Water dripping out of underbelly material

**callagp7552** · 09-02-2023, 10:33 AM

This happened to me one other time and I chalked it up driving in the rain. This time we had returned from a trip to the Smokeys where we saw rain everyday and drove through it on the way home. I had to park the RV in the middle of our driveway so I could get the awning and slide opened up to clean and let it dry. Fast forward 2 weeks and I finally decide to move it back to the side so we can get cars in the driveway again. Our driveway is not level so when I lowered down the jack to hitch up some water ran out from the underbelly. When I say some I don't mean a couple drops it was enough it started running down the driveway. I again waffled if it was rain but figured I better not continue to dismiss it.

I spent this morning lowering the underbelly and on more than one occasion water ran out as I'd get a few feet loosed up and it would dangle towards the ground. Of course the entire time I'm questioning where the water could be coming from. Our first campground in the Smokey's didn't have water so we were on pump and I never heard the pump running when we weren't using water. We travel with water as we boondock during these longer trips so I though maybe the tank cracked but then though, I would have noticed our gauge going down. Our second site had onsite water so we were hooked into that but were also on a paved site and I would have noticed water dripping out from the belly which I didn't.

I get most of the underbelly dropped and the foil side is very dusty and has no apparent signs of water. I fill the fresh tank, hook up to city water, test the black tank flush, and in a bit I'll switch off city and turn on the pump but so far everything is dry. I'm back to thinking it's from driving through the rain or maybe some condensation but again with the cobwebs and dust that are under there I'd think there would be some evidence of water running onto the underbelly.

Wondering if anyone else has run into this or has any other thoughts on potential leaks that aren't apparent when it's sitting still?

Hope everyone is having a great Labor Day weekend!

**Wileykid** · 09-03-2023, 05:36 AM

With a couple of recent issue's, I needed to jack my trailer up on one side, and some water ran out from the underbelly. First time I noticed it, and it had been about three weeks since I have driven the trailer in rain. I talked to several other people on this, and they have said that unless it is a great amount, most likely it is like you said, water retained from the rain. I does make sense, as even after a number of weeks, I can lower my rear toy hauler door, and water runs out of it. Considered normal, although there is a thread on modifying the door to mitigate it.

**spud57** · 09-05-2023, 06:50 AM

Yes, had the same thing happen. Drove an hour thru torrential rain, stopped at a mall for a bit, the trailer was parked on an angle. Noticed a small amount of water dripped from around my low drain points next to the wheels. Didn't last long and has never happened since.

**Conner58** · 09-05-2023, 08:04 AM

Originally Posted by spud57

Yes, had the same thing happen. Drove an hour thru torrential rain, stopped at a mall for a bit, the trailer was parked on an angle. Noticed a small amount of water dripped from around my low drain points next to the wheels. Didn't last long and has never happened since.

Same thing here .

**trailrydr** · 09-05-2023, 10:16 AM

We typically camp for a month at a time at certain campsite while we tour a state or place of intetest. At our last campsite after 2 weeks of usage and our second monthly trip this year, noticed water slowly dripping from a low area of the coroplast.

The year before we had just replaced a grey tank valve that broke. So I dropped the coroplast and a gallon of water plus ran out. With everything exposed had the DW run several gallons of water into each tank one at a time. Didnt notice any leaks. Then had her open/close each valve and watched for leaks. As it turned out, when she operated the same grey tank valve that was replaced last year, it started to slowly leak around the PVC pipe inserted into the tank openning. So I tightened the clamp around it and it continued to leak more. Found that the pipe had cracked inside the tank openning and the plumbers putty placed on the pipe at the factory before clamping was partialy still working to hold back a larger leak. Removed the valve and placed a 3" rubber plumber coupler over the tank oppening and a new Valtera valve body half that I had extra from a new valve for just such occassions (highly recommend having one onhand BTW). Fixed leak.

Was it cracked during installation and just failed over time, or, happened from failed valve from year before? Who knows.... all the other tank inserted fittings had putty around them too - my guess, a installation procedure to ensure no leaks around the fitted clamped PVC after delivery..

Might check for leaks around inside tank openning to PVC as well. Ours only leaked slowly when full with stress on it, and just barely thru plumbers putty placed on by OEM GD install.

Note: After 4yrs of ownership of our RV since new, (and other trailers for that matter) never had a "rain splash" intrusion leak like that ever. Hard to see how a large amount of water can collect there, not be noticeable before to an experienced eye, and still there dripping after aeveral days if it was a "rain splash" leak problem.