that can't be the real solution, is it? Now that I say that, I realize that the master switch had been off until yesterday, when I turned it back on to check the door locks. Wonder if something came on that caused the water to flow?
 
To address the existing damage, I need to remove the small door and discover what is there, At a minimum, I need to remove the rust and repair the damage. I suspect some of the floor framing around that door will need to be replaced. Guess I need to go back over Don's reports and photos to get a better idea of what that area looks like.
 
The continuing dampness around the corner of the big bay worries me because that is where the large joey bed is mounted. As a minimum, I need to remove some of that carpeting and get a better look at what has happened there.
 
Okay y'all; I may be new, but not the first. Who else has been there, done that? Any advice, guidance, tips, comments, and suggestions are welcome.
 
Thanks,
 
Trent
Trent and Jean Eyler
2000  U295  4003  WTFE  ISC  350
Build#5603 MC#17385

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #1 –
Quote from: TulsaTrent –

 
The first question I have is why was the hose dripping? It is on a hose reel and only had water hooked to it when I filled the water tank right after my purchase, six weeks ago. I had not noticed water there before, although the evidence of previous moisture was evident. Putting the plug on the hose seems to have stopped the leak for the moment, but that can't be the real solution, is it?

Trent,

I would look first at the fresh water check valve on your coach.  It's designed to only let water flow IN from the city hookup.  If it's failed or something is preventing the shuttle from sealing all the way, water from your fresh tank can leak back out the hose.  To test this theory, unscrew the plastic plug and turn on the coach water pump.  If water comes out the hose at a fairly healthy rate, there ya go!  (happened to us, so that's how I know about it)

I'm not sure if the fresh water pumps also have an internal check valve - that would be another place to check (sorry, no pun intended).

Michelle
Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others. It's cheaper!  - John C. Bogle

2000 U320 36' non-slide / WildEBeest Rescue
2003 U320

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #2 –
Posting some pictures would be helpful to get some more eyes on the issue. The main danger of leaks is water penetration in to the area where the basement floor insulation resides. The foam itself doesn't absorb water, but if there are any voids where moisture can accumulate, the steel framing will stay wet and that could be a recipe for disaster. The other issue is that the area under hose reels or other basement floor mounted accessories has two layers of ¾" plywood instead of insulation, and that does absorb water and holds it in contact with the metal framing surrounding it. Water can get in those areas through penetrations that have caulking that has failed or been poorly applied (or even missing altogether).
Don
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #3 –
Thanks, Michelle; will try that test tomorrow. I don't remember what the switch in the bay is called that I used to fill the tank. Is that the same as the water pump switches inside, or different?
 
BTW, never apologize for puns; we get our kicks where we can. :)
 
Trent
Trent and Jean Eyler
2000  U295  4003  WTFE  ISC  350
Build#5603 MC#17385

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #4 –
Don,
 
You asked for it; you got it!
 
Here are a few I took of the areas of interest.
 
If you want to see anything else, just let me know.
 
Thanks,
 
Trent
Trent and Jean Eyler
2000  U295  4003  WTFE  ISC  350
Build#5603 MC#17385

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #5 –
My check valve was leaking so I replaced it with a new filler and check valve. The &$:- thing still leaks. My solution is to add a shark bite check valve in the fill water line. I need only one but I ordered three.....just in case. Should resolve the issue. I also installed a water detector alarm behind the panel to let me know if anything is leaking back there. I can' hear it if it guess off but my DW can.

Roland
1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #6 –

Both the city water connection and the output of water pump both flow together to the water manifold. This puts the full output of the water pump to the city water plumbing. A check valve in the city water plumbing is supposed to prevent water from flowing out the reel hose or city water fitting. Coaches without a hose reel will have a check valve built in to the city water female hose fitting. Check valves often leak from water deposits and are easy & cheap to replace. Sometimes a problematic check valve will impede water flow.
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As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #7 –
An easy place to start looking at what is underneath and in-between might be to pull a bolt or two out of the lateral flat stock which joins the two rail slides of the Joey bed. The rust on the bottom of the flat stock that is visible in the last picture is clearly (IMHO) from the carpet being wet for long periods. Check the bolt threads where it passes through the floor. Small amount of surface rust might not mean much, but if the threads have been eaten by rust, you might have a heck of a time removing it. It is a pandora's box, but one that I couldn't live with without knowing what is going on down there.
The question is how did the water get in? If you think the caulking between the wet bay wall and the storage compartment is compromised, then the only thing for it is two remove some of the caulking at the base of the wall in the wet bay and see what you can see.
Quote from: TulsaTrent –
Don,
 
You asked for it; you got it!
 
Here are a few I took of the areas of interest.
 
If you want to see anything else, just let me know.
 
Thanks,
 
Trent
The selected media item is not currently available.
Don & Tys
1999 U270 3602 WTFE #5402
Xtreme Stage 1 w/Headlight, Step Conversion, etc.
2009 Honda Fit Sport with Navi
Freedom is NOT "just another word for nothing left to lose"... with apologies to Kris Kristofferson

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #8 –
Roland, drill a small hole in the bay ceiling, cut water alarm wire, feed wire through hole, silicone seal the hole, connect water alarm detector inside living space to wire, connect water alarm sensor in bay to wire.

We have done this to several water bay alarms that we now can hear inside motorhome.

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #9 –
Barry, will have to do gthat when I install the sharkite check valve.

Roland

1993 U280 4341
2010 Jeep Liberty
The Pied Pipers

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #10 –
Trent, I feel your wet area to right of Joey bed is pretty obviously coming thru(between) the door and that rubber moulding that is supposed to be fastened to the metal framing. I also see the "trap wet bay" flap is missing a piece. Check ALL of your bays to make sure that these moldings are good and in place and each corner of them is glued to the vertical ones. I see in many pictures posted that this rubber seal is in bad shape on a lot of coach's. This is there for a purpose- to Stop water being thrown up into bays. Only then can you eliminate your problem.
Once this is completed then go after all the other items members have mentioned.
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #11 –
John,
 
Thank you for the sage advice (here and elsewhere) about the rubber molding. I will look at all of the bays for missing and loose areas.
 
Is the molding supposed to be glued to the metal, or just fit into the slot? If so, what would be a typical adhesive that will work?
 
BTW, is this a standard shape/size molding or is it Foretravel exclusive?
 
FTR, I tried to spell molding as moulding, but my spell checker does not like it.
(Oops just ran the spell checker; although it underlines "moulding", it passes the spell checker)
 
Trent
Trent and Jean Eyler
2000  U295  4003  WTFE  ISC  350
Build#5603 MC#17385

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #12 –
I think Michelle had a post about replacing the rubber seals around the bay doors awhile back. I tried Search without success; maybe she will chip in; if it wasn't her post, she always seems to find it.
Dick, '03 U320 40' Tag, 2 slides, Coach #6075
Full Timers
2009 Honda CR-V
 

Re: Utility Bay Water Leak

Reply #14 –
 Looks like your question is answered.  This is an important fix and not to be left as is for long. I have proved this fix to myself on a few instances.
JohnH
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.