Water system fail

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Sean Murry

It sounds like having a few plumbing parts on hand is a good idea. What size of PEX pipe is used in the Escape trailers? I am assuming 3/8 or 1/2".
Was thinking of going with the sharkbite Prolock Push spare parts for connections. No tools required and it twists to lock. Easy to undo if need be. Does anyone have any comments.
Thanks

My only comment is that our fiberglass trailers are relatively small and do not have the “basements” commonly found in motorhomes and big stickie 5th wheels. Having repair parts on hand is a good idea when lots of storage space is available, but I concentrate on keeping parts that are not readily available, like sail switches and a spare 12v switch that matches the one for turning on the porch light. I am not going to use storage space for lengths of Pex or Pex fittings which can be readily found in nearly any hardware store or big box home improvement center. My house is not plumbed with Pex, only the trailer, and I haven’t had a single problem with the plumbing in the trailer since pick-up in May of 2015. I see no reason to purchase a crimp tool at this point and based upon the history of having no problems, could care less if I had to pay more for sharkbite fittings. OTOH, I have found the owners of the previously mentioned “houses on wheels” often carry more specialized tools than I do, and are often happy to loan a non-precision tool to a fellow camper. As to those who may have a different approach, YMMV.

[Dee Lirious]

When things break like this, it is better to try and figure out WHY than just fix it, If you fix it, and there is a fundamental issue, the problem will return.
I would hazard a guess by simply looking at the picture that it is a stress induced fracture in the 90 degree elbow. All those pieces there are very short and no flex.
Personally, I would check to see the the water heater is firmly secured and ensure that either nothing moves, or everything has flexibility in it. I have used the very same type of Pex and connectors and I have never seen an elbow fail like that. Bad connections coming apart, yes

[Hergertp]

PEX is great... with a little effort you'll be good to go- but I noticed a valve to the right in the photo... are you sure it's open?
We get our 21 in Oct.- we'll proceed cautiously

[mweichel]

Originally Posted by david rhees

Our water pipes broke when I hooked up the city water the first time on our new 21C. Would appreciate advice from anyone who has experienced this and also on camping without water.

Details: We just picked up our new 21C last week and were putting it through its paces from the safety of our driveway. Everything was looking good until I hooked up the garden hose to the city water nozzle on the trailer, using a pressure reducer, and only turning the faucet a little ways. Within minutes I had water gushing from a break in the blue water line next to the hot water heater under the fixed bed! There is a right angle turn just before the line goes to the front of the water heater, and that white elbow joint (which is surprisingly small) broke right in two (see picture). The way it was laid out, using the clamps, made it clear that this joint was under stress to begin with.

There is a drain somewhere in there and the water promptly started pouring out of a little, apparently hand-made hole in the fiberglass to the left of the step, so that is a smart feature, and there does not appear to be water damage.

I was not surprised when the Escape people told me to get an estimate on repair from a local RV shop, and I also was not surprised when my local shop told me it would be June 16 before they could look at it. So now we're stuck for a month without being able to use the water system. We know we can use portable water bottles in a pinch. Am I correct that we can drain the sink into the gray water tank without repercussions?

Any tips on "dry" camping"?

I would never use a "plastic" corner or "T" ever. You can get metal parts made for pex tubing. Escape used to use the metal connectors. I guess they went cheap and saved some money using plastic.

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by MichaelS78

How often does this happen? An Escape trailer goes out the door without having the systems checked thoroughly? I understand that it took minutes before the break happened so it's possible they did test it but op says it was low pressure. At a higher pressure this should have been found at the factory. If I was the op I would be livid with ETI! Especially if op waited a long time for the trailer.

Most I don't know if the water heater shifted or there was tension on the joint when the trailer left the factory, but, most likely the fitting failed in transit.

Originally Posted by MichaelS78

It does look like an easy fix but how long before it breaks again?

As long as there isn't tension on the fitting (being pulled by the water heater) it will likely never fail again.

Originally Posted by MichaelS78

I've read other posts about ETI having plumbing problems and looking at that picture it doesn't look like a sustainable way to lay plumbing. It does look stressed. I'm not a plumber though.

IMO, there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the design (which hasn't changed). It is likely a labor issue not corner cutting. As Escape ramps up production they have to add new less experienced employees. An employee likely cut the pex pipe short and there was tension on the fitting. Should he have done that? NO. Was there a way for Escape to visually see the problem short of having a supervisor looking over every employee's shoulder? NO. I don't know if Escape has a system to track who did what building the trailer, but, they should. Hopefully once Escape is made aware of the problem they will brief the appropriate portion of their work force not to force a short connection.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by mweichel

I would never use a "plastic" corner or "T" ever.

Plastic isn't what plastic once was.

[Eggscape]

It would be nice to know the length of this “short” tube so others can measure theirs and judge for themselves if they think their angle tube is under strain and due to crack/break.

[gbaglo]

I suspect that all those parts are cut to a length on a bench, just like wiring harnesses are assembled on a bench, not built in the trailer.

[Eggscape]

Exactly...and if that is the case there is going to be problem.

[Oldtimer]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I suspect that all those parts are cut to a length on a bench, just like wiring harnesses are assembled on a bench, not built in the trailer.

They are. That’s how we did it on mobile homes. I built them for 10 yrs n everything that could be mass built in advance n put aside till needed was done that way.

David.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Exactly...and if that is the case there is going to be problem.

If that were the case, I would have expected to see this issue crop up frequently. To my knowledge, it hasn’t.

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

They are. That’s how we did it on mobile homes. I built them for 10 yrs n everything that could be mass built in advance n put aside till needed was done that way.

David.

“They are” is somewhat an absolute statement. With all due respect, and you MAY be correct, just because you did it that way on mobile homes doesn’t mean that is ETI’s MO.
Not that I am defending the southern states in the US, I am not, but it is common to see bumper stickers and wall signs that say “We don’t care how you did it up north.”