Water leaking from under belly

[Gstepp22]

I'm thinking I have a pipe leak. Brought my reflection fifth wheel home after a long weekend. I left it parked on the road overnight hooked up until after work today, when I went out to back it into the driveway. I noticed a trail of water. It didn't smell or anything and seemed fresh. This leads me to believe it might be a pipe and not from a tank. I emptied the tanks before I left the campground. I noticed it coming from around the red and blue plumbing drain pipes from up around the black belly cover. I stuck my finger up around and it felt wet. So, how hard is it to drop the under cover to see where it is leaking? Is it something a handy person can do or a dealer service item? Is their any chance this could of been rain water trapped under the belly cover somehow? Maybe not a leak?

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[Houndbb]

I'm thinking I have a pipe leak. Brought my reflection fifth wheel home after a long weekend. I left it parked on the road overnight hooked up until after work today, when I went out to back it into the driveway. I noticed a trail of water. It didn't smell or anything and seemed fresh. This leads me to believe it might be a pipe and not from a tank. I emptied the tanks before I left the campground. I noticed it coming from around the red and blue plumbing drain pipes from up around the black belly cover. I stuck my finger up around and it felt wet. So, how hard is it to drop the under cover to see where it is leaking? Is it something a handy person can do or a dealer service item? Is their any chance this could of been rain water trapped under the belly cover somehow? Maybe not a leak?

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Wow! They really trashed the coroplast during the build! As if they applied it and then had to find the low point drains to drop them down. Those holes should have been filled with expanding foam also. So, yes, it’s possible road spray flew up there. But you don’t know for sure, do you? You can check for leaks in the supply and drain systems. One way to know about the supply is to put some water in your fresh tank and listen for the pump to kick in/water dripping from the hole without using the faucets or toilet. If all is silent for a day, it’s a good bet your supply lines aren’t leaking. For the drains, check under the sinks and shower for signs of leaks (wet/water marks). Check all your belongings stored below drains (they won’t have dried so quickly-especially the terry cloth or sponges). If, after a week or so, you’re still dry, you can probably close up that gaping hole. If you’re still not confident, you can drop just the back end of the coroplast to check further. Folks who’ve done so have posted threads here on how to attach it back (some with pictures) so search here if you decide you must drop the back.

On second scrutiny of your pics, you might want to take a few screws out and shine a light under there anyway. The leaf debris might have splashed up while driving, but you also might have had a critter or two looking for shelter. Sorry to “pile on”.

[Gstepp22]

Well thanks for the feedback. Actually I should of mentioned that the expanding foam had more or less fallen down around the drain pipes and was loose from the coroplast. So I ripped it off. I will start some troubleshooting for this and see if I can find anything as far as a leak.

Another thing I thought of overnight was that I did a different routine to flush the black tank. I usually use the black tank flush, but this time out I also used the flush on the rhino elbow where the sewer hose hooks up. Could be that I flushed it with the gate valves open to all three tanks. Is their an air vent that maybe had water shoot out and collect on top of the coroplast? Anyway just more thoughts. Won't know for sure until I test a little.

Hope I don't have a critter!

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[Canyonlight]

Removing the basement wall panels to conduct some inspection of the water lines, water panel, plumbing pipes, water heater, water pump, and the basement area in general would be a thing to consider as well. If you find something it can be addressed and if nothing is found, then these several areas can be eliminated before dropping the coroplast to do further inspection.

Your comment about "dual" flushing and if this is the first time with a leak would seem to point to the event maybe causing the issue. All the tanks are connected to a common vent pipe that runs up and out the roof (for most if not all GDRVs I suspect.) Possilbly the vent pipe was leaking somewhere and/or the tank plumbing leaking which may have to be found dropping the coroplast if not seen in the basement area.

Dan

[boyscout]

@Gstepp22 one *small* possibility is that in your "dual flush" process you got some pressure going back up the black flush system, in which case it could be possible to have water coming out of the vacuum break valve in the black flush system.

It's not very likely, but possible. To check for this follow the black flush supply line (which will probably be black-colored soft hose) from the supply inlet. In GD fifth wheel trailers it usually travels high up behind the shower wall with a vacuum break valve at the top, and then comes back down to the nozzle on the black tank. Water on the basement floor beneath that black hose (and near your furnace and water heater!) would point to this issue. In that case you would only have a repair task if the valve was jammed or broken. Running water through the black flush system while you listen for normal operation and watch that area would answer this quickly.

FWIW I wouldn't do both those flushes at the same time. There some small risks (you may have "discovered" one of those) and the risk of rupturing the black tank during an inattentive brain fart is increased with all that water surging into the tank.

Good luck figuring it out.

[Gstepp22]

Ok sorry my mistake in my communication. I meant to say I did both a black tank flush using the onboard feature and then switched the hose to the elbow and used that flush separately. Not both at the same time.
Thanks for the feedback. You could be right regardless of the flush being separate. The pressure going into the black tank was what probably did it from the rhino elbow flush. It was powerful.

This all sounds like it is getting complicated and I am going to have a professional take a look. I will update later

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[Gstepp22]

Well this is a disappointment. I was not able to make a service appointment at my local grand design dealer service center. I have gone there for 10 years now and they have a new policy that they will not do any grand design warranty service work unless you purchased the trailer from them. They actually hung up on me when they realized I did not buy it from them. That just seems wrong. I understand that service places are overwhelmed, but I have been a customer for 10 years. I brought my pop up and other campers there for years. They just lost all my business forever. Don't do business with Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD.

So now I have to find a new service center. I really can't drive 3+ hours to the RV center that I purchased it from, so I am looking for a new local RV service center. Anyone have a good recommendation or referral? VA, MD, WV area.

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[powerscol]

Well this is a disappointment. I was not able to make a service appointment at my local grand design dealer service center. I have gone there for 10 years now and they have a new policy that they will not do any grand design warranty service work unless you purchased the trailer from them. They actually hung up on me when they realized I did not buy it from them. That just seems wrong. I understand that service places are overwhelmed, but I have been a customer for 10 years. I brought my pop up and other campers there for years. They just lost all my business forever. Don't do business with Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD.

So now I have to find a new service center. I really can't drive 3+ hours to the RV center that I purchased it from, so I am looking for a new local RV service center. Anyone have a good recommendation or referral? VA, MD, WV area.

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Contact GD customer service. They may authorize a mobile person for you.

[Ynot4me2]

Well this is a disappointment. I was not able to make a service appointment at my local grand design dealer service center. I have gone there for 10 years now and they have a new policy that they will not do any grand design warranty service work unless you purchased the trailer from them. They actually hung up on me when they realized I did not buy it from them. That just seems wrong. I understand that service places are overwhelmed, but I have been a customer for 10 years. I brought my pop up and other campers there for years. They just lost all my business forever. Don't do business with Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD.

So now I have to find a new service center. I really can't drive 3+ hours to the RV center that I purchased it from, so I am looking for a new local RV service center. Anyone have a good recommendation or referral? VA, MD, WV area.

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That's really not right. I seem to be reading more and more comments like that lately.

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[boyscout]

Well this is a disappointment. I was not able to make a service appointment at my local grand design dealer service center. I have gone there for 10 years now and they have a new policy that they will not do any grand design warranty service work unless you purchased the trailer from them. They actually hung up on me when they realized I did not buy it from them. That just seems wrong. I understand that service places are overwhelmed, but I have been a customer for 10 years. I brought my pop up and other campers there for years. They just lost all my business forever. Don't do business with Beckley's RV in Thurmont, MD.

So now I have to find a new service center. I really can't drive 3+ hours to the RV center that I purchased it from, so I am looking for a new local RV service center. Anyone have a good recommendation or referral? VA, MD, WV area.

That's really not right. I seem to be reading more and more comments like that lately.

It's not right, but it's been a widespread problem for at least several years, long before the pandemic and this year's surge in RV sales made service availability even MORE of a problem than it already was. Even really major dealers with big service departments - such as the nation-wide General RV - won't help people who didn't buy their GD trailer from them.

Further, my own experience with dealer "service" was horrendous and many other people have reported horrific problems. Some here like to point out that it's mostly only the bad experiences get reported in a forum like this but man, there are a LOT of bad experiences.

So as @powerscol suggested call Grand Design, give them your VIN and let them know that your local dealer has refused to service your under-warranty trailer. Ask them to authorize a mobile technician. They won't pay the tech's service fee for just showing up, but they'll send parts to your location and reimburse you for the tech's labor to install them.

Good luck.