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Old 05-27-2019, 04:32 PM   #1
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Drain line leak?

Hello, I'm looking for some advice as to a leak I discovered while de-winterizing. I noticed some dripping underneath my 5.0TA near the axles but it is coming from somewhere above the spray foam insulation and exiting where the frame and coach meet.

The weep holes are dry and there is no water anywhere I can find inside the coach. The water pump is not cycling and holds pressure so it isn't a supply line. I'm assuming it's leaking where the kitchen sink drain pipe meets the gray water holding tank.

Has anyone had this issue before? I have the spray foam so I'm not sure where to start removing foam at this point.
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Old 05-27-2019, 05:20 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by akmacs View Post
Hello, I'm looking for some advice as to a leak I discovered while de-winterizing. I noticed some dripping underneath my 5.0TA near the axles but it is coming from somewhere above the spray foam insulation and exiting where the frame and coach meet.

The weep holes are dry and there is no water anywhere I can find inside the coach. The water pump is not cycling and holds pressure so it isn't a supply line. I'm assuming it's leaking where the kitchen sink drain pipe meets the gray water holding tank.

Has anyone had this issue before? I have the spray foam so I'm not sure where to start removing foam at this point.
It appears that your trailer is still under warranty, I would contact ETI and discuss with them first.
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Old 05-27-2019, 08:13 PM   #3
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I am in contact with escape and I'm sure they will support the process but I'd appreciate feedback from others who may have some insight.

At this point I am doubting it is a drain pipe running into the grey tank. Now that I have found some photos without the insulation, it seems too far from the area where the water was coming from and would have had to run uphill a bit. I also ran the water at the kitchen sink and bathroom sink could not replicate the issue.

Instead I think it may be from the top of the fresh water tank. When I filled the fresh water, it overflowed for a a minute or so before I shut the water off. I didn't fill it with high flow, just normal low to medium flow from the hose bib. I'm now suspecting that the fill tube or vent fittings at the water tank may have leaked while under pressure while filling.

Definite downside of the under body spray foam is a lack of visibility of the holding tanks/exterior plumbing.
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Old 05-28-2019, 02:21 AM   #4
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Which side of the trailer are the pictures of?
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Old 05-28-2019, 04:54 AM   #5
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If it is the fresh water tank and the dripping stops after a while then it could be that the fill hose is loose where it goes into the top of the tank. The water left standing in the fill hose would drip out through the loose fitting. The dripping would stop when the fill hose is empty and the tank would be full.

Similarly it could be a loose vent hose on top of the tank. If you fill the tank to where water comes out of the vent then water would be left in the vent hose until it drips through the fitting.

You might want to check the hose clamps.
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Old 05-28-2019, 09:56 AM   #6
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I'm leaning towards one of the fittings on top of the fresh water tank being loose. I'm not sure how the fill tube or vent attach to it (clamp or glue) or exactly where they attach as I can't see any of those locations due to the insulation. If they are clamped it may be as simple as a loose clamp then.

Guessing ETI will send a photo as where to start removing the foam.

Have to add it to the list of summer projects.
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Old 05-28-2019, 04:47 PM   #7
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I suggest following the fill hose on the inside of the trailer from where it comes through the body and connects to the tank hose barb. On my 15 the connection barb sticks up through the floor a few inches and the hose clamps on at floor level. Yours might be different...
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Old 05-29-2019, 08:38 AM   #8
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Is the leak anywhere near your refrigerator? Where does the drain from the fridge go?
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Old 05-29-2019, 10:24 AM   #9
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Refrigerator drain line is a good suggestion but it was off and had been since last fall that would not be the source in this case.

I haven't heard back from ETI from the first contact I had with them but I'll likely end up removing the foam up to where the filler neck and vent line meet the fresh water tank, assuming they meet the tank in an accessible area. Hopefully it's as simple as a loose connection on one of those.
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Old 05-29-2019, 10:41 AM   #10
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Here's a photo of the fresh water tank taken of the floor model 5.0 at ETI last fall. Our 5.0TA also has the foam so I took some photos in the showroom to have an idea of where things are located. Can't see the fresh water fill line in this photo, though - not sure if it enters the tank at the very top and is not accessible, or how it enters the tank. You can see the fresh water supply line, though, and seeing where it comes through inside the trailer and then comparing it to where the larger fill line goes through the floor should give you some idea of where to look.

I think the clear plastic tubing sticking down forward of the fresh water tank is the drain line for the channel in the bottom of the shell. They made that tubing extension really long on ours so that it protrudes well below the foam.
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Old 05-29-2019, 11:20 AM   #11
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Thanks for the photo David. I am hoping the connection can be accessed while the tank is in place but maybe not.
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Old 05-30-2019, 07:04 AM   #12
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If the drip/leak stopped after a bit, you could try filling the fresh water right up to the top of the filler tube and see if it started dripping again, that would be a way to at least identify that it is the problem.
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Old 05-30-2019, 08:15 AM   #13
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If the drip/leak stopped after a bit, you could try filling the fresh water right up to the top of the filler tube and see if it started dripping again, that would be a way to at least identify that it is the problem.
Especially if your plan is to rip out the spray foam insulation to fix it!
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Old 05-30-2019, 09:35 AM   #14
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Another thought is there are maybe 6 "weep" holes around your Escape perimeter to allow any inside condensation/liquid that may accumulate to escape your Escape. Is the source near one on these weep holes along the bottom of your unit?
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