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Old 12-05-2016, 07:54 PM   #1
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Wet Spot in carpet!!! How do I fix this.

I just bought a 1990 Fleetwood Flair class A 29 foot. In spite of the paint on the outside being a little beat up, it is very luxurious Motorhome. Everything works and it runs and drives great. (My mother and I (snowbirds) just arrived in Pahrump, Nevada for the winter.) But a noticeable wet spot appeared in the carpet just on top of the stair inside if the main entry door. Not sure if this because the floor seal on the toilet might be gone, or a leaking kitchen sink. The former owner told me the man they bought it from didn't winterize the water heater properly and the water heater tank is cracked so they put a bypass kit on it. Just to make it clear there are no leaks in the roof and the weather here is warm and sunny. Keeping an electric fan on the wet spot so it will not compromise structural integrity. I am usually very familiar with the plumbing systems in all the RV's I own but I haven't a clue what is actually making this carpet wet. Has anyone on this forum had this problem before. If so how did you fix


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Old 12-05-2016, 08:04 PM   #2
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Old 12-05-2016, 10:02 PM   #3
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It looks like your hot water heater is right by the door-I suggest you check it carefully. Some bypass kits use a check valve instead of a real valve, and they often leak.
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Old 12-05-2016, 10:07 PM   #4
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Since the floor is wet near the entry door I would suspect that the leak is somewhere in the sink area and not the toilet since I assume the toilet in near the rear of the coach.
You mentioned that the Hot Water tank is also a problem so check in that area as well. Check under the sink and check all exposed plumbing and water lines.
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Old 12-05-2016, 10:24 PM   #5
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It looks like your hot water heater is right by the door-I suggest you check it carefully. Some bypass kits use a check valve instead of a real valve, and they often leak.
I may be wrong but i believe the water heater is on the driver's side of the coach. Also and if i'm not mistaken, the kitchen sink and bath are also on the driver's side. If this is the case, are we absolutely sure water isn't coming in from the outside? I know the OP stated no rain or leaks in the roof but could it be something as simple as someone washing the coach and it leaking through the door seals? If not, then i'd guess the water is migrating over from the kitchen area.
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:53 AM   #6
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I was going from the posted pictures, and the grillwork right behind the door on the passenger side looks to me like it might be the hot water heater-but I could well be wrong. The first coach I had put the water heater under one seat of the dinette, so it didn't seem too unreasonable. Anyway, I do think he should check whatever is behind that grille since the wet spot is near there.
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Old 12-06-2016, 08:59 AM   #7
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Wet Spot in carpet!!! How do I fix this.

I would also like to know what's above the wet spot. Maybe the supply air duct/grill for the a/c unit. I have seen many evaporator that leak the condensate from the supply air.
The OP took a few pics but unfortunately none for the area in question. Just random pics.
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Old 12-06-2016, 09:06 AM   #8
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Open cabinets/compartments/drawers near the wet spot; under the fridge (which is right behind the entry door, right?), outside compartments, etc. Turn on the water pump (or hook to city water) and start looking for drips, seeps, wet water lines, etc while the system is under pressure. Could be a leaking joint, a split line, the cracked(?) water heater... If the water heater is near the wet spot, that is a good place to start since the previous owned stated that the tank was cracked. Remove the water heater drain plug and see if there is water in it; if so, then the bypass kit may be leaking back into the cracked tank.
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Old 12-09-2016, 08:58 PM   #9
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Wet Spot in carpet!!! How do I fix this.

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Originally Posted by Mudfrog View Post
I may be wrong but i believe the water heater is on the driver's side of the coach. Also and if i'm not mistaken, the kitchen sink and bath are also on the driver's side. If this is the case, are we absolutely sure water isn't coming in from the outside? I know the OP stated no rain or leaks in the roof but could it be something as simple as someone washing the coach and it leaking through the door seals? If not, then i'd guess the water is migrating over from the kitchen area.

I haven't washed the motor coach in over two weeks. I am a well seasoned enough RVier leaks coming in from the roof are usually obvious. There is no water damage that would suggest roof leaks. In fact my mother and I were camping out in it in a harsh snow storm and there was no leaks. Correct all plumbing is on the drivers side. I pulled the back plate off of the hot water heater compartment. I found the hot water was not bypassed at all. It was just disconnected and the hot water was shut off and the pipe was dripping water on the floor board. So could installing a bypass kit completely eliminate the wet carpet. I keep putting a fan on the wet carpet to dry it out. But the wetness always returns when I take the fan off the floor. There is no wet floor around the toilet, so I think the toilet is not leaking. Maybe I'll head to the RV superstore tomorrow to see if they have a bypass kit that will solve this problem.
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Old 12-09-2016, 09:11 PM   #10
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Glad to hear that you found the source of the water leak. Installing a bypass kit properly will work. Why not just cut out the faulty part where it is leaking and reconnect with new fittings. Unless you are going to install a new HWH in the future in which case the bypass kit will be necessary.
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Old 12-09-2016, 10:20 PM   #11
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I hope this does work. Since the wet spot on the carpet just seems to keep getting larger. I am going to shut off the water tonight while we sleep in hopes of speeding up the drying process. Since we are located right next to the public bathroom building. Since my furnace is working good now, I will let it aid in speeding up the drying process. I hope the plumbing to the holding tanks are not damaged, it wouldn't worth fixing and I would have to look at getting a new RV. So we'll keep our fingers crossed.
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Old 12-09-2016, 10:23 PM   #12
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I was going from the posted pictures, and the grillwork right behind the door on the passenger side looks to me like it might be the hot water heater-but I could well be wrong. The first coach I had put the water heater under one seat of the dinette, so it didn't seem too unreasonable. Anyway, I do think he should check whatever is behind that grille since the wet spot is near there.
Looking at the picture closely, it appears to be the refrigerator access panel that we are seeing by the door. Up top you can barely see the frig vent. I wonder if the refrigerator evaporator drain pan is leaking?
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Old 12-10-2016, 06:55 AM   #13
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I agree with Mudfrog in that this is the frig access door. By chance do you have an ice maker, perhaps it may be leaking when it turns on to fill the ice tray?
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Old 12-17-2016, 08:46 PM   #14
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Wet Spot in carpet!!! How do I fix this.

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I agree with Mudfrog in that this is the frig access door. By chance do you have an ice maker, perhaps it may be leaking when it turns on to fill the ice tray?

No ice maker. The Dometic fridge does not have a drain tray that can be accessed from inside the RV. Just the vegetable crisper on the bottom shelf. The access door on the outside of the RV if that is what you mean. The problem was in fact the water heater had been disconnected by a former owner who failed to put a bypass kit on it. I pulled the back board off of the water heater compartment. The hot water pipe was leaking water all over the floor. I dried out the area with a small electric fan. The wet carpet problem has all but disappeared.
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