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Whether it’s the first RV outing of the season or later on when you think all is good, an RV plumbing problem can not only ruin your day, it can trash your RV if you don’t get right on it.
Just like in a house, leaking fittings or cracked pipes can result in water running into places that you may not find right away.
If you’re paying attention and always vigilant about strange occurrences, then you have a better chance of catching the problem before any permanent damage happens inside your RV.
Take it from me. I spent the entire weekend drying out my motorhome after 2 leaks soaked a lot of stuff inside. Fortunately, I was able to get everything to dry out quickly — so it was only a minor inconvenience rather than an expensive RV repair.
Here are a few things I’ve learned firsthand…
How To Confirm An RV Plumbing Leak
The first clue that you may have an RV plumbing leak is your 12-volt DC water pump.
With all the RV faucets shut off, if the RV water pump continues to cycle every couple minutes, then the pressure is bleeding off somewhere — which, in turn, makes the pump turn on and rebuild water pressure.
Also, when you walk around the outside of your RV, do you spot water puddles where there should be none? (This is much easier to detect if your RV is parked on a hard surface such as blacktop or concrete.)
Locate Every Source Of Moisture
Once you’ve determined that you do have a water leak and take action to repair the source of the problem, your job is only half done.
Any part of the RV that has become damp or water soaked needs to be dried out — quickly!
You’ll have to leave interior cabinets and exterior doors open for hours — even days!
Unfortunately, just leaving cupboard doors or storage bay doors open isn’t going to take care the whole problem.
Moisture penetrates much farther in, and drying the surface alone won’t stop rot and mildew from destroying your RV over time.
Many things inside RVs — like cabinets and some floors — are made from pressed sawdust board. Once saturated with water, they crumble away and cannot be saved or reused.
Drying out any moisture as quickly as possible is the only way to prevent your RV from falling apart before your eyes.
How To Prevent Permanent RV Damage
#1 – If the area that’s gotten wet is covered with carpet or rubber mats, then you must peel it back to bare wood.
#2 – Use an electric fan until all of the dampness completely evaporates. This may take days to accomplish. But as long as you’re patient, you might be able to prevent mold from developing inside your RV.
#3 – Before you close everything up after your plumbing repair is done, be sure to run the pump for a few minutes and check every single fitting that you had any contact with. The one you replaced may be fine, but the 2 you loosened or took off to get at it may be leaking now!
TIP: Plumbing fittings are sensitive. Many times, once they’ve been disturbed they will never seal up again. Expect this, and check your work carefully. Being thorough and double checking your work will help you avoid further damage.
#4 – Listen closely because odd sounds may help you recognize problems — like when the water pump keeps cycling it’s trying to tell you something.
If you respond quickly to an RV plumbing leak, you could save thousands of dollars that would be better spent enjoying your vacation instead of making RV repairs.
I’ve been involved in RVing for over 50 years — including camping, building, repairing, and even selling RVs and motorhomes. I’ve owned, used, and repaired almost every class and style of RV ever made. I do all of my own repair work. My other interests include cooking, living with an aging dog, and dealing with diabetic issues. If you can combine a grease monkey with a computer geek, throw in a touch of information nut and organization freak, combined with a little bit of storyteller… you’ve got a good idea of who I am. To date, I’ve shared my RV knowledge in over 300 articles here at The Fun Times Guide! Many of them have over 25K shares.
HELLO, CUTIS WE JUST BOUGHT A 2016 SPRINGDALE BY KEYSTONE AND ON THE THIRD DAY OF OWNING IT THERE WAS A POODLE OF WATER COMING FROM UNDER THE BUNK BED AND AFTER IT WAS CHECK OUT BY TECH IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PIPE FROM OUTDOOR SINK WAS CRACKED SO A REPLACEMENT WAS ORDER ALONG WITH DAMAGE COUNTER TOP NOW ON DAY 17 OF OWNING THE RV,THERE WAS HARD RAIN AND WINDS (CORPUS TX) WE HAVE SEVERAL LEAKS ONE COMING UNDER THE FRIDGE AND IT SEEMS FROM SEVERAL WINDOWS . TODAY IT’S STILL RAINING BUT NOT AS HARD OR WINDY AS YESTERDAY AND THERE IS NO WATER COMING IN. WHAT CAN IT BE? I CALLED THE DEALER AND HE SUGGESTED FOR ME TO APPLY SOME SEALANT AND I ARGUED NO I WILL TAKE IT IN AND BE EVALUATED AND FIXED BY DEALER. i’M CONCERN THAT WATER CAN BE TRAP BETWEEN WALLS AND ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS APPLY SEALANT TO WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR ACCESS PANEL FOR THE FRIGE. ANY ADVISE ..THANK YOU
With a new RV that is clearly under warranty I would take it back to the dealer and insist that the factory be involved. Get a hold of a factory rep and insist that the leaks be resolved properly. Document every conversation you have with the dealer and also with the factory. At some point legal action may be required and the more documentation you have the better. Water damage will destroy your RV rapidly, this is an issue that must be addressed as soon as possible.
Hi Curtis…We have a 1996 coachmen leprechaun…there is a leak of some kind in the bathroom, we can not figure out where it is coming from without taking up the carpet and drilling a hole in the floor. It is right in the middle of the bathroom floor, and on the outside of the wet area…it is completely dry, like the water is spraying upwards under the floor. do you have any ideas? We thought it maybe coming from the toilet, but it is not wet from the toilet to the spot that is. we have changed the gasket on the toilet and the floor is still getting wet.
Is the bathroom ceiling and roof vent and fan and directly above the white spot? If so the water may be coming from above.
it is, but that doesn’t leak. we also thought that when we first discovered the wet floor
Are you 100% certain? Have you placed a large Pan under the ceiling vent during a rainstorm ? Just checking because the next step may very well be tearing the floor apart .
yes, we are absolutely certain…it poured saturday night and the vent was not leaking
we have tried looking for a diagram of some sort to see what is under the floor, but haven’t found a thing
we are baffled by the whole thing
thank you Curtis
It is unlikely you could find a manual or diagram that would be of any help . RV manufactures do not bother With such helpful items .
The only choice I can think of then is to attack the problem from either underneath Or from the top depending on which is easier .You can’t tell anything until you can see it .
i am afraid we may have to do that…the gas tank is under that floor. we have gone under and nothing is wet down below