Leak from above grey water tank

[Gumpdad714]

Originally Posted by Chamberman

This was a normal failure of the 2019 models. It was a result of the ABS pipe connections ETI was using when combined with a lack of rubber flex couplings the 1.5" threaded pipe fittings would shear off right at the threaded outlet of the gray tank. This will leave about 1/2 - 3/4" inch of the pipes threaded portion still in the gray tank outlet.

The gray tank vent in an E19 comes through the floor directly behind the toilet. I'm not 100% certain where it comes up in your 5.0. If the gray tank vent breaks off in the manner described above then the broken gray tank vent will become the lowest overflow point in the system. If the tank gets overfilled at any time the excess will come flowing out of the broken vent fitting and this happens well before it begins coming up into the shower pan.

The problem is that those people with spray foam have no good way for the water coming out of this vent to drain away so it back flows up onto the floor of the trailer. The folks without spray foam aren't a lot better off. This is because the gray tank is pressed so tightly against the floor that even without spray foam and depending on the flow rate of the water filling the tank, I believe its possible to still wind up with water backflowing up onto the floor. Its just less likely without spray foam.

The reason for the breakage is either stress due to vibration or if the hole is off center and the gray tank shifts in its positioning. Once the tank shifts it can allow the 1.5" vent fitting coming out the top to come into contact with the floor and then a great deal of side stress will be placed on the fitting. This is what happened with our gray tank vent. The gray tank had shifted rearward to where the 1.5" vent fitting was hard up against the side of the hole in the floor. This caused the vent fitting to shear off flush with the gray tank due to normal movement while traveling.

It was too hard to get into the small access hole I cut to try and open up the hole in the floor. How I got around this is to put a 1.5" to 1.25" reducer in the gray vent hole and then used a 1.25" threaded street ell to go into a flex coupling. Dropping to a smaller 1.25" fitting out of the gray tank vent gave me a good gap between the fitting and the floor. My gray tank is now sitting against the rear stop which is a piece of angle iron under the trailer if I remember correctly so I do not have to worry about the gray tank moving any further rearward and having the fitting hit the edge of the hole in the floor again.

I read through your other thread where you described your problem on your 5.0 and it does sound like the gray tank vent fitting may have sheared off on you. The only way to know is to get into the location that they have the vent pipe routed through the floor and check it. Others with a 5.0 will have to guide you as to where that is at.

Good luck and let others know what you end up finding and what the resolution is. You may ultimately help someone else out with your findings.

Thank you very much for that info. Wish you lived in Queens - I'd pay you to diagnose and fix it. I'll keep you posted.

[Chamberman]

It's my understanding that ETI began using flex couplings on the drains somewhere around 2020 or 2021 because of these issues. I do not know if the vents are receiving flex couplings as well.

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Chamberman

It's my understanding that ETI began using flex couplings on the drains somewhere around 2020 or 2021 because of these issues. I do not know if the vents are receiving flex couplings as well.

I wish there were someone knowledgeable at ETI who would be charged with monitoring threads like these and responding with definitive information. You'd think their marketing people would realize how important relations with owners are, especially since they have no authorized service centers outside of the factory.

[Rossue]

Don't remember anyone with Gen1 trailers having this problem. Is it exclusive to Gen2 trailers? If so, why?

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

I wish there were someone knowledgeable at ETI who would be charged with monitoring threads like these and responding with definitive information. You'd think their marketing people would realize how important relations with owners are, especially since they have no authorized service centers outside of the factory.

Nearly since the moment Reace & Tammy sold ETI, the manufacturer has dropped paying attention to the EscapeForum. They hang over at Facebook occasionally though.

[Gumpdad714]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

I wish there were someone knowledgeable at ETI who would be charged with monitoring threads like these and responding with definitive information. You'd think their marketing people would realize how important relations with owners are, especially since they have no authorized service centers outside of the factory.

Couldn't agree with you more Mr Lynn. They really need to address the issue about authorized service centers. Can't leave us hanging to fend for ourselves out here.

[oldwave]

The only issue we had with the 21c was the black tank drain leak that I fixed. It was documented by Reace