Where is this coming from? And is it a problem?

[John and Jodi]

We live in San Antonio and it hasn't rained for a month. The power is completely off and the trailer hasn't moved in a couple of weeks. Every time I visit the trailer, it has this fresh spot of liquid (appears to be water) under the right front of the trailer (see photo below).

The liquid seems to be coming from a drain (see photo below).

Does anyone have an idea of what this drain drains? And is this a problem?

 

[mossemi]

There is a weep/drain hole under that cover.  It and the others like it are located around the underside of the trailer.  It looks like your parking space is under cover, so it shouldn’t be weather related.  That mean’s there is probably a water leak inside.  Is the front curbside corner the lowest part of the trailer?  Is the water pump on?  How much water is in the black, grey and fresh water tanks?  Are you storing drinking water in bottles or jugs in the trailer.  I would start troubleshooting with a bucket under the weep hole to quantify the amount of water your a dealing with. Then I would look for moisture under the rubber mat in the closet.  I would also look under the kitchen drawers and bathroom vanity for signs of leakage from the faucets or drains.  Let us know if you find any sign of water.

Mossey

[johnwen]

Gosh, Mossey

I was going to respond with some ideas but you had them already listed plus several I didn't think of.  Glad you answered while was typing . Nice answer!

John

[Patriot]

@John and Jodi also consider checking ALL of your white compression fittings on the curb side under belly area where your waterlines lay in the belly of the Ollie floor. If one of these fittings are loose and they do loosen ask me how I know😅, just hand tighten only and recheck to see if you have any further leaks. A blue shop paper towel aid in showing you if any or which ones are leaking or even seeping. Try this using your pump and then try this with just your city water on.  
Any loose compression fitting can allow enough water to travel to that scupper if your Ollie is just slightly nose down. 
I find myself checking all of these fittings before and after long trips. After a good hand tightening I have not had any come loose. You can also install foam rubber pipe insulation to reduce the vibration between the plastic connectors and the Ollie interior shell. 
You many already know what a compression fitting looks like, incase you don’t here is a pic of a white compression fittings look like. Don’t over tighten these as there is a potential for it to break or split, it’s only plastic. A good gentle snug tightening has served me well. 

Hope this helps!

[John E Davies]

Your kind of leak is normally just a small nuisance. Be very thankful that you have an Ollie, because if it was a stick and staple brand, there might be wet wall insulation and mold/ dry rot to deal with. In an Ollie, you say, “Oh a water leak, I’ll fix it” and you go camping. In another brand it might be, “Oh a leak, my ceiling, wall and floor have to be replaced by the dealer, and they are backlogged three months!”

If you had a defective tank, that would be a pretty big deal, but they are designed to be removed from the back through the sewer opening, but this is highly unlikely. Roof leaks will usually travel down between the two hull parts and drain out the bottom, but since yours has been dry for a month, it is a plumbing related issue.

The only place you DO have to worry about with any Ollie is under the galley cabinets, if you get a sink faucet leak, it can eventually destroy the bottom plywood. So it is prudent to never let a leak go for very long without fixing it.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

4 hours ago, John and Jodi said:

 

FYI, don’t leave your Andersen chains and whaletail lying on the ground, eventually they will rust as the finish gets scratched up. Two short bungee cords, one hooked to the middle of each chain, and one hooked to the ends of the whaletail, will support them neatly off the ground. You can leave the middle one attached while towing. The front one can then be used to secure your wiring to keep it off the ground. This method protects your big investment and makes you look like a pro; the parts never touch the ground, unless you have to lower the tongue way past the normal position at a steep campsite.

The same applies to your three jacks, put a block of wood underneath each, or they will rust and leave nasty stains on the pavement. They are also more stable when they are not fully extended, and it reduces wear and tear on the motors and gears. And saves battery power.

How do you like your new trailer?

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[rideandfly]

John and Jodi,

Your leak could be one of the issues Mossey mentioned, nice reply. 👍 I see your Ollie is a 2022, so warranty covers many issues. 🙂

 We used to keep a gallon jug of distilled water for the Neti Pot in the front closet until the jug started leaking. 🙁

We had water coming out of the bottom rear with city water connected to Ollie and turned on. 🙁 Started searching and eventually found a hot water PEX T dripping below the hot water heater. Started researching on YouTube about PEX repairs and purchased a brass T with various brass fittings red & blue 1/2" PEX pipe to make the repairs. Also put together a PEX repair kit for future issues, it fits perfectly in a Pelican case I was not using.

Also purchased some Sharkbite fittings, straight, 90s, and Ts that don't require a crimping tool or crimp rings.

Like mentioned earlier in this thread, we're happy we have a fiberglass Ollie with minimal amount of wood.

Bill

2015 LE2 #75

[Townesw]

Read this

I thought I had a thread on the forum where I talked about my “fresh water tank overflow tube clamp being loose”  but I can’t find it. Anyway, if your fresh tank is full and your trailer is slightly nose down and the overflow tube clamp is loose you might be getting water out of that drain.

 

[John and Jodi]

Going to go explore the Ollie's "basement" today. I'll give an update on what I find, if anything. We've only used the Ollie for four nights total so far (2 nights in Hohenwald and 2 nights in Tyler State Park outside Tyler, TX). Both locations we used city water with a pressure reducer so I think my white water tank is still empty. Do I need to power up and pressurize the water system? I'm thinking the answer is "yes". I don't have water at my storage location. 

[Ollietime]

Good luck locating the source of the leak and please keep us posted.

[mossemi]

53 minutes ago, John and Jodi said:

Do I need to power up and pressurize the water system? I'm thinking the answer is "yes". I don't have water at my storage location. 

You may need to take water with you, maybe 5 gallon’s and use the rear winterizing port to get water into the fresh water tank.  And I forgot to mention a water leak hunting tool that @John E Davies shared in the past, blue paper shop towels.  They really highlight water drips.

Mossey

[Trainman]

I would first takeoff the cover under the bath sink and is if it is coming from that area since the leak is up front, The front closet is defiantly in the area and could be a problem, but, but you have to start somewhere and areas where water is being used is where I would start. Everyone hate's water leaks and I'm sure it can be upsetting. 

trainman

[John E Davies]

Testing the water system on a brand new trailer means using ALL of it, including your fresh tank and the water pump. And all the distribution valves under the curb side hatch. If you have never used it, how do you know it will work when you need it?

There will be some residual water in the tank from when it was installed, does your level gauge show any? 

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[John and Jodi]

The closet floor had water in it and the large black pipe was wet. What does the pipe in the closet do? There was nothing stored in the closet that was liquid. How do I look under the bathroom vanity? There's not an obvious cover to remove. Under the kitchen sink was dry.

[ScubaRx]

Take the covers off of the four screws that is holding the front insert onto the vanity. Remove the screws and cut the caulking from around the insert. Pull the insert from the hole being careful of the wire that is attached to the switch.

[Mike and Carol]

2 hours ago, John and Jodi said:

The closet floor had water in it and the large black pipe was wet. What does the pipe in the closet do? There was nothing stored in the closet that was liquid. How do I look under the bathroom vanity? There's not an obvious cover to remove. Under the kitchen sink was dry.

The big black pipe in the closet is the vent pipe.  It goes up through the roof and has a cover on it up on the roof.  It shouldn’t be wet, especially since we haven’t had any rain.  Like Steve explained, the front of the vanity comes off after removing the screws and cutting the caulking.  Not difficult to do and once done it’s easy to re-caulk.  Mike

[John E Davies]

Have you studyied the Plumbing section in your owners manual? It clearly shows all a the hot and cold lines and vents, and the shape of the tanks.

Knowing where all those parts are located is important, for one thing, it will help with tracing the origin of a leak like yours. Of course it also depends on whether your trailer s dead level or angled just a little. You need to search “uphill” in case the trailer has a slope to it in either axis.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Frank C]

12 minutes ago, John E Davies said:

Have you studying the Plumbing section in your owners manual? It clearly shows all a the hot and cold lines and vents, and the shape of the tanks.

Knowing where all those parts are located is important, for one thing, it will help with tracing the origin of a leak like yours. Of course it also depends on whether your trailer s dead level or angled just a little. You need to search “uphill” in case the trailer has a slope to it in either axis.

John Davies

Spokane WA

Does anyone’s Oliver actually have the gray tank drain located as shown on that schematic (red circle)?  Mine is located properly directly at the outlet of the gray tank (red arrow).  Having it located as shown on that Oliver schematic would let black water flow into the gray tank when the black tank drain valve is opened.  
 

[John and Jodi]

37 minutes ago, Mike and Carol said:

The big black pipe in the closet is the vent pipe.  It goes up through the roof and has a cover on it up on the roof.  It shouldn’t be wet, especially since we haven’t had any rain.

@Mike and Carol You're right that we haven't had any rain, but I did get my Ollie washed and ceramic coated. I never noticed the spot prior to that. I wasn't present for the work so I have no idea how the detailer washed and rinsed the trailer. If I follow this thread and assume that he was generous with the water, could the vent pipe have "filled up"? Where is the other end of the pipe connected to? If it did/does have water in it, how do I get it out? The other option is that the fluid somehow ran down the outside of the pipe and dripped into the closet.

@John E Davies Yes, I've studied the diagram and I can even pick out the pipe on the diagram, but it's not labeled as to its function, so I asked.

[SeaDawg]

4 hours ago, John and Jodi said:

The closet floor had water in it and the large black pipe was wet. What does the pipe in the closet do? There was nothing stored in the closet that was liquid. How do I look under the bathroom vanity? There's not an obvious cover to remove. Under the kitchen sink was dry.

Before you dig into the vanity,, If the black vent pipe in the closet is  is wet to the touch, you possibly have a sealing issue at the roof penetration. 

I'd take a hose to it, and see what happens.  Means cleaning up the closet area well first, and, maybe a second time as well. 

Side force strong  hoses act like wind driven rain. You may never have a problem again. Or, it could need resealing. Even a tiny air bubble in the caulk could break open under a powerful spray, and introduce some water, running down the side of the vent pipe. Imo. 

Good luck. It's aggravation,  but I'd start there, if it were me. Water driven into the vent pipe cover shouldn't give water on the outside of the pipe, imo. 

And, open a service ticket, please.

[John and Jodi]

So after troubleshooting most of the day, this is where I am:

1. Without opening the bathroom vanity, the liquid seems to be contained in the closet and then drained through the floor cover to the weep/drain hole.
2. We believe this is related to the wash/ceramic coating service that I had done recently because:
   1. The liquid feels "slick"
   2. Washing our hands after touching the liquid causes the water to bead up on our hands
   3. We never noticed a spot under the camper prior to the service
3. There do appear to be caulking issues both outside and inside (see photos below)
4. In spite of all of this, using our hose, we could not duplicate the issue
   1. We confirmed with our detailer that he did not use a pressure washer or any other high pressure device to wash or apply the coating
   2. We both "soaked" the roof next to the vent checking for seepage and also used the "jet" setting on the vent to try to generate some splash
   3. Additionally, when we returned home from Hohenwald, we drove through some hellacious t-storms and did not notice a leak
5. Next steps include:
   1. Calling Oliver and opening a service ticket
   2. Attempting to recaulk the exterior seam next to the vent
   3. Determining whether the interior seams need to be caulked: around the pipe; closet side wall to ceiling; closet front wall to ceiling; as well as the entire length of the closet front wall to side wall
   4. Monitoring for additional liquid in the closet. As @mossemi noted, our storage spot is under cover and it doesn't rain here a lot right now so we'll see.

Please let me know if you have any recommendations for type/brand of caulk to use.

Photo 1: exterior vent seam on roof

Photo2: light through hole in closet ceiling

Photo 3: interior caulking issues?

[Frank C]

21 minutes ago, John and Jodi said:

So after troubleshooting most of the day, this is where I am:

1. Without opening the bathroom vanity, the liquid seems to be contained in the closet and then drained through the floor cover to the weep/drain hole.
2. We believe this is related to the wash/ceramic coating service that I had done recently because:
   1. The liquid feels "slick"
   2. Washing our hands after touching the liquid causes the water to bead up on our hands
   3. We never noticed a spot under the camper prior to the service
3. There do appear to be caulking issues both outside and inside (see photos below)
4. In spite of all of this, using our hose, we could not duplicate the issue
   1. We confirmed with our detailer that he did not use a pressure washer or any other high pressure device to wash or apply the coating
   2. We both "soaked" the roof next to the vent checking for seepage and also used the "jet" setting on the vent to try to generate some splash
   3. Additionally, when we returned home from Hohenwald, we drove through some hellacious t-storms and did not notice a leak
5. Next steps include:
   1. Calling Oliver and opening a service ticket
   2. Attempting to recaulk the exterior seam next to the vent
   3. Determining whether the interior seams need to be caulked: around the pipe; closet side wall to ceiling; closet front wall to ceiling; as well as the entire length of the closet front wall to side wall
   4. Monitoring for additional liquid in the closet. As @mossemi noted, our storage spot is under cover and it doesn't rain here a lot right now so we'll see.

Please let me know if you have any recommendations for type/brand of caulk to use.

Photo 1: exterior vent seam on roof

Photo2: light through hole in closet ceiling

Photo 3: interior caulking issues?

I’d clean out the old caulk and recaulk the exterior vent flange/hull connection.  The interior joint where the black pipe goes through the interior hull should never see any water, since ideally you want all water being stopped OUTSIDE the exterior hull.  My roof vent has always had really heavy caulking around it.  Doesn’t look the greatest but it’s not something that noticeable since it’s on the roof, and it’s never leaked (knock on wood), (or is it “knock on fiberglass” for an Ollie?).  

[Ollietime]

You said the pipe was still wet when this thread was started, also your Ollie is under cover; how long ago was the ceramic job performed? Would the pipe have had time to dry prior to today?

[SeaDawg]

If you can see light in the inner hull seal, its an opportunity for a leak to run down that pipe? But, if water got into the interstitial space between the hulls, it has to go somewhere...

Unfortunately,  doesn't mean it's coming from the vent. Doesn't necessarily narrow it down, actually.  Could be coming from another roof penetration.  How is your trailer sitting? Nose down, or up? Level side to side? Do you leave the bath vent open while parked?

As a roofer friend said once, you have to think like a rain drop...

[John E Davies]

The screws should be sealed as well as the flange. That screw shows no sign of sealant around its head, water can and will go down around them. Oliver has been known to mess up here. I had to remove and reseal my roof vent because the installer did it wrong. Since you have NO idea what the actual condition of the sealant is, you should remove that vent entirely, clean off the old sealant underneath, and reinstall it properly. Or have Oliver do it for you under warranty.

FYI, lack of sealant shows as dirt on an older trailer. Water and dirt was traveling down those three screws and then into the ceiling below. Adding more sealant around the outside would have done nothing to correct the root cause.

John Davies

Spokane WA