What did I do? Convenience center/water issue

[Travelin’ Gran]

Hi!
Just had a bunch of company sharing our 3150RL 2010 over the weekend and thought I’d save my DH the task of cleaning the black tank. I let it go( we are hooked up in a full service site) pushed the valve back in and then pulled the grey- then pushed that valve back in. For good measure, I thought I would use the “no fuss flush” to be sure it was all tidy. I pulled the black tank valve again, hooked up water to what I thought was the flush, and turned on the water. Nothing seemed to be happening as I was checking the black drain hose. I turned the water off- only to find it was now dripping in the giant basement and the floor by the shower, fridge and steps was all wet. Grateful for heat to dry it all out, but did I damage something? Is there somewhere I can check? I can’t find anything online or in our manual, and I’d like it all done before DH gets home late tonight so it’s not more work for him! Thanks in advance for the help!! I was using the third connection from the top- under the sewer flush label.

[Montana Man]

One possibility is the anti siphon valve leaking. It prevents water from the black tank rinse line from going back into the water supply. It is often located up high under the bathroom sink. They often fail or stick in the wrong position. Look under the sink and see if something looks like a valve at the end of two hoses.

[Travelin’ Gran]

Originally Posted by Montana Man

One possibility is the anti siphon valve leaking. It prevents water from the black tank rinse line from going back into the water supply. It is often located up high under the bathroom sink. They often fail or stick in the wrong position. Look under the sink and see if something looks like a valve at the end of two hoses.

I can’t get under our sink properly. They’ve stapled a panel in under the lower shelves. I unscrewed everything and it won’t budge, but I follow the line from the water line in the basement to an area between the shower and the refrigerator where the sliding divider pocket door is located so I think the valve is still the right idea.

[Theunz]

Check your tank level lights to see if the black tank shows full. It’s possible that when you reopened the black tank the cable disconnected from the valve and didn’t open. If that happened and you left the water on long enough you may have overfilled the black tank and it backed up into the toilet and overflowed. Hope not.

Take the time you have left before your husband returns to run as far as you can

[Travelin’ Gran]

No black water- everything smells fine and it didn’t overflow the toilet- just water under shower running down to refrigerator. Did I have the right inlet? I’m very confused now. Good chance to empty and wash out the basement

[beeje]

Your black tank anti siphon valve is leaking. Get rid of it ASAP.
That the panel off behind the connivance center. Follow the flush line going up into a wall. Find the other line that goes down to the tank. Cut both in such a way that they can be connected together. Use sharkbite fittings.
Just leave the dead valve in the wall.

[Travelin’ Gran]

Originally Posted by beeje

Your black tank anti siphon valve is leaking. Get rid of it ASAP.
That the panel off behind the connivance center. Follow the flush line going up into a wall. Find the other line that goes down to the tank. Cut both in such a way that they can be connected together. Use sharkbite fittings.
Just leave the dead valve in the wall.

Ridding myself of the check valve sounds really practical. I would just need a dedicated hose for the flushing.
When I opened the water area in the basement there were a lot of lines! I should have taken a picture when I had it open! There were 2 lines that looked like hose rather than water lines. Would the hose-type be the check valve lines? I wish these things came with diagrams!

[beeje]

No the braided white looking hose does not go to the flush valve.. one of those probably goes from the pump to the tank the other one from the pump into the water piping system.

The water lines to the valve and all of the plumbing fixtures should be PEX like a hard plastic. Yours may be all the same color like a translucent white. Like I stated earlier the newer ones have three different colors. Red is hot water blue is cold water white for that check valve.

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by Travelin’ Gran

Ridding myself of the check valve sounds really practical. I would just need a dedicated hose for the flushing.
When I opened the water area in the basement there were a lot of lines! I should have taken a picture when I had it open! There were 2 lines that looked like hose rather than water lines. Would the hose-type be the check valve lines? I wish these things came with diagrams!

If you can see in the basement the area under the wall between the shower and the fridge, you will probably see 4 water lines going up thru the floor. Those would be two for the shower (hot and cold, probably red and blue) and two for the anti siphon valve (probably white). Cutting the two lines for the siphon valve and splicing them back together would eliminate the anti siphon valve. And then you can use an external anti siphon valve as many of us do.

For fresh water, the white hose should be connected to the middle connection, the city water connection. And the winterize switch should be in the OFF position. The Freezegard Winterizing System connection is used to pump RV antifreeze thru the water pipes. Not real sure how you are getting proper fresh water flow as you are currently connected.

They could have put those tags a little closer to the connections to make it more clear on which was which.

[mlh]

The anti siphon valve got you. Take it out and deposit it in the nearest trash can. They are total junk and not needed. There are two kinds of them, ones that have leaked and ones that are going to.
Lynwood

[rohrmann]

The black tank flush system back flow preventer/air gap valve, if not under the bath sink could be in the wall behind where the water lines of the shower are located. Access to the valve might require accessing through the back of a cabinet. Also, why is the white hose connected to the winterizing inlet?? The photo shows where our valve is located, in the space where the pocket door is between the bath area and the kitchen area. I would have to create an access hole in the back of the pantry cabinet to get to the valve, but so far after eight years of weekly use of the valve it is still working quite well with no leaks. Also, the valve will be located, wherever it is, above the level of the rim of the toilet bowl, which is the highest point that black water could siphon from in these rigs, and that is why they are installed in these rigs.

[beeje]

On the 3150rl model they have the backside of that shower is the refrigerator there is no access to that valve if that's where it's at. That's why I suggested cutting the pipes in the basement and plumbing them together.

I'll be able to tell you for sure cuz my buddy just bought the same exact year make and model and will be removing his once I find it

[BB_TX]

I am also with the black tank flush anti siphon valve group. Mine was in the wall between my shower and the entry closet, in the wall where my pocket door is. Water flowed out of wall and down the steps. Yours is probably in the wall between your shower and your fridge, where your pocket door is.

I removed my valve and plumbed the lines together. But access to mine as fairly easy thru the back of the entry closet. You would probably have to remove the fridge to access yours. I would do as beeje said.

But in your picture, why do you have a hose to your freezegard connection?

[Travelin’ Gran]

Originally Posted by BB_TX

I am also with the black tank flush anti siphon valve group. Mine was in the wall between my shower and the entry closet, in the wall where my pocket door is. Water flowed out of wall and down the steps. Yours is probably in the wall between your shower and your fridge, where your pocket door is.

I removed my valve and plumbed the lines together. But access to mine as fairly easy thru the back of the entry closet. You would probably have to remove the fridge to access yours. I would do as beeje said.

But in your picture, why do you have a hose to your freezegard connection?

I think you are right.
As to the connection showing in the photo- , this is where DH has our campsite water going in. I think it’s where he was told to put it when we bought the trailer 2nd hand.

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by Travelin’ Gran

I think you are right.
As to the connection showing in the photo- , this is where DH has our campsite water going in. I think it’s where he was told to put it when we bought the trailer 2nd hand.

Do you run the water pump to get water pressure? Or do you get pressure without the pump? Just can’t visualize how you could get proper water pressure connected as you are without running the water pump.

[Travelin’ Gran]

Originally Posted by BB_TX

Do you run the water pump to get water pressure? Or do you get pressure without the pump? Just can’t visualize how you could get proper water pressure connected as you are without running the water pump.

Well, as someone pointed out, the winterizing port is on fill., so we are getting water pushed through, even without the pump on. Not the best pressure! I believe DH was told the city connection was just another option for filling the water tank, not the connection to use for parked connection. I found the valve behind the pocket door, between the fridge and shower. I believe at this point I will share with DH all the great information everyone has shared with me as he usually deals with the hook ups and see which option he prefers: leave the flush alone, repair with shark bite and external check valve of some type, or replace actual valve. I wondered if the valve might be accessible via one of the outside panels?

[CruzinMooses]

If the picture is how you had your hose hooked up I can see the problem... The hose is hooked into the SUCTION port of the water pump that is meant for sucking antifreeze into the water pump for winterizing the water system. If that is where you had the hose hooked you PRESSURIZED the input to the waterpump which I would be willing to bet you blew of the line going INTO the water pump which would flood the basement and come out over by the steps also...

[sourdough]

Yeah, I'm thinking those hookups aren't right if what I'm seeing is....what I'm seeing.

[beeje]

Originally Posted by CruzinMooses

If the picture is how you had your hose hooked up I can see the problem... The hose is hooked into the SUCTION port of the water pump that is meant for sucking antifreeze into the water pump for winterizing the water system. If that is where you had the hose hooked you PRESSURIZED the input to the waterpump which I would be willing to bet you blew of the line going INTO the water pump which would flood the basement and come out over by the steps also...

Yeah I just looked at the picture I agree let's definitely hooked up to the winterizing port. Don't know what water pressure would really do there. At any rate I would still get rid of that valve

[BB_TX]

She did say it occurred after she connected to the bottom connection, the flush connection. So I don’t think the hose to the freezegard connection is the cause of the leak.