Help! What damage did I do to my 2017 Imagine 2800BH???

[el Rojo]

Welcome Susie!

First off I would call Grand Design Customer Service with your VIN and have them put it in your name on their system, then any recalls that affect that trailer will be sent to you. If you were to ask nicely they may send you another set of manuals.

Red

[Chewwi]

Regrettably, I did not test the systems. Lesson learned. In August, there was an onslaught of people wanting RVs for their family vacations, away, hopefully, from people who could expose them to the Coronavirus. It was almost to the point that whoever got there first with the money won. I was given a very informative tour when I picked it up.

The trailer was set up on property outside of Johnson City, Texas which was where the owner’s sister lives on the Pedernales River. A hose was hooked up to it and I doubt it was set to put water in the fresh water tank. The owner was living in it part time. At any rate, there were no visible signs of water damage inside.

After watching some videos about finding water leaks on a Grand Design RV, it looks like the first thing that has to happen is to remove the underbelly to expose all of the pipes and tanks.

Your post did not say where you hooked up the water, so I’m assuming you hooked up to the utility connection in the pass thru storage area. From the described location (under the drawer under the oven) the water leak is likely coming from the fresh water pump and/or winterization connection. The owners manual will tell you how to access this area.

[eodenc]

Tank damage would leak down, not up into the trailer. My guess is it would need to be a busted hose of some sort and most hoses are under the unit until they come up through the floor at the sinks. toilet, and shower. Your sink is close to the oven.
That is where I would look first before you start dropping the bottom. You might see signs of water there or you can test it by hooking it up briefly and having a look.

As far as AC maybe try it again in better weather and check all breakers. Good luck.

[Zymurgist]

Hello all,

I posted this under the top level "General Discussion" and it was recommended that I post it here.

This is my third trailer but I haven't had one for 7 years. I bought a 2017 Imagine 2800BH in August from a gal outside of Austin, Texas. I live in Houston and wasn't able to pick it up until mid-September because of hurricanes and family vacations already scheduled.

After getting everything set up properly on my truck, I finally took the trailer out for its first trip this past week on Wednesday, December 30, 2020. I went to Quintana Park in Brazoria County, Texas. It was tricky driving because of strong wind gusts coming from an incoming storm which was making landfall right near Quintana. Just my luck. So, I get down there and it's raining cats and dogs. I got the trailer plugged in but didn't get the the water hooked up. I didn't get a manual with the trailer so I was quite unfamiliar with how the water hookup worked in this GD setup.

Day 2 brought more gale force winds, heavy rain and a tornado watch. I was stuck in the trailer watching the storm roll in over the beach. During a break in the rain, I went out and hooked up the water. Turned it on and when I walked back inside the trailer and I saw water gently flowing from under the drawer under the oven. Ran back outside and turned off the water, mopped it all up and decided to go home. I immediately thought I must have hooked up to the fresh water tank by mistake, which isn't what I had planned to do. I wanted the direct line to the trailer and not the fresh water tank.

The water coming in is probably a complicated matter. After having had a few days to think back on things, I think I could have possibly caused it. When trying to enter the storage facility in Houston one day, I ran over a curb and might have even hit a large boulder they have on this small peninsula at the entrance. I damaged the rear stairs and had the stair repaired. Did I somehow damage the fresh water tank to cause water to flow inside the trailer? Or, did I damage something else under there to cause this water?

Thanks in advance for any tips you can give me! They are very much appreciated!

Susie M.
Houston, TX

I owned a 2018 2800bh. The water pump was located in the area you described. The bottom drawer, when removed, will give you access to the pump. The hose and valve for winterizing the camper is connected to the pump. There should be a cap on that hose and the valve should be positioned to stop flow into this hose. Maybe the cap was left off and the valve isn't closed properly.

[ckreef]

Yes remove that bottom drawer. With the drawer removed and shinning a flashlight in there have someone quickly turn on the water so you can see where the leak is coming from.

In case you don't know - to remove the drawer - pull the drawer as far out as it will go. On each side of the drawer in the tracks is a small black plastic lever. The lever on one side gets pulled up, the lever on the other side gets pushed down. While holding those up and down the drawer will release and can then be pulled off the tracks.

[ckreef]

If you find that the water pump was left in winterization mode chances are your water heater bypass valves were left in winterization mode. Those valves need to be set for normal use in order to get hot water. Download your manual to read about that.

On my 2020 Imagine there is a winterization sticker located on the inside of the door below the kitchen sink. See if you have that sticker it will explain a lot about all this.

[josh20]

The water under the stove is most likely from the pump, which is mounted behind the drawer. Remove the drawer and see if the plug has be installed/tightened in the winterizing hose. Also turn the 3 way valve from winterizing to operational. Even with the 20 manuals, it might be hard to find this. For the AC, check a few things. 1st is the breaker at the pole on or tripped? 2nd ensure the cord is connected well, mine has to be twisted in on the trailers side. 3rd check the breaker box, it might have all or some of the breakers off.
The water alignment and breakers can be in all kinds of positions at the dealer. Good luck, keep us posted. Oh after you get the water on, open the hot water heater door outside and make sure they installed the drain plug and then (if your's is like mine) open the drawer in the bathroom and behind and below is the hotwater heater, make sure it valved in, that is hot and cold open and the bypass closed.

[metalvelo]

I have a 2017 2800BH. Like others have said, pull out the bottom (and middle if you want more room) drawers that are to the left of the oven. The water pump is back there. There are no water lines underneath the oven. Make sure everything is dialed there. There should be a picture with examples on that cabinet door. I’d also double check your water heater and make sure those valves are in the correct position just to be safe. That is accessed from the outside “kitchen”. Open that up and on the left (towards rear of trailer) there should be a couple of black screws. Undo those and pull that panel off. It’s a pain in the butt. I actually added a small drawer knob on that panel to make pulling it out of their easier when I need to switch the valves around to winterize. Good luck. We bought ours new in Aug of 2016. Been a great trailer.

[bthfsu]

Hi Susie,
I have the same year/make/model trailer. Given the location of the water leak, I would check the fittings on the water pump. You can gain easy access if you open cabinet to the left of the stove and get down and look under the third drawer. Was the water pump switch (by door) in the on position when hooked up to the city water? Maybe Supply line pressure + water pump pressure = loosened/leaking water pump line fitting and thus the source of leak? I assume the toggle between city and fresh was in the proper position underneath the front end, drivers side, but shouldn't matter even if accidentally in the wrong position as fresh water tank has a overflow prevention hose just in front of the passenger side axels that will begin to drain... if it doesn't drain automatically when full, maybe a clog could back it up, but I'm not sure...without testing it. Last question, did you have a pressure regulator on the line? Could be pressure was high from the supply you hooked up to and just popped the line at the water pump. In either case, you should be able to rule these out on your own and possibly repair (by careful examination of water pump/fittings and maybe help of a friend) before you remove underbody...good luck!

[Rhertzy]

On the water issue - is it possible that the winterization valve was left open? If so, I think it would likely be the problem - especially if it was leaking under your base cabinets.