Community Forums

Lindan n Jim · 09-12-2017, 06:01 PM

We are about halfway throught a 3500 mile excursion in our 1992 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Even just having turned 100K miles, the thing appears to be bullet proof. Well, except for the bathroom sink.

We have developed a leak somewhere under the sink in the vicinity of the faucet. I can trace the source of the puddle to either the hot or the cold supply line. They feel like they may be PEX.

I can't contort myself to see up in there, but I'll have to access the supply lines somehow to repair the leak.

Does anyone have any secrets on how to access those lines? Any tips on field repais to stop or slow down the leak?

Thanks in advance.

windsorbill · 09-12-2017, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindan n Jim

We are about halfway throught a 3500 mile excursion in our 1992 Fleetwood Pace Arrow. Even just having turned 100K miles, the thing appears to be bullet proof. Well, except for the bathroom sink.

We have developed a leak somewhere under the sink in the vicinity of the faucet. I can trace the source of the puddle to either the hot or the cold supply line. They feel like they may be PEX.

I can't contort myself to see up in there, but I'll have to access the supply lines somehow to repair the leak.

Does anyone have any secrets on how to access those lines? Any tips on field repais to stop or slow down the leak?

Thanks in advance.

I believe that tubing is polyethylene.

Where the tubing is connected to your faucet under the sink, there is a coupling that should connect the tubing to the faucet. If you can get under there with your arm and hand tighten it, it should stop the leak. Now if your faucet is plastic and original, it could have cracked since it's 25 years old.

Sometimes I will take my phone and reach inside there and take a picture or a video to help me visualize what's going on.

Lindan n Jim · 09-12-2017, 06:58 PM

Great idea on the camera, Bill. Shows 2 right angle fittings coming out of the faucet connecting them to the grey poly tubing and secured with PEX style clamps.

I attempted to hand tighten the connector, but they feel very tight now. I'll have to wait for the DW to stop so I can get a pair of pliers to see if they can go tighter. In the meantime, I noticed that the poly lines overlap, and I can feel a burr raised on the hot supply line where it contacts the cold fitting. It doesn't feel deep enough to allow water to pass, but I'll have to investigate further.

Plumbing at 70MPH is exciting!

I'll report my follow up findings.

marjoa · 09-12-2017, 08:45 PM

If it was those fittings under the sink that fasten to the faucet are leaking, you'd feel wetness either around where you were trying to tighten them with your fingers OR some water would be running down the water lines themselves and would be wet.

Now you said you could TRACE the puddle back to one of those lines. Again if either of those lines is NOT damp or wet it's not leaking from those lines or fittings. I would be more prone to check the drain where the plumbing ring meets the sink up at the top OR the plastic round teflon washers that are inside your P-Trap drain line fittings. These tapered teflon fittings get deformed, dried out etc over time. If these teflon fittings are bad or worked loose they will leak. Sometimes just hand tightening the outer ring will help but if this is where they are leaking, I would disassemble that whole P-Trap area and replace all the teflon fittings.

Here's how I would check to see if it's the drain:
1) Not while your driving

2) I would not try to tighten them any further with pliers

3) When you stop at your next CG, pull everything out of the cabinet under the sink and towel dry everything

4) Once dry, get a pitcher and fill to the top with water —in the kitchen—and then go to the bathroom and pour that whole pitcher of water in the sink fast. In other words, overwhelm the drain and then look on the floor and see if it's dripping & puddling again. If so, you WILL have to get under there and determine where in that drain system it's leaking. When you do find the leak it will be an easy fix and get parts at HD or Lowes.

windsorbill · 09-12-2017, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindan n Jim

Great idea on the camera, Bill. Shows 2 right angle fittings coming out of the faucet connecting them to the grey poly tubing and secured with PEX style clamps.

I attempted to hand tighten the connector, but they feel very tight now. I'll have to wait for the DW to stop so I can get a pair of pliers to see if they can go tighter. In the meantime, I noticed that the poly lines overlap, and I can feel a burr raised on the hot supply line where it contacts the cold fitting. It doesn't feel deep enough to allow water to pass, but I'll have to investigate further.

Plumbing at 70MPH is exciting!

I'll report my follow up findings.

As mentioned, I wouldn't tighten them any more with pliers. There's designed to crank down with fingers only.

The leak is going to come from 1 of 3 places.

#1 is the pressure side of the valve. If it's from here, it will be leaking all the time when you have the water pump on.

#2 Only leaks when you turn the valve on. (not from waste lines) If this is the case, likely (not 100%) faucet needs replacement

#3 Leaks from the waste lines after the water goes down the drain.

See if you can identify if it's 1,2 or 3.

good luck

Lindan n Jim · 09-12-2017, 09:30 PM

Thanks for the help.

Now that the DW has begrudgingly come to a stop at a wally world parking lot, I can better evaluate what we have going on. After removing the contents of the cabinet, I wadded myself up and crawled underneath the sink with a flashlight to be able to see what is going on.

The leak is definitely coming from the hot supply line. Specifically the area of the metal right angle fitting that connects the poly line to the threaded plastic connector at the hot tap. It only leaks under pressure. As soon as I turn the pump off and release the pressure at the faucet, the leak halts.

At this point, I can't tell if it is seeping past the plastic nut, if the compression ring is too loose, if the metal right angle fittings is cracked, or whatever.

I can't tighten the nut beyond hand tight. No room for tools anyway. At this point I want to suspect the compression ring. Or maybe the plastic nut.

Any thoughts here?

windsorbill · 09-12-2017, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindan n Jim

Thanks for the help.

Now that the DW has begrudgingly come to a stop at a wally world parking lot, I can better evaluate what we have going on. After removing the contents of the cabinet, I wadded myself up and crawled underneath the sink with a flashlight to be able to see what is going on.

The leak is definitely coming from the hot supply line. Specifically the area of the metal right angle fitting that connects the poly line to the threaded plastic connector at the hot tap. It only leaks under pressure. As soon as I turn the pump off and release the pressure at the faucet, the leak halts.

At this point, I can't tell if it is seeping past the plastic nut, if the compression ring is too loose, if the metal right angle fittings is cracked, or whatever.

I can't tighten the nut beyond hand tight. No room for tools anyway. At this point I want to suspect the compression ring. Or maybe the plastic nut.

Any thoughts here?

You're narrowing it down.

The "metal right angle fitting" you reference, are you sure it's metal? I just had an issue with my shower valve and the right angle was actually grey plastic. It was split and I had to replace it.

You're going to have to take stuff apart once you zero in on the culprit. Then try to find the replacement for it. Some of those plastic fittings are only available at RV stores. I couldn't find the right angle fitting at lowes or home depot for my shower leak.

marjoa · 09-13-2017, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindan n Jim

The leak is definitely coming from the hot supply line.
Any thoughts here?

Well there you have it. So whether it's the "O" ring ring/washer inside the supply line fitting, cracked faucet threaded piece on the faucet, you'll at this point just have to further disassemble, look and see. The problem will reveal itself. Again, fix will be easy, get parts at HD or Lowes.

One of things I did when we first bought our MH was replaced all OEM plastic faucets (2 bathroom & 1 kitchen sink & spray faucet) with Brushed Nickel Moen Faucets which of course got new washers inside all supply lines too. I carry these replacement plumbing parts onboard and has once come in handy when my kitchen drain line started to leak at the CG. Replaced the teflon washer @ the P-Trap connection.