Shower Leak

[dloase]

Well we returned from our first real use of our 369RL. We came back with a short punch list of things that need to be correct. The most disturbing concern water leaks. Our dining room slide seems to be leaking but I couldn't find where the pesky water was intruding. Even more concerning was our shower. It appears that the faucet fixture is leaking, especially around the hot water side as well as the hose. The hose appears to be tight. Even more distrubing is the fact that after a shower there is water coming out from betweent the base of the shower unit and the floor. This could be either a drain leak issue, or related to the faucet issue, as the water leak appears to be coming from behind. When we hooked up to depart, there was a lot of water runnig out of the trailer. I have some concerns needless to say about the water leakage and the amount. I attached a phone here of the water running out, it is kind of hard to see, but this was the lowest point of the trailer at the time. It came out for a good 10-15 minutes, which to me is more than just runoff and condensation. We are heading back out again this weekend, but the trailer is scheduled for service on the 29th of the month. I am hopeful that the Customer Service and warrenty service are as good as they seem to be.

 

[luckeyd1]

With that much water leaking, I would cancel the next trip and wait till it is seen at the dealer for repair. It sounds like a loose connection somewhere, if you have pressurized water all the time, it could cause a lot of water to be leaked. From you statement of 10-15 minutes of water running out of low point on trailer, it seems like there was a lot of water somewhere. JMHO.

 

[GDRV Service]

Well we returned from our first real use of our 369RL. We came back with a short punch list of things that need to be correct. The most disturbing concern water leaks. Our dining room slide seems to be leaking but I couldn't find where the pesky water was intruding. Even more concerning was our shower. It appears that the faucet fixture is leaking, especially around the hot water side as well as the hose. The hose appears to be tight. Even more distrubing is the fact that after a shower there is water coming out from betweent the base of the shower unit and the floor. This could be either a drain leak issue, or related to the faucet issue, as the water leak appears to be coming from behind. When we hooked up to depart, there was a lot of water runnig out of the trailer. I have some concerns needless to say about the water leakage and the amount. I attached a phone here of the water running out, it is kind of hard to see, but this was the lowest point of the trailer at the time. It came out for a good 10-15 minutes, which to me is more than just runoff and condensation. We are heading back out again this weekend, but the trailer is scheduled for service on the 29th of the month. I am hopeful that the Customer Service and warrenty service are as good as they seem to be.

Hi David & Linda (@dloase)

Please contact our Customer Service team at (574) 825-9679 or send me a private message (PM) with your contact number so we can work directly with your dealer to resolve your concerns.

Best regards,
~ Janice

 

[dloase]

I spoke with Customer Service twice yesterday. Both gentlemen I spoke with were extremely helpful, and a new shower faucet is on it's way. With the system under pressure, but the shower not turned on there were no leaks evident. When the shower was turned on there was water coming from the fixture. I would attach pictures, but they haven't been transfered from my phone to my work computer yet.

Although hard to see, the second photo is of the back of the faucet with the system pressurized, and the shower turned on. The second photo is with the shower turned off, but the system still pressurized. As can be seen, there is water coming out from around the mounting nut, not the water lines themselves. This leads me to believe that there is an issue with the faucet unit and not a crack or break in water lines or connections themselves. As can be seen in both photos, there has been water leaking here as evidenced by the discoloration surrounding the connections.

Again, I can say enough good things about the Grand Design team and the support they give.

- David

 

[Kordog]

I took a shower Sat night, and I did not notice any water on the floor, but then Sun my wife took a shower, and there was water on the floor between the sink and the tub. We wiped it up and ran the shower some and it did not return, but I think I will keep my eye on that faucet and the drain in case we have an issue like yours.

 

[Lukeysh714]

Grand design, you're great. But you may want to increase QC on water leaks. Our 369RL had a leak on the water valve assembly on the Anderson valves.

 

[ebarchak]

I am having the very same issue and I suspect it has been happening since I picked up the unit. I bought unit in October 2015 and in June 2016 while on a trip I noticed the underbelly seemed to be sagging. I thought maybe it was because the tanks were full and thought nothing else of it. A couple of months later, I noticed the trim around the cabinet started to come loose and the woodgrain facing tape was peeling back. Not sign of a leak though and I thought maybe it was just moisture from the shower or someone got water on the floor. Next trip there was water seeping out from under the cabinet where the facing was peeling. This is the first time I ever saw water and knew there was a leak. I opened the main furnace return which is under the shower and found the hole in the floor where the water supply goes to the shower fixture as well as the back flow preventer. There was no sign of water, but when I put my fingers through the hole and touched the floor, water came rushing through the hole. It was just sitting up there pooling and seeping out onto the bathroom floor. I now know why the underbelly was sagging, the water was running down through the hole into the belly and soaking the insulation. I have it at the dealer now and the first thing they asked me was who winterized the unit? I did. How did you winterize it? RV antifreeze in the lines. What brand of antifreeze? I don't know. There is no way I winterized the unit wrong. I open the valves on the shower and let the antifreeze flow through the shower head. If they try to blame this on me, i am going to be really upset. From your pictures, it looks like the nuts could easily be loose of not properly tightened during assembly. there was not way for me to know there was an active leak since the water was not presenting itself until my until my unit was leaning a little to the opposite side and the water ran out onto the bathroom floor versus the underbelly. There is probably a good deal of damage done to places I can't even see. Insulation, tank heaters, decking...

 

[dloase]

Well that isn't good. My issue wasn't with improper winterization, but with a defective faucet unit itself. Once that was replaced I have no further issues with that particular issue. GD has stood behind their product every step of the way. If you have not talked to them then I highly recommend doing so. Pictures are always very helpful as it lets everyone involved see what your words are describing.

 

[ebarchak]

As an update to my post regarding the leak behind the shower. My dealer found a leak due to a loose connection behind the shower in the wall. They had to cut an access hole in the linen closet. They closed off the hole by installing another piece of paneling and it looks very good. They checked in the underbelly for water damage and their was none. They have ordered replacement trim pieces to repair the damage caused by the water. Very happy with the resolution on this issue!

 

[orbiker]

As an update to my post regarding the leak behind the shower. My dealer found a leak due to a loose connection behind the shower in the wall. They had to cut an access hole in the linen closet. They closed off the hole by installing another piece of paneling and it looks very good. They checked in the underbelly for water damage and their was none. They have ordered replacement trim pieces to repair the damage caused by the water. Very happy with the resolution on this issue!

How is it possible that there is no damage in the underbelly?
Didn't you say it was sagging and dripping from down there? The insulation must have gotten wet.

 

[luckyar1]

The water on the floor between the shower and sink is probably from the shower base not being caulked. We had that problem and had to caulk the entire base of the shower frame.


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[ebarchak]

Ok. Still leaking... I took the camper out for a day trip to check all systems before a trip this Saturday. Hooked up to city, water returned to the area where the water previously presented itself under the linen closet beside the shower. I had to press a towel up to the seam between the cabinet trim and the floor, but it would syphon out water from under the trim. I opened the access panel to expose the shower faucet connection in the wall space and everything was dry. I looked in the heater return vent and found a small amount of water dripping from the drain pipe for the shower. Did not use the shower yet on this trip. I returned home and hooked up to city water at the house. I cut an access hole though the bottom of the lower linen cabinet to see into the empty space behind where the water was coming out. There was no water in this empty cavity. So the water had to be coming from the gap in the wall where the shower supply passes through the floor to the shower faucet. I removed the wall in the garage to get a better view of the underside of the shower. I could not find any water, damp areas, or signs of previous water damage. This was good news, but did not help me figure out where the water was coming from.

I left the water to the trailer on all night and under pressure. Tonight I went back out to check for signs of moisture and there it was, seeping out from under the linen closet trim. I checked shower faucet fixture in the access panel again and it was bone dry. I looked through the access hole I cut last night and the saw dust from the cut was wet on the shower side. O took a picture down through the wall cavity and you can see the water pooling behind the linen closet trim.

I went back into the garage to find any signs of moisture and found nothing. I felt the supply lines for the shower passing through a hole in the floor up through the wall cavity between the linen closet and the shower. No moisture, but I did find out that the supply lines for the sink are tapped in just above the hole and run under the shower floor into the opposite wall cavity and to the sink faucet. I thought the leak must be coming from the line under the shower and flowing to the inside edge of the shower which is caulked from the outside and then running toward the linen closet where I saw the water pooling. The only other way water could get under there is the shower drain, but I did not use the shower at all.

Take a look at the pictures. First picture shows the inside bottom of the linen closet (empty space) prior to the water supply being turned on. Second picture shows the same view 24 hours later with the saw dust visibly wet. Third picture shows the view down into the wall cavity between the empty bottom of the linen cabinet in previous picture and the shower. You can clearly see the water collecting. The last picture is from my inspection scope inserted through the shower drain hole in the garage to view the space under the floor of the shower. You can see droplets of water on the flooring and this picture is directly under the supply lines running to the sink faucet. The picture is almost upside down. With the scope, I can also see the path of water running along the shower base to the linen closet where it is pooling and seeping under the trim.

This is a very small leak but it will continue to cause damage. I suspect one of the two lines running under the shower were either damaged during install by the tip of a screw, nail or staple or a coupling in not completely crimped. Either way the only way to get under the shower would be to cut an access through the master bedroom wall and I am not sure it could be repaired from there. This is probably going to be a big repair. Fortunately, the damage to this point is small and limited to the linen closet trim. I did verify the insulation in the underbelly is dry.

 

[ebarchak]

Found the leak! It was the sink faucet. I pulled the molding off the bedroom wall and there was an access hole for the sink faucet. The hot water fitting was dripping.

The water was dripping into the red PEX and following it under the shower.

https://vimeo.com/193128255




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