Texas freeze/water leak

[Kgeb]

Well, never needed to winterize here but this years cold and long freeze has us looking for leaks. Before calling someone we like to have an idea as to where the leak might be.  Here is what we have found.

1.  Cracked water pump strainer...replaced         2.  Sureflo accumulator leaks when pump turned on....                                                       3.  Water runs from blue tube to the ground....

Not sure what else I should check.  Had a heater running inside but at some point the GFI tripped and I am not sure how long.

What do I do now?                                         Any recommendations?

Thanks

 

Edited March 2, 2021 by Kgeb
More info

[BackofBeyond]

Wow, sorry for your problems. It stinks for sure. 

Were it me - I would repair what I know to be an issue, pressurize the system, and keep looking for water. Under pressure the leaks should be more evident. However, if any of the drain pipes cracked, that may be harder to detect.. 

Process of elimination, no easy answer it seems.

Good luck.

RB

I would wager the two inlet connection port are history. 😬

Edited March 2, 2021 by BackofBeyond
correction

[Landrover]

2 minutes ago, BackofBeyond said:

Wow, sorry for your problems. It stinks for sure. 

Were it me - I would repair what I know to be an issue, pressurize the system, and keep looking for water. Under pressure the leaks should be more evident. However, if any of the drain pipes cracked, that may be harder to detect.. 

Process of elimination, no easy answer it seems.

Good luck.

RB

Ditto to BackofBeyond 

just stated typing the same.   Have a two person check one to check all the areas. And one to shut off the water supply quickly. Good luck.

 

[Frank C]

Sorry to hear about the damage.   With a freeze like that, any rigid plastic or metal connections, fittings & fixtures are at risk.  The PEX tubing itself usually can withstand a bit of expansion from the freezing water, but any connections at either end can be damaged.   You may want to remove the recessed towel holder on the front of the bathroom vanity to check any of those hoses and faucet connections.  As BoB said, it’ll be a process of elimination with all the faucets, fixtures and connections,  inside and outside the trailer, especially the outside shower faucet and outside water connections.  A pain in the a**, but the nice thing about the Oliver is that a water leak won’t cause any structural damage like the SOB trailers with wooden subfloors and framing.   If you do have a leak you will see water dripping out of the little chrome scuppers on the underside of the hull at the front and back.  

Edited March 2, 2021 by FrankC

[John E Davies]

I am sorry,  I have to completely disagree with everybody else! After a hard freeze with multiple failures, get the water out first thing! Drain the tanks and lines. Open all the faucets (and toilet flush) at once and blow out the system completely (all four ports) with compressed air set at 20 psi, then after you start to see air at the faucets, gradually increasing to no more than 60 psi.

Blow out adapter

Starting at a low pressure with all the faucets turned on means you won’t be blasting a lot of water underneath the floor.... Then you can close the taps and start looking for air leakage using soapy water from a spray bottle. Bigger leaks like a ruptured check valve, elbow or flex hose will be audible (hissing or roaring) or you may even be able to feel the leak with your hand. Once you have found and repaired ALL the big leaks, you can connect to your water source and pressurize the lines without worrying about a flood. You really do NOT want to spray a jet of water onto any 120 volt AC equipment,  that could blow breakers or electrocute you, so do NOT connect to shore power or turn on the inverter. For an LE2, the rear street side plumbing (shower and ports) and the area around the hot water tank, are the risky spots, they are so very close to the 120 VAC wires.

Once you have fixed the big ones you will notice your compressor does not cycle constantly, indicating that it is safe to fill the system with water. Scott blue paper towels are really useful for spotting VERY small water seeps. Unlike a regular one, a blue piece folded and placed under a suspected leak shows it by turning dark blue, it is very obvious.

FYI, read this, essentially you are doing the same thing, and you could actually use a leak down gauge set to do the troubleshooting, if you have access to one.

Compression Testing vs Leak-Down Testing ..... 

https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Cylinder-Detector-Engine-Compression/dp/B079P6JJSQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?dchild=1&keywords=leak+down+tester+gauge&qid=1614696102&sr=8-12

Good luck, take pics and please post a follow up thread about your experience. I really hope none of your water tanks are cracked.... that would mean a factory repair. 😢

John Davies

Spokane WA

Edited March 2, 2021 by John E Davies